Claret Covenant
The Claret Covenant - or "Bleeding Covenant" - is the church of the goddess most commonly referred to as the Red Queen and the official state religion of Trandrafia. It focuses on the worship of the Red Queen, a goddess primarily seen as a deity of life and death, presented as both one who gives life and one who takes it. The church is headed by the Pontifex Natalia Felicia a Reginei, who is the mouthpiece of the Queen.
Structure
Pontifex: (Also known as the "Hierofant Mare") The supreme leader of the church, second only to the Red Queen. They rule from Zeitaresti and remain in communication with the Red Queen to act as their mouthpiece to the people of Trandrafia.
Pontiff: Greatest of the priestesses of the Queen. They make homes for themselves and their congregation in the nine duchies where they are granted the authority of a Count within their lands. These are the headquarters of the church within each duchy, and are often not set far apart from the Duke geographically. When the Pontifex must be replaced, she is replaced by one of the Pontiffs.
Archbishop: Archbishops are renown members of the clergy of the Red Queen. They often inhabit the towns of the dukes or counts of the duchies and administer to the temples throughout the region they reside. Some are even granted living quarters within the keeps of the nobles who live there. This is the highest rank a man can rise to in this order.
Bishop: Bishops are high ranking deacons who administer to larger temples or shrines and supervise deacons in the region.
Deacon: Priests of the Covenant, most commonly seen by the people.
The Avowed: Those who have taken the vows of the church or are in training to do so are known as Avowed. These members are not clergy, but have either taken the vows of the church without taking the rank of Deacon, or are in training. The majority of the church is made up of Avowed who take up a supportive role in the structure of the church by taking care of temples, shrines, and other locations. At a certain point in the Avowed's training, they are required to make a pilgrimage to Zeitaresti.
Pontiff: Greatest of the priestesses of the Queen. They make homes for themselves and their congregation in the nine duchies where they are granted the authority of a Count within their lands. These are the headquarters of the church within each duchy, and are often not set far apart from the Duke geographically. When the Pontifex must be replaced, she is replaced by one of the Pontiffs.
Archbishop: Archbishops are renown members of the clergy of the Red Queen. They often inhabit the towns of the dukes or counts of the duchies and administer to the temples throughout the region they reside. Some are even granted living quarters within the keeps of the nobles who live there. This is the highest rank a man can rise to in this order.
Bishop: Bishops are high ranking deacons who administer to larger temples or shrines and supervise deacons in the region.
Deacon: Priests of the Covenant, most commonly seen by the people.
The Avowed: Those who have taken the vows of the church or are in training to do so are known as Avowed. These members are not clergy, but have either taken the vows of the church without taking the rank of Deacon, or are in training. The majority of the church is made up of Avowed who take up a supportive role in the structure of the church by taking care of temples, shrines, and other locations. At a certain point in the Avowed's training, they are required to make a pilgrimage to Zeitaresti.
Public Agenda
The agenda of the Covenant is the agenda of the Queen. They exist to ensure that the words of the Queen make it to the people, and that her laws and judgements are handed down to the nobility. They are also in charge of enforcing the blood tithe that ensures the Queen's continued protections and granted power.
Assets
The Covenant holds the divine city of Zeitaresti, seat of the Red Queen, as its own autonomous region. But outside of the raised plateau that the city sits on, their lands are small, but culturally and religiously important.
While taxes are paid to the nobility, each noble under another paying a portion to their leige lord, the dukes of each duchy must also pay taxes to the Covenant in lieu of a monarch-consort. In addition, the Covenant is granted lands within each of the duchies where one of the nine Pontiffs are stationed, acting as lords over their own lands there.
While the church has their own personal militant sect, a portion of each duchy's troops are provided to Zeitaresti and the Covenant - another hold-over from when the King-Consort ruled there - to ensure the protection of the divine city and the ability for the Covenant to intercede in matters of war if the need arrises.
While taxes are paid to the nobility, each noble under another paying a portion to their leige lord, the dukes of each duchy must also pay taxes to the Covenant in lieu of a monarch-consort. In addition, the Covenant is granted lands within each of the duchies where one of the nine Pontiffs are stationed, acting as lords over their own lands there.
While the church has their own personal militant sect, a portion of each duchy's troops are provided to Zeitaresti and the Covenant - another hold-over from when the King-Consort ruled there - to ensure the protection of the divine city and the ability for the Covenant to intercede in matters of war if the need arrises.
Mythology & Lore
The most popular story in the scriptures of the Red Queen of her rise to power through the first of her Seraphs, Vaska. Vaska's deliverance by the Red Queen caused a ripple through the Dawn Kingdoms that led to the cretion of Trandrafia through the assassinatin of the Imperitor of the elves and a 100 year long war that followed.
