Greater power
Portfolio: Humans (sometimes
also the sky, weather)
Aliases: The Father
Symbols: A flaming sword,
an eagle
Colours: Blue and gold
The God
Artafor is the most powerful of
the human pantheon of gods. He is usually depicted as an old, bearded man,
often wearing an elegant robe of some description. His portfolio includes
the affairs of the entire human race, but he very rarely intervenes directly
in human affairs. Instead, Artafor keeps a careful watch over the other
human gods, who are often referred to as his children. Artafor tends to
be quite neutral in the affairs of his children, but he has been known
to step in if they become too unruly.
The Faith
The Church of Artafor has been the
dominant faith in the Ivrean region for most of recorded history. In fact,
in 2210, the worship of Artafor was declared the only official religion
of Ivrea by royal decree. Five years later this trend reached fever pitch
and a crusade was undertaken to convert all Ivreans to the faith of Artafor.
Finally, in 2217, the then High Priest of Artafor – Mulro Harmien – was
struck dead under mysterious circumstances. Following an alleged visitation
from Artafor himself, the King immediately recognised other forms of worship
once again.
Only very recently has the power
of the Church begun to wane slightly, mostly following the destruction
of the City of Ivrea by beholders and the fracturing of the Ivrean lands
into several nations. Many of Artafor’s formerly faithful are now paying
tribute to other gods as well, instead of only to The Father. Despite this
slight decline in power, the Church of Artafor is still strong in most
parts of Ivrea. The current process of re-consolidation of the lands under
the Ivrean Council may give the Church an additional boost.
The Clergy
Historically, the Church of Artafor
was lead by a single High Priest, with junior clergymen and women of various
ranks beneath him (or occasionally her). Following the splintering of the
land, the structure of the Church has changed significantly. In some nations
(Rotan, Feroll and Lerantu) there is now a High Priest within each nation.
In most others, there are no High Priests, but junior clergy men who report
to High Priests in neighbouring lands. In Meldora, because of the additional
role of the Church as the judiciary, there are multiple High Priests, and
some clergy of even higher rank.
| Deity |
Alignment |
Domains |
Typical worshippers |
| Artafor |
Lawful good |
Air, Fire, Good, Strength |
Ivrean humans |
Centres
of Worship
The Church of Artafor is currently
strongest in Meldora, with about two-thirds of the population of Meldora
City regularly paying tribute to Artafor. The position of the Church in
Meldora is supported by its additional role as the judiciary for the nation.
Most of the administrative work of both the Church and the judiciary is
performed by the general clergy, lead by multiple High Priests (the number
of High Priests varies somewhat, but is currently fifteen). A group of
11 Guides is drawn from the 15 High Priests and the judiciary is headed
up by three Justices drawn from the 11 Guides. The Justices serve staggered
three-year tenures, so that one new Justice is chosen each year. The Meldoran
judiciary uses a flaming sword plus a shield as its symbol.
The next most powerful centre of
worship for the faith of Artafor is the city of Rotan. Approximately one
quarter of the citizens of Rotan pay homage to Artafor. In addition, the
laws of Rotan entitle the Priests of Artafor to some special rights. Amongst
other privileges, they are entitled to Church representation at any trial
in Rotan and the assassination (or attempted assassination) of a Priest
of Artafor carries a mandatory death sentence. Other centres of worship
include Feroll and Lerantu.
The Players
-
Mari Moonstone:
Longest serving Justice in Meldora. Mari is a very old and very wise woman.
She is surprisingly fit for her age.
-
Shep Brigon:
Newest Justice in Meldora. Shep is quite a young man. He can be quite blunt,
almost to the point of rudeness, but he is also extremely logical and honest.
-
Fabren
Yethstorm: The third Justice. Fabren is a quiet, middle aged man. He says
very little but is almost always smiling slightly.
-
Lurik Mien:
High Priest of the Church in Rotan. Lurik resents the diminishing role
of the Church of Artafor in Rotan and longs for a return to the glory days
of Artafor’s dominance over Ivrea.
-
Havern
Killori: High Priest of the Church in Feroll. Recently, Havern has been
working closely with leaders of the other faiths in the city to help fight
the devastating effects of the plague.
-
Brin Denil:
High Priest of the Church in Lerantu. Unusually, Brin is a half-elf, but
this does not seem to have impeded his progress through the ranks of the
human-dominated Church of Artafor.
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