The Theocracy

The Theocracy have their capital at Ekara.

They are bent on destroying the Alshereereen, but view the Children of Zaar as heretical, and as such refuse to co-operate with them. They also view the New Senate in Urmin as a blasphemous treason against God's rule, so are at loggerheads with them over the control of the former empire.

Ekara's Theocracy is run by a set of distinguished nobles, essentially masquerading as priests.

Government
'''Pope Helixto''': The “good egg” among the Theocrats, is Helixto. His grandfather was a beggar who was awarded a position in the Judge's guild of the New Senate for saving one of its senators from a fire. His father learned much from his grandfather, but viewed the New Senate as corrupt, and went to live as an ascetic in the kingdom of Leganne. Helixto himself was left behind when his father departed from Urmin. He sought out his father in Leganne at the age of 42, giving up his job as a lawyer. When he finally found his father after 5 years in Leganne, his father told him that he could never find happiness in family, or in anything earthly for that matter, for while there was suffering elsewhere in the world, all happiness would be selfish and cruel.

Helixto then went and lived in No Man's Land for 10 years, helping people recover if they had to travel near the Forsaken land. He met many paladins whose quest it was to destroy the Alshereereen, but found that their approach of violence and militarism caused sadness to many of the refugees and village folk.

He found that the Children of Zaar were too compelled by the quest for the knowledge of the old Alaezian empire, and thought that they were blinded by it. He drew parallels between them and the Alshereereen who grew mad with magical power. He feared for what the Children of Zaar might do.

He then accompanied some travellers to Ekara, hearing that there, they were trying to rediscover God. He went and preached about his experiences as an ascetic, and how he feared for the dangers of the Children of Zaar, and the paladins. His rhetoric fell on happy ears, and he soon joined the priesthood so he could devote his life to making people happier, as the priesthood is widely respected in Ekara as a way of “lifting oneself up”.

After six years in the priesthood, the last pope, Avolax, died. There was a convention, and Helixto was chosen as the next pope because of his experience both in religion and in practical affairs, including accounting, travel, supply and geography. He is also popular with the people.

However, his preaching of peace and reconciliation with the New Senate garners some disrespect from the Theocrats, especially those with a taste for power.

High Priests:
Artax: He's charismatic, happy, humble... but confused about his faith. There's more than meets the eye regarding his humility, not surprising considering his position. He murdered somebody in his youth, and was on the run since. He has a new identity now.

He was born into a fairly rich family, but at 14, his house was raided by pirates from the Islands, and he was forced to leave home. At the age of 15, he killed someone and took their goods and home, and moved on from there.

He could quickly become the leader, with his intuitive and get-go attitude, and feels limited by the strict hierarcy of the Theocracy. He has considered defection to the New Senate... He has many supporters among the merchants who come to the city, who would love to discuss investing in it.

He supports the Redcloacks because they encourage merchants to come and trade black-market magical goods with the Theocracy, so long as he's allowed to siphon of a bit of the money and use it for government. But it's a shaky relationship, as he is worried about the power of their magic and the potential danger it could cause, so he keeps an eye on them and has people to keep them in check. “Artax's Magpies”

'''Doviltos: '''Gentle, but quick to become rash and make harsh decisions. Born into a rich family in Ekara, he travelled a lot with his wealth and made friends with powerful warrior-generals. There's nothing to stop him reaching great success, as he has powerful friends and plenty of money.

He protects the redcloak gang, believing that having them on-side makes for a good police force and magical researchers to counter the Children of Zaar, and protect from the Alshereereen and any magic the New Senate or the Evlen Kingdom of Albon might try to use on the Theocracy.

He feels that there's more than meets the eye in this world, and wants to take over the University of Magic.

'''Salpistichryx: '''Intrepid yet ignorant. He was born into a successful family in a post-Alaezian village. At the age of 16, he inherited. He had a strong relationship with both parents but they were killed for heresy.

Salpistichryx now wants to punish others, to feel some power. More than he already had, anyway. He has a fierce, burning devotion to religion. He is still looking for a true calling, some mission which could make people respect him. To make the people who don't like him suffer.

Denivax: Mysterious, deeply responsible, driven and very bossy. He was born in Urmin, to a rich merchant in the Mercantile Senatorial guild, but to rebel against his parents because of his spoiled lifestyle, he took up religion, and brought down his parents' company from the inside, running away with most of the money.

He did not gain much fame quickly in Ekara, but with persistence he invested in importing a lot of food, and was recognised as a deft administrator with a lot of cash to back him up. The Theocracy encouraged him to join the priesthood, and he excelled as an administrator, quickly rising the ranks to just below pope.

He's a force to be reckoned with... His name is spoken on the streets.

But things could change quickly. He relies on wise teachers to keep him in check, but he feels more and more every day that his own experience should be enough to earn him more individual authority.

Lorekeepers
The Lorekeepers are a secret society who work for the Theocracy. Orignally scribes and keepers of ancient scripts, they are now a secret police who keep an ear out for what is going on among the lower echelons of the city of Ekara.