Cleric

Clerics act in service of gods as spiritual healers and protectors who take strict oaths. Though their powers are innate, their strands are believed to be divinely granted; something only they have the right to yield. Believed to be guardians of life within this world, their domains stretch across all aspects of life, including healing and death rites. Unfortunately, their powers are strictly to the living and the maintenance of the balance, so they receive no divine foresight that may sway their hearts. It is not their purpose to disrupt the cycle by intervening on behalf of friends or loved ones. Clerics who reach beyond their abilities to pursue paths of foresight are labelled blasphemers for their distrust in the gods' plans.

It is rare for a cleric to come from outside of an established religious circle; the majority are tied to a specific church or cult, and believe that specific pantheon/God to be the one true religion. Most clerical babies are born to mothers who are in some way a member of the church, be it a citizen who attends regularly or a devout priestess. Most clerics take vows of celibacy, only breaking them when directed by a high cleric, with the most notable exception being members of the Zueshan Church. These vows control when and with whom clerics produce children, which regulates magical abilities within the church.

Training

Young students train in groups under the tutelage of a High Cleric from the age of six. Beforehand, they are the responsibility of their mother and other members of the church, who are strictly instructed to maintain their piety. During their training, Clerics learn a wide variety of spells and rites specific to their religion. Many are driven into specific specializations, taught only specific aspects of clerichood to ensure the order has enough caretakers. Training takes place at all hours, as the Cleric lives within the commune and is barred from leaving.

After training, if the order has too many clerics, the young cleric is sent on a pilgrimage to either establish a new site of worship or spread the gospel to the world. Some religions, such as the Church of Oruqir, outright require new Clerics to go on pilgrimages before they can accept an established rank within a church. This is done so they connect with the local communities, becoming a familiar, positive face that encourages people to attend worship.

It is possible to learn to be a Cleric through non-traditional means. Generally, this includes cults, monastic studies and unusual cases (such as teaching oneself directly from a text). These Clerics are generally unaccepted by those who were taught in established religions, especially if they are cultists. Their abilities are viewed as "impure" despite connecting to the same strands.

Abilities

Clerical abilities extend around the circles of mortality and mortal life. They perform rites and rituals, such as marital ceremonies, blessings and funerals. Ceremonies performed by Clerics are thought to be divine blessings in and of themselves, as Clerics are believed to act only within the purview of the gods. If they bless a couple with a "long and happy marriage," any deviation from such a blessing is seen as a fault of the couple, not of the blessing. Some clerical orders wield this to their advantage and outright encourage social ostracization in these instances. Others teach kindness and forgiveness, preaching length and joy are relative in the eyes of the gods. These approaches depend on the cleric and the order they hail from.

One of their primary purposes is healing, and they are typically trained in magical and non-magical healing, so as to conserve their magic for when it's needed most. Clerics offer refuge to any injured and often accompany armies during times of war. In nations that lack doctors or healers, Clerics take up these official roles, extending their reach into the city (and drawing more people into worship). Nations that have doctors, such as the Qate, often have Clerics working alongside the doctors, as they can cure magical ailments that non-magical remedies cannot reach

Specializations

Preservation of Endearment

Those who preserve endearment perform marital rites, play matchmaker and can ascertain the true nature of a heart. While they cannot predict the future, they can preserve and assess what is already there. Many come to these Clerics in search of a lover, and are directed toward another who has previously sought out the Cleric's assistance. Though these Clerics deal in more than just romantic love, and are able to perform blessings between family members, such as adoption rites. These rites are believed to tie together the souls, as if they were biologically related; while it doesn't affect anything on a biological level, such as magical power, it affects the spiritual ties of the universe that bind the individuals.

A highly-skilled Preservation of Endearment Cleric takes on a curious appearance; their hair, pupils and any beauty marks become heart-shaped. Additionally, they emit an aura that smells slightly sweet and homey, causing any person or creature around them to feel at ease and filled with love for those closest to them (such as their friends, family and partners). Many Clerics use these auras during ceremonies, manipulating them toward the religion, rather than each other.

Some Clerics who preserve endearment even perform fertility rites. Clerics trained by cults often utilize the aura ability during ritualistic orgies, manipulating it to emit a sexual charge, rather than merely comforting love.

Preservation of Departure

Preservation of Departure Clerics are responsible for death rites and are often trained in a wide variety of them, rather than the one specific to their religion. This is done out of respect for the dead, as one should not have the ability to change the faith of someone in death. Through magical means, they are able to embalm corpses, prevent bodies from decomposing, light funerary pyres and find the relatives of the deceased.

Walking this path long enough, however, results in the eventual decomposition of the individual as they become a physical extension of death. They lose the ability to eat, drink and sleep, and often appear as a rotting corpse or skeleton. As a result, they wear heavier robes and masks to hide their appearance from others, as to not horrify them.

It is worth noting that not all Departure Clerics elect to hide their appearance. There are some who work in necropolises or cultures enamoured with death that fully embrace such unique appearances. They often continue this disregard for secrecy if they leave their homeland, continuing to appear deceased amid the unfamiliar living.

Preservation of Vigour

Clerics who preserve vigour are skilled healers who can cure (almost) any ailment. Some can even reach beyond death and coax a soul back to the body, though this is a practice not generally accepted nor taught (and requires a significant amount of arcana). Most instances of resurrection spells exchange the caster's life, or a willing volunteer's life, for the life of the deceased. For the most part, this specialization preserves the health of a living body, healing broken bones, diseases and magical ailments. Unfortunately, they cannot restore matter, such that they cannot regrow limbs or organs. Only repair what remains.

Curiously, this specialization extends the life of the Cleric; so long as they are still practicing, they remain alive, dying naturally only when they retire from clerichood. This does not stop the aging process (many vigour clerics appear extraordinarily old, yet retain life as if they were a youth). Many communes have special rooms for their elderly Vigour Clerics, as to preserve their lives for as long as possible, so that they may pass down their knowledge to new students.

There are some orders which outright refuse to allow Vigour Clerics to pass on, leading these Clerics to take their lives as an escape. Living forever may sound pleasant... until you have long outlived all of your loved ones. Many orders have dismissed these practices, believing them to be relics of the old world—a time where death was an unaffordable loss, especially of one so knowledgeable. Modern recording systems, such as written texts, have put these practices out of date.