Pontiff Laurentius

“A man can no more diminish the glory the gods by refusing to worship them than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.”
-Laurentius 
== History ==
The Pontiff of the Alban Church, responsible for crowning new Emperors, interpreting omens, and preserving the old Alban rituals. Laurentius, born Laurence Jax, was a priest and close friend of a young Clovis Coralis. With his shrewd mind, ambition, and connections to the monarchy, it was inevitable that he would rise to become Pontiff. Considered radical by his colleagues, he believes that the majority of priests do not truly understand the gods they serve. He is in favor of expanding the empire’s borders, and in incorporating local gods into the Alban pantheon. He is one of the few that knows about the Great Old Ones, and was the principal advocate for war against Arendur. 
== Personality ==
The Pontiff is not a man that most people know; a priest’s priest, seen by others in the church as a power-player who plays fast and loose with doctrinal matters. He is far more distant from the people of Alba Coralis then many of his predecessors were. 
== War of the Philosopher-Kings ==
The Pontiff would crown Duke Regulus as Emperor of Alba Coralis, but did not follow him to Scarbantia. After the rise of Emperor Arthur, he would go into hiding, eventually disappearing. It was assumed that he had been assassinated at the Emperor's orders. Many members of the church, refusing to accept Grand Duchess Galla Livossa-Coralis' appointment to the highest ecclesiastical officer, would consider Laurentius a saint and a martyr. Category:Alba Coralis
Category:Priests
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Category:Lawful Evil