Divine Origins
The Claret Covenant was officially formed following the formation of Trandrafia by a group of the Queen's most loyal servants, including her then-consort, Vaska. The Covenant was reformed in its purposes after the fall of the Palid King, going from a supporting establishment to the nobility and royal house to a member of the government with the highest authority.
Tenets of Faith
1. Blood is sacred. Do not spill it in vain or without purpose.
2. The country and the Red Queen are one. The land thrives by her will.
3. Blood shed in the name of the queen serves a holy purpose. To sacrifice your lifeblood for the Queen is a holy act, and one that she is due.
2. The country and the Red Queen are one. The land thrives by her will.
3. Blood shed in the name of the queen serves a holy purpose. To sacrifice your lifeblood for the Queen is a holy act, and one that she is due.
Ethics
Destroying, stealing, or contaminating the blood given the Queen is a sin attached to creatures known as the Foulbloods, humanoids cursed by the Queen for their heresy against her.
Exsanguination is a sin. Even in sacrifice, fully draining a creature of blood is an act punished by the church.
The Covenant has enemies with certain bloodless or ill-blooded factions that have sought the end of the Covenant. It is against the law to harbor any of these fugitives, and if the ones who see them have the means, it is their duty to see them dead. Otherwise, reporting of their sighting is required by law.
Temples to any other god are prohibited, and worship of any god outside the Red Queen is not sanctioned, especially those with disdain toward undeath, blood, or magic. Discovery of worship of different entities than the Queen can be met with a mixture of reactions, from wary acceptance to reporting to the Covenant and their knights.
Willingly holding court, or worse, entering into a pact with otherworldly beings is a sin. Beings from beyond wish only to meddle in the affairs of the Queen or destroy all that Trandrafians hold dear. The Covenant teaches that demons and aberrations are among the most dangerous.
Exsanguination is a sin. Even in sacrifice, fully draining a creature of blood is an act punished by the church.
The Covenant has enemies with certain bloodless or ill-blooded factions that have sought the end of the Covenant. It is against the law to harbor any of these fugitives, and if the ones who see them have the means, it is their duty to see them dead. Otherwise, reporting of their sighting is required by law.
Temples to any other god are prohibited, and worship of any god outside the Red Queen is not sanctioned, especially those with disdain toward undeath, blood, or magic. Discovery of worship of different entities than the Queen can be met with a mixture of reactions, from wary acceptance to reporting to the Covenant and their knights.
Willingly holding court, or worse, entering into a pact with otherworldly beings is a sin. Beings from beyond wish only to meddle in the affairs of the Queen or destroy all that Trandrafians hold dear. The Covenant teaches that demons and aberrations are among the most dangerous.
Worship
The Red Queen is seen as many things, most notably the monarch of the lands of Trandrafia, but also a motherly figure to the people, a caretaker, an avenger, and a commander.
People commonly pray daily to the Queen for her blessing and protection, or through her seraphs - ascended beings who act as the Queen’s heralds and are her most loyal servitors. This is often done either toward the red moon or toward the capital of Zeitaresti. They also regularly partake in communion of a sacrament wine, and give blood tithes to the temples and blood vaults.
"The greatest worship one can practice is through work in favor of the Queen, either by labor to provide for Her people or administration of Her people or combating Her enemies."
"The greatest worship one can practice is through work in favor of the Queen, either by labor to provide for Her people or administration of Her people or combating Her enemies."
Priesthood
The Pontifex of the Claret Covenant guides Covenant from her seat in Zeitaresti.
From within the duchies, the Pontiffs hold their own land under the duke as representatives of the covenant and from there they administer to the education of new clerics, knights and mages of the church while also providing leadership for the members of the covenant within the duchy.
From within the duchies, the Pontiffs hold their own land under the duke as representatives of the covenant and from there they administer to the education of new clerics, knights and mages of the church while also providing leadership for the members of the covenant within the duchy.
Granted Divine Powers
The clerics of the Red Queen are often granted power to manipulate blood as a form of magic known as sanguimancy. This includes the creation of constructs created through the use of blood and unique undead creatures.
Political Influence & Intrigue
The Claret Covenant holds a massive amount of power over the duchies of the nation. All officials of the church (deacon and greater) are granted permisions equal or greater to that of lords. Senior members also have the ability to rule that a noble family no longer has the right to rule over their lands. This is usually done via excommunication, but this power is not often threatened and even more rarely used.
Sects
Most major sects stay within the basic outline of the Covenant, but differ on their depictions of the Queen. Some believing the Queen never truely walked the land, but instead is the land itself. Others believe that the Queen's body sleeps somewhere deep beneath the land and will one day wake to bring Trandrafia into a new golden age. Others instead believe that the Seraphs are not worthy of worship that should instead be given to the Queen alone, and the practice of these intercessory prayers are heresy.
Type
Religious, Organised Religion
Alternative Names
Bleeding Covenant
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