When the universe was still in chaos, The Mother created the other Deities: The Pilgrim, The Champion, The Healer, The Scholar, and The Betrayer. Together they worked to create the planes as we know them. They crafted tirelessly, pouring heart and soul into their work. They created creatures. They sculpted mountains and carved out seas. They painted the planes with their beauty, each one an individual masterpiece. The Mother crafted gates between each plane so that their inhabitants might travel and see the beauty that was created.

When the work was complete, the gods stepped back to watch their creation flourish. Civilizations rose. Cities were built. Incredible magical and technological marvels were crafted in honour of the gods.

The Betrayer watched all that transpired with disdain, for he wished to rule alone. While The Mother was not watching, The Betrayer went to the Nine Hells and walked among the people that lived there. Over generations his words and his presence tainted the peoples thoughts towards the beings living in other planes. Slowly this bitterness grew until it began to warp the very lands of the Nine Hells until it became a fiery pit of hate and anger. Having grown his strength on the suffering of others, The Betrayer then moved on to other planes. He worked faster, now that he knew he was stronger. The next plane he visited was what is now called The Abyss. He pushed his corruption so violently into the plane that it cracked and drove all who lived there into a deep madness. At this time The Mother took notice of what was happening and rushed to stop him but it was too late. The planes were divided, and wars raged across them.

The gods tried what they could to stem the tide but the corruption of the Betrayer had spread too deep. The gods took one last stand against the Betrayer and managed to finally bring him down, but at great cost. The planes were shattered and the destruction too great. With the last of her power The Mother sealed The Betrayer in a cage at the bottom of the Nine Hells. She then sent the other gods to their own realm, to watch creation from a distance, only helping in small ways. In her final act, she used her body to heal the material plane, the center of the planes and the most damage.

Now the gods watch as The Mother gives life to those that live on her world. And in the deepest pits of the Nine Hells The Betrayer waits patiently for the day when he can escape. 

In the year 843 the world and the gods rebelled against the one true god, The Seraph. They stripped her of her divine light and cast her to earth unjustly, for they were jealous of her power. Glo Terberis, the Betrayer, schemed with the Prophet to remove her from power. Though the Seraph is no more and her power dwindled she was able to give the last remnant of that power to the Divine Chosen and their followers who now lead the people of The Angels of Iron in the teachings of the true faith.

When the gods sealed themselves away from mortals, they left behind a Scroll. Supposedly the Scroll was hidden in a deep cavern filled with traps and monsters. The Angels of Iron claim the volcano on The Silver Islands is home to this cavern and make a pilgrimage there once a year to pay tribute.

The only person to survive the cavern and make it to the Scroll was a man who is now only known as The Prophet. No one knows where he came from or why he delved into the cavern after the Scroll, but when he reached it he was given divine powers and granted a place among the gods. He spread the word of The Mother and her children to the first Angels of Iron (who then called themselves the Children of the Prophet) before declaring The Silver Islands a sacred place and warning that anyone who wished to follow in his footsteps and go after the Scroll should be allowed to do so. But he warned of the perilous journey that lay within the volcano. He warned that merely stepping foot on the central island was a death sentence to all but those with the gods blessing. The Children of the Prophet heeded his warnings and prohibited travel to the island.

Many years later a being appeared before the leaders of The Children of the Prophet. She claimed to have followed in the footsteps of The Prophet and taken divine power for herself. She called herself The Seraph, and granted The Children of the Prophet new wisdom from the Scroll. They changed their name and the Angels of Iron became the religious leadership of Ovenica.

We are the Angels of Iron.
We are the mouthpiece of The Prophet and hand of The Seraph.
We strive for the perfection of the self.
We uphold the law of the gods *The Seraph*.
We honour the faith.

The Angels of Iron have many rules. Most are not required to be followed by the masses and are only for devotees. The following are basic tenets to be followed and believed:

• It is forbidden to speak in a temple of The Prophet. [The Prophet is no longer recognized as a deity within the Angels of Iron.]
• Sins can be forgiven, if forgiveness is asked.
• *Rejection of The Seraph's teachings is the fastest way to the grave.*
• Perseverance and devout worship is rewarded with eternal life.
• The gods alone are Seraph is the only being to be trusted with your future.

Words placed within asterisks are additions to the text after the year 843. Words struck through were removed from the text but left in here to remember the original, with square brackets containing an explanation.

People are encouraged to come to one of the many temples to The Prophet and The Seraph throughout the hold. There they will find shrines to all the gods her. They can engage in group activities, sit and listen to services, and even bring offerings. It is also highly encouraged for people to find a quiet spot to sit and pray, or even speak with a Priest about their troubles.

Worship outside of temples is also encouraged. The church can even provide shrines, talismans, and small statuettes in order to better help your connection to the gods.

There are only three appointments within the Angels of Iron: Priests, High Priests, and the Archbishop.
Priests of the Angels of Iron are either born into the role or start very young. It is considered an honour to have your child chosen to be a Priest, and an even greater honour to offer your child to the Priesthood.

