Jierian Wierus
Jierian Wierus is the leading priest of the Temple of St. Cuthbert on the Vein. He is a bombastic orator whose populist rants appeal to the best virtues and values of the common man while at the same time preying upon their fears and superstitions. Wierus endlessly preaches a creed of common sense, honesty, and self-sacrifice, encouraging his faithful to give penance to St. Cuthbert by whipping themselves in repetitive acts of self-flagellation.
He is seen as a menace by the town's hierarchy. Many claim that the flagellants seem to follow Wierus as much as they do St. Cuthbert, and it is only because the charismatic firebrand somehow keeps his followers from breaking the law that his sect has been allowed to thrive.
Wierus performs three sermons a week; each fills to capacity at least an hour before the high priest arrives and is a rambunctious affair. Not all devotees whip themselves into religious fervor, but enough do that those who abstain mark themselves as outsiders Wierus views new arrivals as thrilling challenges, and tailors his sermons to first-time visitors, urging them to join his growing congregation and reclaim Diamond Lake under the banner of community and strong values. "Dark times is coming," he says, eyes afire, "writhing times. You best be ready when the clouds snuff out the sky.
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