1. Overview
The Ascended Church is the fastest-growing religious institution in Siar’Morrin, devoted to the worship of Mercio, Vilcren, and Ratura—mortals who ascended to godhood and are celebrated as the embodiment of humanity’s highest ideals. Though it acknowledges Statera as the supreme creator, the Church shifts its focus toward the Ascended, presenting them as humanity’s guiding lights in the current age.
While the Church claims inclusivity, its teachings increasingly frame humans as the favored race, with other peoples portrayed as secondary to the grand design of the Ascended. To its supporters, the Ascended Church is a unifying faith that provides purpose and structure. To its detractors, it is a dangerously arrogant movement that fuels division and undermines the pantheon’s broader harmony.
- Type: Religious
- Base of Operations: Flown, Agroma
- Core Purpose/Focus: The dedicated worship of the Ascended gods; Mercio, Vilcren and Ratura.
- Reputation: Rapidly expanding and increasingly influential; viewed by supporters as the spiritual backbone of Agroma and a symbol of human greatness.
- Symbol: Three interlocked rings
2. History
For centuries, devotion to Mercio, Vilcren, and Ratura existed only as a quiet, supplemental faith. Their names were invoked in Agroma’s hearth-prayers and folk traditions, but always alongside the greater pantheon—Statera above all, or gods such as Riero and Oikos.
The aftermath of the Age of Darkness (AoD) slowly shifted this balance. In a world left fractured, many found inspiration in the Ascended: mortals who had risen beyond their limits to claim divinity. Over generations their worship grew steadily, yet without a formal institution it remained scattered and inconsistent.
That changed in 148 AoM, when the disparate cults and traditions were unified into what is now known as the Ascended Church. Born in a time of political upheaval and cultural uncertainty, the Church’s message—exalting the Ascended as humanity’s guiding lights, proof of its divine potential—resonated profoundly. In Agroma, the Church became entwined with governance itself, bolstered by the charisma of its leaders and its appeal to human pride.
Today, the Ascended Church stands as a dominant spiritual force across Western Siar’Morrin. Its reach is extending eastward, though it encounters skepticism among regions where non-human populations are stronger and the older faiths such as the Church of Statera remain firmly rooted.
3. Structure & Organization
The hierarchy is strict, modeled after both civic councils and religious synods. Promotions are based on meritocracy rather than lineage.
- High Praesul: Currently, Logar Oakford — spiritual and administrative head, a commanding orator and mediator whose charisma has elevated the Church’s prominence.
- Praesuls: Senior clergy who oversee doctrine, rituals, and regional governance.
- Clerics & Missionaries: Spread the faith through sermons, festivals, and cultural integration.
- Lay Orders: Devoted followers who serve as scribes, templars, or administrators, ensuring the Church’s presence in daily civic life.
4. Culture & Practices
Life within the Ascended Church is defined by ritual, order, and devotion to the human spirit as embodied by the Ascended Gods. Worshippers gather daily at sunrise or sunset, offering prayers to Mercio, Vilcren, and Ratura, though the grandest observances are reserved for holy days tied to Agroman history and the legendary deeds of the Ascended. Additionally, the first day of each month is observed as a day of rest and worship, marked by decadent feasts in Vilcren’s honour, charitable donations in gratitude to Mercio’s wealth, and song and poetry dedicated to Ratura’s legacy.
As a relatively new and rapidly expanding religion, the Church still allows for much variation in practice. In places like Flown, where its roots run deepest, great effort is devoted to cultivating a sense of permanence: clear rituals, methodical sermons, and ornate pageantry emphasize continuity and authority. On the frontiers of its growth, however, local clergy adapt ceremonies to suit the needs of their communities—whether through simplified rites, flexible sermons, or tailored interpretations of the Ascended’s virtues.
The Church also emphasizes civic duty alongside faith. Clergy oversee oaths, consecrate contracts, and sanctify marriages and births, embedding the Church into every stage of human life.
5. Key Figures
- Logar Oakford: Current head and leader of the Ascended Church, residing within Flown.
6. Geographic Influence
- Areas of Operation: Well established within Western Siar’Morrin, with expansion into Eastern Siar’Morrin ongoing.
- Allies & Enemies:
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7. Resources & Capabilities
- Military Strength:
- Economic Power:
- Special Assets: