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The religion and the government are closely tied, with the matriarch, the Vicar, being the head of the Alsakan religious order. The ranks of the government and the ranks of the 'church' are dissimilar. Because their god, Shalharra, is female, blessing the females with the ability to create life as she birthed the universe, the Vicar, and thus, the matriarch, is female, though at first it was because the first Vicar was female. Their government is roughly a religious monarchy. In some cases, The Council of High Priests, a small group of wise elders, had the right to strip the Vicar of her rank and hand it to another, though this was extremely rare, as the Vicar held near absolute power, being a conduit to Shalharra herself. Only if the Vicar was found guilty of making a false prophecy or misguiding the people – for example, if she was paid to prophesy a lie in order to convince the Alsakans to do something she knew would doom them – only then could she be stripped of power.
SHALHARRA
Destroying her own physical form to give birth to her children – her followers – and all the universe, Shalharra, The Mother of All, spread herself out thin, becoming but a presence. She became an omnipotent presence in the universe, governing over the galaxies, planets, her Children; all life.
Shalharra has no obvious moral compass, though some tend to believe she has a good nature. The Creator usually tends to just let all life roam free of its own wills, stepping in only rarely when life begins a self-destructive path that could lead to even greater catastrophes. She is the protector of all nature.
She is said to inhabit the wind, and all of the high priests serve her. Birds are said to be incarnations of her, as they fly with the wind, and a flightless bird is deemed unclean and cursed and were seen as unfit for any use. Birds, usually falcon-like creatures, were kept as sacred companions, not pets, sometimes for falconing, and, as technology flourished, they were used for scouting and spying before being replaced by other technological advances. Birds were usually kept by the priest, and it was considered a good omen when flocks of birds perched on Shalharra’s temple. As a result, piloting became associated with Shalharra, and the first ships were created to be bird-like, though the design did depart from that over the years.
Women and females in general are thought to be blessed by Shalharra, as they, too, create life by giving of themselves, and infertility was a reason for exile. Her symbolic color was believed to be pearl-colored marble, as that it was her temple was primarily built with, but it is actually red, for blood and life, and for the crystals with which the temple was decorated and the eyes of her statue carved.
Because of her association with life, medicine was also considered to be blessed by Shalharra, and through it chemistry and the other various life sciences
SHALHARRA
Destroying her own physical form to give birth to her children – her followers – and all the universe, Shalharra, The Mother of All, spread herself out thin, becoming but a presence. She became an omnipotent presence in the universe, governing over the galaxies, planets, her Children; all life.
Shalharra has no obvious moral compass, though some tend to believe she has a good nature. The Creator usually tends to just let all life roam free of its own wills, stepping in only rarely when life begins a self-destructive path that could lead to even greater catastrophes. She is the protector of all nature.
She is said to inhabit the wind, and all of the high priests serve her. Birds are said to be incarnations of her, as they fly with the wind, and a flightless bird is deemed unclean and cursed and were seen as unfit for any use. Birds, usually falcon-like creatures, were kept as sacred companions, not pets, sometimes for falconing, and, as technology flourished, they were used for scouting and spying before being replaced by other technological advances. Birds were usually kept by the priest, and it was considered a good omen when flocks of birds perched on Shalharra’s temple. As a result, piloting became associated with Shalharra, and the first ships were created to be bird-like, though the design did depart from that over the years.
Women and females in general are thought to be blessed by Shalharra, as they, too, create life by giving of themselves, and infertility was a reason for exile. Her symbolic color was believed to be pearl-colored marble, as that it was her temple was primarily built with, but it is actually red, for blood and life, and for the crystals with which the temple was decorated and the eyes of her statue carved.
Because of her association with life, medicine was also considered to be blessed by Shalharra, and through it chemistry and the other various life sciences
CHURCH OF THE JINTU
Vicar
The Vicar is the matriarch of the church, and essentially its figurehead. The Vicar is chosen at a very young age, and is always female. She leads the church until death, and is the only person in all the galaxy who has a direct connection to Shalharra the Mother Goddess. Typically, the Vicar takes on the name of Lharra, for that was the name of the very first Vicar of Alsakan, though it has become more of a ceremonial rite.
The Council of Elders
The Council of Elders is made up of the wisest priests amongst the Church. They do not have a specific number, but it must be above three at all times, as ordained by the first Vicar. Their job is to seek out and appoint new Vicars, to carry out the Vicar's wishes, and to give out tasks to the other members of the Church. In much older times, they were also supposed to keep the Vicar in check by testing her prophesies and visions, but a discrepancy has not been discovered for generations. However, they still remain that power if a majority vote is achieved.
The Adon of Shalharra
The Adon's job is one that is most crucial to the Union. The Adon are ambassadors, who often make trips to foreign planets and Empires, to persuade them to join the Alsakan Union. Another role that an Adon may fulfil is that of an overseer, one who watches over the priests and flocks of a specific sector or area of the city-ring Xenvaer. In the near future, a third task may come to The Adon, one that is a far greater role than the others.
Priest
The Priest is the intermediate stage in the hierarchy of the Church. They have several tasks, depending on which they choose upon ascension. They may be the leader of an entire church, an aid to an Adon of Shalharra, or an emissary, spreading the good word of Shalharra across the galaxy.
Scholar
Once an Acolyte is deemed worthy of advancing in the ranks of the Church, they will be given the title of Scholar. A Scholar's main task is to aid the new Acoltyle's in their studies by training and guiding them in Shalharra's ways.
Acolyte
New initiate into the Church of Shalharra. Their time is mainly spent furthering their studies of the Church, expanding their views on life and knowledge of the Order. They are also taught basic negotiation and peace keeping skills.
The Vicar is the matriarch of the church, and essentially its figurehead. The Vicar is chosen at a very young age, and is always female. She leads the church until death, and is the only person in all the galaxy who has a direct connection to Shalharra the Mother Goddess. Typically, the Vicar takes on the name of Lharra, for that was the name of the very first Vicar of Alsakan, though it has become more of a ceremonial rite.
The Council of Elders
The Council of Elders is made up of the wisest priests amongst the Church. They do not have a specific number, but it must be above three at all times, as ordained by the first Vicar. Their job is to seek out and appoint new Vicars, to carry out the Vicar's wishes, and to give out tasks to the other members of the Church. In much older times, they were also supposed to keep the Vicar in check by testing her prophesies and visions, but a discrepancy has not been discovered for generations. However, they still remain that power if a majority vote is achieved.
The Adon of Shalharra
The Adon's job is one that is most crucial to the Union. The Adon are ambassadors, who often make trips to foreign planets and Empires, to persuade them to join the Alsakan Union. Another role that an Adon may fulfil is that of an overseer, one who watches over the priests and flocks of a specific sector or area of the city-ring Xenvaer. In the near future, a third task may come to The Adon, one that is a far greater role than the others.
Priest
The Priest is the intermediate stage in the hierarchy of the Church. They have several tasks, depending on which they choose upon ascension. They may be the leader of an entire church, an aid to an Adon of Shalharra, or an emissary, spreading the good word of Shalharra across the galaxy.
Scholar
Once an Acolyte is deemed worthy of advancing in the ranks of the Church, they will be given the title of Scholar. A Scholar's main task is to aid the new Acoltyle's in their studies by training and guiding them in Shalharra's ways.
Acolyte
New initiate into the Church of Shalharra. Their time is mainly spent furthering their studies of the Church, expanding their views on life and knowledge of the Order. They are also taught basic negotiation and peace keeping skills.
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