Church of the Silver Flame

Of all the varied faiths of Eberron, the Silver Flame stands apart. The Purified, as followers of the faith call themselves, worship a divine entity of nonmortal origin, unlike the elves of Aerenal or the cultists of Rhashaak. Still, their god claims no dominion of the world, nor that it has existed since the Dragons formed that world, unlike the Sovereign Host and the Dark Six. The Silver Flame is a god with a purpose, and only those of equal principle are drawn to serve.

Structure

Hierarchy

The Church of the Silver Flame has a rigid hierarchy formed from four formal orders. These orders are supplemented by various smaller brotherhoods and branches.

Orders

The Order of Ministers:

This order includes what most people would consider standard priests. They lead services at local temples, act as community leaders, conduct research and liturgical debate, or serve in Thrane’s military. Most priests of this order are experts, but adepts and clerics make up a significant minority.

The Order of Templars

: These are the true warriors of the Church. They might be temple guards, crusaders against evil creatures, wandering adventurers in search of wrongs to right, or soldiers in the armies of Thrane. The templars consist largely of warriors, with a substantial number of fighters and monks, and a few clerics. Most of the Silver Flame’s paladins serve as templars.

The Order of Friars

: In the argot of the Silver Flame, friars are priests who serve a missionary purpose. Rather than being assigned a specific region or community, friars travel from land to land, bringing the light of the Flame into dark places and converting all who seem receptive. A smaller proportion of the order’s members are pilgrims rather than friars. They are also wandering priests, but their duties are less well defined. They serve where they can, lead by example, conduct services and offer sermons, and aid those who require assistance. Friars are also called “priests errant,” particularly among older Purified.

The Council of Cardinals

: The previous three orders are largely equal in the eyes of the Church. The Council of Cardinals stands above them. Seminarians can enter the Ministers, Friars, or Templars immediately upon graduation, but only experienced and well-respected priests are promoted to the Council of Cardinals. Most Cardinals are from the Order of Ministers, with a notable few coming from the Order of Templars. Only rare individuals rise from the Order of Friars.

Cardinal Distinctions

Most outside the Church of the Silver Flame believe that the Council of Cardinals refers to the governing body of the Church. In truth, that body is properly entitled the Diet of Cardinals, and its members are drawn from the ranks of the Council. The Council itself is simply another order, like the others, albeit a higher one. As in any specialized profession, nomenclature helps separate the insiders from the outsiders. Scholarly pursuits are no different from religious ones in this manner.

The Ranks

The Voice of the Silver Flame

: This is the highest position in the Church hierarchy, though one could argue that it is not a position at all, so much as it is part of the god itself. The paladin Tira Miron joined with the Silver Flame in 299 YK, binding a couatl and the escaped demon lord they were attempting to destroy. Since being joined with the paladin, the Flame has communicated with mortals—Tira serves literally as the Flame’s voice.

The Keeper of the Flame

: This individual serves as the intermediary between the Voice of the Silver Flame and the Diet of Cardinals. The Keeper is not elected but is called by the Voice. The current Keeper is an eleven-year-old girl named Jaela Daran.

Cardinal

: A cardinal is a member of the Council of Cardinals, the most senior priests of the Church. Cardinals rarely conduct ceremonies of their own and have little to do with governing affairs in individual cities, as they are too busy running the Church itself. Only a cardinal can serve on the Diet of Cardinals—the actual ruling body—but not all cardinals are members of the Diet. Because cardinals must be nominated and elected by other cardinals, the overwhelming majority of them come from the ranks of the archbishops, since the cardinals have regular discourse with few others.

Archbishop

: A priest who holds authority over the bishops of several major cities is an archbishop. Only the Order of Ministers has members of this rank, and it is the highest rank clergy can obtain without joining the Council of Cardinals.

Bishop

: A bishop holds authority over all the priests of a given city or other large community. The term is used primarily by the Order of Ministers. The equivalent title in the Order of Templars is “Prefect.” There is no equivalent among the Order of Friars. A friar who wishes to advance farther in the hierarchy must change orders.

