Church of the Overseer

The Church of the Overseer is the dominant religious organization within Stanos and as such act as an independent force above most governments because their nature is not political but instead religious and helping the members of each population to guide their souls closer to the divine entity known as The Everknowing.
Within almost every town and city there exists at least one church owned by the organization. Even most small villages have at least a mission dedicated to the Church in an effort to save their souls from the eventual judgment of The Everknowing.
A key note to be brought up during the discussion of the Church is that there are different readings of the teaches that many Shepards deliver to their flocks. Therefore, this has lead to a vast amount of different reports and information about what the contents of the Manual of the Many Eyed and what it means for both everyday life and the beginning and end of days. Within this file I will attempt to write in as neutral of a reading as is possible. However, at the moments when I eventually slip up and write one specific reading, I will try my best to indicate it so as to give you the most accurate information possible.

I have never seen the appeal of religion, but it will still be documented as it highlights the aspects of life in the realm.

— Warden O. B. Davies

The History of the Church

In the wake of the discovery of the Trinity of Stanos, it became clear to a number of people that the entity only labelled as The Everknowing could possibly be sending such writings to people to guide them better through the course of their lives so they would get to spend the days after their passing in the fantastical gardens where natural laws are no longer applied that is described in The Diviner. By 905, several religious chapters following the words reported within the Kyranok arose and started to find others that followed the same belief.
In 906, the official name The Church of the Overseer was used by a collection of the chapters as a name to unite them as a religious order. It was decided in this first meeting that the three chapter leaders seemed to come from a similar origin as The Gardener, The Ikon, and The Diviner. Additionally, each of the leaders were in possession of their respective artifact. This led many of the members of the congregation to believe that these figures were in fact the trio reborn to help guide them into the next stage of their lives, learning more of The Everknowing.
The Church expanded greatly over the course of the next 700 years, to the point that it almost transcended the Oldfront Empire itself. There were at least 4,000 church buildings that had been completely built to house the worship of The Everknowing, and an additional 8,500 buildings that had been fitted with the right vestements to allow for worship to take place within their walls. By all standards this was considerd the most prosperous time for the Church to have been founded and grown,
Not all things, however, are to last. In the early-1600s, Lord Highwater took the throne of the empire and drove religion into the ground, attempting to remove all known traces of the Church from the legislation and power that it once held. Imperial forces were ordered to burn down churches and force those who were committed to worship into the streets where they would be punished by whipping and other non-fatal, but painful, methods. By all accounts, the Church could have chosen to falter in this moment and disolve its position, removing the threats imposed by the current leader.
Fortunately before the entire church was erradicated, Lord Highwater passed in 1674, leading to the crowning of Lady Hyasinth. This however was only a few short years before the entire empire would shatter and collapse resulting in what could have been a second extinction event for the church. Yet, it endured, acting as medics within the war for all sides. Believing that in all forms of combat, neither side should really lose every man to lose. This kind and gentle spirit made it clear that the Church should be at the peace treaty dividing up lands between each of the successful factions, allowing for a mediator between each of the parties.
And this is the role that the Church have played until today. When needed they act as a mediator, otherwise they keep their political motives outside of their function of serving people to allow for a greater understanding of both the world around them but also what could possibly be waiting for them beyond the veil of life. With many members flocking to them in an aim to save their souls from the pain and suffering that could await them.

Religious Mission

All practitioners who wish to become Shepards are required to complete a mission of faith before they are able to enter their process of Shepardhood. Their mission involves them gathering a flock of people whom they work to convert from either no faith or alternate faiths into the fold of the Church. Once the Missionary has gathered a flock that follows them, they are to head into a sacred forest that is only allowed entry for the Missionary and their new flock. When the Missionary leaves the forest they are granted the title of Shepard.
What occurs in the forest is unknown, though it is written in a report that an unnamed Warden entered into the forest at some point and was not seen again, which is not concerning in the slightest. There are also reports that the people who are chosen to be in the flock have either not paid their dues to the Church or have recently shunned from the religion. In any case, it is distrubing and something that warrants further investigation with intense caution and care.

