Church of Erathis (Air-a-this)

The church of Erathis are devout followers of Erathis' Holy Order. They hold an immense amount of power within the Ruthorian Empire, creating and intrepreting the great nations laws.

Structure

The church of Erathis is run publically by the supreme lawbringer, with the five lawbringers having the power. The supreme lawbringer is the face of the entire church, with the lawbringers making the real decisions. Below the lawbringers are the arbiters, and then the adjudicators. Clerics/priests of Erathis rank lower than these other positions, but are usually still capable of wielding divine magic granted by the goddess. Clerics/priests are also the only positions that are common in more rural areas away from church centers of power. Those who live in more rural areas often act completely independently from the main church body. In mechanical terms, all Lawbringers, arbiters, and adjudicators are Clerics. A number of the more rural clerics/preists also count as Clerics, being capable of wielding at least low-leveled divine magic. Some positions don't have any power within the church, though are still technically a part of it.

Acolytes: Acolytes are church initiates looking to join the church.
Judges: Judges are appointed by the church, and normally are capable of wielding a small amount of Erathis' divine magic. Sometimes, the church chooses a priest/cleric or adjudicator to become a judge (judges are the same as real-life judges, interpreting the law in court trials).
Inquisitors: Inquisitors are wizards specifically trained by the church to enforce policies of non-corruption within its lower-ranking members. For example, inquisitors are in charge of casting the spell Detect Thoughts to determine if a judge is guilty of harboring bias, making an unfair trial. They are usually in charge of situations that require arcane magic unable to be cast by another member of the church (most members of the church specialize in divine magic).
Knights: The church has the capability of knighting anyone they choose as a knight of Erathis. Knights of the church are normally used as elite guards, patroling holy buildings or sites.

Culture

The church of Erathis is seen by Ruthorians as an ever-present figure of order, an embodiment of Erathis' Divine Order.

Public Agenda

To spread order and law across Egapesh. Those who live in the wild and abide by no laws are considered enemies of the church and are to be conquered.

Assets

The church of Erathis technically doesn't have any assets, but with the power they wield in society, they can take pretty much anything they want from the Ruthorian Empire and the Ruthorian noble houses. If the church and empire were to split, it is theorized that a lot of the empire's army and people would split with them.

History

The church was founded the same day the Ruthorian Empire was founded, with the people gathered under the leadership of Stendar Ruthen swearing eternal loyalty to Erathis, goddess of law. From that point onward its history is intertwined with that of the Ruthorian Empire.

Mythology & Lore

The church states that Erathis used to be a great god, one of the mightiest of them all. She was the one god who held other gods accountable for their actions, and the slam of her gavel could be heard across the planes. That is until the wild age, in which civilization and law in Egapesh collapsed entirely, greatly weakening Erathis. Cyric, god of chaos, Erathis's greatest nemesis, took this opportunity to plunge his black knife into Erathis's heart, killing her. From then on the lands descended into absolute chaos and madness until one man looked to the sky. The man's name was Stendar, and he saw Erathis, lying there, weak but not gone. He then said; "oh goddess, why hast thou fallen from thy great heavens? Please allow my companions to provide you aid". Stendar and the Ruthen tribe surrounded the unconscious goddess, and all prayed together as one. With this renewed prayer, Erathis was awakened and put a blessing upon Stendar giving him the divine powers of a god. She told him to build the mightiest empire seen to man in her image so that the wild lands could once more be tame, which spurred Stendar to create what would become the Ruthorian Empire.

Ethics

Erathis

Ruthorian Empire

One will not under any circumstances break any law.
One will give generously to those who are less fortunate, for they are the ones most affected by law sullied with corruption.
The law shall not be sullied with corruption.
Those who break a law must be punished accordingly.
One must not be punished for crimes one did not commit.

Political Influence & Intrigue

The church of Erathis wields immense political power within the Ruthorian Empire. They are in charge of creating and interpreting the laws of the empire. The church's power is secretly feared by the empire due to them being very capable of sourcing an army and declaring war upon the empire, though it most likely won't happen due to the Emperor of Ruthoria being chosen of Erathis, and declaring war upon Erathis's chosen would be seen as heresy in the eyes of many Ruthorians.