The Priesthood of the Divines

The Freefolk of Eletheria are from all around the world, having been liberated from captivity and crossed sea, marsh and desert to breathe free air. Whilst the worship of the gods is condemned in the lands of the High Elves who enforce a doctrine of enlightened state atheism, many of those who escaped Elven dominion rejoiced in being able to worship publicly the gods which they had worshipped in secret. The foundational covenants of the Council of the Freefolk enshrined that there should be ‘no law which restricts the freedom of any person to worship the divine whatsoever’. The resulting situation has been chaotic.
The number of religious beliefs in the land of Eletheria is beyond counting, some of which having cultic beliefs completely in opposition to one another. The conflicts between those of different beliefs have on occasion led to civil strife and skirmishes, and on one occasion civil war. The crown has faced calls from all quarters to alter the initial foundational covenants of the kingdom on many occasions as many have clamoured to have this or that religion supressed. Ultimately, through a series of divine councils called by the crown, instead of altering the foundational covenants, the covenants were reaffirmed and clarified. Whilst there was to be no law restricting the freedom of anybody to worship the divine, Queen Valeria Flavia Roylance (Valeria I), with the support of three quarters of religious leaders present, ruled that devils, demons and other malign spirits were not divine, and therefore the crown would supress their worship. The resulting ejection of dark cults to the shadows and corners of the kingdom was a time of great strife in the kingdom – but one which ultimately led to lasting time of (mostly) peace.
The Council of the Divines which is a legacy of the Valerian Accords remains the arbiter of all religious affairs within the kingdom. Whilst the crown has continued to not create any laws with respect to religion, the religious leaders of all the faiths in the kingdom are represented by and agree to be bound by the decisions of the Council of the Divines. Every year, at midsummer, the Council of the Divines chooses a new High Priest or Priestess who will represent the will of the divines on the Royal Privy Council as well as presiding at grand religious occasions in order to maintain the favour of all of the gods on behalf of the kingdom. Additionally, the Council of the Divines also chooses 24 from their number to sit in the Honourable House to ensure that the will of the gods is expressed in the laws of the realm.
The Temple of the Divines in the centre of Pax is a multistoreyed, maddingly complex, and awe-inspiring building which is literally held together through prayer. It is the right of every faith to have a shrine at the temple, which means that the building is continually being altered through the work of genius masons and the powers of world-bending rituals as migrants bring the worship of new gods to the kingdom. Nonetheless, the largest shrines belong to the richest and most wealthy religious groups in the kingdom.