Clergy and Hierarchy of the Church of the Seven Saints

     It's no secret by now that the Church of the Seven Saints is an allegorical version of the Christian church in general. This isn't meant to be a historically accurate portrayal. There is no Reformation, Counter-Reformation, or other denominational division to set groups of believers apart from one another.

 

     The Church of the Seven Saints is primarily based on the theology of the Lutheran church  with some Roman Catholic window dressing in its hierarchy. This article covers the clerical professions of the Church, including monks and nuns, as well as the Holy Orders. It should be noted that within the Church, clerics are more itinerant, traveling through the countryside and tending one or more rural congregations and ministering to those they meet on their way. Priests are more common in cities, but may occasionally be found in rural settings. Priests within the Church are rarely adventurers, but will join an adventuring company if the need is dire. The blessings and miracles of the Church's clerical professions will be covered in a following article.

 

Cleric

© Rick Hershey/Fat Goblin Games

Key Attribute: Willpower

 

Skills: Awareness, Healing, Languages, Miracles, Myths & Legends, Performance, Persuasion, Spot Hidden, Hammers, Slings, Staves.

New Skill - Miracles (WIL) - Clerics use this secondary skill to channel the divine power of their patron deity to work miracles.

Gear: A player may roll for gear on either profession's table or may tailor a unique inventory with GM guidance.

 

Nicknames: If the player so chooses, they may roll on either cleric profession's table or devise a nickname for their character on their own. 

 

Heroic Abilities: Divine Miracle, Blessed, or an alternate ability (see below).

 

Priest

Key Attribute: Willpower

© Dean Spencer

 

Skills: Awareness, Healing, Languages, Miracles, Myths & Legends, Performance, Persuasion, Spot Hidden, Hammers, Slings, Staves.

New Skill - Prayer (CHA) - Priests use this secondary skill to petition the Resplendent Emperor for blessings.

Gear: A player may roll for gear on the priest profession's table or may tailor a unique inventory with GM guidance.

 

Nicknames: If the player so chooses, they may roll on the priest profession's table or devise a nickname for their character on their own. 

 

Heroic Abilities: Divine Link or an alternate ability (see below).

© Dean Spencer

Monks and Nuns

     With regard to the Church and the Resplendent Emperor, monks and nuns are either holy hermits - a voice in the wild as it were - or contemplative members of a convent or abbey. James Wyatt's description of monks in his own Petroyeska setting is pretty much how they are defined in this setting for Dragonbane.

     Monks... are religious ascetics devoted to the cultivation of physical, mental, and spiritual harmony. These devout individuals live alone in the wilderness practicing their disciplines and contemplating the mysteries of body and soul, and as a result have certain powers which function very differently from either the miraculous abilities of priests or the forbidden arts of sorcerors. These abilities are certainly God-given, to be sure, but they derive from the monk's rigorous discipline and fervent devotion.

 

      Monks must adhere to rigid standards of ascetic behavior, including vows of celibacy and chastity, poverty, regular fasting, and faithful service to God. Because of their extreme devotion, they occupy a position of power within the Church: bishops are chosen from among the ranks of the monks (not from the priests).

       Under the Dragonbane rules, monks and nuns living in the wilds are defined as monks in the Dragonbane Profession Collection (p.67); those monks and nuns living as part of an abbey or convent may take on heroic abilities from the alternate abilities list for clerics and priests below. It should be noted that clerics and priests may also be part of a convent or abbey's population.

 

Alternate Abilities For Clergy

    It should be noted that not all clerics or priests are able to manifest miracles. This isn't necessarily through any fault of their own. In some cases, the character just doesn't have the gift; that aspect of their faith may manifest later on or not at all. At the same time, if the character has the ability, they may not have it forever.

 

     A cleric or priest who is found wanting (for example, abusing their abilities) or who otherwise loses faith in the Resplendent Emperor may lose their ability to petition for blessings or manifest miracles. The only way they can regain that ability is by repenting and/or reaffirming their faith. Such reaffirmation may require the troubled character to undertake a quest to show their devotion to the Resplendent Emperor and the teachings of the Theologikos.