Priest

: Those who have successfully joined the priesthood, but have obtained no higher position, are simply called priests. The overwhelming majority of Silver Flame functionaries never rise higher than this rank. A priest in the Order of Ministers is referred to as “Father” or “Mother.” A priest in the Order of Friars is referred to as “Brother” or “Sister.” A priest in the Order of Templars is “Sir” or “Lady.”

Pilgrim

: The lowest rank of true priests, pilgrims are beginning members of the Order of Friars. They are lower in the hierarchy than starting members of the other orders, because their responsibilities are fewer and less well defined.

Acolyte/Seminarian

: These two designations do not technically count as ranks in the priesthood, since those who hold them have not yet become priests.

History

The Church of the Silver Flame was founded in the year 299 YK, when a female human paladin named Tira Miron gave her life to merge with the Silver Flame and, by doing so, seal away one of those Overlords named Bel Shalor, who still tries to subvert his prison as "The Shadow in the Flame". After this act, Tira became able to communicate with mortals as "The Voice of the Silver Flame", and mortals began worshipping the Silver Flame.
They famously purged just about all the lycanthropes on Eberron, on the grounds that something was causing them all to turn evil, there are like twelve moons orbiting the planet so there’s a full one every few days, and that the spells that cure lycanthropy all require the subject to pass a save, which they can always choose to fail. This led to the Church not realizing there were ways to cure lycanthropy for much of the Purge, to say nothing of the many shifters that got accidentally killed in the process. And, lest you feel too sorry for them, let there be no bones about the fact that these were lycanthropes, and very few of them were helpless victims unable to defend themselves.
It probably did more good than harm, especially since at the tail end they did start curing the remorseful instead of killing them, but it's still seen as a big black mark on the church's history. The festival celebrating their win is traditionally tempered with sermons about the ways in which they went too far and did things they shouldn't.

Tenets of Faith

The Purified are bound together by numerous rites and traditions, by many beliefs, but by only a single religious doctrine, called the Tenet of Purity:

Burn the corruption and taint of evil from all Eberron. Other gods have begun the creation, but it is the Silver Flame, by searing wickedness and darkness from their imperfect world, that must complete it.

This belief that the world can only be made perfect by the Silver Flame and its followers embodies the height of arrogance in the eyes of followers of other religions, but it is absolutely central to the faith of the Purified. They acknowledge the existence and divinity of other gods, such as the Sovereign Host and the Dark Six, and of the three great Dragons. They even honor them, knowing them worthy of respect. After all, the Silver Flame has never claimed to be a creator deity, and it has not even existed as long as Eberron itself.

Even so, the Purified believe that although the Silver Flame was not the first god of Eberron, it will be the last. So long as evil exists, the world remains flawed and cannot become whole. By ridding the world of all evil, the Silver Flame will transform Eberron into a paradise without wickedness or sin or pain. Then will the other gods fade, for even the best of them are also impure, leaving the Silver Flame to hold dominion over heaven on earth.

For many thousands of years, the Flame existed in Eberron but could not commune with mortals. It was too holy, say the Purified, for flawed creatures to hear its voice. Only when Tira Miron, a paladin most pure of heart, joined with the Flame did it gain a voice that could speak to mortals.

The Purified believe in a hierarchy of evil. All wickedness must eventually be purged, but some is of more immediate import, and is more heavily damaging to the world itself, than other sources of wickedness. Not that the Church feels any evil is acceptable or less important; this is strictly an issue of prioritization. In simple terms, the hierarchy of evil is as follows.

• Entities of alien evil. These include evil outsiders and many aberrations. Being not merely creatures of innate malevolence, but also foreign to Eberron, these entities cause the most harm to the physical and spiritual health of the world.
• Entities of unnatural evil. These include undead and lycanthropes, creatures that were native to Eberron but corrupted into something hideous. Their presence taints the world around them, making them almost as great a threat as outsiders.
• Entities of innate evil. These include most creatures that are malevolent as a group, such as medusas, yuan-ti, and hags, but are not unnatural.
• Those who choose evil. This includes all evil humanoids, warforged, and the like. Though the cliche of the Purified shows no mercy to evildoers, most real followers of the Flame seek to save these people, not destroy them. Human evil should be fought with compassion, diplomacy, and leading by example. Whenever possible, people should be shown the error of their ways and have the chance to correct their behavior. If this is not possible, the sword might be the only answer; it should never be the first choice, however.
• The evil within. Even the most devout follower of the Silver Flame holds sin in his heart. The Purified believe that once all other evil is destroyed, mortals must purge the very desire for it from their souls. Only then will the demon be expelled from the Silver Flame, and the final traces of evil vanish from the world.

