Argostan's United Congregations of Light
The United Congregations of Light is probably the least homogenous of the Metallicist denominations. Worshiping the silver dragon Argostan, they share the most similarities with the Golden Church, but there is still a great deal of variance from congregation to congregation. In cities like Bluespire, Soutscape, and especially Silverspire, grand temples stand as monuments to Argostan and the Light. The largest and grandest of these is the Argentine Temple in Silverspire. Almost a castle within a castle, its outer wall shelters a garden courtyard before service goers pass through the towering, silver clad main doors into the grand worship hall. The arched ceiling is painted with murals and statues of saints and heroes line the walls and are carved into the pillars. Stained glass fills the cavernous chamber with natural light and illuminates the multi-tiered stage at the front. Several pulpits, a choir chancel, baptismal font, and instrumentalists’ pit flank the central altar, upon which sits Argostan’s truesilver sword. When he leads Silverspire marching to war the military procession traditionally begins with prayer and speeches in the Temple and ends with the dragon, in his Champion form, claiming his sword and leading the soldiers marching out of the hall and through the city. The temple complex also has a number of secondary areas like dormitories, private apartments, store rooms, consultation and smaller meeting rooms, a fully outfitted kitchen, and a small library. Most important of these auxiliary structures are the apartments of the Cardinal of Silverspire, also called the Cardinal in Chief, the leader of the United Congregations of Light. The Cardinal does not need to be a native of the capital to rise to the position, but rather is selected by church leaders from across the empire when the previous title holder dies or retires.
The silver robed priests and priestesses are professional clergy, though they often also hold positions of power in the cities’ administration, can be lords and ladies of noble houses, and even serve as soldiers or knights in the silver dragon’s armies. While it is not fair to say that the church leadership is rife with corruption, high ranking church officials are sure to have their fingers in at least a few pots around town. None of the denominations of Metallicism require oaths of celibacy or chastity from their clerics, though some choose to take them of their own volition, so naturally there will be some bad actors who seek to use peoples’ faith as a means of lining their own pocket books. The church makes an effort to identify these charlatans and punish them accordingly.
Meanwhile more rural communities have simple worship halls of wood and thatch. Their clergy may have the silver robes or may just have a necklace or ring with Argostan’s sword and ring icon to signify their status. They are almost never full time religious leaders, instead having some other role in the community beyond spiritual guidance and leadership. Rural leaders may have been born and raised in the area or may be junior clerics who have been deployed to lead a community who finds itself in need. These assignments tend to be temporary, though there are certainly cases of a zealous city kid moving out to the countryside, falling in love with a local, and spending the rest of their life in quiet, happy service. Like taxes, a portion of tithings from rural churches are sent to the larger temples in the kingdoms’ capitals. These capital branches in turn then send funds to the Argentine Temple in Silverspire. By design the top leaders should then distribute funds to communities that experience natural disasters, famine, plague, war, or what have you. Of course this is another opportunity for less scrupulous church members to skim or misappropriate funds, another reason for strong, moral leadership at all levels.
Wholly separate from the pyramid-esque structure of the church as it exists in human lands are the practices of the taurien. One might be tempted to compare them most closely to the mountainborn because of their nomadism and the fact that their clerics hold other positions within the herd, but doing so would be an error. Taurien culture is so heavily centered around combat and fighting prowess that it could not help but leak into their worship. Taurien clerics wield a truesilver sword of Argostan and oversee ritual sparring matches between members of the herd on essentially a daily basis. These matches are partially to keep fighters sharp, but also earn the victor pride, prestige, status in the herd, and potentially even the right to take a mate. The cleric’s primary roles beyond preacher are as medic and master at arms. They teach the young tauriens how to fight with bow and spear and horn and when they are old enough they too join in the fights, jockeying for position against their peers. An aging patriarch loses his position of power when a younger bull, typically his son, bests him in combat and takes control of the herd. It is of vital importance to the honor of both combatants that neither allows the other to win, doing so would bring great shame upon them both. All of this ritualized combat exists in the name of serving their lord, Argostan. Every taurien warrior is a personal soldier of the dragon lord, and expected to answer the summons when he calls. Their sense of pride is built upon Argostan knowing they are a fearsome fighting force no opponent is eager to face.
Invariably the local lords of the Empire will take offense at some slight, marry their daughters to another lord’s third son, or die without an established heir; they will find some pretense to come into conflict with their neighbors and try to take each other’s lands. One of the rules of decorum during these civil conflicts is that temples are off limits to invading armies and men and women of the cloth are to be left unmolested. Citizens seeking protection from the games of their lords may find asylum in their temple, at which point they too are out of bounds to opposing forces. Any citizen who has sought the safety of the church is then found to have fought afterwards has committed an egregious sin often punishable by death. Such a crime is viewed as tantamount to an attacker breaking the sanctity of asylum and harming people under the church’s protection.
Priesthood
The silver robed priests and priestesses are professional clergy, though they often also hold positions of power in the cities’ administration, can be lords and ladies of noble houses, and even serve as soldiers or knights in the silver dragon’s armies. While it is not fair to say that the church leadership is rife with corruption, high ranking church officials are sure to have their fingers in at least a few pots around town. None of the denominations of Metallicism require oaths of celibacy or chastity from their clerics, though some choose to take them of their own volition, so naturally there will be some bad actors who seek to use peoples’ faith as a means of lining their own pocket books. The church makes an effort to identify these charlatans and punish them accordingly.
Each kingdom in the Silverspire Empire has a Cardinal who serves as head of its collective congregations. The Cardinals collectively form the Cllegiate Cardinale, which selects the leader of the faith as a whole: The Cardinal of Silverspire, also known as the Cardinal in Chief. The Cardinal in Chief serves a lifetime appointment, though it is not uncommon for them to choose to retire when they feel than can no longer adequately complete their duties.
Political Influence & Intrigue
Because Silver Robes can be from noble families and hold other positions of power, the priesthood is occasionally utilized to leverage power within a city, kingdom, or the Empire as a whole. Families can extend their reach into neighboring lands through the clergy, gaining influence over the citizenry through belief. Local coups are often supported or even at times started by their congregations of the faithful.
Sects
Unlike many religions, the lack of significant racial differences and stratification withing the Silverspire Empire excludes that type of factional distinction. Instead each kingdom of the empire could be viewed as having its own sect of the religion. They operate with general autonomy, mostly just paying tithings to the church in Silverspire. Savvy lords and ladies will leverage the church to help solidify power in their domains, lest they be used against them instead.
Sterling in Our Resolve
Type
Religious, Organised Religion
Capital
Alternative Names
The Silver Temple, The Congregations of Light
Predecessor Organization
Demonym
Congregationalists, Argentines, Argonstanites
Leader
Leader Title
Parent Organization
Location
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