     The player and GM should discuss whether or not the character is able to manifest miracles or blessings and if not, why not. If the character is unable to manifest miracles for whatever reason, consider giving them an alternate heroic ability, provided they meet the prerequisite(s). Some suggestions for clergy who lack magical gifts include:

• Camaraderie (DPC)
• Composure (DPC)
• Determined (AHA)
• Expert (TGP)
• Fearless (DB)
• Focused (DB)
• Healing Power (Healer - NP)
• Insight (DB)
• Iron Body (DPC)
• Intuition (DB)
• Knead to Know (DPC)
• Leader (TGP)
• Master Baker (DPC)
• Musician (DB)
• Nature's Resilience (DPC)
• Pharmacology (Apothecary - DPC)
• Planner (AHA)
• Polyglot (TGP)
• Rousing Speech (DPC)
• Herbal Specialist (Shepherd - DPC)*
• Herbalist (Healer - DPC)*
• Master Herbalist (Herbalist - DPC)*
• Voice of Authority (CCO)

* - These can each be taken once in the following progression: Herbal Specialist - Herbalist - Master Herbalist.

Sources: AHA - A Handful of Heroic Abilities; CCO - Celtic Character Options; DPC - Dragonburn Profession Collection; TGP - The Gilded Port; NP - New Professions.

 

The Hierarchy of the Church

     Historically, the Christian church on Earth has been primarily patriarchal and conservative, to put things mildly. On Terrenor, the Church of the Seven Saints is much more open-minded and egalitarian. This bit of lore is another tidbit I neglected to include in the previous articles. Here are the details sans any flowery exposition, based on Joel A. Hahn's angelic orders article for second edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons:

• Priests and clerics may be of either gender.
• Priests and clerics may marry and have children, but many choose not to. The life of itinerant clergy can be too dangerous to expose a spouse and children to.
• Clergy may not hold titles of nobility. This is to maintain a separation of church and state, as well as to maintain clear lines of heredity for property and lands. 
• Clergy are generally tolerant of mages, as well as priests and followers of faiths other than the Church of the Seven Saints, if those faiths are on the side of light and goodness. They are generally less tolerant of faiths that take a more neutral bent, but not militant about it.
• Some clergy actively proselytize, given the chance. Others are more passive, answering questions from those interested rather than openly attempting to bring new members into the fold. 
• Most clergy believe in the concept of a "just war*," a war which is fought honorably and for the safety of the people. If a war is considered just, they will be willing to join the fight, but if it is not, they will most likely try to work against it or even work for the other side if possible.

* - I won't bore you with the philosophical details; overall, a war is justified if the damage an aggressor inflicts upon a nation (or community of nations) is lasting, grave, and certain; if all other means of preventing the war have failed; if there are serious prospects of success; and if the use of aggression will not produce evils and disorders worse than those inflicted by the original aggressor.

     To keep the hierarchy simple and avoid confusion between the terms used in both the AD&D and BECMI D&D cleric class levels, I have created a shortened and simplified hierarchy and titles of address.

• Acolyte (Brother or Sister) - Acolytes are the lowest level of priesthood in the Church. These individuals help ordained priests in leading worship and tending to the needs of the faithful when they aren't busy learning the ropes of the priesthood.
• Adept (Brother or Sister) - After four or five years of study, an acolyte may be elevated to the level of adept. Adepts may oversee small groups of acolytes in a cathedral or larger church. They are rarely found in more rural congregations.
• Priest (Father or Mother) - An ordained priest or cleric of the Church, leading a flock in a community or group of communities.
• Patriarch/Matriarch (His or Her Eminence) - Patriarchs and Matriarchs oversee geographic regions with high concentrations of the faithful. These areas vary in size and historical significance.
• Grand Patriarch/Grand Matriarch (His or Her Holiness) - The Grand Patriarch or Grand Matriarch is the highest officiant within the Church of the Seven Saints. Most clergy believe this individual to be the Resplendent Emperor's ordained representative and spokesperson in the mortal world, whose statements and rulings are the end-all and be-all on theology and morality.

 

Copyright 2025 Frank Turfler, Jr, used w/permission

     Within a monastery or convent, the hierarchy is slightly different.

