The Church: The Hierarchy
By joining the Church an Individual will become a member of the clergy (clerici) and will forsake the pursuit of worldly advancement and possessions in exchange for a life in service to our Soldeus and the protection of the Church
Within the clergy social class there are a series of titles that denote an individual’s authority and level of influence within the Church as well as an acknowledgement of their understanding of the Church Lore and Dogma.
The below descriptions offer a basic overview of what is required to attain reach each rank. The specifics and final decisions on appointments are left to the discretion of the Head of the Ecumenical council for clergy members who are not in a clan or whose clan does not have a Bishop. The Bishop of a Diocese/Clan will be given guidance on how to appoint people within their own clan.
Novice:
No form of address.
A Novice is in training to become a Friar. They have not yet taken their Holy Vows and are not considered full members of the Clergy. To become a Novice an individual must show that they understand the key fundamentals of the Religion.
Deacon:
Addressed as "Deacon" or "The Reverend Mister"
A Deacon is in training to become a Priest and because they have not yet taken their Holy Vows they not considered full members of the Clergy. Typically a Deacon must pass a verbal interview and pay for their schooling and will then be assigned to a Priest who will serve as a mentor. A Deacon has no authority himself but when acting on behalf of the Priest, to whom he is assigned, his instructions will be honoured and obeyed by the Friars and Novices.
Friar(Nun):
Addressed as "Brother" or "Sister"
A Friar has taken his/her Holy Vows and is considered a full member of the Clergy. The roles that a friar may take is only limited by the imagination of the player behind the character or the mechanics of the game. If a Friar is part of an Order or a member of a Clan with a Bishop or Priest then he may receive directions and instructions from them. Otherwise Friars have complete discretion in how they do their work so long as it is in the name of Soldeus. They are expected to know the basics of each section of the Church of Soldeus Dogma and Lore.
Priest:
Addressed as "Reverend Father" or "Reverend Mother"
A Priest has taken his/her Holy Vows, is considered a full member of the Clergy and has been ordained. The position of Priest is one of importance as they are expected to be bastions of the faith and possess an in-depth knowledge of all the Church Lore and Dogma. There are various roles within the Church that a Priest may occupy and these include running an abbey, leading an Order and assisting a Bishop. Other priests, typical those without clans, may crusade alone or act as lone missionaries.
Bishop:
Addressed as "my Lord", "His Excellency" or"The Right Reverend Father"
The role of the Bishop, or Lord Spiritual, is to lead the faithful in his diocese/clan, and to oversee all matters religious in nature. The Ecumenical may appoint a priest from a clan (usually on the recommendation of a clans leader) to the position of Bishop.
Church Knight:
The Church may create its own knights, as bishops and archbishops have the power of Accolade. The Master of a military order would be a church knight, as would his senior lieutenants if they have distinguished themselves militarily, however, only the Master would be ordained and be guaranteed to hold the rank of Priest. However, not all members of a military order are knights. In fact, most of them are lay persons.