The Church of the Slain God

The Church of the Slain God is based on a pre-Starfall religion that worshipped the Sovereign. That church was very evangelical and sent priests onto boats in order to spread the word.
It survived in different capacities after the stars fell.

Their sacred text is the Slain Tome.  The Slain Tome can be interpreted a lot of different ways and there is countless apocryphal folk belief entwined with it.

## Ranks of the Church

### Corno

The most basic rank in the Church, referring to the horn or trumpet of god. As regional priests, in most places they are glorified tax collectors. They carry messages from the church authority and deliver tithes to Lacrima.

Many deliver sermons, but it's not uncommon for Corno to be wealthy and influential citizens appointed by Lacrima to keep church relations civil with different municipalities.

Corno have wide variations in their dogma and practice because they are usually basing things off the traditions of their region.

### Lacrima

Translated to "the tears of god", they are part of the Church's tax collection system. They travel to the congregations of the Corno and ferry the tithes back to the Church.

Lacrima have heightened authority because they can perform divine magic. This is basic magic which is taught in universities and mostly consists of healing. If you're in a small community without a doctor it's a big deal for a Lacrima to roll through and save a life or two.

The most coveted Lacrima positions are in large urban centers. Places like Burza Nyth or Aurum are ideal because a Lacrima just needs to manage a dozen Corno and make a largely ceremonial trip a few times a year.
The next most-coveted are ship commissions, where a Lacrima manages a region on one of the ships operated by the Church.
The worst Lacrima positions don't provide ships and Lacrima must travel by caravan, foot, or sea to manage their Corno.

This position has some political importance as they are the eyes and ears of their Bishop. They also do a lot of their Bishop's dirty work. For that reason, Lacrima positions are held by a variety of different people.
Being a Lacrima requires schooling so many are third-, fourth-, and fifth-born children from wealthy families. Sometimes they are useful spies and diplomats. Those who are not useful make up for their incompetence with their connections to influential land owners.
A bishop may give the Lacrima role to an ex-Red Feather captain. If they manage a region with a lot of costal land or somewhere full of raiding bandits and pirates, sometimes a Lacrima is required who can "rain hell".

### Bishop

A legacy title from pre-starfall, folded into the Church's reformed structure at the behest of one of the Voxes who didn't want their people to lose status.

Bishops collect money collected by Lacrima. They also manage the distribution of church resources. They decide who gets to be a Lacrima and which ones get skyships, guards, or in many cases audit oversight.
In order to be a Bishop you need to have performed a miracle. What constitutes as a miracle in a world with magic can vary greatly, often devolving into politics.

### Occio or Vista

Translated to "the eyes of god", the Occio vote on ecumenical politics and, most importantly, they choose new Voxes when someone dies. Occio is an entirely political position and one can only be appointed on the authority of two Voxes.

Occio vote on what actions constitute miracles. If a Bishop has the right allies, snuffing out all the candles in a church is more miraculous than healing someone paralyzed from the neck down.
Occio are usually drafted out of the pool of Bishops, so in many cases Bishops are created to maintain ideological factions within the church. The more territory and money an Occio can bring in, the greater the number of Bishops there are allocated to them.

### Vox

The final position is Vox or "the voice of god." They are said to communicate directly with the angels in heavens surrounding The Sovereign's empty throne. They dictate the will of heaven and leave it to the Occio and Bishops to carry out that will.

Due to the widespread nature of the church, regions would fall in and out of touch with each other and new sects would develop. The largest clusters would raise Voxes who would fight over who was actually talking to heaven.
When skyships became a mainstay (sixty years previous to Campaign's current timeline), such arguments could happen in real time and the Church was able to whittle a dozen regional voxes into just three (who are constantly looking to rid themselves of their competition).

## References

1. ↑  @CampaignPod (2020) 04th October at 6:44am, thread tweet 33/35, accessed 23rd Dec 2020
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1  @CampaignPod (2020) 04th October at 6:44am, thread tweet 34/35, accessed 23rd Dec 2020
3. ↑ @CampaignPod (2020) 04th October at 5:30am, thread tweet 9/35, accessed 23rd Dec 2020
4. ↑  @CampaignPod (2020) 04th October at 6:30am, thread tweet 29/35, accessed 23rd Dec 2020
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1  @CampaignPod (2020) 04th October at 5:30am, thread tweet 5/35, accessed 23rd Dec 2020
6. ↑  @CampaignPod (2020) 04th October at 5:30am, thread tweet 6/35, accessed 23rd Dec 2020
7. ↑  @CampaignPod (2020) 04th October at 5:30am, thread tweet 7/35, accessed 23rd Dec 2020
8. ↑  @CampaignPod (2020) 04th October at 5:30am, thread tweet 8/35, accessed 23rd Dec 2020
9. ↑  @CampaignPod (2020) 04th October at 5:50am, thread tweet 10/35, accessed 23rd Dec 2020
10. ↑  @CampaignPod (2020) 04th October at 5:50am, thread tweet 11/35, accessed 23rd Dec 2020
11. ↑  @CampaignPod (2020) 04th October at 5:50am, thread tweet 12/35, accessed 23rd Dec 2020
12. ↑  @CampaignPod (2020) 04th October at 5:50am, thread tweet 13/35, accessed 23rd Dec 2020
13. ↑  @CampaignPod (2020) 04th October at 5:50am, thread tweet 15/35, accessed 23rd Dec 2020
14. ↑  @CampaignPod (2020) 04th October at 6:01am, thread tweet 16/35, accessed 23rd Dec 2020
15. ↑  @CampaignPod (2020) 04th October at 6:01am, thread tweet 17/35, accessed 23rd Dec 2020
16. ↑  @CampaignPod (2020) 04th October at 6:01am, thread tweet 18/35, accessed 23rd Dec 2020
17. ↑  @CampaignPod (2020) 04th October at 6:01am, thread tweet 20/35, accessed 23rd Dec 2020
18. ↑  @CampaignPod (2020) 04th October at 6:17am, thread tweet 21/35, accessed 23rd Dec 2020
19. ↑  @CampaignPod (2020) 04th October at 6:17am, thread tweet 22/35, accessed 23rd Dec 2020
20. ↑  @CampaignPod (2020) 04th October at 6:30am, thread tweet 27/35, accessed 23rd Dec 2020
21. ↑  @CampaignPod (2020) 04th October at 6:17am, thread tweet 23/35, accessed 23rd Dec 2020
22. ↑  @CampaignPod (2020) 04th October at 6:17am, thread tweet 25/35, accessed 23rd Dec 2020
23. ↑  @CampaignPod (2020) 04th October at 6:34am, thread tweet 31/35, accessed 23rd Dec 2020
24. ↑  @CampaignPod (2020) 04th October at 6:44am, thread tweet 35/35, accessed 23rd Dec 2020