The Order is a highly hierarchical organization, organized somewhat along military lines in keeping with the martial traditions of Arnath. There are almost two distinct sections to the Order: the Ecclesiastical and the Lay Order. The Ecclesiastical Order is made up entirely of clerics and is the higher, more martial portion of the Order, while the Lay Order is all the people officially under the protection of the Order and associated with its towns and fortresses. It takes a lot of people to supply and feed a fortress, and the Order is glad to offer some protection for this service, as their creed charges them to protect the weak.
The Hand of Arnath is the official head of the Order, acting as the head of the religion. Always an acclaimed warrior and cleric, the Hand is chosen from among the senior Griffins whenever the last Hand dies. They are responsible for coordinating the movements of the Order and make most of the major decisions. If the Hand is ever required to enter combat, it can be sure that the threat is great.
The next in the Order Hierarchy are the Chapter Masters. The Order of Arnath, though all following his path in one form or another, is split between different Order Chapters across Mardrun. These Chapter vary not only by location but also by specialty.
Finally, there are the Militia Generals of the Lay Orders attached to each Chapter. This member is usually the most senior of the group and often double as the head of the Town Watch.
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Inside the various Chapter Houses are three ranks in the Ecclesiarchy: Lion, Eagle, and Griffon.
The Lions are the first rank of the Order – their martial skills are renowned, and they are often referred to as Crusaders due to their many fights against the undead. Slightly more numerous, these clerics are still hardened veterans. A Lion will normally only be dispatched if reports of something especially unusual are confirmed, for their combat prowess is more often needed patrolling the land for signs of evil. The typical Lion is a heavily-armored and highly skilled combatant, for their training is harsh, with a prospective Lion forced to train for days in their armor beneath the grueling sun. Lions are ostensibly the lowest-ranked members of the Order – all recruits start out as Lions until their superiors believe them capable of handling the guile of the Eagles or the knowledge of the Griffins. Do not let that fool you, however – Lions are well-trained, and frequently receive weapon and armor of far-higher quality than most have seen.
The second rank, Eagles, are the lightest-armed of the Ecclesiastical Order. Veterans one and all, they spend much of their lives training for their position. They can be seen as scouts and spies for the Order – they are the ones who are sent out to investigate strange happenings, operating in dangerous lands without the protection of the great armor of the Lions or the formidable knowledge of the Griffins. When the Order needs information, they send out an Eagle.
In addition, the Eagles provide much needed support to the Order. Unlike their Lion brethren, Eagles are taught to fight at range with spear, bow, and javelin. They are more flexible, able to skirmish through the forests as well as stand in the shield wall. Finally, they bring other skills the Order needs: medical service, armor and shield repair, and even arts of subterfuge.
The highest rank is called a Griffin; these are the elite priests of Arnath, seen as his mind on this world. They oftentimes fill duties in the libraries and fortresses of the Order, for in this division of the Order, they are more concerned with knowledge and lore. Nevertheless, they are skilled in Divine magic and armed combat. They are also the least numerous of the Order – it takes many years to train a Griffin in all the lore and knowledge necessary for their duties. Should the Order need to mass their ranks in diplomacy or politics, it is the Griffins who are sent. Chapter Masters are drawn from the ranks of Griffins
A Cleric can be promoted only when they have demonstrated the appropriate skills in command and fighting prowess, as well as a desire to advance up the ranks – many an experienced cleric has opted to stay with their sub-order due to finding their calling. When a cleric is up for promotion, they journey to the Order’s High Fortress where they are tested to determine if they are ready. The actual tests are kept a secret to those who have not taken them, but a number of promising young clerics have died in the course of them.