Rites of the Silver Flame

Prayers:

Due to the martial birth and nature of the faith, many prayers to the Silver Flame are intended for utterance in the midst of battle. Thus, they are short and direct. Nearly all such prayers make some reference to light, flame, justice, or similar concepts.
Prayers to the Silver Flame are usually requests for aid of some sort or another. This might be as simple as, “Flame of righteousness, grant me strength” during combat, or “Divine light, show me the way” when lost. Purified might also pray for aid in living a life free from sin and evil. These prayers tend to be longer, though still relatively brief, and are often led by priests during larger ceremonies.
The Purified rarely use prayer as a means of thanking the Silver Flame. While a tired warrior might utter a brief “Thank you for bringing us victory” after battle, followers of the Flame assume that their god prefers they show thanks by living virtuously. A follower who feels the need to offer thanks by some other means consults the local priest, who might assign a minor duty, such as bringing alms to the poor or comforting the bereaved.

Minor Rites:

Minor rites to the Silver Flame are uncommon and serve special purposes, usually when priests or other Purified seek to accomplish very specific goals. They are considered ritual magic, although they do not produce any obvious spell effects. Minor rituals exist entirely for purification, and normally apply to any one of four separate circumstances described below.
Burial of the Faithful: The Church of the Silver Flame does not believe in long or ornate funeral services. They do not forbid them, but they are primarily secular gatherings; the religious aspect is relatively short. A funeral consists of a small series of prayers over the body or gravesite, asking the Silver Flame to forgive any lingering impurities in the deceased’s soul and accept it as a new part of the divine Flame. Silverburn-enhanced candles illuminate the corpse or gravesite, onto which silver dust is sprinkled. These are symbolic gestures, intended to keep any evil spirits away from the soul until the Flame takes it in.
Death of the Foe: When a Purified slays a creature of evil, such as an outsider or lycanthrope, tradition requires that she perform a brief rite over the body. These include prayers to the Flame while sprinkling silver dust into the eyes of the deceased. If the Purified lacks silver dust, drawing the symbol of the Silver Flame on the creature’s flesh is an acceptable alternative. The purpose of this rite is to ensure that the creature does not mystically rise again, and to protect the surrounding lands from any evil that might be unleashed as its soul travels to Dolurrh (or whatever realm it calls home). This rite is frequently ignored, since adventuring or martial Purified often slay such creatures in the midst of larger battles and cannot take the time to perform it immediately. Some attempt to return afterward and do so, but the opportunity is not always available.
Illness: Lighting silverburn candles around a sick friend or relative while praying is said to attract the Silver Flame’s attention. If it is time for the sick person’s soul to join the Flame, no amount of supplication will prevent it, but if not, this ceremony hopes to purge the illness from the victim and return him to health.
Evil Injury: A Purified who is injured by an evil being is required to sprinkle silver into the wound and cauterize it with a silverburn f lame, if magical healing is not available. This gesture symbolizes her will to resist evil, and petitions the Flame to prevent any possible corruption from traveling to her soul through the wound.

Major Rites:

Because funerals are minor rites, the only two life events requiring major priestly attention are births and weddings. Weddings among the Purified are always conducted during one of the high holy days rather than forming ceremonies unto themselves. Only the birth of a child to a Purified couple is cause for a ceremony unaffiliated with a particular holiday. This is the only major rite that is not strictly defined by religious doctrine. While the priest must say certain specific prayers and light silverburn candles in a particular pattern, the remainder of the ritual—hymns, any specific dances, particular sermons—is up to the parents. Expecting couples normally meet with their priest months in advance to arrange the service as they wish it. The symbolism behind this is readily discerned: Not even the greatest priest can foretell what will happen in life, so it is not the Church’s place to determine how a newborn child enters the world.
The faith contains one weekly celebration: the first day of each week, called the Day of Cleansing Fire. For most of the Purified, the Flame is honored on this day by skipping a single meal in favor of prayers of devotion and repentance. For priests and especially devout followers, the entire day is one of fasting and prayer, second only to Rampartide. The Day of Cleansing Fire is a religious holiday in the larger cities of Thrane, and many shops are closed. The service always begins with a recitation of the Nine Miracles of the Silver Flame, spoken in Draconic. The precise nature of these miracles varies a bit from sect to sect and church to church, but for the most part consists of the following:
• Bringing light to the world.
• Imprisoning demons.
• Offering souls an afterlife beyond Dolurrh.
• Granting cleric magic.
• Bonding with Tira Miron.
• Transforming Thrane into a holy nation.
• Victory over the lycanthropes.
• Victory (of a sort) in the Last War.
• The promise of the end of evil, and the creation of a better world to come.

