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The Church of Danethrae

Overview and History

The cult of Danethrae has higher principles than any of the other major churches in Arthea. It is held together by the words and deeds of the purest knights of the land, while working hard for the benefit of the community as a whole, from the lowest peasants and their livestock to the pinnacle of the feudal lords. The church was formed from the body of knights and protectors that sprang up in the early years of post-disaster civilisation. They quickly re-established a code of honour, based upon those that had been in use for centuries before the disaster struck, and held to it rigidly.

The code of honour appealed to knights and warriors of all kinds, attracting followers from all over the new kingdoms in the south, and closely matched similar organisations in dwarfish society. There was much co-operation between the knights of Danethrae and the dwarfish Cult of Thardannor in the delves; so much so, that they shared teachings and beliefs. Eventually it became clear that their sponsoring gods were the same, and that these two separate churches were in truth on faith. This was to prove very helpful hundreds of years later, as dwarves became integrated into the towns and cities of mankind, especially in the northern Kingdoms.

While the church was established by warriors, at no point in their long history did the warriors seek war for its own sake. The church took pride in the prowess of its knights in battle, but only sought to deploy them in defence of the innocent or defenceless. The honour code they live by calls for them to protect the weak, drive out injustice, and uphold the law. In pursuing this aim, they have had run-ins from time to time the monarchs of the young and growing kingdoms throughout history, but they weathered all these trials. In upholding the cause of both lawfulness and good, the knights practice chastity, purity, and seek self-control.

Although they are diligent and hard working in the community, they do not see eye-to-eye with current monarch, King James, who dislikes their interfering attitude. James is well known as a follower of Anbartae, and they have seen a growth in popularity in recent years due to the influence the monarch brings, and this matches Danethrae's decline. Since James' father, Siegfried took the throne in 1392 church membership has dropped by two thirds among the peasant membership, yet seems to have affected the knighthood and educated membership very little. The crown has taken an increasingly firm stance with the paladins and knights who would not join what was Siegfried's, and is now James' cause. Fortunately the church is large enough and wealthy enough to withstand this pressure for a good many years. This change in membership and the political pressure they have suffered has weakened the influence of the church, but their resolve has not been diminished.

The church has, in more recent years, met with a moral dilemma which dates back to their vows made during 1341 when Arthea was declared a single country. At that time, King Thomas had unified the lands and called for the support of the major churches. As Thomas was seen as a noble and honest man, all the major churches sought to support him, and so Danethrae's hierarchy were keen to demonstrate their fealty too. They vowed their unswerving allegiance to the throne of Arthea. In the current political climate the church finds it difficult to maintain this vow.

King James has already begun to exploit them in a small ways, and he can be expected to push harder and harder against the church. This has divided the church in the same way that it has divided the nobility. Many Church members believe that this drive a wedge between arms of the church, and could easily re-ignite the civil war. Within the church hierarchy there are arguments for staying true to the vow, and to support the King while he seeks to carry out good deeds. And opposing those views come the arguments that the Knights of Danethrae are loyal only to the throne of Arthea, not the King of Arthea. There are many in society that openly hold that the house of Mallart, and the positions held by both King Siegfried and King James are not lawful, that their house seized the throne by nefarious means. They claim that the true king should be of the line of Emperor Thomas II the first King of Arthea, and in the failing of that line it should fall to the earlier line of of the house of Antaurus if such could be found.

Teachings and Philosophy

Fundamental Teachings

Truth, Honour, Duty, Purity, Chastity, Prowess at Arms, Self Control, Humility; these are the traits to which all who wish to hold a position in the knighthood (and, indeed, the clergy) should aspire. Not only to protect the weak and the innocent, but to set an example of behaviour that is far beyond that expected of ordinary people. The individual is marred by impurity, by base desires and evil, only by strict self-control and the practising of virtuous behaviour can these behaviours be contained and eradicated from the self, and the person meet with the glory intended for each one by the gods.

