The Order
A Priest's Role
All of Iomedae's priests are clerics or paladins, although she has many rangers, inquisitors, and cavaliers serving the church in important roles, as well as a wide variety of lay worshipers.
An ideal day for an Iomedaean priest varies. For those within military organizations or entrenched in battle, ritual takes a back seat to doing whatever is necessary to further the cause of justice and light, and for a priest to stand on ceremony at the cost of the church's goals would be highly shameful. As such, priests in war zones tend to act much like chaplains or military commanders rather than city priests. If there is no sign of active villainy, priests travel, perhaps in ways that help local officials (such as transporting a criminal from a remote town to a city's jail). City priests keep their ears to the ground for news of local crime, always ready to attack a thieves' guild's headquarters, uncover an evil cult, or slay some monster fresh from the depths. To perform their duties, most priests have ranks in Diplomacy, Heal, and Knowledge (history and nobility).
In recent years, it has become customary for aspiring sword knights to travel the River Road to Mendev and serve at least a year in the crusade against the Worldwound. Sometimes a particularly heroic sword knight leads her entire circle to travel up the Sellen River and battle the demons, and the priests who survive earn much honor for themselves and go on to lead circles of their own or train others in demon-hunting. It's common for a seasoned priest to mentor an acolyte as if he were a squire, though the priest never endangers the acolyte unless the church grants permission for such activity.
Priests must act honorably, show courage in battle, uphold righteous laws, bring evildoers to justice, and generally conduct themselves like great knights. Even the most battle-weary stand proud and tall in the presence of common folk and impressionable youths. Priests have a reputation for trustworthiness that serves them well in political affairs, and while few choose to retire to political offices such as judge or magistrate, having an Iomedaean priest as a witness in a trial is highly advantageous. To an Iomedaean, the quest for justice and the need to work hard for the betterment of all is never complete.
An ideal day for an Iomedaean priest varies. For those within military organizations or entrenched in battle, ritual takes a back seat to doing whatever is necessary to further the cause of justice and light, and for a priest to stand on ceremony at the cost of the church's goals would be highly shameful. As such, priests in war zones tend to act much like chaplains or military commanders rather than city priests. If there is no sign of active villainy, priests travel, perhaps in ways that help local officials (such as transporting a criminal from a remote town to a city's jail). City priests keep their ears to the ground for news of local crime, always ready to attack a thieves' guild's headquarters, uncover an evil cult, or slay some monster fresh from the depths. To perform their duties, most priests have ranks in Diplomacy, Heal, and Knowledge (history and nobility).
In recent years, it has become customary for aspiring sword knights to travel the River Road to Mendev and serve at least a year in the crusade against the Worldwound. Sometimes a particularly heroic sword knight leads her entire circle to travel up the Sellen River and battle the demons, and the priests who survive earn much honor for themselves and go on to lead circles of their own or train others in demon-hunting. It's common for a seasoned priest to mentor an acolyte as if he were a squire, though the priest never endangers the acolyte unless the church grants permission for such activity.
Priests must act honorably, show courage in battle, uphold righteous laws, bring evildoers to justice, and generally conduct themselves like great knights. Even the most battle-weary stand proud and tall in the presence of common folk and impressionable youths. Priests have a reputation for trustworthiness that serves them well in political affairs, and while few choose to retire to political offices such as judge or magistrate, having an Iomedaean priest as a witness in a trial is highly advantageous. To an Iomedaean, the quest for justice and the need to work hard for the betterment of all is never complete.