Church of the Eternal Dawn
A religious order dating further back into the history of the continent than seemingly most kingdoms, the Church represents the spiritual backbone of most communities across the land.
Its reach is so great that the Church has founded its own knightly order as a means of peacekeeping where individual kingdoms may not have the resources to police their lands.
Structure
The Eternal Dawn broadly operates under a hierarchical structure with the archbishop being the overall leader, bishops overseeing individual regions and provinces, and priests guiding towns and villages.
The more peacekeeping efforts of the Church also fall under the purview of the provincial bishop, though the region's captain conducts most day to day activities. Peacekeeping efforts fall between the Church's holy order of knights and its inquisitorial members.
Assets
The Church boasts an impressive catalogue of resources to draw from. Its peacekeeping efforts span broadly across the continent in the forms of both the holy knightly order and the inquisition. The knightly order functions as a semi-militaristic force to assist in efforts such as combating banditry and providing armed escort to travelers. Members of the inquisition, in contrast, act as the knife to the order's hammer, using more investigative means to maintain peace and order.
Outside of its rather considerable manpower, the Church controls a significant amount of land as well as wealth through donations and tithes. Most of this capital is used to funding its cathedrals and philanthropic efforts such as orphanages and schools.
Mythology & Lore
The Eternal Dawn is built around the story of Meriden's establishment and the end of the Age of Dusk.
Divine Origins
The Church is believed to have been founded not long after the Age of Dusk ended, when the kingdom of Meriden was established and order was brought to the land. Both religious and kingdom histories describe the early Church as means of helping to build and maintain the burgeoning kingdom as well as act as an advisor to the new royal line.
Tenets of Faith
Community is seen as foundational by the Eternal Dawn. To that end, it espouses the virtues of generosity, compassion, and integrity.
Political Influence & Intrigue
Given its broad reach and embedded nature in most communities across Dormelia, it's only natural for the Church to be involved in governance to some degree.
In smaller, more rural communities, the local cathedral holds power comparable to the appointed magistrates. This is especially true for areas that rely more heavily on the protection and organization of the Church's holy order.
Larger settlements and cities typically experience much more diffused influences from the Church as they contain more varied communities and resources and are thus less reliant on the institution.
No matter the size of a cathedral's flock, though, the Eternal Dawn is not immune to its detractors and accusations of impropriety. In cases of the of the latter, the inquisitors are utilized to investigate, verify, and, if deemed necessary, remove the guilty party.
Type
Religious, Holy Order
Related Traditions
Related Professions
Controlled Territories
Notable Members
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