Divine

The Divine is the leader of the Orlesian Chantry based out of the Grand Cathedral in Val Royeaux, capital of Orlais. The Divine is always female. The Imperial Chantry has its own Imperial Divine, a man based out on the Argent Spire in Minrathous, capital of the Tevinter Imperium. Neither Divine recognizes the existence of the other. The Orlesian Divine is informally known as the "White Divine," as opposed to the "Black Divine" of the Imperial Chantry. Both names are considered sacrilegious.
== History ==
The first Divine was appointed in 1:1 Divine by Emperor Kordillus Drakon I of Orlais. Known to some as the "Warrior-Priest," she had been the only female general of Drakon's armies and a devout missionary of Andraste, qualities that Drakon felt best embodied Andraste's dual nature as a war-maiden and spiritual leader. She took on the name of Justinia I, in honor of one of the original Disciples of Andraste. Her appointment caused significant frustration in Tevinter, which had been developing its own Chantry independently of Orlais. Eventually, disagreements on the role of magic and the position of men in the priesthood led to a schism between the Imperial and Orlesian Chantries. After Divine Joyous II declared the Tevinter clerics heretics in 3:87 Towers, the Archon retaliated by naming Grand Cleric Valhail, a man and a mage, as Imperial Divine of the Tevinter Chantry.
== Duties ==
The duties of the Divine include the well-being of the Chantry and its affiliated organizations as well as the further spreading of the Chantry's message in the known world. However, if a Divine is too senile to rule, then her role is largely ceremonial.Dragon Age: Asunder, p. 25
Another known duty of the White Divine is to accept in a ceremony the newly appointed senior enchanters of the Circle of Magi.Dragon Age: Asunder, pp. 297-298 It is rumored that some Divines are also major players of the Grand Game.Dragon Age: Asunder p. 24
In extraordinary times, and in deference to Andraste, the Divine may also be moved to declare an Exalted March.Codex entry: The Llomerryn Accords These religious crusades have mobilized armies of thousands to destroy the heretical enemies of the Maker. The Divines are also given the responsibility of naming each Age.
== Election ==
In the Orlesian Chantry, it is customary for a Divine to name her successor before her death, but this does not guarantee their ascension. Upon the death of the current Divine, every grand cleric is required to travel to Val Royeaux for the Grand Consensus. There, they elect a new Divine, usually from among themselves. The vote must be unanimous for a new Divine to be properly elected. Once crowned, the Divine takes on a new name as a symbol of her office. 
The election of Divine Justinia V was controversial, as her colorful past as Revered Mother Dorothea (as she was then known) made many of the grand clerics reluctant to elect her, despite the fact that Beatrix III had named her as her successor. In the end, Dorothea was successfully elected, and began her reign in 9:34 Dragon.
== Known Orlesian Divines ==
* Justinia I – the first Divine; appointed by Emperor Kordillus Drakon I in 1:01 Divine 
* Ambrosia II – reigned during the Divine Age; she attempted to order an Exalted March against her own cathedral after protesting mages barricaded themselves insideCodex entry: History of the Circle
* Hortensia I – reigned in 1:99 Divine and named coming age the Glory Age
* Renata I – Divine of the early part of the Glory Age; she declared the Exalted March of the Dales and ordered the establishment of alienages
* Galatea – reigned during the late Glory Age; she was a commoner who was elected after the electorate became locked in a gridlock; in 2:83 Glory, she granted the Right of Annulment to all grand clerics—to purge Circle of Magis that were ruled to be irredeemable
* Innocente – in 2:99 Glory, she consecrated the newly constructed Grand Cathedral of Val Royeaux and declared that the Chant of Light be sung there continuously so that Andraste's message would always be heard by the faithful; she declared the next age to be the Towers Age in honor of the Grand Cathedral's twin towers
* Amara I – reigned in 3:41 Towers; she established a Conclave that declared the Canticle of Silence to be too reminiscent of propaganda supporting Archon Hessarian's actions—the canticle was stricken from of the official Chant as it was no longer considered sacred enough to be included
* Joyous II – elected in 3:86 Towers and died in 3:99; in 3:87, she took issue with the Tevinter clergy's interpretation of the Maker's second commandment and declared all members of the Tevinter clergy heretics when they refused to comply with her orders—this proclamation led to the Schism, during which the Tevinter clergy completely broke away from the Orlesian Chantry and named their own "Black" Divine
