Ekklesia of Sirius

The church of Sirius, also known as the Ekklesia, is rather similar in both kingdoms. The hierarchy, dogma and ranks remain the same, despite cultural differences depending on the location. Priests of Sirius are granted powers, which grow in power as they rise in the hierarchy.

Priests are not born, they are made, their powers do not have to come from birth. Mages of all sorts are, however, welcome within the ranks of the church.

History
The Ekklesia transcends kingdoms. It was born as one and the same before any of the kingdoms had risen, legends say before the queens were ever born. Zenith, the eldestson of Sirius, legendary herald and deity of the sun, is said to have founded the Ekklesia along with his faithful friends after the Godly War, mending the bruises it had left on the world, and on the faith towards the Father of all. Ruins of old churches from previous civilizations scatter the land, remnants of the many evolutions the worship of Sirius has gone through ever since.

Important Figures
·         Sirius

·         Soraya, the rightful partner of Sirius, forever lost to the creation of the world, revered as the moth of the world and celebrated through her night skies

·         Zenith, elder son of Sirius. Unlike the Queens, Zenith is more of a legendary figure, as he is no longer ever seen by mortals. He is said to be the reason why the sun shines during the day, and to be the one who moves the three moons across the sky at night. Zenith is a fabled, gleaming herald, the missing link between the celestial and the mortal realm, to which he both belong.

·         High Queen Astrielle, second born of Sirius, immortal queen of the legendary kingdom of Avalon. She is the head of the Ekklesia of Avalon and known as one of the first witches, taught by Kamara herself.

·         High Queen Lucie “Lightborne”, third born to Sirius, reincarnating queen of Liande, head of the Ekklesia of her own kingdom.

·         Juno, First angel: the only angel made by Sirius, beloved by mortals and protector of Life.

·         Nightingale, Second Angel: patron of the arts and herald of Sirius’ word.

·         “Lucifer”: twin brother of Juno, first fallen angel and original demon.

·         Other figures are worshipped (such as the other gods and other angels, as well as the apostles of Zenith, some of which whom became angels), which vastly depends on the location of a church.

Symbolism
Aesthetic heavily based on Gothicism, specifically as theorized by French priest Suger, original theorist of the style. The church of Sirius therefore revolves highly on the symbolism of light, piercing large stained-glass windows in the white, almost diaphanous looking walls in its cathedrals, using large displays of precious metals and jewels in order to create more “accidental lights”. The architecture of a cathedral is light, aerial looking: it’s structure is rejected on the outside by foothills and flying buttresses. They are usually very high, seemingly reaching out for the skies and are somewhat organic looking. It is often said than a cathedral can be heard breathing.

·         Traditional colours are amethyst purple, gold, silver, white and midnight blue. Those are used both in artistic depictions of Sirius and the legends surrounding him, but also in the decoration of churches as well as the outfits of priests.

·         Art takes a very important place in the church of Sirius: representations of the god are welcome, and artists are very often commissioned by religious authorities in order to decorate churches. Painting, metal and woodwork (especially on doors), sculpture and stained-glass design are the most frequently found forms of art within a church. Music is also a well-practiced art among the church, in which every priest is to take part.

There is no consensus over how Sirius is to be depicted, but there are some popular versions of him. The most found representations depict him with a skull for a head, body bejewelled with stars, with a long tail wrapping around an orb that is the world, which he holds near his face. His eyes are either left hollow or lit from the inside: but often, they are crying. Fountains representing the tears of Sirius are some of the holiest places and are often the destination to pilgrimages. It is rumoured that those fountains are miraculous and can cure diseases and give sight to the blind.

·         The Eye of the World is depicted about everywhere and is a marking which is drawn on the priests’ faces during religious ceremonies. Other symbols of Sirius are two snakes intertwined with one another, forming two “S”: this symbolizes not only Sirius, but also Soraya, who is the second most important figure of his religion.

Values
The values promoted by Sirius are shared by every church: Empathy, love, magnanimity, curiosity, wanderlust. The Ekklesia promotes imperfection and change, so long as they are coupled with constant betterment of self. The believers yearn for balance. Above all, the connection between every being is celebrated through love, respect and generosity.

Ranks
·         Apprentice: Lives on church grounds and are taught all day about Sirius and the customs of the Ekklesia. They also act as servants, tasked with maintaining the church, cleaning, etc. The training lasts three to five years depending on the field they pick, and the basics of magic are not taught until the last year. Apprentices are free to choose which field they would like to partake in, and get to specialize after second year.

·        Gyrovagues: traveling priests, might have apprenticed under any category. They are not bound to any church but dispense the services a priest inside a church would, which involves teaching, emotional and physical healing, exorcism.

Regular clergy
Members of the regular clergy may accumulate up to two different functions, aside from clerics who have yet to prove themselves.

·         Cleric: newly graduated apprentices, basic population of the clergy, assist during ceremonies, help around the church, take part in the administration of their church.

·         Tutors: Teach the apprentices and give classes to children of their church. The Ekklesia dispenses free basic education to any and all children, allowing most cities which have a church to have a fairly high alphabetisation rate.

·         Empaths: blessed with emotional manipulation, they act as emotional therapists to believers. The most important among them serve the most important people. Some also operate as a bond between the living and the dead thanks to the clairvoyance blessing, and offer counseling linked with loss and grief.

·         Curers: Studied medicine and are blessed with regenerative powers. They are believed to be miraculous and take care of people in the church’s infirmary. The nurses that assist them are either regular clergy or apprentices in medicine.

·         Exorcists: Hunt demons and help those who suffer with them or are troubled by any supernatural force. Blessings exorcits might have involve beast summoning (for the hunter type), clairvoyance (for those who deal with the dead), telepathy…

Higher Authority
·         Vicars: Administrative overseers who assist the bishop, head of the regular clergy who are under their orders.

·         Bishop: Highest authority in a church, might cumulate several specialties. They operate ceremonies and take on cases too difficult for their subordinates. Upon ascending to the rank of bishop, one obtains the power to manipulate light, which is often used for spectacular displays during ceremonies.

·         Lumen (pl. Lumine): are the highest authorities of the Ekklesia under the High Queens. There are two of each per cathedral, meant to balance one another. Like bishops, they can come from any background. Lumine are granted the most powerful of all powers: angel summoning, which allows them to receive their orders directly from Sirius’ envoys. They are also granted a superior version of the blessing(s) they already had, an improvement that is unique to them.

Differences between Avalon and Liande
Avalon is led by Queen Astrielle, the immortal Mother. Motherhood is taken in high regard, the royal cathedral of Avalon is therefore blessed by the angel Juno. Women are highly respected, fertility is encouraged. Among the curers, a lot of them are very qualified midwives. The church of Avalon insists on the figure of Soraya and in the duality of Sirius, which their Queen incarnates. The Queen is two-faced, and so is the church: in Avalon are also located some of the most powerful Exorcists. Kamara is also an important part of the worship in Avalon: the witches and the priests are in friendly terms with one another. Hora and Nagai are very much frowned upon, for they are chaos in the grand scheme of things and in the everlasting nature of Sirius’ creation. It is rumored that the star on top of the castle was a gift from Zenith to his younger sister: both of their powers shine upon the city.

Liande is led by Queen Lucie, the Childlike ruler. Innocence and justice are important values of her church: the priests of Liande are also judges, with Lucie as the highest judge and ultimately the one who delivers the final decision in the most important cases. Liande has the most powerful healers, especially when it comes to magic-related injuries. Kamara is a well-liked figure in Liande, but so is Hora, for she is change and the incarnation of Sirius’ imperfect nature, which is celebrated in Liande.