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Message: <blockquote data-quote="hafrogman" data-source="post: 4474464" data-attributes="member: 8858">Some thoughts on the church as a whole, with a brief blurb about the akolites themselves at the end.[Sblock=Church Heirarchy]Worshippers:Worship of the Lawgiver is nearly universal in this day and age.  During the time of the dreamer, and in the troubled years that followed, missionaries from the church traveled far and wide, spreading the word of law as the antithesis of dream.  With the danger so obvious and close at hand, the religion spread easily.  Now it is odd to find any civilized village without at least a small shrine to the Lawgiver, with larger towns featuring increasingly ornate temples in his honor.Worshiping habits vary among individuals, but regardless of how often one attends services, most will pay at least lip service to the worship of the Lawgiver.  Even if one doesn’t truly believe, it would not to do to be seen as in league with Chaos.Lay Priests:Most priests among the villages are simple folk, without a true divine connection.  They simply possess great faith, and a desire to serve.  Most are commoners.  Adepts are rare, as those with such magical potential are often invited to serve the church in higher positions.  Rarely one may find a retired cleric, paladin or akolite serving as a community’s priest, settled down to the quiet after a life of serving the Lawgiver in a more direct sense.Paladins:There are some orders among the church dedicated to using the Law as a tool to do good in the world, to serve the people.  The martially minded among these orders may become paladins, riding forth into the world to do battle with Chaos and any who would do evil.Some among the church see them as heroes, dedicated and pure above all.  Other orders view them with some trepidation as to their ultimate loyalty may be divided.  Sometimes to maintain order, severe measures may need to be taken.  On which side of the Law will the paladins find themselves?  Still others are concerned with more worldly matters.  The paladins’ orders often speak of purification of the church, and removal of corrupt influences.  How will that affect those at the top who have often made it there by making sure that the Law works for their best interests?Clerics:Much like paladins, the clerics’ primary duties consist of traveling out into the world.  At the edges of civilization there still lurk hidden bastions of Chaos, other dreamers waiting in shadows to spring their nightmares upon the world once more.  The clerics are the sword arm of the church, sent forth to forge order where there is none.Some say that the clerics are sent furthest from the center of civilization because their powerful magics are a threat to those in power, but few voice such concerns in public.Akolites:By far the most common of the Lawgiver’s divinely inspired priests; akolites have made their way into leadership positions throughout the Church.  A curious blend of diplomat, priest and police, the akolites have made their home among the cities of the civilized world, where a quick word is better than a sharp blade, and a sharp eye is better than all the armor in the world.Akolites dedicate their lives in roughly equal parts to the Lawgiver, and to raising their own position in the church.  In the upper echelons of power there is a continuous struggle to achieve and maintain leadership over the various orders, branches and organizations.Due to the powers granted to the akolites, direct confrontation is very rare.  Instead, the struggle manifests itself as a game of words.  Alliances are rapidly formed and shattered among the quibbling factions of the church, as each vies for supremacy.  For all its semblance of order and Law, the church of the Lawgiver is deeply divided.[/sblock]</blockquote>

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