Holy Draconic Church
For the religion, see Draconic.
The Holy Draconic Church is the organized branch of the Draconic Religion, based in the Imperial Federation, on the island of Drag'os. It enjoys by far the largest size, level of organization, and state support of any other branch of the religion, especially within the Imperial Federation. The organized religion, followed by nearly three-quarters of all adherents, is referred to as "Temple Draconic" due to its organizations around these eponymous buildings, where the religion is centered around. The headquarters is located in the Holy Temple of Thr'or, not far from the city-region of Glacier City.
While followers and varying small sects of the Draconic religion often exercise a degree of w:syncretism with other religious beliefs on Micras, Temple Draconic refuses to take hard positions regarding the "one-ness" of its own belief system versus others prevailing on Micras. Instead, it teaches its own and avoids causing extensive unrest with "branching" movements. With religious violence banned since at least 1450 AN, the Church was obliged to instead tie its own unity to the nations in the wake of prolonged events such as the Great Swamp War, the Crisis of 1685, and even the Ralgon War of Succession. The Church's core membership largely survived, and the only organized denomination of any appreciable size remains the central Church, which provides religious services for nearly seventy percent of all adherents (most of whom are on the island of Drag'os).
The subject of naming new Saints as empowered representatives of the faith was scarcely revisited after 1685 AN, however, with the loss of most of the island once again to either The Green or foreign powers. This period ended in 1706 AN after the Ralgon War of Succession concluded, and the lack of Church support to the winning side contributed partly to the following loss of political power for that institution. The Holy Draconic Church's power waned in those two decades before the formation of the Imperial Federation. Any remaining political power any named Saints possessed was lost after the Holy Ralgon Empire transformed into the Imperial Federation, which itself secularized in 1706 AN. It wasn't until well into the long reign of Emperor Anarion in 1755 AN that the Church's official state recognition was restored... but only then as a list of recognized religious institutions that would enjoy state support.
Organization
The College of Elders
The College of Elders is a body consisting of 121 senior church officials who are, in turn, elected from among local church heads in their respective regions, called either Templars or Templar-priests (dependent on region). As of 1700 AN, out of those 121 elders, 74 are still residents of Drag'os, 35 are residents of Adrestia, and the other 11 are from local congregations abroad. The numbers of native elders have been in constant decline versus overseas elders, a trend that shows signs of acceleration in the face of the Ralgon central government's precipitous decline since the late 1680's.
Where the foreign Elders come from is often disputed between Church officials and their host countries, due to the uncertainty of data concerning minority religious groups abroad. Because of the rapidly shifting and growing nature of a newly international faith, the upper echelons have similarly shifted rapidly over the past few decades. Two Elders are confirmed to represent their strong congregation in the International Mandate, mostly consisting of Ralgon and Adrestian colonists. Another three are in The Hexarchy, all of which reside in Kobol and Elam. One Elder resides in what was once Duro, which is now controlled by Calbion. Another two Elders were present in what was then Jingdao. However, since its harrowing transformation into Kildare, the Draconic congregation suffered intensely. One Elder was, for a time, rumored to reside in Batavia's territory. The locations, and numbers, of the other three Elders and their respective congregations are constantly in flux due to the evolving nature of the Church as a growing international faith.
The Priesthood (Templars)
The Priesthood is, according to Church doctrine, merely those leaders responsible for local congregations. In regions with fewer adherents, it is common to see Templar priests serving wider areas than singular cities. In those cases, they tend to act as bishops alongside their usual duties of preaching, outreach, and care over their local congregations. The Templar priests also often act as intermediaries between the faithful and their respective rulers, be they in Draconic-majority or Draconic-minority countries.
In cases where Templars are in Draconic-minority countries, missionary services are also provided, and interfaith dialogue is actively encouraged. Not only does this reconcile any fundamental political differences between Draconics and adherents to other faiths, but it also allows the larger Draconic Church to actively test and build on its existing doctrine. It is through this mutual exchange that has seen the rise of new politically active religious sects. Most notable of these recent movements is Draconic Humanism as a growing sect within Draconic, in which religious tenets are combined with the political leanings of National humanism. Draconic Humanism as both a political and religious ideology has found its way to the political inner circles of Ralgon's imperial elite, to the point where Prince Masamune IV of Adrestia, still a child, is under the direct, consistent influence of more than one adherent.
The Knights Templar
The Knights Templar is a paramilitary organization formed by the mayor of Glacier City to protect the Draconic Temple, which found itself dangerously close to a fresh frontier following the Ralgon Civil War in 1685 AN. The Order of the Knights Templar has exactly one mission: protect the Holy Draconic Temple, the current physical center of the religion, from incursions from The Green. Knights are known for joining expeditions to reconquer land and aggressively push Ralgon's frontiers away from the city, thereby keeping the Temple safe.
The Order was subsequently granted a decree by Shiro I of Ralgon that granted them the right to keep and bear arms at all times, in all locations. However, Knights are also punished far more harshly for violations of the law. To serve as preventive measures and calm the city's population against a potential terrorist group, the Knights are further made to hold to strict religious vows that range from abstinence of alcohol to regular church attendance to assure their mental and social stability. Finally, the Knights forfeit their rights to keep and bear arms whenever they range farther than 10 kilometers away from the Temple, unless they join an expedition beyond the border solely for the purpose of protecting innocents and saving lives.
Because of the many restrictions imposed on the Templar Knights, not only do few ultimately join the Order, but they also take a decidedly neutral stance in all political affairs. Within the Holy Draconic Temple, they are respected and revered, and hold representation within the Council of Elders. As such, they can still indirectly shape local public perceptions towards the Order, and senior Knights are known to frequently downplay the very rare members of the Order who join harboring militant intentions against adherents to different denominations of Draconic than their own.
