Church of the Sovereign

The veneration of The Sovereign as a deity is recognized as the official regional religion within Maret, Laguerre, and Kota. The church maintains a majority presence within the other families as well, though it is not recognized officially as a political entity.

Temples dedicated to the Sovereign are grand buildings built like semi-circular, indoor amphitheaters. Even temples built in relatively small villages and towns tend to dominate the architecture of the settlement.

Devotees of the Sovereign attend twice weekly ceremonies at the temple where songs are sung, and rituals of cleansing are performed. Occasionally, theatrical performances depicting the life and great works of the Sovereign are put on as well. These always draw crowds and tend to be incredibly extravagant, often including live animals and dazzling magic and action.

The most important day to devotees of the Sovereign happens five days after the summer solstice, on the day which it is believed to be the day the miasma flooded the old capital and the Lord Sovereign fell silent. Often called simply: Mourn, the day is a solemn affair that lasts from sunrise to sunset. Devotees dress in black clothes, speak as little as possible, and cover their faces with ash. Priests spend the day speaking of the Sovereign and his silence. When the sun sets an hour is spent in complete silence while devotees pray, then a great feast is had with music and dancing and magic and all sorts of extravagant events. This is to represent the day that the Sovereign finally breaks his silence and returns to unite the world once more.

Becoming a priest of the Sovereign is open to anyone, however significant dedication is required and as such less than half of all who begin their training ever complete it. While the training is not terribly difficult on its own, the responisbilities of a Priest of the Sovereign are significant and can be overwhelming to many. Especially within Maret, Laguerre and Kota, Priest of the Sovereign act not only as spiritual leaders, but political ones as well. Often in small towns within the families, Priests serve as mayors along with their other duties. In larger cities, Priests hold various positions of office which allow them to oversee much of the day to day life of the citizens.

While Laguerre and Kota maintain that they are not a theocracy and do not allow priests to hold positions that would "compromise their fidelity to the people", Maret makes an effort to appoint priests in as many leadership positions as they can.