Divine Inheritors

Divine Inheritors
Type	Religious and political
Leader	Council of Witnesses
Headquarters	New Era, Sangiran
Goals	Continuing the faith of the Eternal Suzerain; administration of Sangiran
Scope	Sangiran

The Divine Inheritors are what remains of the Eternal Suzerain's advisor-priests. Historically the priest class of the Sangiran Empire, after the most recent death of the Suzerain in Y9606^* and the subsequent collapse of the Empire the Divine Inheritors have tasked themselves with ruling what's left of Sangiran while dutifully awaiting their ruler's return and the beginning of a new golden age.

Description

From their headquarters in the palace complex at New Era, the Divine Inheritors continue to rule Sangiran, albeit a Sangiran greatly reduced in size and influence. From their temples across the nation they still enforce the laws of the Suzerain, spread their teachings, preserve their relics, and attempt to administer the many grand imperial projects as best as they can, yet with the loss of influence over Kea Racha as a whole these have all proven difficult. Though their words are generally respected in regions formerly part of the Empire, save for Vaothan, their decrees and commands are not.

The Divine Inheritors are not the undisputed rulers of Sangiran, as the dragon-judges of Vua Ran, the only province outside the heartland to remain part of the Empire, have sought to gain more influence and power themselves after the death of the Suzerain. As a result Sangiran has effectively two governments in parallel - in the south, the Divine Inheritors hold sway, yet in the mountains of the north the dragons set their own laws.

Without the Suzerain, the peoples of Kea Racha have turned to other religions, revivalist and modern alike, to fill the spiritual void. Some individuals have claimed to be prophets of the Suzerain, foretelling their return, and others have even claimed to be the dragon's reincarnation or their successor. As arbiters of religious dogma even now, the Inheritors brand all such claims as heretical and baseless, as only they will truly know when the god has returned to a material form.

Members

The Divine Inheritors still recruit from those in Sangiran who still believe in the return of the Eternal Suzerain. While they have markedly shrunk in number since the last days of the Empire, they continue to diligently train and instruct new members to carry the teachings of the dragon god into the future.

The Inheritors are led by the Council of Witnesses, a group of ten of their senior-most figures tasked not only with shepherding and protecting the temples but also with searching for the next reincarnation of the Suzerain. Under them, the rest of the organization is hierarchical, with ranks determined by time spent in service to the dragon.

Use of the term "priest" is contentious even within the ranks of the Inheritors. Some prefer to describe themselves and their roles as caretakers or administrators, as they can no longer pray to their god but still attempt to guide the faithful in their stead. Previously split between religious and civic duties, today their responsibilities in governance take the majority of their time and effort.

Nearly all Inheritors today are oracles or sorcerers rather than clerics. In keeping with the teachings laid down by the dragon themself, they hold that the god is dead and therefore his veneration is void - those who claim to gain divine spells through prayer and offerings to the Suzerain are clearly in reality worshiping something else entirely.