Church of Ettuna

The Church of Ettuna is the primary religious organization dedicated to the worship and service of the goddess of arcane magic, Ettuna. It is composed of primarily wizards, sorcerers and monks, though clerics typically hold the most power within the hierarchy of the church.

Structure

Initiation - The church dedicated to Ettuna tends to attract magic-users that love magic for its own sake, rather than those who sought it out as a means to gain power.
Titles - The following titles are used by the church:

• Blessed - Sanctified servants of Ettuna who act as both heralds and scribes to the church's work. They are blessed with prodigious abilities, and serve within the Great Temple of Ettuna.
• Revered - Leaders of individual temples and communities dedicated to Ettuna, scattered throughout Aecenys.
• Acolyte - Title given to the initiates of the church. They have demonstrated an aptitude for magic and its history, but have too little experience to lead a temple or shrine.

Priestly Orders

• Order of the Hereafter - compromised of clergy who look to protect the church by divining the future. Every major temple has a divination sphere through which they operate.

Knightly Orders

• Knights of the Arcane Eye - An order of paladins dedicated to Ettuna. Sponsored by the church, the knights serve as guardians of large temples dedicated to the goddess as well as accompany priests on missions into the empire.

Divine Origins

The Church of Ettuna began in the heart of Tol Annûn in the very city where arcane magic was revealed. The high elves who performed the initial ritual to unleash Ettuna from her binds became her most fervent supporters. They were blessed with a natural affinity towards magic, and Tol Annûn became the physical foundation on which Ettuna's church was built. Over the next few centuries, the high elves spread the word of their goddess throughout the continent, in conjunction with Wardens of the Wellspring. Their beliefs stem from the protection of the wellsprings as well as free and unfettered usage of arcane magic.

Cosmological Views

To worshipers of Ettuna, the material plane was never fully realized until the revelation of their goddess. Once she broke free of her imprisonment from the chaos below, arcane magic flooded Unum and completed a world sorely lacking its benefits. The gods of Coelus and Chordus had trapped Ettuna, fearing her raw power, but once she was revealed, it was clear she was a force for good. Her blessings came in the form of wellsprings, scattered throughout Aecenys as a way for her followers to draw from the arcane energy and use it in her name.

Tenets of Faith

Because arcane magic and divine magic originate from separate sources, the priests within the church seek to reconcile these into one. They teach that all magic is both divine and arcane, and to cast a spell or wield magic is to be closer to Ettuna. They accept any magic user into their church, and welcome even those who have no skills in the arcane arts but support its use. Followers of Ettuna must spread the knowledge of magic and do everything in their power to protect the wellsprings.

• Preserve magical lore so that magic can continue and flourish within Aecenys
• Seek out and educate those who are skilled in magic or those who have the potential to use it
• Explore magical theory and create magic items and spells
• Protect the wellsprings from those who wish to seal them

Worship

Most worship of Ettuna takes place within the many temples and shrines all over Aecenys. Temples dedicated to Ettuna are common within the more civilized cities, ideally those with large practicing guilds. The Great Temple of Ettuna is located in Athilor, built up on the site of the revelation and the first wellspring. Those who oppose the use of arcane magic, such as the Corinian Empire, have gone so far as to destroy any existing temples dedicated to Ettuna within their territory.

Priesthood

The clergy of Ettuna are typically clerics within the arcana domain, or spellcasters who have an affinity towards the divine. As the church has clear influences from high elven society, its priests dress in elaborate silken robes that feature absurd collars, garish hats, and vestments with a sprawl of arcane symbols. The eye of Ettuna is embroidered on the chest, surrounded by a colored aura that denotes the rank within the church.

• Blessed - White
• Revered - Azure
• Acolyte - Indigo

Sects

There are those that have interpreted the will of Ettuna differently than the church, leading to several sects that maintain different views particularly on the role of arcane magic.

• Tome Keepers - A sect that believes magic is best left to those willful enough to devote their time to its study and mastery, favoring wizards over sorcerers. They tend to be isolationists and stay separate from the mundane community.
• Chaos Reborn - Zealots made up of primarily wild magic sorcerers who not only fight for Ettuna, but also actively hunt down worshipers of Maelik. They are feared within the church because of their extreme views and unbridled magical use.

Founding Date

2 AR

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Demonym

Ettunae

Subsidiary Organizations

• Chaos Reborn
• Knights of the Arcane Eye
• Order of the Hereafter

Divines

• Ettuna

Controlled Territories

• Great Temple of Ettuna