The D'Nalsi Imperial Priesthood is the branch of the D'Nalsi Imperial Government responsible for all matters of religion and worship within the Empire and its faith. The Imperial Priesthood is currently overseen by Priestess Vivienne Ilsifani, who has been serving since 4,728 AB (6E 13).
History
The D'Nalsi Imperial Priesthood was first established in 4,266 AB (5E 53) by Emperor Ayland Marsham as part of a series of religious reforms in the aftermath of the Skeleton Wars. The goal of the Priesthood was to crack down on alleged "rogue priests" abusing their positions of authority within local communities. One such "rogue priest" was a man named Vaermosse Oridove, a priest of Arbos within the town of
Hallowside who utilized his position as head of the local church to overthrow the town's government.
Oridove's actions, and the subsequent War of 46 Days, was often used as justification for further changes by the Imperial Priesthood. The Priesthood began altering religious doctrine and cracking down on independent religious leaders. By the time of The Final Word, nearly all regional priests and ministers had been replaced with those who belonged to the Priesthood. In the aftermath of The Final Word, the Priesthood has scaled back significantly, undoing many of the aggressive changes and restoring freedom to local leaders. The Priesthood now acts as a general oversight organization, though has still been known to sway religious controversies and conventions in directions more beneficial to the Priesthood's former goals.
Controversy
The Imperial Priesthood's role as religious overseers has sparked considerable controversy in recent years, particularly around their continued relationship to current and former Emperors. In the past, the Imperial Priesthood has canonized various Emperors after their deaths with little justification provided, and has been known to alter religious ceremonies at the Emperor's request. Even now, as their influence over the broader D'nalsian Imperial faith has waned, the Priesthood still regularly acts in ways deemed beneficial to the Emperor with little regard to its broader impacts on the religion.
