General Organisation of the Order -- 1. The Priesthood
by Bruce HeardThe Heldannic Order breaks down into
four main branches: one military branch which is the tool of
Heldannic territorial expansion, and three clerical branches. They
are the Voice of Vanya handling general administration, the Hammer
of Vanya responsible for enforcing the Order's laws and ensuring
orthodoxy among the military, and the Heart of Vanya whose role is
to create and interpret the Order's laws.
Voice of Vanya: The Grand Master also heads this branch. It handles
the administration of the Order, which includes especially
finances, acquisitions and management of property, diplomacy with
foreign powers, and overall decision-making for the Order. The
Voice of Vanya runs substantial banking operations under assumed
names in Thyatis, Darokin and in the Isle of Dawn which funds the
Order's activities. It also manages these funds and any taxes
collected from occupied lands. The Voice of Vanya resides mostly in
Freiburg. Several members of this branch are also present at the
main garrison (Oceansend, Landfall, the Holy Citadel, etc.) All
important garrison commanders and a great many of the high-ranking
commanders in the military branch come from the Voice of Vanya.
These garrisons remain under a Grand Knight's direct authority,
including any ships based there. Overall, the influence of this
branch among the entire Order is considerable.
Heart of Vanya: This branch is responsible for the communion with
Vanya, which includes religious services at the temples, studying
holy scriptures and other sources of knowledge, interpreting the
will of Vanya through omens and meditation, defining what
constitutes heretical behaviour, creating and maintaining the
Order's internal laws and the laws of the land, and providing
magistrates to settle internal and external issues. Priests of this
branch are the scholars of the Order and also provide battlefield
healers. The Heart of Vanya is based at the Holy Citadel, but the
branch maintains an important presence at Freiburg. Priest of the
Heart are also assigned to major garrisons. The Voice of Vanya does
not control activities at the Heart of Vanya but may veto new laws
it may come up with. If so, a council is called upon to resolve
deadlocks, which requires the participation of all available Grand
Knights and Abbots in the Order. Everyone has one vote, with a
simple majority deciding the council's outcome.
Hammer of Vanya: It is this branch that gets the work done. An
autonomous branch of the Order, it works with the Heart of Vanya
from which it receives said laws and whose decisions it applies.
The Hammer primarily enforces Heldannic Laws. Religious
indoctrination among common soldiers in the military branch comes
from the Hammer which also watches for unorthodox thinking in the
Order. It is directly involved with rooting out heretical behaviour
and directs the conversion of non- believers to the ways of the
Order's Immortal Patron.
The Hammer controls the screening and recruitment of new soldiers
among native population, either volunteers desiring to join the
Order, or natives called upon to serve under the Heldannic banner.
In the latter case, all households settled in Heldannic Territories
and with more than one child, must provide one adult person, male
or female, capable of bearing arms. Indentured service is mandatory
and lasts ten years. The Hammer also reserves the right to elevate
lay brethren to the rank of knight and accept acolytes among the
clerical branches. Indentured soldiers cannot rise among the Order
until they make an Oath of Service. Joining the Order is a
life-long affair ending either with the knight's death in the
service of Vanya or a banishment from the Order following a
disgrace.
The Hammer maintains an important presence among the military, as
each fighting unit has at least one Chaplain. In addition to the
above duties, the Chaplain provides clerical magic during battles.
A priest of the Hammer is present in each Company or Lance, in
addition to secular troops. In general, priests of the Hammer of
Vanya are experienced with combat and well equipped. They normally
fight with a war hammer, a symbol that they use generously to
expound the concepts and benefits of their faith. They are
physically fit for warfare and often display a natural fire and
brimstone leadership style. When serving a high-ranking priest,
Sergeant-at-Arms may be chosen among Chaplains of the Hammer.
Together with the Heart of Vanya, priests of the Hammer can balance
out the power of the Voice during times of crisis. The sect of the
Southern Star that guards Vanya's mortal remains at the Holy
Citadel and her artifact, the Star of Vanya, is composed solely of
priests of the Hammer.
It is possible for priests to transfer from one branch to another,
depending on their experience and abilities. Priests of the Hammer
who are too old to bear arms generally join the Heart of Vanya.
Secular knights may become priests later in their career and join
any of the three clerical branches, depending on their abilities.