Other than births and the Day of Cleansing, the Silver Flame uses major rites to celebrate thirteen high holy days. Each of these days is marked by specifi c prayers and rites.
Rebirth Eve (14 Zarantyr): The Purified new year, Rebirth Eve occurs on the winter solstice. It celebrates the passing of the longest night, when the world begins its slow journey toward light and warmth. The faithful stay up the entire night, holding spiritual vigil and guarding against evil, and spend the following day in rest or celebration, as they see fit.
Bright Souls’ Day (18 Olarune): As the dark days of winter draw to a close, the Purifi ed celebrate the lives, and the sacrifi ce, of every follower of the Flame who died fi ghting evil and protecting the faithful. Those who have lost relatives in the past five years perform the funeral rite on the gravesite (or in a church, if the gravesite is not accessible), while everyone else sings paeans of gratitude to the fallen. On this day, the Purified are forbidden to use artificial or magical light sources, except in emergencies. They enjoy the day and accept the fall of night, as those who have died experienced life and did not fear death.
Tirasday (5 Therendor): This holiday celebrates both the start of the planting season and the birth of Tira Miron, Voice of the Silver Flame and the woman who brought mortals and the divine together. This is a day of work, but also of joyous celebration in the evenings. It is a time for giving gifts, and one of the most popular marriage dates.
Initiation Day (11 Eyre): According to Church histories, on this day the priesthood of the Silver Flame formally declared itself an independent faith, rather than an offshoot of the Sovereign Host (as it had been considered in its earliest years). Construction of the first Silver Flame cathedral began on this date. Even today, groundbreaking on a new cathedral or major church is usually scheduled for Initiation Day, as are most seminary graduations.
Baker’s Night (6 Dravago): On this night, families and friends gather to share magnificent pastries and similar treats, prepared by bakers and confectioners faithful to the Flame. This is one of the most popular Flame holidays, particularly among children, yet it is also the least understood. It has been a tradition since the earliest days of the church, yet not even the Cathedral of the Flame in Flamekeep, Thrane, has records suggesting where it came from, when it was adopted, or what it celebrates. Practice of Baker’s Night has begun to fade in some of the more puritan communities of Purified, and it might slowly disappear from the calendar in coming generations.
Promisetide (28 Dravago): As nature’s bounty reaches its height in late spring, the Purified honor the Silver Flame for the promise of paradise to come. They also honor—but do not worship—the Sovereign Host for creating the world that the Flame would later complete, and for graciously stepping down to allow the Flame its rightful place as the last god of Eberron. Not surprisingly, many people who do not worship the Flame find this holiday offensive.
First Dawn (21 Nymm): On this day in 914 YK, the Church of the Silver Flame officially assumed control of Thrane’s government. On the anniversary of this ascension, the Purified give thanks that at least one nation is firmly in the hands of the just, pray that the Diet of Cardinals and the nation’s secular leaders will receive the Flame’s guidance, and honor the memory of King Thalin, whose passing paved theway for the Church to take over.
Silvertide (14 Lharvion): The highest holy day in the faith, Silvertide commemorates the sacrifice of the couatl and the entry of the Silver Flame into Eberron thousands of years ago. Cathedrals fill to overfl owing as all Purified who do not absolutely have to be somewhere else spend the day in prayer and observance.
Victory Day (9 Barrakas): Victory Day commemorates the successful conclusion of the lycanthropic purge. Children act out great tales of these final battles with toy swords, while adults attend sermons on the lessons of the triumphs, the defeats, and the sometimes questionable methods used by the templars during the purge.
The Ascension (1 Sypheros): On this day, worshipers remember the sacrifice of Tira Miron, who became the Voice of the Flame. They gather to reaffirm their faith and to thank Tira, attending great blessing ceremonies in the cathedrals. On this day, the faithful seek ways to contribute to the community.
Saint Valtros’s Day (25 Sypheros): This day commemorates the birth of Saint Valtros, the first paladin called to serve the Silver Flame (as distinguished from those who had served other gods until they heard the voice of the Flame). Although important, this festival is perhaps the least of the high holy days; it is marked primarily by brief prayers and church services.
Rampartide (24 Aryth): As the world turns toward winter and longer nights, the Purified steel themselves against evil, both without and within. They follow the scriptures, which say, “Make thyself a bastion, a rampart against wickedness.” This is a day of fasting and repentance; Rampartide is a time to atone for the evil within. Children, the sick, and the elderly are not required to fast, but merely to give up their favorite foods for the day.
Khybersef (27 Vult): A shortening of the original name, “Khyber’s Eve,” this is the start of winter, when light and goodness are at their weakest and worship of the Shadow is strongest. Scripture states that the bonds holding the demon lords in Khyber are at their thinnest between this night and the solstice. The Purified spend the night in intense prayer and spiritual vigilance. Many quests and crusades begin on Khybersef.

Type

Decree, Religious