Divine Primacy

Primarchs and Synods

The Primacy is the Grand Accord's religious branch, covering 18 Synods, each representing an @Eldrian Deity. These Synods range from the Harrowers Of Dimon to the Rains Of Torm. Each Synod is administered by High Primarchs elected from the Synod membership of Bastion Primarchs. Bastion Primarchs are expected to at least superficially support the Eldrian counterpart of their deity, despite inevitably coming from cultural heresies native to their region. At the head of the Primacy is the Grand Primarch, ruling in tandem with the Grand Kalos and the Grand Master on the Grand Council.

Heresies

Below the Bastion primarchs are the local Envoys or Chosen who control the Heresies within a Bastion. Some Bastions in Metropolitan regions have heresies from Accord Cultures and beyond. In contrast, autonomous regions like Ebih have powerful militant heresies who rule with an iron fist. In comparison, Bastions such as Oriab have too little cultural consistency or appeal for any manner of highly structured belief.

A heresy may be a cult, church or schism such as the Golden Circle and the Trivasterate, in the case of the latter are actually amalgamations of several cultural heresies in the form of a new syncretic religion. Heresies like this may form due to cultural amalgamation or when individual heresies band together to avoid being pushed out by other powerful religious entities.

Establishing a new heresy is tricky, and violence between fledgling Heresies is relatively common in the Bastions.

The Chosen

A current controversy within the territories of the Grand Accord comes from conflicts between the League of the Chosen, sometimes just called 'The League.' The League of the Chosen is an anti-Accord group consisting of the self-styled Chosen, Envoys who do not carry a Seal of any Temple, instead claiming to have some direct relationship with a Deity or Aspect. In extreme cases, Chosen have created public fervour by claiming to be an incarnation of an aspect or deity. A few have even been adopted into the existing power structures of the Primacy to keep public opinion on the Primacy's side. While heresies and schisms are explicitly condoned by the Eldrian Temple, the Accord considers Envoys which exist outside the Primacy to be subject to pose the same risk as rogue magic users, often called 'Sorcerers.' Followers of Chosen are often arrested and exiled under the pretense that they're aiding a rogue Mage, putting such heresies in a dark gray area.

The Face of the Public

The Primacy is in a unique position between the Polis and the Collegiate, neither a military nor political force, but nonetheless exerting intense political and social pressure. Depending on the Synod and the Heresy. Members of the Primacy usually position themselves as representatives of public sentiment, ethical or not, and almost universally side with the public majority against the public minority, sometimes even sabotaging public good done by well-meaning members of the Polis or Collegiate.

Temples and their Envoys make up the majority of public 'third spaces' and services available to the throngs of Bastion poor, be they libraries, hospitals or safe places to rest. The lowest Envoys in the Synods are often tasked with general care of the public in the poorest regions of the Bastion, reaching out to the most disenfranchised by running small hospitals, dispelling local ghosts or running informal Schools and shelters. Primacy Envoys also ensure that the general public celebrates the rich history of bastion festivals and holy days, creating brief respites from the horror of the Post-Fall world.