Diocese of Westridge

The Diocese of Westridge is the Church of Holy Light’s arm in the Duchy of Westridge. The Diocese provides healers and battle-clerics who serve alongside the royal army as harbingers of their faith. The Diocese follows the will of the Bishop of Westridge.
==History==
By the time that war and strife divided the last vestiges of the Arathorian Empire, the Three Virtues had taken root in all corners of the present-day Eastern Kingdoms. The Church solidified its grasp on the newly founded Kingdom of Azeroth, where several churches and chapels were constructed through the toil and donations of the faithful. In the lavender covered foothills of present-day Clairmont rose Westridge Cathedral, a grand structure that stood as the center of faith for Westridge and its comprising counties. A priory was established not long after where those who sought to practice the path of monasticism could cloister in peace.
The parish of Westridge initially faced scrutiny from the nobility of the land for championing commoners and the poor, but soon came into favor of the House of Montclair for its humanitarian work that eased the strain on the duchy’s coffers. After quelling the peasant revolts that erupted during the War of the Three Hammers, Lord Philip De Vries put forward a chivalric code in an effort to curb the wanton brutality of the knights of Westridge that sparked the conflict. This code of virtue and conduct included faith in the church and practice of the Three Virtues – forever cementing the Westridge parish as a fixture of the land.
===The Age of Chaos===
Growth and influence over the land no doubt emboldened the priests of Westridge’s parish, and through hubris did they eventually succumb to destruction at the hands of the Orcish Horde. While Westridge’s church contributed dozens of battle-clerics and healers to the war effort, it was not enough to turn the crushing tide that swept away the Azerothian countryside. 
Defying calls to evacuate with the rest of the population, Bishop Aron Nemisius convinced many of his parishes to barricade themselves within Westridge Abbey with the promise that the Light would save them from the impending orcs – declaring those who fled as unfaithful. Few of his clergy resisted this call; even with their faith, they were ultimately slain when the orcs conquered Westridge in the last months of the First War. The orcs desecrated Westridge Cathedral; slaughtering its livestock, melting down its holy icons, and guzzling its great stores of mead and wine.
Those priests of Westridge who fled the land faced a crisis of faith. The Light did not save their brothers and sisters as their Bishop asserted it would. They were branded as unfaithful by those who died for their faith. Several of these scant priests abandoned their clerical titles and took up arms in service to the young Duke Maxen Montclair during the Second War. The numbered few who retained their faith were hardened to the fires of battle, wielding the Light to inspire their allies and smite their foes with a vengeance not seen before in the hearts of clergymen.
A divide began to crystalize amongst the wayward priests of Westridge as the Orcish Wars dragged on. The healers and proponents of scripture clung to the traditional structure of the church of Westridge, while those who took up arms increasingly wielded the light to invoke retribution upon the enemies of the Alliance. Following the establishment of the Order of the Silver Hand, several of the militant priesthood were granted membership as paladin knights. Brother Isaac Degaullier, formerly a monk of Westridge Abbey, was the first to take the oath.
Sir Isaac became a beacon of hope for the Westridgean church. Adhering to the virtues three in all aspects of his life, he led the priesthood and paladins alike to victory after victory against the orcs. Despite Sir Isaac’s tragic death during the final siege of Westridge Keep, those who remained saw through the liberation of Westridge and the rest of the Kingdom under the Duke’s command. In Sir Isaac’s honor and under the blessing of both the Duke and Archbishop Alonsus Faol, the Order of Saint Isaac was founded to serve as a continuation of the knighthood of the church that Sir Isaac maintained during the Orcish Wars.
Despite the victory against the Orcish Horde, the Duchy of Westridge was left in shambles. Many of its surviving subjects elected to settle in the Kingdom of Lordaeron, believing the Kingdom of Azeroth beyond redemption for its failure to withstand the orcish invasion. The few who returned were greeted with nothing but razed buildings and burnt fields. Crime was rampant as opportunistic brigands looted the ruins and preyed upon returning settlers.
Duke Maxen drafted all able-bodied men and women into military service to bring order to the land. Many professions were stripped bare of their laborers as all were incorporated into the military complex – not even the priests of the church were immune to conscription. Reconstruction projects were completed in quick succession by the military with funding and supplies shipped in from the Alliance of Lordaeron. This trend continued for nearly a decade, with Westridge relying exclusively on the Alliance’s donations for its needs.
