Emisaries of the Fog
Though most of the Askar will never knowingly meet the spirits which they worship, many of their priests claim to have encountered them. There are certainly those who have expressed doubt of these claims, especially among their northern conquerors. This exclusivity of communication is said to be derived from the spirits' demands for secrecy in the ancient pact at the heart of their religion, being the least amount of awareness the Askar can have of them while remaining able to fulfill the other terms of the agreement. Their proper name is derived from this role, as they are the sole line of communication, the emisaries, between the worshipers and the divine. This serves as the foundation of the legitimacy of the Council of Elders which rules the Askar from Holem Shyor, which also leads the priesthood, and which uses it as the instrument of its administration.
Structure
The Emisaries are led by a Council of Elders, which also leads the Askar from Holem Shyor, and members of which are known as "Losaal"—"Fore-Messenger." The Council consists of seventeen members, whom the remaining Losaal choose whenever there is a vacancy. Members are chosen from among the lesser members of the priesthood, are require to have a thorough understanding of Askar religious and cultural traditions, and are preferred to be of advanced age. Unofficially, being known by the Council to resent the Doloshorn occupation is another advantage.
Beneath the Council, there are no formal titles or ranks other than the "Saal"—the common priest, literally meaning "Messenger"—but in praqctice there are a number of other positions. A position as an aide or assistant to one of the losaal is seen as more prestigious, increasing the likelihood of the one holding ascending to the Council themselves, and comes with an informal authority over other priests.
Regular saal do the footwork of both political and religious administration: collecting taxes, officiating ceremonies, performing sacrifices, making judicial rulings, and calling up local militias to enforce the Council's laws. Even here, however, persons of the same rank do not truly have equal authority, as younger saal are expected to show deference to their elders.
Beneath all of these, there are the neophytes of the priesthood, who are assigned to a saal to learn the responsibilities of the position, and the intricate theology of the order. These neophytes serve these saal as assistants for the duration of their education. No more than one neohpyte is generally assigned to any given saal, though there have been exceptions.
Public Agenda
The Emissaries pursue a singular goal: the preservation of tradition. This, principally, means upholding the ancient pact between the Askar and the local spirits of the fog, in which the Askar receive prosperity—usually conceived of as bountiful harvests, but which is in truth more general—in exchange for worship, secrecy, and the preservation of the forest. However, this extends towards preserving traditional modes of dress, traditional cuisine, and their own status as the only entrenched local power structure.
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