Church of Ezra
The Church of Ezra is the formal church organized around the goddess Ezra, and a fundamental player in the Time of Unparalleled Darkness. Ezra is a goddess, whom became mortal, and then a goddess again, a story told through Her Five Revelations. Her Domains are varied by sect, but all have the Mists domain in common, as well as healing, knowledge, law, magic, and destruction. The church is common throughout the eastern Core, and even places where the faith is relatively small often have, at the very least, shrines, for the Church of Ezra are the only organized entity outside of the Vistani clans whom can traverse the Mists.
Sects of the Church
The Church is divided into Five Sects[1] according to the Revelation they most closely follow:
- The First Sect, which calls itself the Home Sect, based out of the Grand Cathedral, in Lekvarest, Borca.
- The Second Sect, which calls themselves the Pure Hearts, based out of Mordentshire, in Mordent.
- The Third Sect, which calls themselves the Erudites, based out of the Cathedrale Sainte Meres-des-Larmes, in Port-au-Lucine, Dementlieu.
- The Fourth Sect, which calls themselves the Zealots, based out of the Last Redoubt, in Nevuchar Springs, Darkon.
- The Fifth Sect, which calls themselves the Liberators, based out of the Sanctuary of Our Guardian's Grace, in Zeidenberg, Barovia.
Church Hierarchy
The Church of Ezra has a linear hierarchy outside of divisions of the Sects: the anchorite is the lowest priest, above them is the toret which leads a congregation, then above the torets are the sentires that lead several churches, and finally, the praesidius is the head of the church.
Outside of this linear hiearchy are two titles: the Bastion, and the Curate. They are described below as well.
The Anchorite
Lowliest of the Ezrans that are granted Her Grace is the Anchorite, a single priest whom has the Mists domain and claims one of Her Sects. Her Anchorites wield supreme spiritual authority, and even within the hierarchy all are considered spiritually equal - the hierarchy is more a seniority of experience then inherent authority.
The Toret
The toret is the anchorite of Ezra whom is the head of a single congregation. They can even be one whom created their own. A congregation generally starts with five other members, adhering to the sacred numerology. The Toret is typically the highest position a player will find in the game, as it is the last position that isn't almost entirely administrative, and still allows for adventuring and travel. Typically, a toret will have other Anchorites they can rely upon to run things in their absence - any congregation worthy of a Toret has at least 2 or 3 other Anchorites attending them.
The Sentire
The sentire is the leader of several congregations of churches. He or she essentially administrates the funds between the churches, tends to the orthodoxy of their congregations, and resolves disputes between the congregations. Generally, these congregations are divided into geographic areas that divide the church into central large churches with several sattelite smaller congregations.
The Praesidius
The Praesidius (male) or Praesidia (female) is the leader of Church of Ezra and is often referred to as Ezra's Champion. As the head of the Church, there is only a single Praesidius or Praesidia, often considered to be the one whom resolves disputes of doctrine between the sects. The title belonged initially to the church's founder, Yakov Dilisnya, and it was passed subsequently to his successors. The praesidius is drawn from the ranks of the Home Faith and consequently may be expected to be lawful neutral, though this is by tradition, and is not codified in the church's orthodoxy. This is a topic that comes up to some drama every time the Praesidius or Praesidia must be replaced, since the First Sect nonetheless expects to assume the position through tradition.
To qualify for the position, an anchorite must be able to demonstrate that Ezra will personally watch over and guide him or her safely through the Mists of Death. This is to say that holders of this office are all of at least the 9th level.[2]
Tenets of the Church
Central to the worship of Ezra is the question: what *is* Ezra? Was the a goddess whom forsook the rest of the multiverse to protect the Dread Domains, or was she another face of the Mists of Death? Were one to ask four different anchorites, one would get four different answers - especially if they were all seperate members of the four original sects.
While the Fifth Revelation would shed much light on this, regardless of varying interpretations of this or the revelations that came before, one thing unites the church: irrespective of how She came to be, Our Guardian in The Mists holds the role of healer, protector, and ultimately, liberator of the Core, and it is She and She alone whom holds guardianship over the good of the core.
The Church of Ezra is henotheistic overall: although her followers do not deny the existence of other gods such as Hala, Nerull, Bane, or the Morninglord, they believe that of these entities, Ezra is the only being watching over the denizens of the Lands of Mist, and thus, the only being truly worthy of worship. [3]
Sect beliefs vary on these other gods: the Third Sect in Dementlieu often sees the other goodly gods as merely other aspects of Ezra, while the anchorites of the Fourth Sect in Nevuchar Springs often depict the gods of other faiths as demonic beings luring the faithful away from Ezra's salvation. The Home Faith and Pure Hearts meanwhile hold the worship of other goodly gods as merely the worship of lesser beings, to be pitied - and in the Second Sect's case, to be brought into Ezra's true faith, through Her Redemption. Only the Fifth Sect truly cooperates with the other goodly faith as equals, holding the belief that Ezra channels the divinity of goodly other gods for their faithful, an Ezra-centric view of the Dark Pact.
- ↑ This varies from the canon, where there is only four; but plays into canon as well, as it is said the Fifth Revelation would be the last revelation.
- ↑ John W. Mangrum's "Anchors of the Faith", The Book of Secrets, p. 25. (Netbook Canon)
- ↑ John W. Mangrum's "Anchors of the Faith", The Book of Secrets, p. 25. (Netbook Canon)
