Known as "The Mediator", Kirje is a lesser goddess of the Ozir "family".

Symbol: A scepter and scales.

Colors: Red and gold.

Sacred Animals: The owl, the fox.

Sacred Items: The scales, the scepter.

Order(s) of Knighthood: None.

Dogma: Mortals need government and law, and government needs to run properly. A well-constructed government is the product of care and craft, serves its people well, and is a glory and object of pride. A poorly-functioning government is a shame and a disgrace; a corrupt government must be taken down and rebuilt. Law is the tool and the fabric of government, and it, too, must be built with care and attention to detail, or it will collapse under its own complexity.

Scriptures: The Book of Rulership (divinely inspired) -- a huge, extensive volume outlining all possible types of governments, how they should be organized and how they should run. It also outlines all the threats, both internal and external, each type of government can face, and provides guidelines for dealing with them. The Book of Law (divinely inspired) -- not a volume of commandments, but a collection of metalaw and commentary on how legal systems should be structured and maintained over time. The Histories (mortal work) -- a continuing work (currently over 220 volumes in length) documenting every government accessible to the Church of Kirje in the past 2000 years, and containing detailed analyses of their successes and failures, with cross-references to both divine books.

Holy Days: Shieldmeet, High Sun, local voting or council days (if any).

Holy Places: Halls of government -- if the government is well-run and efficient.

Sanctuary Design: A white dome mounted upon a circle of pillars, both of stone, usually white; just within the circle is the actual outer wall of the building. Larger temples overseeing local "bishoprics" are often surmounted by obelisks or spires.

Levels of Investiture: As per Characters.

Spells:
Consecrate
Desecrate
Final Rest
Lead Worship
Oath

Bless
Curse

Detect Divine Power (as Detect Magic, for clerical magic)
Planar Visit (Godsland, Lesser Plane, or Home Plane)
Plane Shift (Godsland, Lesser Plane, or Home Plane)
Create Gate (Godsland, Lesser Plane, or Home Plane)

Sense Foes
Sense Emotion
Persuasion
Truthsayer
Compel Truth
Presence

Know Illusion

Divination: Augury
Know True Shape
Recall

Aura
Dispel Magic
Counterspell

Bravery
Loyalty
Command
Glib Tongue
Lesser Geas
Greater Geas
Oath

Great Voice
Silver Tongue

Character Requirements: In addition to the "standard" cleric package, clerics of Kirje must have a minimum IQ of 11, Administration and Politics skills at IQ, and the Honesty disadvantage.

Special Abilities of Clerics: Kirje's clerics have twice their level of Power Investiture in both PD and DR when attacked by agents or forces of a corrupt or inefficient government, or agents or forces of anyone opposing a well-run and efficient government.

Special Duties of Clerics: Kirje's clerics are obligated to involve themselves in government on whatever level they can, but are not required to work only on the highest levels; some of the most effective Kirje clerics work in remote villages. They are also required to inform local leaders when their government becomes corrupt or ineffective, and are empowered to guide and even lead citizens to request or force change when necessary.

When they are shut out of participation in government, as is often the case in corrupt regimes that don't want to hear from them, Kirje's clerics are required to establish themselves somewhere near the seat of power where they may preach to the people about the need for change. Sometimes this may lead to martyrdom, a fact that all are aware of.

Notes: Kirje gives little consideration to the moral leanings of a government. As long as it is efficient and lacking in corruption, it matters not at all to her if it practices peace and virtue, or if it tortures its citizens and genocides its neighbors. She is far more concerned with its proper functioning than the results of that function, and to her and her clerics, revolution against a properly-functioning government simply because it is unjust is blasphemous. (Fortunately for most revolutionaries, unjust governments are usually thoroughly corrupt by the time the people are moved to act against them -- but until then, it's dangerous to advocate a coup in the presence of a Kirje cleric.) Changes to the existing structure of a government are all right, as long as they do not reduce the system's overall efficiency and function, and are encouraged if they would provide improvements.


This page was created on October 20, 1997.
Last modified March 12, 2011.