Ilian Church



The Ilian Church is a religious organization that worships Ilia, a female mage who worked with the dragon Elysium to seal away the demon Morsayati during the First War of Binding, 1,000 years before the modern era. This collaboration ended years of human-dragon conflict, and established "Dragalia": the bond between humans and dragons. The Ilian Church therefore reveres Ilia as a goddess, and teaches that dragons are sacred and must be protected.

Overview
The church encourages a devout following of its teachings. Any attempt to question these teachings or to harm dragons is quickly labeled as heresy, and such detractors are hunted down by church-trained assassins. The church also monitors suspicious activity through dispatching inquisitors.

Due to its influence over the people of Grastaea, the Ilian Church is prone to internal corruption among its high-ranking members. However, this seems to be a relative minority.

Symbols
The Halo is an important symbol of the church, its four points representing "Prudence, Love, Courage, and Piety".

Corsaint Phoenix's description additionally mentions a sacred bird symbol.

Auspex
At the top of the church's heirarchy is the Auspex, said to be a descendant of Ilia, and inheritor of Ilia's powerful divine mana. Ilia herself was considered the first Auspex, and the most current Auspex is Zethia.

Despite the implication of blood relation to Ilia, taking the title of Auspex appears to be a choice made by the eligible person, rather than a birth-assigned role. Donning the title subsequently forfeits one's claim to the Alberian throne, as was done by Zethia.

According to the Wyrmprint Auspex's Prayer, the Auspex's blessings can imbue the recipient with strong feelings of hope that overcome any despair.

Elisanne describes the Auspex's power as "exud[ing] the warmth of the world's blessings channeled together".

Paladyns
The church employs a group of church-trained knights, the highest among their ranks called Paladyns. The Paladyns' duty is to protect the Auspex, dragons, and followers of the church.

Scrolls of Perdition
A rift formed in the church upon the discovery of a document called the Scrolls of Perdition, which claim Morsayati to be the child of Ilia. The scrolls were accepted into the church's canon by the archbishop at the time, who also declared that Morsayati should be revered in equal measure to Ilia. Any who did not accept the new info were labeled as heretics.

Dragonyule
The Ilian Church also celebrates a holiday known as Dragonyule to commemorate the birth of Ilia.

Southern Ilian Church

 * (Assassin)
 * (Inquisitor)
 * (Paladyn)
 * (Grand Paladyn)
 * (Paladyn)
 * (former)
 * (Paladyn)
 * (former)
 * (Paladyn)
 * (former)
 * (former)

Northern Ilian Church

 * (Apostle)
 * (Apostle)

Dragons

 * (Archangel)
 * (Archangel)
 * (Archangel)

NPCs

 * Ilia (first Auspex)
 * Elysium
 * Zethia (last Auspex)
 * Cardinal
 * Pope
 * Father Nikolai
 * Ciella (former Paladyn)