The clergy of the tide queen was formed after the last bloody altercation over
Blue moon Atoll. A cleric by the name of Islmyra Eelkin was disgusted by the recurrent slaughter communed with her patron the Tide Queen greater spirit of the tides, moon, cycles, and family bonds. As Islmyra asked for a sign from the Tide Queen she saw a raft of sea otters drive a reef shark away from their young as a group. Islmyra took this as an answer and gathered every cleric that she could muster and took the atoll with enchanted song. None suffered an injury during the invasion. Afterwards the atoll was declared a holy site that only parents with young kits were permitted without a council. To enforce this rule the Clergy of the Tide Queen was formed to keep a guard at the atoll to ensure it remained a safe haven for children.
Ranks
The Clergy remains a rather informal group compared to most human religious organizations. Partially because of the more scattered groups that mer live in, and partially because the Tide Queen's patronage is considered a matter of families rather then societies. Most clerics live with their home people whether that is a stationary settlement or a nomadic group or move to an enclave of other clerics and those on religious pilgrimage without much central ideology other then the fact that clerics are trained through apprenticeships.
Having a permanent armed force was a new concept that required a good amount of arguing to organize. It was finally decided that a council would decide upon a Lady of the Lagoon to oversee those guarding the atoll. Under the Lady would be experienced clerics and devoted warriors of the Tide Queen to assist in maintaining the rules and work to manage the area to ensure there is always enough food to go around. These are referred to as the Teeth of the Lady or Tooth in reference to only one and they are in charge of the minutia of running the atoll. The Teeth of the Lady ensure that waist management, hunting parties, and guard rotation are organized.
Under them is the main body of the guard referred to as the Fins of the Atoll, as they are the driving force of the clergy. Many take up a permanent position at the atoll but it is also popular for clerics to spend a season as a Fin of the Atoll with their apprentices as part of training.
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