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Author: Dr. Fenric
Date Added: 7/18/09
Last Modified: 7/18/09
Sephria, the Daring "You see, my children, Sephria has made the ultimate sacrifice for us. All that she asks in return that we follow the five tenets, five simple laws designed not to harm, but to make our lives that much more fulfilling." - Taken from a sermon of Alastor II, High Priest of the Church of Sephria.
The Five Tenets1. You shall not disobey those placed above you nor forsake the laws of their hand.
2. You shall not oppress those placed below you nor forsake the emptiness of their hand.
3. You shall not quarrel with those along side of you nor deny them a helping hand.
4. You shall not take intelligent life unless absolutely necessary.
5. Always seek to better yourself, even among those who do not follow the tenets.
The AppearanceWhen one considers there is an exact replica of what Sephria looked like sitting close to Zal'Garish, it shouldn't be unexpected that she has the most consistent image. She is depicted as a lovely human woman, probably in her early twenties, with a long sword strapped to her side. Her clothing is usually gloriously crafted armor, as looking both graceful and beautiful, although she wears no helmet. Instead, long straight brown hair cascades down her back, stopping just short of her waist. Many carvings show her with her right arm straight out, palm vertical, her other arm slightly behind her, as if she was sheltering some unseen child from an unknown danger. One of the most famous paintings of Sephria, called The Fall of Calill, shows her grieving over her fallen ally, an unusual softer side which is not commonly showed.
The RootsBefore her petrification, Sephria's church was certainly one of the more low-key. While a religion dedicated to her worship existed, she actually played down anything that could be seen as organized religion in her name. The most that ever assembled were the Paladins of Tarau, a group often seen as predecessors of the Deacons. Their order served to focus whatever religious worship was directed at Sephria until the end of the fifth age, when most of them were wiped out at the Sylinian Carnage. The remnants of the shattered order were among the first to take up the call for unification after Sephria's death.
Of all of the Nine, Sephria and the events surrounding her death stirred up the quickest recovery among the following in her church. Almost immediately, several religious branches cropped up dedicated to her worship and peace on the religious front was threatened, an irony considering the nature of the object of their worship. Perhaps it was that same nature that brought about the ultimate unification of the church, but it certainly wouldn't have been possible without the man Alastor. Alastor called the six main movements of the church together at the First Council of Zal'Garish. At the council, he made several impassioned speeches calling for the unification of the church, which, he claimed "needed to be a symbol, a light in these very dark times for the lost and scattered people of this world". Although the council failed to unite at the First Council, it laid the ground work for a second meeting a few years later. By that time, Alastor had managed to reconcile the two largest groups, melding them into a single, massive movement. During the span of the council, he persuaded the council to unite into one group. He was unanimously elected to be the first High Priest three days later.
The HierarchyAs can be imagined, the Church of Sephria is a rigid system, and one must go along a set path in order to gain rank. There are two wings of the Church- The Deacons and the Elders.
The Deacons are the warrior hand of the church. Also called paladins after their predecessors, the Deacons serve as bodyguards for the Elders, their churches, and their congregations. Their job is to serve the both populace and the government in any area possible, so while they are known for their prowess with a variety of weapons, they are also often given basic instruction in other useful skills- Blacksmithing, construction, carpentry, ect. At their best, they are bold spreaders of the peace. At their worst, they can be self-righteous snobs. For the most part, governments enjoy having a decent amount of Deacons present, seeing as they can make a formidable militia in a pinch. While Deacons are not mercenaries, they are expected to go out of their way every now and again to help those in need, whether or not they have the means to reward them.
The Elders are the instructors and priests of the church. They are expected to have a sizable knowledge of both Song of the Saint and Alastor's Commentaries, and be able to preach sermons on both. Elders share both the zeal and self-righteousness with their Deacon brothers, although their opinions on how to spread it differ. Where a Deacon likes to spread his message by his deeds, perhaps fixing a plow or constructing a house, the Elder prefers long-winded debates and intellectual discussions. For the most part, Elders live modest lives, often holed up with their studies unless meeting with one of the flock for spiritual counsel or discussion. In larger cities with bigger populations, the Elders tend to live more comfortably, although according to legend, Alastor, despite commanding a huge following in Zal'Garish, lived in very simple means.
