Cleric

When those of the faith need divine assistance, a cleric may come to answer that need. Whether it is a heretical uprising that needs to be squelched, or a rallying speech that needs to be made, the cleric with spare time on his hands is a rare one indeed.

Clerics may worship any number of the gods that watch over Gristhaia, from those who just have gained enough power to muster a spark of divinity, to gods who are so old and inscrutable that their desires are entirely alien to most sane mortals. The number of gods who have sway in Gristhaia are legion, and they each have their own complex inter-politics. Some deities exist wholly in the Material plane, while some exist in various places both in the world, others exist in places apart from all others.

Clerics are known for their magic and power that has been granted by a given deity. Once they have been granted this power, only a gross breach of faith would preclude them from this amount of granted power. Obviously some deities are more lenient than others, and what is considered to be a gross and heretical breach of faith to one deity, may be a venerated holy act to another.

Clerics begin each day with an hour of prayers to their respective deities and are then granted their daily spells and other powers. Clerics who are deprived of this, may only use powers remaining from the last time they were able to properly pray. The clerics who worship deities of a benevolent nature are usually granted abilities to channel positive energy, though exceptions are not unheard of. They are also able to cause undead to flee, or be destroyed outright if the cleric in question is powerful enough. Clerics of malevolent deities typically are capable of the opposite, and are able to directly control undead.

A cleric is occasionally found on the battlefield. This with particularly bellicose and/or warlike deities are more likely to be found there than others. However, clerics often enter conflict to protect their own interests in their own backyard. Clerics often are known for their preference towards heavy armor, as it allows them to worry less about physical attacks and focus on their divine and magical abilities.

A cleric’s reasons for adventuring are numerous. They may be on a quest for atonement, seeking to repair perceived offenses to their gods. They may be on a mission of self discovery, in order to better find their place within their faith. They might be on a quest that a senior member of their clergy sent them on. They are often sent to support military campaigns and crusades.

Clerics are more numerous than the gods themselves, and they wield the power of said gods with authority and esteem. They are the proxies by which the gods impose their will upon the mortals within Gristhaia, and are not to be taken lightly.