Church of Ilmater

The Church of Ilmater was the primary religious organization dedicated to the worship and service of Ilmater, the Crying God. The clergy dedicated themselves to providing healing and succour to all in need, whatever the cost to themselves, as they believed life was sacred and that suffering to preserve it was holy. Misunderstood and scorned by those hard of heart, the Ilmatari were yet loved and relied upon by multitudes of ordinary folk, and so the church had the widest and most faithful following in all Faerûn.

Structure

Monks, clerics, and specialty priests in the Ilmatari faith were known as the Adorned.[4][6] Clerics and specialty priests of Ilmater were both simply called "clerics" around 1358 DR, but specialty priests were known as painbearers by 1369 DR. By 1479 DR, all priests of Ilmater were called "painbearers".
The clergy referred to each other as "Brother" or "Sister". Senior clergy were called "Revered", such as "Revered Sister". Those who were leaders of temples, monasteries, and abbeys were addressed as "Mother" or "Father", and "of the House" was added to their title, such as "Revered Father of the House".

Tenets of Faith

Followers of Ilmater were taught to help all who suffered, without regard for who they were or how they suffered. They were to heal and treat the wounded and the sick and give comfort to the dying. They also had to give kind counselling to those grieving or depressed, lonely or lost, and give shelter and alms to those who'd lost everything. They did what had to be done when no one else would. Thus a typical follower of Ilmater was generous and sharing, giving all they could to the poor, and they placed others before themselves.

Priesthood

Initiation into the clergy of Ilmater was uncomplicated. A novice expressing an interest in joining went on a simple walk with a senior priest who, as they talked, explored that individual's views on life. Then they dined, and the novice was given wine that induced a slight trance so that their mind could be examined with magic. This was done with the full knowledge of the novice, and performed by various other clerics or wizards sympathetic to the Ilmatari. They closely examined their loyalties, goals, and true feelings and determined if any deception had occurred, or whether the novice was genuinely suitable for the faith. This practice was introduced to prevent false applicants from joining simply to learn the church's healing knowledge and steal their medicines, as had happened often in the church's early history. Deceit, a devotion to evil, or loyalties to another faith or to a secular organization or authority disqualified the applicant.
If found genuine, then the novice was accepted as a full member of the clergy. They were dressed in the simple grey robes and pronounced one of the Adorned.
The Adorned had a fairly loose and informal hierarchy, organized around the Revered Father or Mother of the nearest large temple, monastery, or abbey. All Ilmatari in the region reported to this person, and were loosely ranked under them. The abbeys and monasteries, though usually located separately from the churches, were often linked to a specific temple, adding an extra level in this hierarchy.
One line of clergy were the Sage-Priests. The senior Sage-Priest was the official historian of the church, and they adopted individual titles such as the Spontaer and the Keeper of the Old Faith.

Carry the burdens and pains of others

Founding Date

-243

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Alternative Names

Sufferers

Demonym

Ilmatari

Leader Title

Archsufferer

Government System

Theocracy

Deities

• Ilmater

Divines

• Dionysus
• Ilmater

Related Ranks & Titles

• Archsufferer