Holy See

Biodata

Background / History

The Holy See emerged from the followers of the Light God after they split from the Sanctuary. Duke Snow believes the Sanctuary’s inability to restrain this declaration of independence allowed the organization to expand unchecked. 19

Before the War of Light, the Holy See had already built influence through its doctrine and the healing utility of Light divine arts. Its growth broke the older convention that temples remained separate from secular affairs. 17

Following the Emerald City Fall Incident, the Holy See spread claims that arcanists commanded undead, practiced curses, and consorted with demons. It then launched the War of Light against Italigis, a conflict remembered by believers as a holy war and by Arcane practitioners as the Battle of Twilight, the beginning of Arcane decline. 8 18 20

During the war, the Holy See exploited a Saint-tier arcanist’s betrayal of Italigis: the traitor supplied Falan’s defenses and mage roster, then poisoned the capital’s water supply with a potion that weakened mages. A Holy See griffin army subsequently breached the city. The war ultimately ended with Pandor’s fall into Ice Lake. 21

Authority and Influence

• Halor Kingdom — Halor became the Holy See’s principal stronghold during the War of Light. Its monarchy is considered divinely ordained, and every king has required papal recognition to rule legitimately for the past three centuries. 8
• Sanctuary and Temple of the Stars — The Holy See monitors information about the hidden Sanctuary and watches the remote Temple of the Stars sites. The two divine-caster factions are in an ongoing conflict of faith. 16
• Former Temple sites — A former Nature Temple of the Temple of the Stars has been absorbed into Holy See territory. 40
• Lifetime service — Members cannot leave the Holy See; doing so is treated as apostasy. Even Paladins stationed in Moonglade remain bound to the institution despite poor conditions and wages. 49
• Nonhuman policy — The Holy See is highly wary of intelligent nonhuman beings. It is unfriendly toward elves but avoids openly persecuting them without cause because of prior losses against powerful nonhuman races and concern for its public reputation. 4 39

Organization

Clergy and Leadership

• Pope — Recognizes Halor’s monarchs and is treated as the Holy See’s ultimate religious authority. 8
• Archbishops — Senior divine casters who conduct public sermons and lead major operations. Archbishop Terrence is among the Holy See personnel considered most dangerous by mages. 36 37
• Divine casters — Conduct blessings, perform religious rites, and support military operations. Their white robes commonly identify them in the field. 38 41
• Paladin Order / Templar Knights — Armed servants of the Holy See, deployed for curse incidents, anti-@@REF_ENTITY_16684903@@ operations, and large-scale northern movements. 10 13 34
• Heresy Inquisition — A Holy See body responsible for persecuting supposed heretics and Arcane casters. Terrence is one of its three chief inquisitors. 20 38
• Judgement Tribunal — An upper-ranking inquisitorial force identifiable by an iris-shaped Saint Insignia; its members may serve directly under the Pope. 30 39

Paladin Ranks and Equipment

Doctrine and Public Practice

The Holy See presents divine magic as the Light God’s mercy and protection. Its sermons culminate in public blessings, drawing crowds seeking healing, good fortune, protection, or spiritual benefit. 17 36 37

At Terrence’s Golden Apple Town ceremony, the public blessing was identified by Elufiel as only a basic spell that invigorated the spirit and could not cure even a simple illness. 38

The institution teaches that Arcane practitioners are evil and treats open Arcane use as grounds for reporting, arrest, or execution. This belief shapes public prejudice: merchants and innkeepers have refused service to arcanists, while many civilians accept the Holy See’s claims that mages are responsible for curses and undead disasters. 5 18 22

Anti-Arcane Campaign

Persecution and Propaganda

• The Holy See used the Emerald City catastrophe to accuse arcanists of controlling undead and wielding curses, worsening continent-wide hostility toward them. 18
• It publicly executed the Bitter City candy seller as an “evil arcanist,” despite her claiming that the Church had killed her son after branding him a demon and draining his blood. 10
• In the Green Forest, its response to Bitter City’s spreading curse was to restrain the infected and order Light Knights to kill them, rather than fully purify them. 23
• Lucia’s experience of an undead spirit’s memories depicts the Heresy Inquisition torturing and crucifying a pregnant divine caster. 20
• The same memories portray Holy See agents attacking Darren after his resurrection ritual, destroying his wife and child again and shattering their souls. 20

Detection and Suppression

• The Holy See employs transparent crystal spheres that detect unusual magical fluctuations associated with Arcane casters. 37 38
• It uses mithril equipment and specially made Corrupted Crystals in operations against powerful mages. Terrence received two completed crystals intended for use against the Council’s ninth-rank mages. 41
• The Judgement Tribunal actively hunts suspected arcanists, including Eugene and his late teacher. 30 39
• Terrence’s forces extracted information from a black mage’s soul memories and began searching for the hidden Lista Council. 41

Relationships

• Halor Kingdom — The kingdom’s rulers require papal recognition, making Halor the Holy See’s primary secular stronghold. 8
• Sanctuary — Rival divine-caster faction; the Holy See tightly controls information about it and surveils its associated Temple of the Stars. 16 41
• Temple of the Stars — Viewed by the Holy See as an unstable threat; its members receive scrutiny even when using official identification. 14 41
• Arcane practitioners — Primary ideological enemies, publicly branded evil and subjected to persecution, surveillance, and military action. 5 18 41
• Itarigis Empire and Pandor — Historic enemies during the War of Light; the Holy See’s victory led to Arcane decline and Pandor’s destruction. 20 21
• Lista Council — Current target of a major Holy See operation seeking to locate and strike the Council’s gathered high-rank mages. 34 41
• Elves and other intelligent nonhumans — Treated with suspicion, though the Holy See’s past losses and public image limit its willingness to act openly against them. 4 39

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Bitter City curse — Holy See knights suppress information that the candy-borne affliction is a curse, fail to protect the victims, and execute the seller. Their response causes Elufiel to question the institution’s claimed compassion. 10
• Ata Town rabbit outbreak — Paladins arrive only after Elufiel, Eli, and the townspeople have stopped the curse’s source. 13 14
• Emerald City revelations — Accounts from Theodore, Lucia, and Eugene link the Holy See to the persecution of Darren, the use of black crystals, and the outbreak that preceded the War of Light. 18 20 29
• Golden Apple Town operation — Archbishop Terrence publicly preaches while using detection devices to locate Arcane casters. Eugene narrowly avoids the Judgement Tribunal through Elufiel’s disguise. 37 39
• Council hunt — The Holy See moves Templar regiments and divine casters north, searches for Everlook Canyon, and prepares Corrupted Crystals for an attack on the Lista Council. 34 41
• Feiyin River battle — Terrence and his Paladins confront Odovish and Elufiel. The archbishop is defeated and imprisoned in Odovish’s temporary Ice Bind. 43 44