Balaran Templar
"Of all of the opposing faiths in Arikanda, the Balaran Templar is the one that will be the most difficult to convert. They are stubborn, they are passionate, and unlike the other more distant deities, they have a much warmer relationship with their supposed god - downright heretical in our eyes."The Balaran Templar is one of the five major Elemental Templars that in conjunction make up the Elementalist faith. It is dedicated to the veneration of the elementalist god of fire, Balaros, along with the interpretation and implementation of his will, and the advocation of humanity's interests to the god. It exists in simultaneous co-operation and competition with the Templars of Shiereleya, Shokai, Essena and Delthur. As part of Elementalism, the Balaran Templar has spread across almost the entirety of southern Arikanda, and has spread across the Calinan Sea to Maganti and Solathi in northern Calina as well. While not the largest of the Templars, nor the most influential, they are an integral part of the faith.
-report for the Kalriv Overlord, written by a Solar priest
Structure
As with the other Elemental Templars, the Balaran Templar is structured hierarchically; albeit somewhat more loosely than the other Templars.
It is led by an Exarch, who is considered the high priest of the god. The Exarch leads prayers, communes with the god, intercedes with the god in behalf of the people, and dictates public and spiritual policy for the Templar as a whole. Those orders are then dispensed to Kolotors, administrative priests who usually administer a particular area or particularly large cities. They are then interpreted and facilitated to the general public by priests.
Culture
The Balaran Templar, while still held to proscribed codes of behaviour and protocol passed down over generations, are considerably more liberal in their daily conduct than the other Templars, save possibly for the Shiereleyan Templar. Balaros' commandments revolve around embracing one's humanity and tending to the fire of a person's spirit, and this is reflected in their policies.
Relationships both internally and externally to the faith are encouraged; Balaros himself had a history of romances with mortals, and priests are encouraged to follow his example and take lovers or partners. With that said, another important tenet requires Balarans to ethically do this, without taking advantage of power imbalances.
Unlike other Templars, formality and deference to priests of higher rank is generally not enforced. Any priest may voice their concerns to a Kolotor or even the Exarch; although no guarantee is made of actioning those concerns. Priests are also given somewhat more leeway in implementing their faith and the instructions provided from above, with results considered more important than method; with that said, the abuse of such freedoms and betrayal of such responsibilities is dealt with harshly.
Divine Origins
Like most of the Elementalist faith, the worship of Balaros was derived from the predominant shamanist beliefs that dominated Arikanda prior to the Neolithic era. Initially what would become the Elemental Gods were worshipped as a series of many different nature spirits, which eventually consolidated into five deities of Water, Fire, Thunder, Earth and Wind. By the 1500s Dawn of Man (~2000 years prior to the present day), most of the Sapphire Coast and Tanoron worshipped these gods.
By 1450 DoM, it had been concluded that to best serve the Elemental Gods equally, each deity should have its own priesthood. These were dubbed 'Templars'. Each was to have its own Exarch (high priest), holy city, priesthood, traditions and rituals, while sharing a common core belief system.
Ethics
"I ask simply that you embrace your humanity and the fire burning inside your spirit - and that you do not through your actions stifle the spiritual fire of others."Balarans are expected to extol the values and morals that Balaros himself is said to hold dear. As a god of fire, he embraces the concept of passion and energy, and all Balarans encourage an intensity in everything that a person may do, following their hearts and embracing their humanity. Emotions are seen as something to be embraced, as is channeling those into works such as song, poetry, art and dance. One particular virtue among the priests is encouraging that spark within a person and drawing out a sense of liveliness within them. Passion and exuberance in everything is considered pleasing in Balaros' eyes - often to the chagrin of the more stoic Shokai followers or stable Delthur followers. Sins among the Balaran Templar usually involve a disrespect of life or a suppression of the human spirit; for example, murder is seen as extinguishing a person's potential and is condemned, while attempting to repress one's emotions is seen as a denial of one's own humanity. Conversely, failing to appropriately direct those emotions is also seen as a sin, particularly if it leads to impact on another person's livelihood or health. While not considered mortal sins, sloth, laziness and not taking care of one's health is frowned upon, being seen as a kind of self-muffling of one's internal spirit.