Disillusionment with the reconstruction process led many of the Alliance of Lordaeron to cease their donations to the Kingdom of Azeroth. Conscription requirements were lifted in Westridge and many returned to their occupations. The church, however, remained barren. Many had lost faith in the Light after decades of destruction and bloodshed. Without a devoted parish, the church of Westridge was a hollow shell of what it once was.
===The Failed Crusade ===
As life returned to relative normalcy in the Duchy of Westridge, word of rising death cults in the north prompted many in Stormwind to turn to the church in a crisis of faith. Refugees were taken in by the hundreds in the chapels of Westridge as the kingdoms of the north fell into disarray. When the noble houses of Lordaeron called for Stormwind’s aid after Arthas’s betrayal, Duke Maxen rallied the battle-hardened citizens of Westridge for war. Refugees from Lordaeron joined the march expecting to return to their homes. Many signed up freely as crusaders after the church blessed the effort as a righteous one.
The combined force of the royal army left Stormwind with great fanfare. Most expected the campaign to be a short one; that the “rebels” in Lordaeron would melt before the might of Stormwind’s army. The morale of the troops quickly soured as they realized the true nature of the enemies they faced. Although the regiments of Stormwind found initial success against the smaller packs of the undead, the plague-infected many of its soldiers. Those who did not go mad perished from the disease. Hundreds deserted before the young King Varian withdrew the Duke’s remaining troops from the north. Many of the army’s deserters joined the ranks of the Scarlet Crusade, believing the leadership of the old Alliance inept.
Defeat in Lordaeron humiliated Duke Maxen and dealt further damage to the message of the holy church. Many questioned how such evil could take root and so easily defeat the forces of the Light. Duke Maxen re-implemented a military draft to replenish the numbers lost during the failed campaign, ultimately erasing what little progress the parish of 
Westridge had made in the course of a few years.
The priests of Westridge who were conscripted into the army vowed to keep the faith 
alive. As a new generation of soldiers was trained to take on the challenges that faced the Duchy, the chaplaincy spread the virtues three to those who would listen. They served especially well in the fortification efforts led by Duke Maxen, where they improved the lives of their fellow subjects with humanitarian public works.
When King Varian disappeared and Highlord Bolvar took the throne in regency, the church aggressively advanced its doctrine in what was perceived as a period fraught with corruption. Archbishop Benedictus regularly clashed with the House of Nobles over mismanagement of the kingdom’s coffers, demanding that more be spent on the hemorrhaging border provinces. The remnants of Westridge’s parish did what they could to help the people of Westfall in their time of need, but their efforts were ultimately too few to stop the land from falling apart.
Tensions came to a head when the Archbishop called for a vote of no confidence in the Highlord’s abilities as regent. Despite securing a narrow victory in the house that saw him retain his position, Bolvar lost the respect of his peers. Duke Maxen shut himself in his keep, languishing in the depression of the times.
Lady Katrana Prestor’s revelation as the Dragonqueen Onyxia jolted the politics of the realm. Highlord Bolvar was celebrated as a hero for his role in her demise. Free from the Dragonqueen’s sway, the House of Nobles begun to formulate plans for the kingdom’s recovery. Archbishop Benedictus reaffirmed the church’s dedication to righting the ills of the land.
A widespread outbreak of the undead plague in the Eastern Kingdoms prompted a mass mobilization of the Stormwind Army. The church was instrumental in healing the sick and sheltering the poor in these dark times. The Argent Dawn instructed the priests of the realm in revolutionary healing techniques that they learned in their fight against the scourge. Casualties were kept to a minimum in Westridge, where the afflicted were quarantined and tended to by the Argents.
When King Varian returned with a band of allies, he and the defenders of Stormwind stood their ground against the forces of darkness. Forging a tentative alliance with the New Horde, he led the kingdom into the War Against the Lich King. Many were inspired by this 
bold charge. As the Scarlet Crusade crumbled in the ruins of Lordaeron, several of those who deserted in the initial invasion returned to seek refuge within the Kingdom of Stormwind. Those who forswore their allegiance to the organization and pledged their fealty to the King were welcomed with open arms in the Duchy of Westridge.
The former crusaders who joined the ranks of Westridge’s parish brought with them a zeal for the Light that pushed the church out of obscurity and into the forefront of politics within the Duchy. Together with the battle clerics serving Westridge’s military, the priests of the parish scored several victories against the Scourge in Northrend; paving the way for the victory against the Lich King in 30 L.C.