Ultimately, any Elder, regardless of how little time he has been a priest, outranks any Deacon. The Deacons are expected to bow to the leadership of the local Elder and in turn, the Elder is expected to respect his brothers. The highest ranking Elder, the High Priest, is Elder of Zal'Garish. Understandably, the Highest Ranking Deacon also resides in Zal'Garish.
Note: Despite being a religion founded based on a female demi-god, the majority of both Elders and Deacons are male. While it isn't unheard of to have a female in either branch, it tends to be disliked. Perhaps it's natural protectiveness of the Deacons who prefer to defend women, not fight along side them or perhaps it's the traditionalism of the Elders who think of men as the head of the house, but for whatever reason, women just aren't common in the ranks.
The ScripturesThose of the church have two sacred works- Song of the Saint and Alastor's Commentaries. The first is a narrative written by an unknown author (legend claims him to be the general who commanded Sephria's forces during the the Gate Wars) and follows a wishful conversation between him and Sephria, where she expresses what she wants the world to look like should she be victorious. The Five Tenets are form the first half of the narrative, with each point expanded and explored in great detail. The second half recounts a brief history of Sephria, starting from her appearance in the second age until the end of the fourth age. The book concludes with an unusual statement, in which Sephria predicts her own death (This statement was one of the main points of discussion during the First Council of Zal'Garish. One of the branches wanted to discard this statement and another most of the book, as it doesn't appear to fit with the style consistent through the rest of Song. This led to a belief that the work was tampered with after Sephria's petrification.)
Commentaries is an unusual read, as it was never intended to be published. It is, quite literally, Alastor's journal and carries a variety of information, including thoughts on Song of the Saint, information about his own daily struggles to maintain the tenets, and his beliefs on how to better the church. It was canonized by Alastor II shortly after Alastor's death (and its subsequent discovery).
The FollowingAs the fallen leader who gave her last breath to defend her people, Sephria has an enormous following among the Nivak Federation, particularly Zal'Garish. While many of these people may not necessarily fall in line with the rigid system imposed by her church, they worship with a sense of duty and tradition. Outside of the Nivak borders, however, the church loses a considerable amount of influence. Attacking an Elder in Nivak is unheard of; attacking him outside of it is definite possibility. While followers of Sephria do exist in other lands, particularly in the former allies of the Federation, the church remains relatively restricted to their home nation. This is something that their current leader, Alastor IV, is actively trying to change.
The Holy PlacesThere are two major places that any zealous worshiper must visit in his/her lifetime- The home of Sephria, now serving as The Chapel of Zal'Garish, and Sephria herself. The former serves as headquarters of the church and has been remodeled to accommodate an enormous sanctuary, where any worshiper can come to listen to the sermons of the High Priest twice a week. The latter is easily the most sacred site of any religion on Aedolyn (it is the only body left) and is constantly guarded by its own special regiment of Deacons. Pilgrims are allowed a moment to kiss the feet of Sephria and to whisper a quick prayer before being led off to allow the next person a chance. Those Deacons that guard Sephria are considered the best of the best, trained in magic, armed and unarmed combat and a variety of mental exercises designed to identify threats without the use of Psyonic Magic.
The TeachingsThe Five Tenets from the backbone of the church and while there may be room for flexibility among the lesser tenets, the Five carry no debate or discussion concerning their existence as foundational principles.
1. You shall not disobey those placed above you nor forsake the laws of their hand.
- This tenet is considered the primary command, place before and above all others. While protection of the weak and afflicted is important, it must always must be done lawfully. Open defiance of the government, regardless of how corrupt, must never be done by those that follow Sephria. Instead, legal actions or petitions are recommended if either Deacons or Elders see those below them being oppressed.
