Cultist of Chardastes

This is a cult that practises healing.
To enter the profession you must become an acolyte.

Acolyte (Available in childhood)

Cult Lore (IN) (b): The acolyte is familiar with the organization, rules, and facts of the church itself.
Theology of the Cult of Ilsundal (IN) (b): The acolyte has a knowledge of the beliefs and practices of the cult.
Turn Undead (MP) (b): The acolyte can, with an act of faith alone force the undead to flee, or be destroyed.
Faith in The Cult of Ilsundal (MP) (b): This is a measure of the strength of the faith of the worshipper.
Prayer (MP) (b): The worshipper knows the proper form of address to ask for aid.
First Aid (IN) (b): The acolyte can perform life-saving emergency aid.
Equipment: Cossack, holy symbol.
Salary: 2 royals per month.
Cost: 9 HP.
Possible Exits: Leave the Cult, leave the clergy (gain the detriment Bereaved (d) 5), remain as an acolyte, continue on to Priest (only after spending three terms as an acolyte).

Priest

Cult Lore (IN) (b): The acolyte is familiar with the organization, rules, and facts of the church itself.
Theology of the Cult of Ilsundal (IN) (b): The acolyte has a knowledge of the beliefs and practices of the cult.
Turn Undead (MP) (b): The acolyte can, with an act of faith alone force the undead to flee, or be destroyed.
Faith in The Cult of Ilsundal (MP) (b): This is a measure of the strength of the faith of the worshipper.
Prayer (MP) (b): The worshipper knows the proper form of address to ask for aid.
First Aid (IN) (b): The acolyte can perform life-saving emergency aid.
Religious Ceremony (MP) (d): The priest can perform a ceremony of worship.
Benediction (MP) (e): The priest, after a prayer, can confer special bonuses to those who have faith.
Physician (IN) (d): The priest can diagnose and treat illness, poisonings, and wounds.
Equipment: Shrine or Temple.
Salary: 4 royals per month.
Requirement: Must have spent at least three terms as an acolyte before becoming a priest.
Cost: 13 HP
Possible Exits: Leave the Cult, leave the clergy (gain the detriment Bereaved (d) 5), remain as a Priest, continue on to Priest of Chardastes, or Bishop.

Priest of Chardastes

Cult Lore (IN) (b): The acolyte is familiar with the organization, rules, and facts of the church itself.
Theology of the Cult of Ilsundal (IN) (b): The acolyte has a knowledge of the beliefs and practices of the cult.
Turn Undead (MP) (b): The acolyte can, with an act of faith alone force the undead to flee, or be destroyed.
Faith in The Cult of Ilsundal (MP) (b): This is a measure of the strength of the faith of the worshipper.
Prayer (MP) (b): The worshipper knows the proper form of address to ask for aid.
First Aid (IN) (b): The acolyte can perform life-saving emergency aid.
Religious Ceremony (MP) (d): The priest can perform a ceremony of worship.
Benediction (MP) (e): The priest, after a prayer, can confer special bonuses to those who have faith.
Physician (IN) (d): The priest can diagnose and treat illness, poisonings, and wounds.
Healing (MP) (e): The priest perform healing by touch. The first time this is done each day there is no cost, and power detriments have no effect. Beyond this first time per day the healing works as normal. For each term in the profession from now on the priest may perform this free healing an additional time per day.
Salary: 5 royals per month.
Cost: 18 HP.
Possible Exits: Leave the Cult in disgrace (gain the detriment Despised by Traladarans (d) 7), leave the clergy (gain the detriment Bereaved (d) 7), remain as a Priest of Chardastes, continue on to High Priest.

High Priest

Cult Lore (IN) (b): The acolyte is familiar with the organization, rules, and facts of the church itself.
Theology of the Cult of Ilsundal (IN) (b): The acolyte has a knowledge of the beliefs and practices of the cult.
Turn Undead (MP) (b): The acolyte can, with an act of faith alone force the undead to flee, or be destroyed.
Faith in The Cult of Ilsundal (MP) (b): This is a measure of the strength of the faith of the worshipper.
Prayer (MP) (b): The worshipper knows the proper form of address to ask for aid.
First Aid (IN) (b): The acolyte can perform life-saving emergency aid.
Religious Ceremony (MP) (d): The priest can perform a ceremony of worship.
Benediction (MP) (e): The priest, after a prayer, can confer special bonuses to those who have faith.
Physician (IN) (d): The priest can diagnose and treat illness, poisonings, and wounds.
Commune (MP) (e): The High Priest can communicate directly with the Immortal Chardastes.
Cure Critical Wounds (MP) (e): The High Priest can perform miraculous healing of impossibly difficult wounds or diseases once per day.
Requirements: There must be a vacancy (there has not been one for ten years). The High Priest needs to have been a Priest of Ilsundal for at least five terms.
Salary: 7 royals per month.
Restriction: There must be a vacancy.
Cost: 27 HP.
Possible Exits: None.

Beliefs of the Cult of Chardastes

Chardastes became an immortal during the Beastman War.
Faith is the force that allows priests to gain their powers from on high.
Nature is composed of five spheres of power; Matter, Energy, Thought, Time, and Entropy.
For those who live full lives death is a release to a paradise. For those who live in villainy or sin death means enslavement to Thanatos.
The faithful may receive divine inspiration upon a successful prayer.
The holy symbol is a silver bell.
Worship is done through intense prayer while touching the Holy Symbol of the immortal being worshipped. Such prayer is performed at dawn and at dusk.
Acolytes can only be invested by a Priest. Priests can only be invested by the High Priest. The High Priest can only be chosen by Chardastes.
Investment as an Acolyte provides the MP-based power of Turn the Undead. Priests receive the ability to perform religious ceremonies.

Established Prayers

Prayer for Strength
The level of success of this prayer allows the priest to recover from power detriments at the level of success.
Prayer for Chardastes
This is a prayer to gain divine intervention for acts involving healing.

Religious Ceremonies

Worship Ceremony
An hour long ceremony once per day. This serves to raise the mood of the faithful.
High Worship Ceremony
A two hour long ceremony peformed only on holy days. This ceremony carries a protection from magic for all faithful participants for twenty four hours at the level of success.
Ceremony of Adoption
This joyful ceremony brings someone into the Cult.
Investment of an Acolyte
This hour long ceremony results in the ability for a member of the Cult to become an acolyte.
Ceremonies of Chardastes
Healing
This ceremony, after an hour of prayers and hymns to Chardastes, allows the priest to completely heal an individual. There is a -10 to perform this ceremony.

Benedictions

Blessing
This benediction allows the priest to help the faithful. The level of success is split between the effect (a bonus to die rolls), the number of the faithful who receive this benediction, and the duration of the effect.
Create True Holy Symbol
This benediction allows the priest to use their personal holy symbol as a vessel of power. Whenever this benediction is performed the result is power pool that is added to the holy symbol. This power pool is drawn by power detriments. When the pool reaches zero, then the detriments begin to effect the priest. When performing this benediction the priest may not use the power pool, and the result is a -3 power detriment.

Organization

The High Priest is served by a staff of four Priests of Chardastes in his temple in Kelvin. There are also Priests of Chardastes in Rugalov and Specularum, each with a staff of three priests and a five acolytes. There are temples in each town operated by a priest and up to four acolytes. There are numerous wandering priests who serve the roadside shrines.

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