Sancturi Clergy¶
"Your Grace." — the address due to every member of the Divine Grace (S321)
Contested
Named in the open question Emperor or Empress Okora: the clergy's account has its branches report to an Emperor, the political notes to Empress Okora.
The Sancturi Clergy is the religious caste of the Sancturi Empire and the arm of the theocracy that judges, polices, records and taxes it. It serves the Sancturi Pantheon, keeps the holy text Elysium's Gate, and is divided into two sub-castes and five branches: the Penitus Monks, the Covenant, the Arbitori Bannerguard, the Projura Magisters and the Sages of the Codex. At its head stand the eleven Qeokrati, one to a province, and above them the throne. "Those belonging to the religious caste are given deference over ordinary citizens. They make up the judicial system as well as the top levels of the police force" (S323). "To harm or fail to follow the direction of a member of the clergy is considerable dishonor" (S132).
Also called: the Sancturi Priesthood (S132).
The two sub-castes¶
The Divine Grace¶
"The Grace" is made up of "the Qeokrati, Archprincipates, Principates, or have the prefix of High prepended to their station/rank. If their rank is Captain, then they would be a High Captain, etc. All high level management positions within the church are held by this caste." Its members "must disavow all familial ties, which includes spouses, children, political parties and house affiliations and serve for remainder of their life". They "enjoy a sort of elevated citizen status and their word, honor and integrity are held in universal regard. They are all addressed as 'Your Grace'" (S321).
The Faithful¶
"The faithful are made up of all the lower ranks of priests. They can marry and have families, but many ambitious priests/priestess opt not to, knowing they will have to give it up when they achieve the Divine Grace." They may keep contact with "their extended families, house and political party", and enjoy "all the same privileges as ordinary citizens" (S321).
Government of the church¶
The Qeokrati¶
"The 11 Qeokrati (key-O-crati) are the chief religious and judicial authorities of the empire. Each one presides over a province of the empire and new Qeokrati are added when a new province is recognized." Sitting together as the Qeokrati Council, they "must ratify any moral (honor), social or judicial legislation passed by the Great Council" of the Imperial Government (S323). They choose the throne's successor: when the god-ruler's mortal form dies, "the Qeokrati determine this in a conclave unanimously" (S323).
"The eleven Qeokrati can hand down judgements of dishonor which are capable of revoking one or more of a house's election tokens and/or a revocation of an individual's right of succession and/or citizenship. Ritual suicide is often granted as a option to avoid these losses and regain honor, though in severe cases even the right of redemption (ritual suicide) can be revoked" (S323).
The Provincial Conclave and the Divine Order¶
"The provincial conclave is made up of all high ranking clergy (members of the Divine Order, 'The Order') in the province. They meet to appoint a new Qeokrati when they die. The Qeokrati position is almost always filled by the eldest and highest ranking member of the conclave." Conclave members are "the only ones that can pass judgement on a citizen": the Qeokrati may judge a citizen in person or "appoint a 3 member conclave" for the trial, and "only a conclave member can serve as a valid witness to Mord'ivarus (trial by combat)" (S323; see Law).
Sanctity¶
Under the principle of Sanctity in Elysium's Gate, the clergy has "basically judicial immunity" and conducts its own investigations and trials, and holy sites "are off limits to all, under penalty of Desecration at best, Blasphemy at worst" (S321).
The five branches¶
| Branch | Work | Robes | Head |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penitus Monks | Vigils, holy crafts, bodyguards, diplomats | white | Order Principates, to the Qeokrati and the Emperor |
| The Covenant | secret police and spies | deep red (police); none (agents) | three Archprincipates, to the Emperor |
| Arbitori Bannerguard | police, military orders, missionaries | by order, with the Arbitori symbol | a body of all Principates, to the Qeokrati Council and the Emperor |
| Projura Magisters | the judiciary | dark violet | Magister Principate |
| Sages of the Codex | taxes, records, banks, mint, libraries | dark grey | Sage Principate |
Every robe is "trimmed in black and gold according to rank and station" (S321). "Every Temple has at least 2 major wings (for Magisters and Sages) and 3 minor wings/spaces for the other branches. Every temple has a Vigil (Penitus), Temple Guard (Bannerguard) and Covenant Office" (S321). The Penitus Monks and the Arbitori Bannerguard, the largest branch, have pages of their own.
The Covenant¶
"The Covenant is a group of secret police and spies. They infiltrate all levels and organizations within Sancturi society. They are also trained to infiltrate foreign lands and organizations. Internally they look for corruption, disobedience, rebellion and heresy. They operate largely outside the law. They are headed by three Archprincipates which report directly to the Emperor" (S321). The political notes add that the Covenant is "organized per province with their own military like ranking system", "operate above the law to most except the most powerful and connected citizens", and "has infiltrated most other organizations within the empire, including local police forces and the military" (S323).
Its two faces are the deep cover agents, "which will do whatever is necessary to maintain that cover", who report suspects to their handlers, and the police forces "which handle deep cover agents and execute raids and capture and interrogate suspects". "Covenant agents have no identifying features and are known only to their handlers. The Covenant police forces wear deep red robes" (S321). The clergy's example of a full title is a "Senior Captain of the Covenant at Algon's Watch in the Ungorim Prefecture" (S321; see Sancturi Empire).
When Brusau passed to the Sancturi by treaty, "Arbitori Bannerguard and Covenant Agents" hunted the worshippers of Arcantus there, and "their spies have told them what the players have" (S187, S189).