=== Resurgence After the Cataclysm===
An impetus for action following the Cataclysm prompted the Church to reform the parishes of Westridge. Then-Episcopal Legate Erich Gottfried Manstein and Bishop Johannes Moorwhelp requested that Caspius Greenleaf take on the task, to which he duly obliged.
Caspius' service in Westridge was exemplary. As an extraordinary minister to the parish of Clairmont, he began a series of parochial reforms designed to prevent a further recurrence of the circumstances that had led to the parish being deprived of its clergy. When Westridge had begun a process of conscription, many of the clergies were drawn into the military. Caspius now firmly established the immunity of the clergy to conscription and instituted a strong policy of dissuading clergy members from involving themselves in armed service, noting that Paladins already served that role. Then, Caspius created an engaging system for priestly formation, aware that the parishes of Westridge were not wealthy locales, and that the church would be, for many young men and women, a source of livelihood in addition to a center of spiritual peace.
An abundance of young novices was soon being instructed in the basics of monastic life, with leaders selected from among the brightest. Amongst these was the young Shara Adelie, a woman who was the sole surviving member of her family in the wake of the conflicts which had befallen Westridge. Despite a surprising capacity for the teachings of the Light, Shara had long been prohibited from joining the Church by her family. Caspius convinced her to serve as an extraordinary priest. When Shara's appointment was confirmed by Bishop Moorwhelp, Caspius felt the matter one of the greatest triumphs of his life. The parish of Clairmont, with its ruined cathedral and the leaderless population, had been transformed, in the space of a month, to a bustling and lively center of church life, headed by a priest who knew the needs of the people better than anyone else. Sadly, Mother Shara passed in her sleep after only three months as the leader of Clairmont's parish.
===Chapelry Under Curate===
The effort to separate the church from Westridge’s military was short-lived. Following Mother Shara’s death, Mother Maverith Telloran was quickly called to serve as Curate of the parish of Clairmont by Duke Maxen Montclair after her service as a battle-cleric and chaplain within the first regiment of the Royal Army. She accepted the appointment while continuing her duties as a soldier. Her duties as curate extended to providing guidance and mentorship in the training of the aspirants of the Order of Saint Isaac, in collaboration with the paladin knights overseeing their trials.
The posting in Westridge was particularly meaningful to her. The parish had been blessed by the presence of Saint Caspius Greenleaf himself. During his pastoral service there, he rebuilt the parish and his extraordinary work laid the foundation for the Chapelry's rebirth. The connection to Westridge was deeply personal for Maverith also because this is where her late friend, Mother Shara Adelie Greenleaf, began her vocation within the Church. Maverith hoped that her work in Westridge would honor her memory. Her stay at the Chapelry was short, however. She resigned her position when it became clear to her that the clergy of the Order of Saint Isaac and the medics of the First Regiment’s medical corps could take care of the spiritual and healing needs of the Chapelry without her guidance. She felt she was no longer needed in Westridge and hoped that the Church would have used for her in another capacity. With one last prayer for the brave men and women of the regiment, she left the serene abbey in the fields of lavender.
===Controversy in the Parish===
Following the resignation of Mother Maverith, Duke Maxen appointed his newly wedded wife, Lady Mairaed, as the Curate of Westridge by advowson. Like Maverith before her, Lady Mairaed had extensive military experience in the First Regiment as both a ranger and as a paladin knight in service to the Order of Saint Isaac. At the invitation of Archbishop Alonsus II, Mairaed was brought before the Council of Bishops as a potential prioress representing the Curate of Westridge. She was elected to the position by unanimous vote as is the standard process and was ordained as a priestess in the service of the Church of the Holy Light.
Mother Mairaed’s leadership would be fraught with controversy stemming from the marital bond she shared with the Duke of Westridge. Following her ordination, the duke stripped away Mairaed’s commission as a Knight-Lieutenant in the First Regiment, citing that her loyalty now belonged to the church by oath. The callous removal of her hard-earned rank was met with great protest. Some suggested that the duke did so to keep his wife out of harm’s way, while others saw this as a means for the duke to keep Mother Mairaed close to their newborn son, Robert Montclair. No matter the reasoning, Mother Mairaed would never return to the battlefields where she had fought and bled for the parish she now led.