Not only does the Church prioritize evil, it accepts the notion that sometimes a lesser evil can serve to fight a greater. Sometimes, good people might be forced to commit questionable acts in the battle against darkness, or sometimes even be sacrificed for a yet greater good. The Silver Flame does not encourage such decisions, nor does the Church always approve extreme measures, but sometimes no other choice exists.

Souls and the Afterlife

The Purified maintain that the soul is a form of divine energy, but that it does not originate from the Silver Flame or indeed any god. Rather, it coalesces from the energies of the world. Each person born adds a spark of the divine to the world. Those who are faithful to the Silver Flame join with it after death, their own souls adding the tiniest bit to its own near-infinite power. Others are condemned to Dolurrh, where their souls’ divinity is extinguished, condemning them to an endless existence as passionless minds with no true spirit. Only the Silver Flame can offer an alternative to Dolurrh, and that is proof to the Purified that the Flame will eventually be the one true god of Eberron. When that day comes, the realm of Dolurrh will cease to exist, for it will no longer serve any purpose.

Worship

Despite the importance most Purified devote to their faith, active worship of the Silver Flame does not consume much of the faithful’s day-to-day living. The churches hold mass three times a day, but only the most devoted attend more than once or twice a week, and only the truly zealous attend more than once a day. By all appearances, the Purified offer little more than lip service to the Flame.

This is a false impression, though. The Purified do not offer many prayers or rites throughout the day because they honor and worship the Flame through living virtuous lives, and doing good deeds for themselves and their fellows. “A life of virtue,” states one of the religion’s greatest axioms, “is the greatest gift a mortal has to offer.”

This does not mean that the Purified never demonstrate their faith, merely that overt worship is not so common as in other faiths. Purified pray to the Flame whenever they require aid or succumb to fear. They perform rites, and they attend services on the thirteen holy days of the religion, as well as on days commemorating local events of religious significance (such as the ascension of a new bishop). They give thanks for positive events, such as the recovery of a sick relative or even a meal with family and friends. Such prayers are very brief, sometimes involving no more than the lighting of a silverburn candle to shed its glow over the table.

Because living virtuously honors the Flame, sinning against others is a religious offense. This does not mean that the church punishes Purified who commit secular crimes—that’s what government is for, even if, as in Thrane, that government is controlled by the church—but even minor offenses are stains on the soul, which the Purified must atone for before being worthy of the Flame.

Priesthood

Unlike most other faiths, which are primarily regional or cultural, the Silver Flame appeals to specific types of people. A faith based on purging evil calls most clearly to those with similar goals. People who believe the world is not just and wish to make it so, those who have been wronged (by individuals, governments, or even other faiths), and those who yearn to make a difference and to give their lives real meaning, are all likely candidates for worship of the Flame. The precepts of faith dictate that simply leading a virtuous life is a blow against evil. Even common worshipers of the Silver Flame, incapable of crusading against evil, try to lead lives of goodness and charity. The majority of the Church’s priests come from their ranks.

That said, not all faithful, or all priests, focus on virtue to the exclusion of all else. The Church of the Silver Flame is a powerful religion, particularly in Thrane and specific communities of other nations. Advancement in the Church is a viable path to temporal and political power. A sizable minority of priests seek to advance not the Flame’s objectives, but their own. As the Church spreads and new generations are born into its worship, it becomes more of an establishment. In the earliest days, the Purified were entirely converts, and their faith was absolute. Today, the Church of the Silver Flame is becoming a cultural presence, although not nearly as much so as the Sovereign Host or the Undying Court. Entire populations worship the Flame because they were raised to do so, not because its precepts called to them. This has increased the numbers of the Purified, but it has also diluted the intensity of their belief. Like the priesthood of the Sovereign Host, the Church of the Silver Flame is seen by some as a mere vocation, a means to make a living for those with few other prospects.

