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Saradomin's Church - Headcanon

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William Witt
Aug Member 2023

William Witt

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The Church of Saradomin in its current form is a relatively modern institution. The chaotic times of the Fourth Age were not conducive to the maintenance of a complex international bureaucracy, and the Church of the time was forced to adapt by becoming far more decentralized.

By the middle of the Fourth Age, however, two distinct ecclesiastical centers of power had arisen - the Holy Isle of Entrana and the emerging city-state of Varrock, each with their own competing and sometimes overlapping spheres of influence.

The stability afforded by the Fifth Age saw a return to a centralized hierarchy, but one retaining traces of the old system. Today's Church of Saradomin is divided into two ecclesiastical provinces, each with its own patriarch (or, occasionally, matriarch) :

- The senior-ranking of the two is the Abbot of Entrana, who is acknowledged as the "High Priest of Saradomin" - a title that had lain dormant since the Third Age. Each abbot hand-picks and trains his successor from among the monks of the island's monastic community. In the event of a sudden and unexpected death, the monks choose the next abbot by popular vote.

- The junior of the two is the Archbishop of Varrock, who is appointed by the King of Misthalin. There are often political considerations that influence the king's selection, however. The youngest sons of noble families are often destined for a church career, and the complexities of feudal politics mean a monarch is sometimes in a position where he must curry favor with a powerful noble ally - or worse, find himself in their debt for one reason or another.
The Asgarnian ale must flow.

17-Oct-2021 01:18:42

William Witt
Aug Member 2023

William Witt

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The Abbot of Entrana has direct jurisdiction over Entrana, Ashdale, Davendale, and formerly the island of Crandor (RIP). He is also considered to have authority over the Bishop of Ardougne, however, whose jurisdiction covers the whole of Kandarin (excepting the Fremennik Province, which is decidedly Guthixian). In his capacity as High Priest, any religious laws he passes are binding upon the entirety of the Church - he is additionally responsible for setting a uniform liturgical calendar and marriage rite for both halves of the Church.

The Archbishop of Varrock has direct jurisdiction over all of Misthalin. He is also considered to have authority over the Bishop of Falador, whose jurisdiction covers the whole of Asgarnia.

Each year on the Feast Day of St. Elspeth, the four church leaders and their respective entourages convene at either Entrana or Varrock (alternating each year) in order to hold council on matters pertaining to the faith. During these annual meetings, the High Priest of Saradomin renews his blessing upon the other three and ceremonially anoints them as deputy high priests, allowing them to share in his authority - though it would be considered improper for the others to use "High Priest" as their primary title. This ritual serves to reaffirm the High Priest's universal authority over both halves of the church, as well as act as a symbolic rubberstamping of the King of Misthalin's choice of archbishop - a decision the Abbot of Entrana has little actual ability to influence in practice.
The Asgarnian ale must flow.

17-Oct-2021 01:19:05 - Last edited on 20-Oct-2021 00:47:00 by William Witt

William Witt
Aug Member 2023

William Witt

Posts: 12,465 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
The current archbishop was an unconventional pick: Aeonisig Raispher, the son of a prosperous member of the Lumbridge peasantry, who was able to provide him an education in the hopes that he might better his social position. Nevertheless, Raispher languished in obscurity as a simple village priest for many years until his fiery preaching and unshakable religious faith caught the eye of his superiors, resulting in further opportunities for study and travel (including a disastrous missionary expedition to the Wilderness). It was nevertheless unexpected when the previous monarch chose him as archbishop. He was quickly able to leverage his traditional role as an occasional royal advisor into being a full-time advisor on spiritual matters, a position he retained during the succession of the king's young son, Roald III. Raispher is a divisive figure in the royal court, common opinion holding that he rose to his present position by taking advantage of the old king's frail health, followed by the new king's youthful inexperience. One particularly insidious rumor even claims that despite his seeming intolerance of other creeds, Raispher occasionally corresponds with his Zamorakian counterpart, the Chaos Bishop Caligula Borgia - though it is unclear what reason he would have to do so, and most agree this is merely slander.

Raispher has spent the past several years on an extended diplomatic mission at the behest of his king, but even from afar he is said to have been influential in the appointment of the current Bishop of Falador, a formerly cloistered monk by the name of James Frith. This may be because of Frith's similarly zealous disposition and origin from outside the conventional structures of power, allowing the archbishop to better mold him in his own image.
The Asgarnian ale must flow.

17-Oct-2021 01:19:18 - Last edited on 20-Oct-2021 00:46:42 by William Witt

Jaekob Caed
Apr Member 2011

Jaekob Caed

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To be completely honest, I'd love if Jagex would flesh out the faction politics like this. It'd make them feel less like "talk to an emissary to join a team" and more like actual factions living in an actual world. Nice work! ~
Jaekob Caed
: Scribe, Scholar and Prince of the Kingdom of Heaven ~
The Jagex I once loved is dead... A THREAD

21-Oct-2021 06:18:31

AttilaSquare

AttilaSquare

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This is great! Exactly the kind of detail that makes for excellent lore.

The real-life church which most resembles the structure of jurisdictions that you’ve sketched is the Armenian. Its first see is Etchmiadzin in Armenia, which is responsible for Armenia and all the diaspora. The See of Cilicia - relocated to Lebanon from southern Turkey a century ago - claims administrative independence from Etchmiadzin and responsibility for most of the Middle East, as well as some diasporic jurisdictions. The other two autonomous sees - Jerusalem and Constantinople - consider themselves subject to the authority of Etchmiadzin. The Armenian See of Constantinople is subject to frequent political pressure from the Turkish state.

23-Oct-2021 20:03:41

William Witt
Aug Member 2023

William Witt

Posts: 12,465 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
AttilaSquare said :
This is great! Exactly the kind of detail that makes for excellent lore.

The real-life church which most resembles the structure of jurisdictions that you’ve sketched is the Armenian. Its first see is Etchmiadzin in Armenia, which is responsible for Armenia and all the diaspora. The See of Cilicia - relocated to Lebanon from southern Turkey a century ago - claims administrative independence from Etchmiadzin and responsibility for most of the Middle East, as well as some diasporic jurisdictions. The other two autonomous sees - Jerusalem and Constantinople - consider themselves subject to the authority of Etchmiadzin. The Armenian See of Constantinople is subject to frequent political pressure from the Turkish state.

That is neat! I'd heard of the Armenian Apostolic Church, but didn't know anything about how they were structured.

I have a couple of additional thoughts that are part of this headcanon, but which I didn't find a place for in the main body of the text -

1) The Saradominist priesthood is open to both sexes, though due to patriarchy women are a minority.

2) Priests of Saradomin are theoretically expected to remain unmarried, but the Church often lacks the power to enforce this.
The Asgarnian ale must flow.

16-Feb-2022 09:02:37

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