Despite being stripped of military rank, Mother Mairaed worked to bring the same standard of excellence her regiment was known for on the battlefield to the organization at which she was at the helm. In part by her efforts within the Curate of Westridge, it was decreed by Archbishop Alonsus II that the Curate would become a priory, the first in the Holy See of Stormwind since before the Orcish Wars. With aspirations to build a loyal church following amongst the men and women of the Regiment as well as to train and develop a new breed of elite battle clerics, the Priory of Westridge was on track to reestablish a strong partnership with the Holy Church. Mother Mairaed’s work kept her time split between the Cathedral of Stormwind and administering to the needs of the flock of believers in Westridge. She presented liturgy on multiple occasions in the Great Cathedral while the First Regiment was absent, and garnered a reputation as a down-to-earth, woman-of-the-people preacher.
The First Regiment triumphantly returned to Westridge after months abroad. Despite their victories, the regiment was reviled by the peasantry for the heavy taxes levied in order to fund the king’s campaigns. It was but a month after their return that a fight broke out between regiment soldiers and refugees fleeing Westfall across the Nazferiti River. Further conflict erupted along the Westfall border; each a battle that saw Westfallian men dragged away in chains – or worse. Mother Mairaed’s efforts to quell these conflicts peacefully were quashed by the commanders of the First Regiment who cited her lack of military rank as a reason to ignore her. In Mother Mairaed’s eyes, the soldiers of the regiment turned against the Light’s virtues and relished in the subjugation of their fellow men. Public accusations of traitorous activity were flung at Mother Mairaed by a group of Duke Maxen’s loyal officers – not only accusing her of being sympathetic to the cause of rebel Westfallians, but accusing her of providing material assistance and intelligence to the rebels. The schism was so deep that it caused a great rift between Duke Maxen and his wife; a rift that eventually led to their divorce.
Mairaed fled Stormwind to escape the escalating threat to her personal safety. While she was absent, the Priory was left in the care of the few remaining clergies that had not retired from military service. The First Regiment’s seat at the Council of Bishops remained empty as none were able to fill the void left by Mother Mairaed. Furious at what he perceived as her complete abandonment, Duke Maxen declared Mairaed’s title as Prioress forfeit in a fit of rage.
===A New Light===
The parishes of Westridge stagnated in the months following Mairaed's departure, the conflict at its core unresolved as the Duke struggled with the loss. Mother Muriah Laldere, a battle-cleric of the First Regiment, saw this tragedy and took it upon herself to promote the restoration of the religious organization. She began to hold group and private counseling sessions, medical training, and liturgies amongst the subjects of Westridge and the soldiers of the First Regiment. 
Having the credentials of her ordination and years of service to the Church, Mother Muriah was elevated to the office of Vicar in July of 35 L.C. In this position, Mother Muriah sought out potential candidates for ordination while continuing her work with the unit on both broad and individualized levels in the fields of medicine, healing, and spiritual guidance. She was eventually appointed Bishop of Westridge in the early months of 37 L.C. and later left Westridge to serve within the Cathedral of Holy Light again. 
In Muriah's absence, Mother Kimberly Sweete, a faithful student of the Bishop, was appointed the new Bishop of Westridge in January of 38 L.C. With the reconstruction of Westridge Cathedral completed, the Diocese of Westridge initially stood strong but soon fell into a period of stagnation and neglect once again. 
=== Revival and Reformation ===
The mantle of the Episcopate was eventually passed on to Bishop Kristiana Greycliff - a young priestess who, under the tutelage of Bishop Richelieau, took charge of the diocese's revival and fortified a new ideology of the Church within Westridge. The fanatical extremism that had been left unchecked by her predecessors was aggressively stamped out, bringing forth a period of temperance and compassion in the region. Westridge Cathedral was expanded further to include a hospital, and ministries were established to serve the faithful and the poor alike. A non-profit school was established for younger children alongside a volunteer-led trade school that prepared young adults entering the local workforce. 
==Diocesan Structure==
The structure of the Church of the Holy Light is rooted in the ideal that its leaders are the appointed successors of Saint Mereldar and her apostles.
===The Episcopate===
The Bishop of Westridge, also known as the Episcopate, is the ordained leader of the Diocese of Westridge, appointed by the Council of Bishops in the absence of Archbishop Benedictus. The Bishop resides and directs the Diocese from within Westridge Cathedral in the County of Clairmont. The Bishop of Westridge takes on many priestly duties, including preaching at liturgies, officiating the weddings and funerals of noblemen, overseeing scholarly works, teaching aspiring priests, performing exorcisms, and providing healing services to those who seek them. The Bishop may provide sanctuary to fleeing criminals as outlined in the Laws of Stormwind.
