The Seekers of Ancelin's Way

The Reformed Church of the Humanar is by far the most "progressive" of the three Humanar Churches, but this does not make them any less devout. Nor does it mean they are any less dedicated to the teachings of Saint Ancelin, the founding Saint of all three of the Humanar Churches. The differenced among the three Churches all come down to interpretations of exactly what Saint Ancelin expected of his fellow Humans and Halflings. The Tenets seemed simple enough, but over the years the interpretations varied. Some of these variations were deemed to be heresies, others were "better understanding", and usually it simply depended on whose idea the change was.

Even within the Reformed Church, there were varying interpretations; at least the Reformers did not toss the "heretic" label around as easily though. But as a result, there was no real organization within the Reformed Church - it often seemed to be more a confederation of religions than a single one, and for some of the learned within the religion, this confusion was not acceptable.

Founding Date

1148CR

Type

Religious, Sect

Parent Organization

Reformed Church of the Humanar

Among the adherents of the Reformed Church, there is an order of ordained priests that have dedicated their lives not only to following the Tenets of Ancelin, but to understand better how those Tenets came to be. They wished to know what it was that Ancelin saw and learned so they might better know his mind, and hence his intent. These prelates decided to organize themselves, and dedicate themselves to traveling the world as Ancelin did, to see what Ancelin saw and learn what Ancelin learned. And along the way, they would minister to those Humans and Halflings that have gone out into the world to seek their fortunes. They called their group the Seekers of Ancelin's Way.

Structure

The hierarchy among the Seekers is minimal. Originally a collection of local priests, they did decide that they needed somebody to arbitrate any difficult decisions and to guide interpretations of the Tenets that they may devise as they learned more and more. To this end, three Bishops were elected from among their number, and when one of these dies, a new one is elected. The prelates try to select the wisest and most learned of their number for these positions, as they are not administrative, but rather are ecclesiastical.

Culture

The Seekers of Ancelin's Way live the simple lives of travellers. They offer clerical services to any and all in need, and will graciously accept meals or a few coins in return, but they never expect payment. While a few of the Seekers limit offering these services to Humans or Halflings only, most of the Seekers will provide aid and comfort to any of the Folk who seem to need it. It is not unusual for a member of the Seekers to take up with an adventuring party from time to time, as this is often seen as a way to see more of the world and experience more things that Ancelin may have encountered in his time.

Public Agenda

The Seekers claim only to be in search of Understanding. They wish to know Saint Ancelin's mind, and while they know they will never achieve that goal completely, the closer they can come to Ancelin's experiences, the better they should be able to interpret the intent that Ancelin had when he set down the Tenets.

Assets

The Seekers are a poor Order. Members often own only the things they carry on the road from place to place. There are no strictures of poverty, though, so it is perfectly acceptable for a Seeker to accumulate some wealth, but it is assumed that this will be distributed at least in part to those in need. Accumulating expensive sacramentals is also acceptable, as the use of these in rituals is considered to be an appropriate show of respect to the gods.

Credits

Banner images by Vinson Tan ( 楊祖武 ) from Pixabay

Page background cathedral Image by 5163451 on Pixabay
Page background manor house image by Josef Pichler on Pixabay
Page background hut image by PamelaAndrey15 on Pixabay
Page background forest image by Waldkunst on Pixabay
Character portraits by RPGDinosaurBob on Hero Forge®

Entry for Worldbuilding Summer Camp 2021

Answering: "a religious order founded or based in your world's history"

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