Becoming a Priest

Taking the cloth in the Church of the Silver Flame is a rigid, formal procedure. The would-be acolyte must serve under a Silver Flame priest, learning the basics of the faith. This period might last for only a few months, or as long as several years. Once this training is complete, the acolyte petitions for admission to one of the Church’s many seminaries, located throughout the civilized nations. The most prestigious of these include the Psalm of the Flame Seminary, or simply the Great Seminary, which is part of the massive Cathedral of the Silver Flame in Flamekeep, Thrane; and Saint Ignatius the Mentor’s School for Divine Service in the city of Passage, Aundair.

Before being accepted as a seminarian, the petitioner is subject to a battery of questions and tests of faith. These are almost entirely verbal or written, but they are intense. The individual need not show a deep knowledge of the scripture or liturgy—only what one would be expected to learn when serving a priest— but must display unshakable devotion to the Flame itself. She must demonstrate past acts of charity, faith, and goodness, and she must find at least one established priest to speak for her.

A successful petitioner becomes a seminarian for a period of no less than four years. During this time, she receives intense training in matters of philosophy, history, and dogma. If she displays a propensity for adept or cleric magic, or the calling of a paladin, her training focuses in these areas as well. At the end of every year, seminarians are tested on their knowledge and their faith. Early trials are mere tests, such as those required for admission, but later ones ask the student to solve real community problems, adjudicate doctrinal disputes, and make moral judgments. Most who fail are permitted to retake the year’s courses, and no stigma is attached to those who require more than four years to graduate. A truly horrific failure, however, revealing corruption or a flaw in character, might result in expulsion.

All in all, seminary training is a long and arduous process. Those who succeed emerge as true priests of the Silver Flame, with all the rights and responsibilities of the office. During the course of the training, instructors study the students’ interests and talents, and recommend which of the Church’s various orders to consider upon graduation. A new priest is not bound to follow this advice, but the vast majority of them do so.

All priests, and indeed all followers, of the Silver Flame have one duty above all others: Purge the world of evil. Everything else pales before this one imperative. Priests of the Flame do not necessarily have to seek out evil if doing so is beyond their abilities or expertise, but should they stumble across it, they must not turn their backs or shut their eyes. They must try to destroy it or at least expose it to the light of justice if possible. If not, they must seek out those who can.

Obviously, how driven a given priest is depends on which order he represents. Many templars, and some pilgrims, actively hunt creatures and people of evil, either to destroy them, bring them to justice, or show them the error of their ways. These devoted few have little time for other duties. For the less martially inclined, however, the struggle against evil could simply be a matter of leading virtuous lives and encouraging others to do the same. Friars, priests, and cardinals have many other duties, and many simply are not equipped to hunt down demons or criminals.

Clergy of the Silver Flame conduct ceremonies and lead prayers for their faithful, just as priests of other faiths do. Because the faith of the Silver Flame originally grew from those who worshiped the Sovereign Host, they undertake many of the same duties, even if they go about them by different means. These include leading services, holy day rites, and life-event rituals; offering counsel to the faithful, or to any who seek it; and undertaking charitable works. This last is considered to be of paramount importance, since alleviating suffering is a step on the road to banishing evil.

One duty on which the Purified place substantially more importance than do the worshipers of the Sovereign Host, however, is evangelism and proselytizing. The followers of the Silver Flame believe that their duty is to cleanse Eberron entirely of evil. Spreading the faith can hasten that glorious aim. After all, those who turn to the Flame are less likely to commit acts of evil themselves (or so the theory goes). Furthermore, the more Purified there are, the more soldiers the Flame has to battle the forces of evil. Either way, good grows stronger and evil weaker.

All priests of the Silver Flame, regardless of rank or order, must wear the holy symbol of the faith when engaging in the duties of their office. They are supposed to wear it at all times, but this dictate is less rigorously enforced. If doing so would put them in danger—such as a templar attempting to infiltrate a stronghold of evil, or a pilgrim passing through Droaam—they are permitted to go without. When conducting services, priests wear garb of predominantly silver and white. It might be white robes with silver trim, silver armor, or whatever else is appropriate to the circumstances.