• Oblate - Oblates are laypeople of a monastic order who aren't monks or nuns, but are individually affiliated in prayer with the monastery.
• Candidate / Postulant - These are individuals seeking admission into a monastery, both before their actual admission and for some time before their actual admission as novices.
• Novice - Novices are prospective monks or nuns undergoing a period of training. This is a period of introspection wherein the novice determines whether or not they are called to the religious life.
• Lay Brother / Sister - These nuns and monks handle matters of the secular world - manual labor, usually - which garners money for the monastery or convent's support. This includes working on farms, in gardens,  the infirmary, kitchens, and hospice.
• Monk / Nun - A monastic member of the clergy who is a religious ascetic.
• Heiromonk / Heironun - A monk or nun who is an ordained priest in the Church.
• Sub-prior (m) / Sub-prioress (f) - A monastic superior who is third ranked in the monastery's upper hierarchy. A nun of this rank is referred to as a "sub-prioress."
• Prior (m) / Prioress (f) - The second ranked individual in a monastery or abbey's upper echelons. The feminine term is "prioress."
• Abbot / Abbess - The head of a monastery or abbey.
• Mother Superior - Another term for a nun in charge of an abbey or convent.
• Hegumen (m) / Hegumenia (f) - A monk or nun who is the head of all monasteries and/or convents in a certain region.
• Archimandrite (m) / Archimandrate (f) - A superior appointed by a bishop or archbishop to supervise a number of hegumenos of a larger region. 

      Within such religious communities, almost everyone has a job.

• Almoner - The almoner is in charge of distributing alms to the poor.
• Archivist - The archivist preserves the most important documents and records, including community records, for the convent or monastery.
• Cantor - Cantors supervise choir music.
• Cellarer - The cellarer is a quartermaster of sorts, providing the daily supplies needed for their brothers' and sisters' daily life. This includes the food and drink supplies.
• Chamberlain - The chamberlain is in charge of providing clothing for the monks and nuns of the monastery or convent. The chamberlain also manages the monastery or convent's household accounts and finances.
• Circuitor/Obedientiary - The monk or nun in charge of discipline.
• Guest-master - The guest-master takes care of guests of the monastery or convent.
• Infirmerer/Infirmarian - Infirmerers take care of the ill in both the abbey and, if necessary, nearby community.
• Kitchener - Kitcheners head up the kitchen staff, being in charge of food preparation.
• Librarian - The monk or nun in charge of the books of the convent or monastery.
• Novice-master/Novice Director - The senior nun or monk who supervises the novices.
• Refectorian - Adjacent to the kitchener and cellarer, the refectorian manages the dining hall and its contents.
• Sacrist - Second only to the sub-prior, the sacrist is in charge of anything and everything holy, including relics and books. Sacrists also care for the church's maintenance, as well as duties such as ringing the bells and washing chalices.
• Treasurer - The monk or nun who is in charge of the monastery or convent's jewels, ornaments, and vestments.

 The Holy Orders

     The Church also has seven holy orders which serve the populace in a variety of capacities ranging from defense of hospitals and places of worship to transcribing the wisdom of the Theologikos to the common tongue. Each order has its own oaths and tenets related to its purpose, which its members take very seriously. There is little to no rivalry among these orders as each knows they are all important to maintaining and growing the community of the Church and protecting it from the darkness that would crush it.

Ordo Templarii (The Templars)

     The Knights Templar of the Resplendent Emperor - commonly known as the Ordo Templarii, the Knights Templar, or the Templars - are considered one part of the Church Militant, the military arm of the Church of the Seven Saints. The order was founded to protect the various holy sites and the pilgrims who traveled to them. Nobles, knights, and fighters who wish to serve the Church may join the Templars. All who join take an oath to stand and defend the Church and the helpless as well as uphold and defend the Church's financial infrastructure.

Game Notes: A Templar may take one or more of the following as professional skills at character generation: bartering, bushcraft, crafting, fishing and hunting, languages, and/or persuasion.

