Church of Valkur
Mortals who dedicate themselves entirely to the vision of Valkur are called Valkurytes, and may band together to form a Temple of Valkur, usually in a coastal community with an active seaport.
These clerics are united by their shared love of the sea, sailing, struggling against the power of nature, and exploration. They value boldness, courage, valour, honesty, and honour.
Public Agenda
Valkur's church sees to encourage and support the bold exploration and traversing of the sea. It offers a safe port, supplies, and healing to honest sailors, rescues those struck by disaster at sea, and calls the Captain's wrath down on those who hurt them.
Assets
The church's charitable efforts are supported almost completely by donations, both from the crews who avail themselves of the church's services, as the communities who benefit from the sea trade. In many communities, it is considered extremely rude and ungrateful not to make a small offering to Valkur's church when you arrive safely in a port that church protects.
Valkurytes also work to be self-sufficient, but this symbiotic relationship with coastal communities and the sailors who move between them means they are very seldom forced to fend for themselves.
Priesthood
Though it is not required for entry into the priesthood, most dedicated members of Valkur's clergy have a seagoing rank, and dress appropriately to their rank. They have no particular regalia, except for during ceremonies, where they typically wear blue robes accented with either silver or gold. Most priests carry a cutlass and a vial of seawater, which they may use to channel Valkur's holy magic.
The priestly hierarchy mirrors naval ranks, with initiates or undedicated volunteers being Swabs, then Gob, Seaman, Sailor, Boatswain, Third Mate, Second Mate, First Mate, Captain, Commodore, and Admiral. The leader of a temple is always called High Captain, regardless of their actual rank.
The duties associated with a rank vary by each temple's needs, but generally the High Captain oversees temple-wide business, while lesser ranks divide the temple's responsibilities among themselves. Most temples have priests who work as head healer, quartermaster, and head carpenter in addition to their high captain.
Granted Divine Powers
Valkur sometimes blesses those who devote themselves wholeheartedly to his cause with certain powers; these clerics can do more than call up a simple magewind and foretell the weather. They can summon storms and lightning, breathe water as if it were air, command the strength of ten men, conjure simple but valuable seafaring wares such as rope or canvas, and the fastest and safest route to a safe port is always fixed in their minds.
Other blessings have been granted before, but these seem the most common. As well, like most who possess the favour of a god, Valkur's clerics can heal injury, poisons, and diseases.
Temples
A Temple of Valkur resembles a collossal ship that has somehow sailed into the shoreline without splitting apart. Its decks constitute the storeys, and though the sails are generally furled to avoid structural damage from winds on the immobile building, the decks and rigging are all accessible. There is usually a lookout in the Crow's Nest, divining the weather, looking out for expected ships, or communing with the gulls. As a rule, these temples are located in the dockyard, usually near the shipwright whom they work cooperatively with. In smaller communities, the temple may functionally be the shipyard.Sects
In addition to the main church, which is generally found in docks and shipyards, there are a few specialized orders.
The Wavetamers
A seafaring sect of Valkur's church, charged with hunting krakens, malevolent sea dragons, giant squid, and other creatures that prey on shipping and endanger honest sailors.The Order of the Calming Wave
A search-and-rescue branch deployed to aid ships in distress and to search for survivors of seagoing disasters. They are usually housed in Valkur's temples when not on missions.
Without risk, life is empty. Life is to be lived!
Type
Religious, Organised Religion
Alternative Names
The Captain's Crew
Demonym
Valkuryte
Deities