* Beatrix I – elected in 3:99 Towers; she named the following age as the Black Age and Declared an Exalted March against the Tevinter Imperium—the invasion however was delayed for 40 years due to the devastation caused from the Third Blight
* Clemence I – reigned in 4:46 Black during which she commissioned the writing of the Litany of Adralla
* Justinia II – reigned in 4:99 Black and named the upcoming age the Exalted Age; she gave enchanted rings to her templars to aid in the Chantry's workMark of the Divine
* Hortensia II – died in 5:16 ExaltedCodex entry: Her Perfumed Sanctuary
* Rosamund – elected in 5:16 Exalted and died in 5:71; she was born Lilette Montbelliard, a granddaughter of Queen Asha Campana; Lilette was groomed from birth by Divine Hortensia II to be her successor and at the age of nineteen she became the youngest Divine in history; Rosamund reigned for 55 years and was well known for the large quantities of erotic art and literature in which she was featured in
* Amara III – elected in 5:71 Exalted and died in 5:85; she is the sister of Emperor Alphonse Valmont; Amara III's election was controversial because of her close connection to the Emperor and the fact that she had never attained the rank of Revered Mother; Amara was known to enjoy bonfires fueled by burning maleficarum; she Eventually died under suspicious circumstances, leading her brother to commission a witch hunt to find her killer—but to no avail
* Theodosia I – reigned in 5:99 Exalted and named the next age the Steel Age
* Theodosia IICodex entry: Chest of Unanswered Invitations – gave birth on the steps of Val Royeaux's Grand Cathedral in front of a crowd of devout Andrastians; she was removed from her position shortly afterward
* Hortensia III – reigned in 6:99 Steel and named the next age the Storm Age
* Faustine II – reigned in 8:99 Blessed; she planned to declare the next age the Sun Age, but abruptly declared it the Dragon Age instead after a high dragon rampaged Ferelden's countrysideCodex entry: Thedas Calendar
* Beatrix III – died in 9:34 Dragon;Codex entry: Divine Justinia V she used the templars to pressure Perrin Threnhold, Kirkwall's Viscount, following his absurd imposition of exorbitant fees on Orlesian ships and closure of the Waking Sea passage—as this threatened to incite war with the Orlesian Empire even though she was a close friend of the current Emperor;Codex entry: History of Kirkwall: Chapter 4 it is stated that she held the office for almost 50 years which however is conflicted with the reign of her predecessor
* Justinia V – elected in 9:34 Dragon and died in 9:41 while hosting the Divine Conclave in the newly restored Temple of Sacred Ashes; her death caused great chaos, urging her Left and Right hands to form the second Inquisition
* Victoria – elected in 9:42 Dragon
Divines with undated rules
These Divines cannot be placed chronologically or their existence has been implied by the names of other Divines (for example, there could not have been a Justinia V without a Justinia III and IV), but no other information is provided about them.
* Amalthea I
* Amalthea II – created the Conclave of Cumberland to determine a canonical version of the Canticle of Andraste
* Amara II
* Ambrosia I
* AureliaAccording to the Chantry priest encountered at The Blooming Rose.
* Beatrix II
* Clemence II – after she died, rumors arose that she was actually a man in disguiseCodex entry: A Nutty Affair
* Faustine I
* Hortensia IVMentioned in dialogue between Sebastian Vael and Merrill in Dragon Age II.
* Joyous I
* Justinia III
* Justinia IV
== Codex entries ==
: (Sermons of Divine Justinia II)
: (on Divine Joyous II)
:
: (Journal of Divine Justinia V)
: (on Divine Joyous II)
:
:
: (Speech by Divine Justinia V)
: (from Divine Justinia V)
: (on Divine Rosamund)
: (Sermons of Divine Justinia I)
: (on Divine Clemence II)
:
: (to Divine Justinia V)
:
== Trivia ==
* The cloister in which a Divine used to serve as a Mother becomes a holy place to visit on pilgrimages.
* According to Sebastian Vael, the Grand Clerics write all the best sacred names on slips of paper and stuff them in a miter. Then the newly elected Divine picks a name out of the hat and that becomes her new name as Divine.Banter between Sebastian and Merrill about how Divines get their name
== See also ==
:
:
== References ==
Category:Titles
Category:Groups
Category:Chantry members
Category:Divines
Category:Chantry lore
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