-purportedly the words of Balaros, from the Elemental Canon
Worship
Balaran worship, unsurprisingly, revolves a lot around the element of fire. The most prominent method of this is through burning sacrifices for Balaros' approval; offerings are usually presented in a brazier at a Temple and consumed by the flames by a Templar priest. Things that are sacrificed can include meat, the produce of one's harvest, flammable products of one's day to day work, or incenses, plants and oils. This is said to please Balaros and attain his favour.
Balaran faithful who die are burned on pyres by a Templar priest. This not only has the practical effect of reducing disease and the need for graveyards, but this is also said to return a person's ki directly to Balaros.
Templars also facilitate communing with Balaros through two methods; leading prayer services through communal sermons held before a source of flame (usually a brazier), and creating special candles and torches which are given to a person to pray to the fire god - it is said that so long as the candle or torch burns, that person has the god's attention and can speak to him.
Priesthood
Similar to the rest of the Elemental faith, the faithful are led by priests of the Templar. These are usually trained at the First Temple of Balaros in Mount Kagar, a process which usually takes many years, then ordained and assigned by a Kolotor who administers the region they serve in. Most priests are assigned to serve the people and intercede with Balaros on their behalf following the direction of their Kolotor, although some are scholars and others are Arbiters; soldiers and peacekeepers of the faith.
Balaran priests are distinguished from the average individual by wearing tunics or robes of a mixture of orange, white or red.
Galo, the current Exarch of the Balaran Templar
Granted Divine Powers
Elemental Gods are generally considered somewhat distant from their faithful, and grant divine powers very sparingly. Balaros is an exception, having always chafed against the rules laid down by the other gods, and having always had an innate kinship and interest in humanity. While he cannot grant powers to his clergy en masse, he does select certain individuals - not always priests, but sometimes simply individuals who he takes a shine to - and grants them abilities.
Some of the recorded abilities he has granted to his Chosen include;
- The ability to withstand severe cold (reportedly granted to his first Templar/Exarch by drinking Balaros' Reserve)
- The ability to walk through fire
- The ability to manipulate fire, causing it to flare up or dim
- Restoring the 'flame of life' to the ill or wounded
Political Influence & Intrigue
As one of the five major sub-faiths of the Elementalist faith, the Balarans often find themselves drawn into the power struggles of the other faiths. The attention and favours of Archons, kings, queens and influential nobles of both Arikanda and northern Calina are frequently competed for, and while the somewhat headstrong and independent Balarans would prefer not to be involved in such struggles, they find themselves compelled to lest the other major Templars such as Essena or Shokai attain too much power.
Political influence among the Balaran Templar is strongest in the southeastern Sapphire Coast, emerging as a radius from Mount Kagar and encompassing the city-states and towns in that area. Among other cities outside of its radius of influence, Balaran priests and Kolotors are tasked with frequently jockeying for influence among the other city-states and kingdoms in Arikanda and Calina.
They attempt to do this in two ways; firstly to appeal to the people directly by performing public works and doing charitable deeds for the people, along with proselytising and extolling their faith. The second is for particularly charismatic priests- usually Kolotors and higher-ranking underlings - to attempt to influence high ranking nobles and leaders. This can range from friendships to favours and, occasionally, bribery - although more than a few of the notoriously hot-blooded Balarans have even resorted to seduction and becoming the lover of an Archon or monarch.
The Balaran Templar is at its weakest in Calina- Essena is by far the most dominant deity in Solathi, with the Balarans struggling to get a seat at the table. In Maganti, they are almost completely absent, with Balaran-aligned Elementalist beliefs there in the hands the monastic Firedancers.
Founding Date
15th Century DoM
Type
Religious, Temple
Capital
Alternative Names
Balarans, Fire Priests
Successor Organization
Leader Title
Parent Organization
Location
Controlled Territories
Related Ethnicities
Related Myths
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