2. You shall not oppress those placed below you nor forsake the emptiness of their hand.
- While the first tenet may take higher precedence over the second, the second tenet is also considered critical to the existence of the church. Protection of the weak and helpless is the ultimate call of the Deacons and they are expected to do everything within legal limits to help the afflicted.
3. You shall not quarrel with those along side of you nor deny them a helping hand.
- The third tenet covers those that are roughly equal in social structure, thus covering everyone a follower may encounter (Those in high positions, lower positions and equal positions). It is listed third for a reason, reinforcing that the first two take priority. Should it ever come down to a contest between Tenet One or Two and Tenet Three, members of the church are expected to follow the first two.
4. You shall not take intelligent life unless absolutely necessary.
- This is the most debated of all the tenets, not for its legitimacy, but for but for its interpretation. On one hand, Sephria herself brutally murdered Malkur in front of the Sharrum Gate, thus pointing what appears to be an inconsistency. Some of the more extreme claim this as proof the clause 'absolutely necessary' includes executing all evil-doers. The mainstream, however, defends Sephria's action and points the subsequent events that led up to her becoming stone would not had happened had she chosen not to act in anger and violence. The official position of the church on this tenet is for Deacons to stay their blades unless the individual provides an immediate and lethal threat to civilians.
5. Always seek to better yourself, even among those who do not follow the tenets.
- The Catch-all tenet and the only tenet that commands good actions on a private and personal level. It's is on this principle that members of the church do not seem totally revolted by working with members of other religions.
The Lesser Tenets
The lesser tenets are many and vary from city to city and Elder to Elder. For example, in one section of the church, it may be forbidden to perform certain actions on certain days, even though it never mentions any of those things in either of the main scriptures. It is simply assumed from interpretation or local tradition. While these commands are not frowned upon, the Council of Elders in Zal'Garish still occasionally reigns in some of the more outlandish ideas.
The RelationsCalill, the Wise (Telgin): Despite some differences, the Elders have a decent amount of respect for the followers of Calill. She was, after all, a close ally of Sephria.
Halvak, the Warrior (Angard): While Halvak was another ally of Sephria, his servants are not viewed nearly as favorably as Calill, perhaps because they disdain the first tenet, something most Deacons and Elders cannot overlook.
Tólsimir, the Quiet (Mirodo): While their morals may be in question, the church cannot deny that the followers of Tolsimir have the right ideas concerning the first tenet. This makes things very positive on the Elders' side of things.
Asvel, the Merchant (Maelar): The normally vocal Elders are surprisingly silent when it comes to those that follow Asvel. Not much of a policy has been formed, probably because there would be little or no reaction to that policy.
Avandor, the Great (Nâvirfëll): The Elders probably wouldn't mind Avandor's acolytes if not for the disregard of the first (and sometimes second) tenets.
Durin, the Hegemon (Bäros): The Elders have always been a bit confused when it comes to dealing with the people of Durin. On one hand, it is clear that their distain for the second tenet would lead to problems. On the other, their upholding the first (and most important) tenets leads to a very divided opinion. Officially, the church is on friendly terms with them, but this could change as politics swing.
Viscerra, the Plagued (Galstrom): While not as bad as the hated people of Malkur, Viscerra's brood is still considered very abhorrent.
Malkur, the Chaotic (Bavkür): Malkur is viewed as the ultimate evil by both Deacons and Elders. Introducing followers of Malkur to a Deacon is the quickest way to see a loyal servant of Sephria break the fourth tenet.
The EndThe church is only one of two religions that can make a claim to their leader's return, meaning that the tightly wound Elders actually have one of the happiest endings to their religion. According to tradition, one day, Aratar will consume the Sharrum Gate. While the gate may be currently dormant, it, like Sephria, is only sleeping. Once the chaos of Aratar touches the Sharrum Gate, the two will simultaneously destroy each other, permanently removing both from the world forever. With the threat to her homeland gone, Sephria will stir once more and through her great wisdom and strength, she will restore the world to the perfection it saw in the First Age.
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