As both a counter to evil and to help develop and grow society as a whole, the individual is expected to strive for mastery of the base emotions of anger, resentment, greed and hate, and to master the use of their weapons of defence to such an extent that they can provide service in support of the meek. The purer the heart, the greater the achievements of a knight in battle will be, and therefore issues of truth and justice can be settled in trial by combat - the gods favour greatly the pure of heart and will not allow those who follow this path to be defeated by one who is impure.

The teachings of the church revolve around the precepts of lawful good, taking in the knightly virtues essential to the livelihood of paladins. The cult teaches that freedoms must be sacrificed for the common wealth, but that truth and honour are of the highest value. The cult strives for those things which bring benefit to all people, there is always a path to achieving this, but it is not always clear; sometimes it can only be found through contemplation of the pure heart.

Danethrae's views on order and laws are accepted by the King, but not always their moral attitude, which is often at conflict. In addition to Paladins who form the core of the knighthood, the pursuit of these highest of standards in knightly virtues also attracts many other knights, even though they fall short of the standards set by the group's paladins or clerics. The church's influence often upholds the law by fair means, but they have little in common with King James' loyal guards, who uphold laws in any way they see fit.

The cult places emphasis on spiritual rather than physical pleasures. It opposes excesses in all things, and leans heavily on charity, friendship and trust - the accepted principles of "goodness", not only idealised by Danethrae, but also by the cults of Pendaroch, Melas Uldonia, Ascheinar's Cult and, to an extent, by Anbartae. This outlook on life is reflected in the religion's patron saints, whose personalities form and guide the central branch of the church.

The Paths of the Warrior

To truly achieve the highest ranks among the knighthood of the church, individual knights must pursue and achieve status in the paths of the warrior. These are a stern test for the greatest of knights - and those that have achieved them will always tell that the path never ends. It is an ongoing struggle.

Purity

This is the path to glorifying the gods by cleanliness of the soul. The body is cleansed of impurities and and is not subjected to unclean activities. The purification needed is individual to each knight or priest and is set through devout prayer and communion with senior clergy. Often it involves abstinence from those things that bring the greatest pleasure to the knight, be that sweet foods, or yeast-brewed beverages, or meat, or comfortable lodgings or clothes, or, perhaps, the companionship of those who are loved. It can also involve adherence to particular behaviours, including tests of physical prowess , or could involve pilgrimages, or particular bathing regimes, or missionary duties with unbelievers.

Once the path to purity has been attained, then those things that were denied can be accepted once again. The desire for them will be much lessened as the soul reaches towards the divine.

Justice

The path to justice involves the pursuit of injustice and the redressing of balances. Those pursuing this patch must seek out injustice and right the wrongs by confronting the guilty and earning recompense for those treated unjustly. This would normally be the pursuit of thieves in order to repay victims for their loss, to meet like crime with like punishment where it has not been addressed before.

Honour

The path to honour is the pursuit of truth, fairness and honesty in all the knight's dealings. This builds the personal reputation of the knight among others in society. The path of honour will bring glory on the gods of the church, and must not be used to build the renown of the knight for its own sake, although the renown will inevitably be enhanced by following this path. When following the path the knight will act honourably in all dealings with others, whether they are good or bad people, regardless of their crimes, or their wealth or their standing in society.

Presence in the Community

The charity aspect of the church is demonstrated in many ways. The two largest concerns of the church are those of homelessness and of orphans. The cult owns and runs its own orphanages, usually located close to the church building - they see a necessity for these underprivileged people to be close to the church. They are manned mostly by volunteers, and paid for by donations to the church. The standard of care given in these establishments is never anything more than basic, but the church provide a full religious education for their guests, and fully meet their spiritual needs - this is far more important and nourishing to the soul than any luxuries desired by the physical body.

