Cardinal

A **cardinal** is an ordained, consecrated, or appointment member of the clergy of the Faith who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight.

Cardinals are the third-highest ranking religious leaders within the Faith's hierarchy, above high priests. Their office or position is known as the cardinalship.

## Membership

Novices may start training at the age of eighteen, the traditional age of adulthood on Gilderas. Men of any rank may begin training. All novices are male, as women do not hold positions of leadership within the Faith clergy.

Those who do not follow the Faith and nonadherents are forbidden from becoming novices. While a novice may come from any rank, they must be literate and well versed in the teachings of the holy texts.

## Novitiates

Novices undergo periods known as novitiates of six months to a year during which their piety and devotion to the Faith are tested. They must demonstrate proficient knowledge in the holy texts of the Faith, the White Tenets, the history and terms of the Faith, and prayers and hymns. They must display piety, compassion, generosity, and veneration for the Faith.

Novices train and study beneath a priest or cleric. At the end of the novitiate period, their actions and characters are evaluated and studied. If they are deemed to have displayed sufficient piety and devotion, they may be permitted to become clerics.

## Activities

They are authorized to perform all religious services and rituals of the Faith.

At the beginning of their novitiate, a novice does not preach or address a congregation. Much of their time is spent in study and quiet contemplation. As they demonstrate more of their knowledge of the Faith, they are given duties around a sanctum or cathedral assisting their master. They may light candles or braziers, sweep aisles, anoint sculptures, or complete other such simple tasks.

Once they are further into the novitiate period, a novice may speak a small part within a priest or cleric's sermon. As they progress within the novitiate, their smaller sermons grow longer and they are permitted to take a greater role within the clergy leadership.

Novices may travel from settlement to settlement, speaking of the Faith and the goodness of the Light. However, unless they have spent time within their novitiate, they will not have the authority to preach within sanctums.

Novices do not have formal authority to perform marriage or death rites, baptisms, anointments, initiations, or knighthood ceremonies.

## Uniform

The uniform of the novice consists of a long gray robe and cowl. They may also wear a gray surcoat or cloak. Novices may wear belts, but this the extent of their permitted ornamentation.

Their clothing is made of wool or linen. They are also entitled to wear leather. They may not wear silks, goldcloth, or similarly expensive fabrics. Furs, velvets, and elaborate trimmings are not permitted.

Robes and surcoats are often sewn with a white star set across the chest. The star may be stitched to the back of the clothing as well. Not all novice uniforms display such stars, and this type of decoration is not restricted to the novice rank.

Novices begin to maintain beards which they may not cut.