Bishops in general make up the broad ruling governance of the Church of the Holy Light as the claimed successors of Saint Mereldar and her apostles. The Bishop of Westridge partakes in the Council of Bishops which rules on higher decisions that affect the church at large. In the greater structure of the Council of Bishops, the Bishop of Westridge is a Bishop Suffragan that serves the Metropolitan Bishop of Stormwind City.
The Bishop of Westridge wears a white mitre embroidered with Tyr’s Cross. Two silken lappets trail behind the Bishop’s mitre that are colored blue to represent the See of Stormwind. The Bishop wears white cassock robes with gold embroidery and a long silken stole draped around their neck and over their shoulders. The Bishop of Westridge carries a great staff that bears Tyr’s Cross cast from truesilver and lacquered with gold. The Bishop is bestowed a golden ring to symbolize their fealty to the Archbishop’s rule. When greeting a bishop, it is traditional for clergymen and those of the faith of lower rank to kneel and kiss the bishop’s ring.
===The Presbyteral Council===
The Presbyteral Council assists the Bishop in the governance of the diocese according to norm of law and to promote the pastoral good of the faithful throughout the diocese.
Vicars are the regional officers of the Diocese of Westridge that make up the Presbyteral Council of Westridge with each vicar overseeing the parish within their administrative region known as a vicariate. Each vicar answers directly to the Bishop of Westridge though may deliver reports to the Vicar General. There is a vicar appointed to each of the counties of Westridge, which in turn each have a vicariate:
*The Vicar General oversees the Vicariate of Clairmont on the northwestern coast of Westridge.
*The Vicar of Bridgeport oversees the Vicariate of Whitecliffe on the southwestern coast of Westridge.
*The Vicar of Wanduke oversees the Vicariate of Wanduke in the northeastern mountains of Westridge.
*The Vicar of Fairpeak oversees the Vicariate of Fairpeak in the central mountains of Westridge.
*The Vicar of Mirwood oversees the Vicariate of Mirwood in the southern forests of Westridge.
*The Vicar of Westbrook oversees the military chaplaincy and Vicariate of Westbrook on the border between Elwynn and Westfall.
Vicars wear the traditional white cassock robes of priesthood. To mark them as a priest, a vicar will wear a long silken stole draped over their shoulders. They may wear a black wide-brimmed hat known as a galero, and carry a staff cast from truesilver that bears Tyr’s Cross or a star.
===The College of Canons===
The College of Canons of Westridge is an organization of canon priests who operate Westridge Cathedral under the orders of the bishop.
Each canon priest has specific duties in addition to those performed by ordained Priests:
*The dean is the elected leader of the College of Canons, responsible for ensuring that the other canon priests complete their duties.
*The canon treasurer oversees their cathedral’s finances and organizes charitable efforts within their diocese.
*The canon chancellor oversees education and the adherence to church dogma within the purview of their cathedral and diocese.
*The canon preceptor is responsible for organizing their cathedral’s choir and distributing church hymns throughout their diocese.
*The chapter clerk of a college of canons is responsible for handling logistical communication with the greater church and community outreach to the faithful.
Canon priests wear the traditional white cassock robes of priesthood with the addition of a purple mozetta that drapes over their shoulders and chest. They may wear a black wide-brimmed hat known as a galero, and carry a staff cast from truesilver or gold that bears Tyr’s Cross or a star.
=== The Presbyterium===
Priests and priestesses are ordained members of the clergy that make up the greater body of the Church of the Holy Light called the Presbyterium. These priests take on a variety of duties including preaching at liturgies, officiating weddings and funerals, overseeing scholarly works, teaching aspiring priests, performing exorcisms, and providing healing services to those who seek them. Priests may be called into battle to defend and assist the faithful, wielding the Holy Light to smite their enemies or heal their allies.
To become a priest recognized by the church, one must enroll as a student of their local parish and learn the various codes, rites, and dogma practiced by the faith. Should they complete their seminary education and be vouched for by their peers, one may be made a priest in a process known as ordainment. Ordainment must be carried out by a bishop or higher-ranking priest. 
Priests wear traditional white cassock robes. A silken stole is draped over their shoulders that hangs in front of them. They may wear a black wide-brimmed hat known as a galero, and carry a staff cast from truesilver that bears Tyr’s Cross or a star.
===The Laity===
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==Westridge Cathedral==
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Category:Organizations
Category:Diocese of Westridge
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