Imperial Links

The Church of the Overseer is one of the only institutions still standing from before the dissolution of the Oldfront Empire. While there are many ideas as to why this is the case, it is important to note that most people are vaguely aware of the links between the Empire and the faith. When the Empire was at its peak, the members of the ruling house were said to be devout members of the Church, having the Trinity of Stanos displayed within Thorne Palace.
It is common to find that a number of Church buildings contain relics and artifacts from the Empire. Often these artifacts are heralded as important to the history of the building and the Church as a whole. Some examples include a set of armor that was said to be worn by a general of the Imperial Forces, the diary of said general, and a ceremonial cloak from the royal house.
The strong link between the Empire and the Church still remains out of tradition, each Church building act as a kind of museum to the Empire as well as the Church itself, allowing Parctitioners to pray and coffess their sins, whilst still showing beautiful art pieces from throughout history and different relics that have a variety of historical references.

Motto

Mōga aḡerm a spul

Faith's heart is peace,

Year of Founding
906 CY
Central Church
Highfront, Farrow

Structure

The structure of the Church of the Overseer seems to be unique in terms of groups and orders of the realm. Any person can be a member or Practitioner of the church, with no limits held against those of service to a government or to those who work for other organisations. Yet for each church, there is a Shepard whose aim is to guide and defend their "flock" of Practitioners, often a Shepard guides several of their Practitioners into the role of Shepards for their own flock. Our latest approximate puts there at 50,000 - 100,000 Shepards working among the different nations.
From this level, there is a huge drop in the number of members. Above the Sherpards, there are 48 Keepers. Each Keeper is the guiding force for a number Shepards, often having been Shepards themselves and acting as their guides to help pull them into the role of Keeper when it becomes avaliable as the position is life long.
Above the Keepers, there are 12 Maesters. These Maesters are each responsible for overseeing a large area of Shepards and acting as divine representatives in lieu of those above them. If a church gathering was to be greeted by a Maester, many Practitioners of other churches would flock to hear them speak as it is said to be the word of The Everknowing directly.
However, above the Maesters are three different figures, each voted for their position by the other Maesters. These are The Gardener, The Ikon, and The Diviner. These figures are meant to be divinely chosen reincarnations of the original figures from the Kyranok. However, they primarily act as figureheads and national leaders for the three main nations, sometimes changing based on the needs of a nation at one particular time. Of all positions, these are the most senior and so as a result are guaranteed to be lifelong with the people acting as the primary voices of the church in the respective nation. I believe that current The Gardener is in Nylan, The Diviner is in Marine and The Ikon is in Farrow.

Key Beliefs

This section will contain a list of many of the key beliefs that are held among the many flocks of the Church. While some may seem contradictory, I am trying to record as much information as is possible about the Church so each person can make their own informed decision.

The Return of The Ikon

Of all the beliefs, this is the one that I personally subscribe to least. However, it is important to document the information as it is presented by different flocks of the Church. There is a somewhat common belief that in the upcoming days, The Ikon will return to the realm. While one of the potential reasons for this is discussed by the different flocks.
Its important to note that each flock references a passage from The Ikon as evidence of their claim. "In the days far beyond this violent war, a figure shall step into the realm with the power to change and influence what is around them. Upon faltering, one might find themselves learning the steel of Sorrow." While, to me, this seems to be a piece of text with the intent of keeping people towards the religion. However, those who believe reference the power of change and influence as to the power of The Ikon should they return to the realm, meaning they will return as a person of significant power.

The Trinity and Heralds of Death

A more fanatical sect of the Church once labelled the Trinity, also known as The Gardener, The Ikon, and The Diviner, are meant to be regarded as people who Herald the Death of an individual, if not en masse. The belief for this comes from the idea that each of them spent time learning more about life to make the passing of an individual more palpable. According to this group:
The Gardener acts as the first guide of an individual, being a kind a gentle face that would help the soul pass from the first side of the realm onto the next.
The Ikon allegedly acts as a judge of a soul, in the case an individual was judged to be unworthy of yet entering the afterlife, they would be charged to serve alongside the legions of angellic figures for an amount of time that exonorates their soul.
The Diviner acts as the steward of the afterlife, having spent their life in direct communication with The Everknowing, they have a greater understanding of the words of The Everknowing.

The Everknowing will Destroy the Realm

This take is difficult to discuss as it is theorising on events that haven't and may never happen. Particularly its looking at the overall destructive nature of the universe and its components. From this, many believe that The Everknowing is keeping tally of souls that are on each side of the scale from good to evil, as soon as the metaphorical tally crosses a threshold, the people of the Church believe a catastrophic event will come to directly destroy the realm and all of its components.
There are writings that seem to indicate that the presence of The Everknowing will be able to consume the whole complete conciousness of the world in a single all consuming moment. At this point, it is said that the being will be satiated and leave its home and traverse among the farthest reaches of knowing.