Church of the Silent Bell

The church of the silent bell was a church based in the Shemarine Vale, Lirdrian. They were devoted to the silent god, Altansar. The church followed Altansars' teachings, namely,that spell casters, from mages to wizards were responsible for the Unveiled.

The church made many enemies among arcane institutions, as they were seen to vilify even the most peaceful of magic users. This led to cities with high populations of mages to ban the churchs' presence entirely.

The Order of the Silent Sword were an order of templars allied with the church, serving as protectors for the priests of Altansar. Where the church was present, these men and women were never far away.

The church also trained and used mage assassins known as Obscurists. These obscurists were often sent to remove particularly troubling individuals who spoke out against the church or pose a threat to its' interests.

History
The church was originally formed in the 83rd year of the common calendar by archbishop Olran Tesmoth. Archbishop Tesmoth gathered a following after the Great Unveiling of the 80th year of the common calendar, where a mage in the capital of Lirdrian accidentally tore the Veil, releasing hundreds of Unveiled. The massacre resulted in hundreds of commoners, nobles, and guardsmen being slain, before the Unveiled were finally forced back beyond the Veil.

Tesmoth and his friend, guard captain Andre Hulnor, witnessed the carnage firsthand, and resolved to prevent such a tragedy from occurring again. The two spent some time traveling throughout Lirdrian, seeking ways to combat magic and those who used it. The first year of their search was fruitless, with the pair reaching the borders of the duchy and were preparing to turn back when they decided to cut across the Shemarine Vale. It was there that they came across a still pond, clear and sparkling.

At the bottom of the pond, was a pedestal, upon which, somehow, a silver bell rested. Inspired, Tesmoth stripped off his clothing and dove into the pool. Though it was surprisingly deep, Olran was able to retrieve the bell and return to the surface. Surprisingly, though the bell seemed intact, Andre heard nothing when Olran rang it, though his friend described a sound so pure it lifted the soul.

This was the Bell of Silence, an artifact of Altansar, capable of rendering spell casters within its' radius effectively useless. This was soon proven when the pair stumbled across a coven of necromancers in the nearby sapphire wood. The necromancers, displeased at having been discovered, soon defeated Andre as the former guard captain rushed them with his longsword.

Olran rushed to his friends' side and rang the bell. The necromancers, relying on spells from the Arcanum Mortis, found that those nearest the pair could no long draw power from beyond the Veil. With the life draining spells lifted, Andre easily executed the foul raisers of the dead. This was enough to firm the faith of both Olran and Andre, and they became firm believers in Altansar.

Formation of the church
Returning home, Olran came across a small group of the followers of the silent god, who had worshiped Altansar quietly in their homes. The silent god had shown them a sign that Olran was the one to lead his church. With the horrors of the past year still fresh in the minds of many, Tesmoth, now declared archbishop of the church, had little trouble in building a strong following.

Despite this, the capital of Lirdrian, Loras, was a hub of mages and the grand duke of Lirdrian was not willing to risk a civil war, or worse, another tear in the Veil. Thus, the church was not outlawed, but neither were the mages of Lirdrian. Though originally despondent, Olran soon remembered the pool he and Andre had discovered in the Shemarine Vale.

Leading a large group that consisted of commoners, more than a few sympathetic nobles, and many guardsmen who were survivors of the massacre, Olran returned to the vale. There, the nobles hired many craftsmen and architects, to build the first church of Altansar. It took nearly four years to complete, built up around the pure pool of water that still contained the bell pedestal. When finished, it was christened the Church of the Silent Bell.

Beliefs
The priests of the church believe that mages are the cause of the Unveiled, and are strongly opposed against all forms of magic casting. They teach that arcane arts are a path to darkness and doom, and should be shunned. This has lead to some accusing the church of hypocrisy, as they are known to use divine granted spells when combating the arcane.

Attitude
Priests of the church were often seen as nay-sayers due to their criticism of magic and those who used it. Despite this, those of the church were known to be kind and helpful to those who came to them for healing or wisdom. They upheld the law, so long as that law did not support the arcane. The seldom seen darker side of the church is that they are not shy to use specially trained assassins, called Obscurists, to target enemy mages or threats to the church.

Relics
The Silver Bell- The first artifact of Altansar. The bell, when rung, prevents spell casting in a forty foot radius. It is kept within the Church of the Silent Bell. Only the most prestigious of paladins of Altansar.

The Silent Chime- A set of chimes that prevents a targeted mage from casting any spells.

Null Ring- A plain, silver ring that protects the wearer from any spells targeted at them.

Initiation
Joining the church was simple; a would-be priest would enter the church and speak with a senior priest, expressing his desire to serve Altansar and his followers. The initiate would then be examined for signs of magical 'taint' and if found to be pure, were inducted into the church.

The highest rank in the church was the rank of archbishop, who oversaw all the activity of the church, and led communions on holy days of Altansar. When the archbishop died, the bishops of the church gathered to elect a new archbishop. The archbishop, along with any bishops or priests could be male or female. There was a sect within the church known as the Sisters of Silence, who were trained in powerful anti-magic arts. Clerics of Altansar often served as priests in far away or dangerous locations, outside of Lirdrian.

Military branch
Crusader orders

The Purging Brand: A group of crusaders dedicated to the church and based out of Celerian. They often rode into neighbouring lands, seeking dangerous spell casters, such as rogue warlocks, sorcerers, or necromancers.

Templar orders

The Silent Shield: A band of templars based in the Shemarine Vale, dedicated to protecting the church. They had small chapter houses in most cities of Lirdrian.

Pa;adin orders

Order of the Silent Blade: A small group of paladins, sworn to silence.

Knightly orders

Order of the Silent Void: A small, aggressive order of knights based near the Church of the Silent Bell in the Shemarine Vale. They work closely with Obscurists.

Obscurists

Unique and deadly, Obscurists are blessed by Altansar to emit an anti-magic field around them, making them deadly against the most known enemies of the church. Not only that, but the Unveiled are weakened in their presence.

Divine Spells
While known for their hatred of magic, the followers of Altansar turn a blind eye to spells granted by their god. Perhaps it is because these spells are granted by the divine, rather than the arcane studies, and thus have nothing to do with the Veil.

Silence

Thickening

Nullify

Condemning Silence