Projura Magisters¶
"Projura magisters make up the judiciary branch of the empire." Projukrati, Justices and Jurors are the judges of the three tiers, "Regional, Citizen and Non-citizen Local courts". "There is a short appeals process for citizens which allow capital crimes and judgements of serious offenses/penalties to be appealed to a Projukrati (regional) court. The appeals process normally takes less than a week. Many magisters are Namakan Runekeepers" (S321; see Namakan Runecasting).
- Projura Wardens "operate a handful of jails (these are holding cells while trials are concluded). Imprisonment as a sentence does not really exist except for Immortals. Monetary reparations, slavery and death are the most common sentences. For some immortal magical creatures, Projura Wardens are tasked with keeping them captive."
- Projura Inquisitors "track down and capture individuals to report for judgement and sentencing" (S321).
The judiciary also collects and accounts the empire's taxes (S323). In occupied Altandon, Arbiter Raiden "of the Magisters of Tennerua" oversaw the assimilation of the natives with the Onyx Order (S189; see Minor Figures of the Sancturi Imperium).
Sages of the Codex¶
"Sages are tax collectors, accountants, record keepers and bankers for the Imperium. The majority of their ranks are made up of trained scholars and bookkeepers. They have a few clerics, warriors and runcasters which are used in their investigative and enforcement roles" (S321). Their work:
- The Sancturi Codex, "a record of taxes, land holdings, etc. It exists in many parts at any given time, but is considered an authoritative and divine work. It is protected from tampering by rune magic. It is fully assembled once every two years for the great election" (see Lesser Texts).
- Banks and counting houses: "Banks are moneylenders and depositories, while a counting house will convert foreign currency (It is illegal to use foreign currency inside the empire)" (see Currency and Trade).
- The mint, and the hunt for counterfeiters.
- Libraries, and the destruction of "forbidden or sacrilegious published materials. A company of Sages often accompany armies to sift through any written materials and burn those which are heretical or profane" (S321).
The Sages also judge a citizen's plea that he cannot pay. The Sancturi lord Rakai Karanovic, facing "land forfeiture and having his citizenship revoked unless he gets a Causa Waiver from the Sancturi Sages", was told by a sage that his case was weak, "his inability to pay is related to his overextension and misfortune and not to some external calamity or extenuating circumstances", and to seek a Sancturi artifact instead (S150).
At the Great Library of Altandon, "a dozen Sancturi Sages led by Temple Master Harukata have seized control of the library". The mystical section was "entirely torched ... after a few Namakan Rune Tomes were removed", the divine section was "being aggressively sorted (destroyed)", and the old monks were killed or tortured; with Harukata were "2 Senior Wardens of the Sages (Warriors), 1 is a Junior Runepriest and 1 is an Elder Runekeeper" (S190; see Altandon). At the Imperium's end, the Principate of the Sages was one of the three leaders of the Unholy Flight, and afterwards "revealed that the Divine had left the earth and that the Empress would only return after the races were worthy of her again" (S078).
The clergy's notes once call the Sages "Sacramae" (S321).
Ranks¶
| Penitus Monks | The Covenant | Arbitori Bannerguard | Projura Magisters | Sages of the Codex | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Order head | Penitus Principate | Archprincipate | Bannerguard Principate | Magister Principate | Sage Principate |
| Regional leader | Consallon | Precept | Grand Sage | ||
| Local leader | Abbot | Commander (Senior) | Commander (Senior) | Arbiter | Temple Master |
| Company lead | Captain (Senior) | Captain (Senior) | Elder | Elder | |
| Member | Brother, Sister | Junior, Senior | Junior, Senior, Elite, Orbis | Junior, Senior | Junior, Senior |
| Recruit | Initiate (Junior, Senior) | Acolyte (Junior, Senior) | Acolyte (Junior, Senior, Ring) | Acolyte (Junior, Senior) | Acolyte (Junior, Senior) |
A full title runs "
Marks, executions and the dead¶
The clergy alone applies, removes and changes the four marks, tattooed in Praestic ink, that every person in the empire bears; its own is the Mark of Sancturi, "the Sancturi symbol with variations based on rank", on the hand or wrist (S132; see Social Order). "All executions are performed under the supervision of the Sancturi Clergy and they are careful to mark heathens so that they will transition instead of turn." "Witches are burned at the stake by the Sancturi, but under the supervision of Namakan Runecasters, which entrap their souls to ensure that they are never reincarnated (these are added to Vigils)" (S318; see Vigils). The clergy preaches that the faithful of the Kalari and Rakkarim "don't have anywhere to go after death and therefore remain behind to terrorize the living", which "reinforces why forced conversion is necessary" (S318).
"Many Sancturi Runecasters are an extension of the Sancturi Clergy. As such they enjoy considerable support, respect and political influence across the empire" (S132; see Rune Magic). Independent runecasters may be "Sancturi Certified", receiving a runecaster tattoo and being "sworn in as reservists" bound to serve in local militias (S132).
Gap
No source names any Qeokrati or any province they preside over, says where the Qeokrati Council sits, or describes the Projukrati courts or the Sages' Grand Sages at work. Precept is the Magisters' regional rank, but the Unholy Flight is led by "two High Precepts from the Houses of Sidcarnon & Barahd" (S078), named by house although the Divine Grace disavows all house affiliations (S321); the political notes' High Prefects of the great houses (S323) may be meant.
In Play¶
A player might be "a disillusioned mid-ranking member of the Covenant ... there is no leaving it, but you can subvert it from within. Your boss is lazy and inept", and a hired companion who "is actually a member of The Covenant" means "many bad things happen to those in the wake of the group" (S202). Hollow arcs turn on a town's law officer, "a Sancturi Cleric", who fears the investigation that calling in the priesthood's Hollow hunters would bring, and on "a well connected Cleric" suspected of aiding Riven rebels (S202). See the Sancturi Campaign chronicle.