 

Ordo Hospitalarii (The Hospitalers)

     A sibling order to the Templars, the Hospitalers are devoted to protecting the infirmaries and hospitals run by the Church, as well as protecting, healing, and uplifting the sick and destitute. Unlike their brothers and sisters in the Templars, Hospitalers are not only knights, warriors, and nobles who seek to serve and protect the Church and their fellows in the faith. A good portion of the order consists of healers, apothecaries, and even chirurgeons.
 

Game Notes: Because of the order’s close association with the Templars, at character generation, a non-clergy member of the Hospitalers may take one or more of the following as professional skills: bartering, bushcraft, crafting, fishing and hunting, healing, languages, and/or persuasion.

 

Ordo Consilium (The Pathfinders)

     The Ordo Consilium, commonly called the Pathfinders, fulfill a number of duties ranging from couriers and heralds to advisors to rulers and town judges. Pathfinders readily act as judges and arbitrators in communities and noble courts, hearing testimony and considering evidence as neutral third parties. As couriers, they safeguard and transport vital documents between Church holdings, as well as communities.

 

Game Notes: Because of their legal, advisory, and courier duties, Pathfinders may take one or more of the following as professional skills: bushcraft, evade, hunting & fishing, riding, sneaking, and/or swimming.

 

Ordo Adiutorus (The Intercessors)

     The Intercessors are itinerant priests, clerics, and even monks who help all they come across on their travels. When evil things happen, an Intercessor prays for divine intervention in some form; if help does not soon appear, they are charged with personally intervening. Swearing mercy to all, Intercessors must give quarter, regardless if it is asked for or not. They also serve as advisors to benevolent rulers.

 

Game Notes: Members of the Ordo Adiutorus may take one or more of the following as professional skills: bushcraft, hunting & fishing, riding, and/or swimming.

 

Ordo Mortalitas (The Harvesters)

     The black-robed clergy of the Ordo Mortalitas are responsible for insuring the dead are properly laid to rest and for reminding all that death is the ultimate equalizer. Death comes for all, king and commoner. The undead are anathema to the Harvesters and they sometimes work with the Ordo Vigilans to restore the balance. The Harvesters always attend funerals and burials, often accompanied by their brothers and sisters of the Ordo Sagax; when an individual is close to death, the Harvesters are often called, sometimes to ease their suffering and help them on their way. Because of this, the Harvesters are seen as omens of approaching death.

 

Game Notes: The Ordo Mortalitas sometimes use the scythe as a symbolic weapon of their order, but only when dealing with the undead or necromancers. As such, they may take swords as a weapon skill.

 

Ordo Sagax (The Sages)

     Priests and clerics of the Ordo Sagax are known as the foremost scholars and sages of the Church. They are always looking to increase their knowledge, whether it is through books and scrolls, first-hand experience, or visions. As part of their order, they must donate one book per year to the Church's Grand Library. As such, they must constantly be on the lookout for new acquisitions, even if such tomes are filled with forbidden knowledge. Such items are to be secured in the Church's Arca Anathema to prevent such knowledge from harming or otherwise corrupting the innocent. Additionally, members of the Ordo Sagax are often present at funerals and burials alongside their brothers and sisters in the Ordo Mortalitas.

 

Game Notes: Sages may take bartering and/or crafting as one of their professional skills at character generation.

 

Ordo Vigilans (The Watchers)

     The Watchers stand vigil against the forces of evil - especially demons and the undead. Their ranks are comprised of priests, clerics, and even itinerant warrior-monks. They are granted some control over bringing light into the world. They are able fighters against such unholy foes and act as exorcists as well as investigate claims of heresy and cult activity. It is not uncommon for them to work alongside with their brothers and sisters in the Ordo Mortalitas when the undead are an active threat.

 

Game Notes: Because they are often traveling and sometimes working in dangerous environs, members of the Ordo Vigilans may take one or more of the following as professional skills: bushcraft, evade, hunting & fishing, riding, sneaking, and/or swimming.

     My thanks to Kuseru Satsujin over at Strolen's Citadel for writing this article, as well as James Wyatt and Joel A. Hahn, whose own homebrew material also informed this post.

Artwork for the holy order sigils copyright 2025 DoomedWorlds and Avalon Classic, used with permission.