True clerics of the Silver Flame have a religious duty to avoid spells that raise the dead, such as resurrection. The Purified believe that the souls of the faithful join with the Silver Flame after death, granting them an afterlife of peace and bliss, and strengthening the Flame itself. Thus, calling a soul back weakens the Flame and subjects the soul to further pain and suffering in the material world. Clerics of the Flame return the dead to life under only the most extreme circumstances, and only if the dangers of not doing so outweigh the possible trauma to the soul. Most Purified priests cannot be enticed to do so for any amount of money, though the Church does have members who bow to temptation. Raising a member of some other faith is even less likely. In all recorded history, fewer than half-a-dozen instances exist of a Silver Flame cleric resurrecting a non–Purified individual, and each case was the result of a greedy or weak-willed cleric being tempted by material reward.

Fallen Priests

The procedure for defrocking a priest is just as rigid and formal as that for taking the cloth. Any Purified can bring charges against a priest simply by offering a formal complaint to any clergy member of equal or higher rank. The priest who receives the complaint turns it over to an inquisitor. In many cases, the complaint is without merit, and the inquisitor swiftly dismisses it; the accused might never even know she was under investigation.

Should the initial inquiry suggest a more thorough examination, the subject is formally accused of wrongdoing, temporarily stripped of her authority, and placed under guard while the inquisitor investigates. These investigations can involve standard detective work and information gathering, discern lies and other divination spells, or, in extreme circumstances with a particularly driven and brutal inquisitor, physical coercion.

Certain lesser crimes result in expulsion from the priesthood, but no further punishment. These include corruption, lying to superiors, failure to uphold one’s duties as a priest, taking inappropriate advantage of congregants, and similar offenses. Some crimes, however, are so great that the Church dispenses lethal justice on those who commit them. A priest who secretly prays to the Lords of Dust, for instance, is likely to be executed as a heretic and traitor, as is a priest who murders other priests.

Political Influence & Intrigue

The Church of the Silver Flame has always been strongest in Thrane. For many years, the nation’s rulers were followers of that faith, and the Diet of Cardinals took over the nation in 914 when the people rejected the claim of King Thalin’s heir. The nation has been a theocracy ever since, with the Keeper of the Flame and the Cardinals wielding secular as well as religious power.

In most other nations of Khorvaire, the Silver Flame is just one faith among many. Although the church might attempt to convert members of the government and influence political decisions, it has only a limited ability to do so. Some of its more zealous factions call for an open coup, claiming that the violence would be more than justified by the good the Flame could do with all the Five Nations under its sway. Fortunately, the majority of the Diet of Cardinals is opposed to this action—the church, powerful though it be, lacks the means to carry it out in any event. The Purified coexist with followers of the Host and other faiths, and preach to the nobility as much as they are able. The church also makes itself indispensable by lending its soldiers to national armies—if those armies are fighting for a cause it can support.

Only in regions vehemently opposed to the Silver Flame, such as Droaam, do the Purified not operate openly and actively. Even here, however, the church has a few hidden enclaves of templars seeking to do what good they can. Some rescue travelers menaced by Droaam’s forces, while others actively sabotage the workings of local governments. Most importantly, however, they watch for those rare natives who seem unhappy with the current situation and might be suitable candidates for conversion. A faithful insider is a greater weapon against the darkness than half a dozen holy warriors.

Sects

The Silver Flame boasts a number of variant sects and subsects. Some are simple factions within the Church, not recognized as separate entities by the priesthood. Others are considered heresies by the faithful, subject to ostracism, rigorous proselytizing, or even open conflict. What follows is a list of some of the larger or more important subgroups and variants.

Ghaash’kala

The “Ghost Guardians” tribe of orcs believes it has a divine duty to prevent evil from escaping the Demon Wastes into the world. The tribesmen worship a great power called the Kalok Shash, the “Binding Flame,” which gathers the souls of the departed and keeps darkness and evil at bay. Some Purified refuse to accept this as an embodiment of the Silver Flame, unwilling to share a faith with barbaric orcs. Most priests, however, acknowledge that the Ghaash’kala do indeed worship the Flame, but believe their view of it to be skewed and inaccurate. The Flame has sent several missionary expeditions, but none of any real size or success to date, due at least in part due to extremists among the Servants of the Pure Flame who would rather see this heretical worship wiped out than accepted.

Domains:

Exorcism, Good, Protection, Strength, War

Subdomains:

Azata, Purity, Blood, Resolve

Favored Weapon:

Longsword

Knights Militant

This rigid order maintains extreme standards of purity and morality. The Knights tend to emphasize heroic sacrifice in battle more than imposition of their way on others. As such, they have not generated the depth of hostility the Puritans have.

Domains:

Exorcism, Good, Glory, Law, War

Subdomains:

Archon, Heroism, Tactics

Order of the Radiant Flame

A more contemplative group, the Order seeks spiritual union with the Flame in this life, instead of after perishing in the battle against evil. They do not shun the physical and are valiant foes, but neither do they quest far and wide for conflict. They are content to ponder the mysteries of the cosmos from their monasteries and shrines.

Domains:

Glory, Good, Nobility, Protection, Rune

Subdomains:

Honor, Martyr, Purity, Wards

Penitent Brethren

This subsect of Purified, consisting largely of shifters, believes that its members are innately creatures of evil. The shifters see themselves as tainted with the lycanthropic curse, while the few non-shifter members consider themselves cursed in some other way. (Warforged might believe themselves incapable of anything but killing, for instance.) They join the Silver Flame in an effort to atone, and seek injury and even death in its service as punishment for their innate sins.

Domains:

Glory, Good, Healing, Law, Protection

Subdomains:

Honor, Restoration, Purity

Servants of the Pure Flame

The Servants (also called Puritans) are true fanatics and extremists. They follow every law of the faith to the letter, seek the destruction of every force even remotely opposed to the Flame, and have no compunctions—unlike other Purified—about forced conversion. The Puritans are the most likely to resort to violent or questionable means to obtain a “good” goal, and they have substantial power and influence in the priesthood, all the way to the Diet of Cardinals. The Pure Flame is based primarily in Aundair’s major cities, where it has been strong since the lycanthropic purge.

Domains:

Glory, Good, Inquisition, Law, Protection

Subdomains:

Heroism, Purity

Tarnished

This is not a single group or entity. Rather, “Tarnished” is the name the Purified apply to any who devote themselves to the demon trapped within the Silver Flame. While the faithful refuse to believe it, a number of individuals claim that a so-called Voice in the Darkness occasionally whispers to the faithful. Sometimes it tricks devout followers into believing it is the voice of the Flame itself, or it works with the greed or corruption in an individual, offering power or even immortality in exchange for service. The Shadow in the Flame is a potent demon overlord, and while it lacks the power of a god, it was a world-spanning power in its day. The Tarnished believe it remains strong enough to follow through on its promises. The greatest of the Tarnished was Melysse Miron, the so-called Anti-Keeper who challenged the established Keeper in the year 497 YK. Melysse presented herself as a reformer, claiming that the Church had lost its way. Only after gaining a substantial following that threatened to rip the Church asunder was she revealed as a servant of darkness. She was captured after a brief but bloody struggle and sentenced to an eternity of slumber in Dreadhold. No agent so powerful has pledged service to the demon since, perhaps because part of its power is still trapped in Melysse. Still, those who claim to hear its voice and bear its powers cut a swath of darkness through Church ranks.

Domains:

Charm, Darkness, Evil, Law, Trickery

Subdomains:

Lust, Loss, Deception

Favored Weapon:

Longsword

Favored Weapon: Longbow

Domains: Glory, Good, Law, Nobility, Protection

Subdomains: Archon,Heroism, Judgement, Martyr, Purity, Redemption

Inquisitions: Banishment, Chivalry, Clandestine, Converstion, Excommunication, Execution, Fervor, Heresy, Illumination, Imprisonment, Justice, Order, Redemption, Revelation, Torture, Truth, Valor, Vengeance, Zeal

Founding Date

299 YK

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Demonym

the Purified

Leader

Jaela Daran

Subsidiary Organizations

• Diet of Cardinals

Permeated Organizations

• Thrane

Location

Flamekeep

Manufactured Items

• Silverburn

Notable Members

• Archbishop Solgar Dariznu
• Gaia Sotharr
• High Cardinal Krozen
• Jaela Daran