The cult also owns its own refuges for vagrants, an operation that was difficult to start in the face of stiff opposition from the Guild of Innkeepers and Publicans, who saw the refuges as a place to stay free of charge. The refuges turned out quite differently to the churches original idea because of the pressure from the guild network. In the end both parties were kept happy and the guild now admits they may have done the church a disservice - these places keep some of the rougher members of society out of the inns. Danethrae's refuges do not serve beers or alcohol of any type and teach temperance. They do not provide proper beds, but give simple straw mattresses. If anyone has the money, they are advised to use the inns wherever possible, but members of the church who are low on funds can always stay in these places provided they are prepared to help look after the destitute residents.

Patron Saints

Danethrae has many patron saints, covering all aspects of the church's work, charities and dealings with the community. The major ones are listed here.

Saint Ildora

Ildora is the Patron Saint of Wisdom and Knowledge. She is the figurehead for all the teaching aspects upheld by the church. It is in St. Ildoras name whenever new clerics are accepted, and when they are trained and taught to use their spells. All Danethrae's clerics look to St. Ildora when they train up to each new level.

Saint Daniel

Daniel is the Patron Saint of Light. His place in history was sealed when he fought to regain one of Danethrae's most cherished relics, The Jewelled Lantern. This beautiful relic was said to have held the essences of Danethrae's founding gods during the great disaster. It still glows dimly with their power, and illuminates the altar in the church where it is kept. The Lantern is priceless, and Daniel rescued it when it was to be broken down to its individual jewels to be sold. He took it from the hands of a local ruler in the land that was to become Tholain sometime between 650 and 700, when the ruler had stolen it from the church building where it was kept. Daniel returned the valuable item to the church as soon as he could, and in return for this, the church declared him a saint upon his death in the early 700's. Legend relates that when he died, Daniel was entrusted with maintaining the light of the lantern, and that even now, part of his soul is permanently within it.

Saint Richard

As the Patron Saint of Purity and Honour, St. Richard is the patron of all knights belonging to the church. He rallied the knights of Danethrae to the cause of the revolution in 1026. If it had not been for his courage, Danethrae would probably have not joined in the overthrow of the occupying Empire. When victory was completed, the church honoured him by making him their leader of knights, and assumed his crest as the shield device for the church.

Saint Anmoria

Anmoria is the Patron Saint of Healing. The origins of St. Anmoria are lost, but it is known that she helped out in the terrors which followed the Great Disaster, by tending the sick and injured. She was one of the very first followers of the cult which was to become Danethrae, and helped to spread the word, even as she used her skills. All healing by the church is now performed in her name.

Saint Robin

Robin is the Patron Saint of Peace. He served the church in times of great despair. He was born in 1064, in Caldonacia, and by 1100 he had spent many long years containing the effects of the plague that hit at that time. He preached to people to have faith in his religion, he trained new clerics to help with his work, and used his own powers to heal and care for the sick. He fell to the plague himself in 1102, after seeking out the worst infected areas, and working with it for 18 years.

Holy Symbols

Danethrae has several symbols, used differently in a variety of situations. Of old, it has been the practice of knights of Danethrae to use the symbol of the upraised sword, while clerics have often used the symbol of knowledge, an unfurled scroll. These are the oldest and most popular of all symbols. Some sections of the church nowadays though, are starting to use a symbol of a sun, surrounded by its rays, which symbolises the power of the gods. Any of these symbols is acceptable for clerics to use when casting spells or turning undead, provided it is cast from silver or carved from the wood Ash and blessed by a cleric of third or higher level.

The knights of Danethrae, provided they do not wish to wear their own crest, can use the crest of Danethrae (the crest of St. Robin). This shield crest is as follows: A shield Per Fesse, with a beast rampant in the lower section, Fleur-De-Lis at dexter chief and sinister chief, and a cinquefoil at middle chief.

Cleric Weapon Choice

Clerics of Danethrae are allowed to use the following weapons|

Writings of the Church

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ArtheaWiki: Danethrae (last edited 2022-02-16 21:11:47 by Neil)