A child who enters the Priesthood learns to read and write from the holy texts. They usually spend their first ten years living in a monastery away from the city (though they are allowed frequent visits to see their family.) Once they are determined to be mature enough (usually between ten and thirteen years old) they are taken back to their home city to live with their family and apprentice a trade while also shadowing a Priest. Some trade skills are required for appointment as a Priest because it is considered a holy order to perfect ones self.

Once a child finishes their apprenticeship (around 18-20 years old) they are anointed with The Words of The Prophet and The Blood of The Seraph and are then granted a year to spend with their family and ply their trade before they are given their appointment in one of the holds. Often they remain in their home town.

High Priests are elected by their peers, though they believe that each elected High Priest is only elected because The Prophet allows it. There is only ever one High Priest per hold.

Priests of the Angels of Iron wear a single article of clothing: a thick dark coloured robe with a hood and light coloured stitching. An eye is stitched on the front of the hood to represent The Prophet and wings are stitched on the cuffs of the robe to represent The Seraph.
High Priests wear a similar article of clothing though it is white with dark stitching and the eye is surrounded by a five pointed star to represent the gods.

When it is time for an Archbishop to be chosen, the High Priests come together (with a selection of lucky Priests) and spend a month within one of their more reclusive monasteries. At the end of the month, one of them is declared Archbishop Successor by the current Archbishop. When the current Archbishop dies, the Archbishop Successor takes over all their responsibilities until their own death.
The Archbishop wears a red and white robe with gold stitching.

In addition to these, the Angels of Iron began to employ (around the year 903) other hands to aid in keeping the faith. These are as follows:

Iron Advocates: Iron Advocates represent the vast majority of the forces of The Angels of Iron. A religious militia, essentially, who spend most of their time throwing their weight around to get things they want, and the rest of the time taking orders from Iron Priests.

Iron Acolytes: With the loss of magical support from The Seraph, the Angels of Iron have had to turn to other means to keep up with the world. While as a whole the Angels abhor magic, they recognize that without it they would be at a serious disadvantage. Their answer: Iron Acolytes. The Acolytes walk a path of 'unholiness' in order to better the Angels cause. They are disallowed from speaking to any but their direct superiors and live lives of solitude. Their studies, however, allow them to wield power to aid in seeking out heretics using magic in their lands and leading the Iron Priests right to them.

Lesser Iron Priests: Iron Advocates who do exceptionally well and perform above and beyond their regular duties can be promoted to Lesser Iron Priests. Though they are not truly granted priesthood, they are given a status above regular adherents. Lesser Iron Priests often take leadership positions within smaller towns in an attempt to keep the Advocates in order.

Iron Judges: The Judges of the Angels of Iron carry as much weight as a High Priest within the clergy, some say more. Judges are given the full writ of the law to carry with them at all times so that they may perform all manner of ceremonies. They also carry with them the orders to smite any who they may deem heretical, and Prathia has seen whole towns burn at the word of a Judge who deemed the souls within unworthy.

Though the Angels of Iron hold no official place in Ovenican politics, many of the lords and leaders of various towns look to the Priests for guidance and counsel. Because of this trust, nearly every hold has at least one Priest with the ear of the ruling family.

 Though it used to be the case that the Angels of Iron were only counsel to the various lords and ladies of Prathia, the country has become a true Theocracy and the Divine Chosen leads the people with the direct hand of the Angels guiding their every move.

The monks of the Silver Mind followed a tier system determined by skill, age, and experience. Generally it was older more experienced monks who taught the rest and were in charge, however in rare circumstances young monks could climb the ladder fairly quickly.

The Order of the Silver Mind believed that the world is shaped by a person's own actions. For the monks, and those who follow their teachings, a person's actions are more important than promises and speeches. This often means that gaining the trust of the Order (and it's followers) was usually a simple task, but keeping that trust required constant effort to show that one was a committed and trustworthy person.

The monks intended to keep their province free from (the perceived) oppressive presence of the Angels of Iron. Though they took no issue with individuals and small groups practising the religion, dedicated temples were not tolerated within the province.

The Order was created by a Goliath man named Augrein Silvermind Calder. According to the monks histories, Augrein was on top of a mountain when had a vision of a giant who taught him the fighting styles the monks practiced as well as their beliefs of personal freedom. Since then, the monks strove to emulate his teachings and pass on his wisdom.

The Calder family lived up to Augrein's legacy and were one of the most personally powerful families in Ovenica at one time, however due to their beliefs they took very little interest in the things that happened outside of their hold.

With the loss of their copy of The Accords of Manoa, the Order began to tear at the seams. Malok Calder was already vying for control of the Order, and this loss was the final straw. Kanamahl Calder was ousted as leader and fled the city in shame. Malok began a reportedly aggressive era of leadership for the order before the War for Stonehill. When Kurleigh swept in to aid Stonehill, Malok intended to rebuff them and even fight them if necessary.

Seeing his flawed leadership, the other members of the order exiled him and joined the war effort against the Angels of Iron. When the war was finished, few members of the Order remained. Instead of trying to rebuild, those few decided the last several decades were enough of a sign that their way wasn't working, and they dissolved the Order.

Though their order is no more, there are still those who follow the teachings of Augrein Silvermind Calder, but they often keep to themselves and not since the War has more than two or three followers of the Silvermind broke bread together.