Great Fae Speaker

"The Royals and their class are the mind of the nation in their leadership. In one hand they hold the gold-and-silver sword of their might, while the other holds the ancient tome of their intellect. But, it is not enough that a sword and tome shall be wielded by a wise mind, it must too be guided by a kind heart. All of ye faithful, from the youngest babe to the grayest elder are the beating, mortal heart of the nation. Never let that waver, and never let the sword, the tome, or the mind silence the kindness that flows."

-- Excerpt from Fae Speaker Samara Freitas' inaugural speech.

Hippolyta is a nation proud of it's order and structure, and a key part of that order is the strength of it's faith in the God-Fae, with the religion even having an explicit goddess of Hierarchies and Diplomacy. 
Historically, the Great Fae Speaker was the first structural pillar of society, as a ship bearing 101 Sun Elf settlers from the island of Diana was led by the first Great Fae Speaker, who spoke of the faith and the enlightenment of the gods to the Elves of the mainland and began to organize them following said enlightenment.
The position has lasted throughout the march of the unrecorded past into the modern day, where despite the tumult and chaos and recent eras, it has landed into the hands of a young (VERY young by elven standards) and kind woman, Samara Freitas, who seeks to do her part to lead Hippolyta into a kinder and more equal tomorrow.

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Qualifications

A candidate for Great Fae Speaker must have undergone intense studies and training as a member of the faith, usually those who started religious studies in their childhoods. They must also have the approval of all, or at least 2/3rds, of all Canopy Speakers of the faith, as well as complete a trial set by the God-Fae themselves. This is all culminated by a test and interview by the current Great Fae Speaker, or their attendants in the case of death.

Requirements

Aside from meeting the aforementioned qualifications of training and approval, the Great Fae Speaker merely needs to be part of the faith. However, due to the nature of Hippolytan society and the faith overall, this means that only Elves and their descendants have been Great Fae Speakers, with other candidates hardly even being considered.

Appointment

Once all other tests and requirements are met, the Great Fae Speaker is officially appointed in private, with only the gods and the former Fae Speakers attendants to perform it. A week afterwards, a public coronation is held and a festival known as "A Primeira Oração" or The First Oration is thrown, where the new Fae Speaker is publically given the special raiments of the position and addresses the people. This is often held on the island of Diana, the ancestral home of the Hippolytans and the location of the first church to the God-Fae.

Duties

The daily duties of the Great Fae Speaker are mostly social ones. They lead sermons, give spiritual wisdom, bless travellers and faithful, perform rituals for the community, and do no small amount of shoulder-rubbing with various other Hippolytans of high society as no matter how humble the Speaker, they are one of the most respected people in the nation. They also manage much of the minutae of the other churches around Hippolyta, approving budgets and appointments and certain rituals.
They also perform many special acts themselves, whether it's private rituals of guidance and divination, or public rituals of healing and rejuvination. In the past there has been no small amount of monster slaying and exorcism, as they are afforded great power from the God-Fae themselves.

Benefits

Socially and politically the position of Great Fae Speaker is highly reveered and respected, even the rulers and nobility of Hippolyta show respect for the position and the power it suggests. On the more practical side of things, the position gets a moderate wage decided upon other stations of the church, as well as special attendants and graces allowed of the position. Magically, the Great Fae Speaker has access to many unique bits of magical esoterica and rituals kept under tight wraps, as well as various pieces of unique legendary equipment.
On a spiritual level, the position allows one to seek audience with the God-Fae themselves, in small ways, and also provides a sort of enriched state of being that prevents many illnesses and curses from harming the Fae Speaker.

Accoutrements & Equipment

On top of various religious artifacts, the three main pieces of equipment for a Great Fae Speaker are The Raiments of Amaranto, the Scepter of Lótus, and the Circlet of Anêmona. The Raiments provide a natural armor to the wearer as well as providing them ingrained access to defensive and restoritive spells. The Scepter is a powerful magical and divine focus that empowers the wielders inherent magic, as well as providing some pre-programed options for offensive spells. The Circlet prevents the wielder from being detected and resistance to mental attacks or scans, while also giving them an inherent array of divination spells.
Each of these three items are relics of certain God-Fae, as is much of the divine artifacts that the Fae Speaker is privey to. They are as potently divine as they are magical, and they are the surefire signifiers of one's true rank.

Grounds for Removal/Dismissal

Historically, the retirement of a Great Fae Speaker has been due to death or failing health. There have been two incidents of corruption in the past, and a majority of the non-death related dismissals have been due to a new chosen vessel completing all the necessary tasks. That last option isn't always an immediate takeover, as even when all other markers are met, if one Great Fae Speaker has not yet been given the sign to depart, they will often train their successor.

