Priests
Priests are highly revered servants of the gods. From their highest warriors and guardians to simply staff in charge of cleanliness and maintenance of shrines.
Career
Qualifications
A priest must have dedication to the god, having provided years of offerings, attendance to festivals, and personal worship to the god they wish to become a priest of. They also must not be worshipers of a god's enemies, such as rival gods. Giving worship to gods they are in favor with, such as their allies, may give one an advantage.
In example, one wishing to become a priest of Ferventi, the God of Wolves, must not be a worshiper of the Badger, but may also be a worshiper of the Rabbit, and have participated in the hunting festivals or given consistent worship to Ferventi directly.
Priests can also be recruited by the gods by force- rather than applying and being tested of their worth, in times of war a god may tap into the Fates themselves in order to find those who would bring them great power. These people do have one effort to avoid recruitment, however, in giving up someone else to serve in their place.
Career Progression
Priests generally start as groundskeepers of a temple, cleaning the shrines of old offerings, routing offerings to the proper places, and cleaning up after worshipers. From there, they may progress to priest's assistants who often will restore, copy, and distribute holy texts, sigils, and myths about their patron god.
Priest's assistants are very often artists and writers themselves, some having skipped the role of groundskeeper entirely, given much more leeway and freedom with their interpretation and depiction of their gods.
Once elevated to a priest, the worshipper is permitted to host, relegate, and control festivities in the name of the god, lead worship, and conduct ceremonies while also being in charge of their own grouping of assistants and groundskeepers. It is not uncommon for a priest to also make suggestions on the movement, restoration, or construction of shrines, temples, and other holy places. One of their most primary duties is the sorting and exchange of offerings to a god's temple or shrine to the god themself, discarding spoiled or inappropriate offerings as needed.
Becoming a priest is not the highest level, however, as those particularly devoted, powerful, and magically inclined may become High Priests, the soldiers and keepers of the temples themselves. High Priests perform a massive amount of duties and are seen in the highest regard of their cult, often being the leader of a temple or sect.
Other Benefits
Most priests are not payed traditionally, instead earning room and board at the temples, sanctuary in times of war, and the boon of their god. Boons are perhaps the most lucrative reward, able to tap directly into the power of a god when needed, almost always reserved for crisis and war upon the temple.
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