Priest of the Six
Rank granted to the clergy of the Six Saints, ordained with full privileges to lead their own congregation.
Qualifications
Priests of the Six must have served as an Initiate and an Acolyte of the faith before being selected by their superiors to become full Priests. They must know their letters and have had their teachings and understandings of the faith tested at the Abbey of Painted Glass in Redehall (or another major centre of their faith, in Norvalled or on the Continent.) Many of the priests of the Six on Banteave, however, are fully invested in Redehall before being sent out to their parishes.
Appointment
Priests of the Six are appointed during a religious ceremony within one of their churches (many in Banteave are so appointed in the Abbey of Painted Glass.) The Archbishop of Banteave typically conducts the ritual, though other Bishops can step in if needed to cover these rituals.
Duties
Priests of the Six are tasked with overseeing the moral well-being of their parish, ministering to the souls of their congregation, advising on matters of morality, and steering them away from sin and heresy.
Responsibilities
Priests of the Six are responsible for collecting the tithes and tributes, hiring overseers to manage church lands within their parish, and ensuring a portion of church tithes and levies are sent on to the Abbey of Painted Glass. So long as the ruling baron of the land they occupy is on good terms with the Church, they are also entitled to a portion of collected tithes. This relation between the church and the nobility has been established over the generations.
Benefits
Priests of prosperous parishes typically enjoy comfortable livelihoods, and receive ample considerations for their time and efforts. Some priests grow quite wealthy off the collected tithes in their parishes and use the funds to expand the church's influence, buying more land and holdings. Others gild their residences and chapels with ostentatious displays of the church's wealth, to better signify the power of their absent lord.
Accoutrements & Equipment
Priests of the Six typically adorn themselves in the mantle of their faith during service, and simple robes when not. All of them bear seven bangles, one for each of the Six Saints and a seventh for their God whom shall one day return to this world.
Grounds for Removal/Dismissal
Priests who have fallen afoul of Abbey politics, or who have grossly misused their office and been found guilty of crimes against the church, can be stripped of rank and title and declared apostate. A ruling liege lord, however, cannot themselves dismiss a Priest that has been sent to minister to the spiritual health of their lands directly; they must petition the Abbey of Painted Glass for the removal or reassignment of the offending priest. Rulers who act directly against the offending priest may find themselves in hot water with the religious institutions of the land, possibly even being excommunicated themselves and facing harsh reprisals.
Type
Religious, Clerical
Form of Address
Reverend
Source of Authority
Investiture, anointed by superiors
Length of Term
Life, unless revoked
Related Locations
Related Organizations