History

There is no literal recorded time for the beginning of the position, for it has existed as long as the The God-Fae faith has. In it's prototypical state before recorded history, the faith began as the first Fae Speaker, Ligeia Teixeira, brought a boat of 100 people from the island of Diana to the mainland of Hippolyta and began to spread the word of the God-Fae, and the enlightenment they gave those 101 people.
Throughout Hippolytan history, the Great Fae Speaker was a community leader, an elder of the nation, and a voice of power and wisdom for all people. Even when Ligeia's nearly three-millenium-long life came to an end, her successor carried the torch right as she left it, and continued building the nation of the Elves. Eventually leadership fell to a political position rather than a religious one, but the Great Fae Speaker has always been in close contact with the leader of the nation.
The exact lineage of Speakers before the Era system is hard to define and only a few fragmentary sources have stayed to the modern day, even the nigh-immortality of Elves can fade. Still, we know that the line has been continuous, and that common tradition was for a Fae Speaker to serve until death, only stepping down beforehand if the God-Fae chose someone else to empower directly.
By the time of the Three Kingdoms Alliance between Afallon, Agartha, and Hippolyta, the God-Fae Faith had already become a wide institution, and similarly the Great Fae Speaker was someone known to be of great importance by the other two nations, and was in fact an staunch ally of allegiance at the time rather than the typical Hippolytan trend towards imperialism.
Fae Speaker Eliana Carvalho is one of the most known from that era in time, but she'd actually be one of the Fae Speakers to resign willingly once a new one came to meet all the standards of the time. This was because, for the first time a Speaker had been shown to have all the knowledge, training, and qualifications with the previous Great Fae Speaker still being alive, and this fact was starting to cause disharmony and faction plays within the church. As such, she stepped down to avoid internal schisms and spent the rest of her life supporting Fae Speaker Alessandra Pinheiro.
From this time, the record of Fae Speakers is more concrete. Following Alessandra Pinheiro's passing in -2640 EE, the title passed to Samanta Moreira who held it until stepping down and following in Eliana's footsteps in -2029 EE. Then came the time of Sócrates Pereira, the first male Great Fae Speaker, whose skills in philosophy and peace keeping were essential during the Shattered Era when all that was natural and methodical about magic broke in one night. His reign lasted until -1200 EE, when his final act being the founding of the Great Fae Cathedral in Diana. He technically retired, but only lived two weeks past that day due to old age.
From -1200 EE the next Speaker, and the first in the new seat of power that was Diana, was Brás Nogueira, who was equally philisophic but much more militaristic than his predecessor, leading to much of Hippolyta's militaristic advancement throughout the eras, especially during the chaotic time of the Drachenschrek Era and the Isolated Era, which he only saw a portion of before his own passing in -385 EE. His sucessor was Alexio Oliveira, who cranked up the militarism and down the philosphy, being heavily responsible for The Warring Era as he urged on Hippolyta's imperialistic and jingoistic tendencies, leading to nearly a century of animosity across Edda.
Alexio's time marked the end of two dynasties, as he was the first Fae Speaker to be actively challenged for his title, being fought to the death in divine combat by his successor, Juliana Palmeiro. He was also the last Fae Speaker before the Eternal Era reset the calendar, as Edda reached a new time of relative peace and philosophy. Great Fae Speaker Juliana led the nation through most of its well-deserved punishments for their acts of war, and did a lot of work reinstituting the ideals of peace and unity among the people. She was unpopular for this, especially as many of the older conservative nobles were still kicking, but her support of the downtrodden and the young kept her position socially in vogue.
In a similar vein, she stepped down from her position in 512 EE to give it to a new, young, promising Fae Speaker, not even 100 years old yet, Cruz Monteiro. They would have one of the shortest reigns as Fae Speaker, however, as they'd be killed in the terrorist attack of The Eddan Summit in 954 EE and replaced by the in-name-only Fae Speaker Miguela Silveira, who followed in Alexio's footsteps as the world of Edda went to war once more.
When he was assassinated during the riot that preceeded the Calming of the Masses that started the end of the Border Wars, there was no replacement lined up and no one had really been looking for all that time. Luckily, it wouldn't be long until the voice of the Fae themselves led the surviving attendants to Samara Freitas, the youngest daughter of a small noble family, who while young had the building blocks of a great Fae Speaker already.
Ten years later, when she turned 25 years old, still rather infintile in the eyes of many Elves, she completed all her necessary training, and the attendants of the Great Fae Speakers found her fit for the position. It's only been roughly 20 years since she took on the position, but hopefully she'll have it for many years more, and lead the nation to peace and success once again.

Cultural Significance

The Great Fae Speaker is seen as one of the pillars of Hippolytan civilization, representing the importance of the God-Fae Faith to the daily life of a Hippolytan. It is equal in importance to the Order of the ruling class, the Advancement of magic, and the Might of the military.

Type

Religious, Clerical

Status

Active, taken

Creation

Unknown, before recorded history

Form of Address

Fae Speaker

Equates to

The Great Fae Speaker is the mortal leader of the God-Fae Faith, so they hold similar power to the leaders of the other faiths around Edda.

Source of Authority

Divine, appointed

Length of Term

Until death or resignation

First Holder

Ligeia Teixeira

Current Holders

• Great Fae Speaker Samara Freitas

Related Locations

• Diana

Related Organizations

• The God-Fae
• Hippolyta