The Golden Church of Aurillex
The Golden Church of the Morningold Mountains worships the dragon lord Aurillex, placing his golden scales of justice upon his altars of worship. Their grand temple, the Goldencrest Basilica, sits high in the mountains between the hall of Goldwright and the town of New Haven. The Basilica is the height of dwarven architecture, springing forth from the rocks of the mountainside with grand archways and gilded minarets reaching up to the sky. The structure is a city unto itself, delving deep into the mountain with chapels, treasure rooms, dormitories, forges, store houses, and more. The leader of the Golden Church, the Archbishop of Aurillex makes his home in the Basilica, and is traditionally a dwarf from a different clan than the Thanes of Goldwright and Oreston to prevent one clan from accumulating too much influence over the masses. The Basilica's placement and subterranean connections to Goldwright and Oreston make it easily accessible to dwarves and mountainborn, but also practically unassailable. The path up the mountain from New Haven is winding, but well maintained, giving the darkborn a welcoming avenue to join in religious events that could still be made impassible with a few well placed boulders and washouts. In their darkest hour the peoples of the Morningolds could retreat to Goldencrest to hold out almost indefinitely.
The dwarven sect is full of richly adorned temple complexes and strict ceremonies. They devote their lives to studying scripture and performing the duties of spiritual leadership. For a dwarf becoming a Cleric of Aurillex is a professional choice just like jeweler, smith, chef, or soldier, and one held in very high esteem. They are frequently employed as ministers of justice, delivering judgements upon criminals and those who have sinned against their fellow dwarves. Golden robed priests preach hard work, determination, and swift justice for the wicked. Their sermons, perhaps colored by frequent conflicts to the east, could be seen as fiery by the uninitiated, but the faithful have learned to differentiate hyperbole and parable from true condemnation.
This exists in sharp contrast with the mountainborn, who ditch the long, impractical, robes for gold jewelry to signify their positions. They combine Aurillex’s teachings with ceremonies derived from their giant ancestors’ shamanistic rituals. A mountainborn priest is still a full member of the clan in all other facets, they will hunt, forage, scout, and stand watch alongside their lay kinsmen. The darkborn, new to the concept of voluntary worship, have mostly borrowed the trappings and practices from the dwarves, but will likely find their own ways to worship as their newly freed culture starts to develop further.
Priesthood
Dwarven and Darkborn Priests of the Golden Robes follow the directives of their hall, town, or settlement's bishop. The bishops then report to the Archbishop of Aurillex, the formal leader of the faith as a whole.
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Religious, Organised Religion
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