Rising from the Last War

Every Thrane child knows the story of Tira Miron. Centuries ago, one of the ancient and powerful demons chained within the world broke free from its bonds, unleashing terrible suffering on the people of Thrane. The nation would have been destroyed if not for Tira Miron. This paladin was called by the Silver Flame and battled the mighty fiend. When it became clear that the overlord couldn’t be destroyed, Tira gave her life, combining her spirit with the light of the Silver Flame to bind the demon once more. Now Tira serves as the Voice of the Flame, helping others find the light. Anyone who seeks to protect the innocent and battle evil can draw on the power of the Silver Flame to aid them, but they must beware of the Shadow in the Flame, the demon that still lingers and yearns to trick good people into evil.

A pillar of argent fire marks the point of Tira’s sacrifice, the center of the modern church. This pillar, located in Flamekeep, is a manifestation of the Silver Flame, not the source of its power.

The Last War had a serious impact on the church. Leaders still respected the Keeper’s authority over spiritual matters, but the war wasn’t about good or evil. Templars of all nations still joined together to fight demons, but if no supernatural threat was present, they fought for their own nations. This division allowed cracks to form in the foundation. In Breland, some priests fell prey to greed or forged ties to criminal organizations. In Aundair, a zealous faction known as the Pure Flame advocates using violence rather than compassion as the primary tool for rooting out evil. And in Thrane, the church has become the ruling body. While still driven by Tira’s principles of redemption and sacrifice, the intrusion of politics means that some come to the faith seeking power rather than purely to do good.

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Thrane became a theocracy ruled by the Keeper of the Flame and the Council of Cardinals in 914 YK, when the last Wynarn heir, King Thalin, died.

The Church of the Silver Flame was born in 299 YK, forming what is now modern Flamekeep. Tira is the immortal Voice of the Flame, an intermediary between the mortal world and the divine Flame.

In 832 YK, the Church of the Silver Flame launched a crusade against lycanthropes that lasted for fifty years. The crusade brought lycanthropes to the brink of extinction in Khorvaire. When the Church targets a problem, it seeks to completely eliminate it. The templars act with ruthless efficiency.

Although the Church of the Silver Flame is a relatively young institution, other religions in various parts of the world have sprung up around worship of the couatls that bind demons in Khyber. In Xen’drik, giants, elves, drow, goliaths, and other races all developed serpent cults in their early histories, and the yuan-ti of Krezent in the Talenta Plains are a surviving example of a similar religion. In addition, the religion of the Ghaash’kala orcs of the Demon Wastes is similar to the faith of the Silver Flame—similar enough that some consider them to be the same religion.

Five Nations

In 299 YK, the Silver Flame was born. One year later, the newly christened Church of the Silver Flame appointed its fi rst Keeper of the Flame—a spiritual leader of the nation who could commune directly with the Flame and pass its will onto the people.

In 914 YK, amid the turmoil of the Last War, the people of Thrane abandoned the monarchy and invested the Keeper of the Flame with temporal as well as spiritual governorship of the nation. Thrane became the fi rst theocracy of Khorvaire.

Past Keepers of the Flame

Rising from the Last War

The faith’s symbol is a stylized flame inlaid with silver. A silver arrowhead etched with the symbol serves as a common token, worn as a necklace.

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The most common symbol of the Silver Flame is a stylized representation of a flame, similar to a candle flame or a bonfire, often inscribed on silver or inlaid with silver. The shape of an arrowhead is also frequently used in Silver Flame iconography, representing shafts of sunlight that pierce the darkness as well as weapons striking true against evil foes. Members of the Order of Templars, in particular, display their faith with an image of a flame engraved on a silver arrowhead

Faiths of Eberron

The standard symbol of the Silver Flame is simply a flame drawn either on silver, or carved in a silver object.

The longbow is the chosen weapon of the priesthood, and the symbol is commonly found on arrowheads. Scholars suggest that the arrows of the bow represent shafts of firelight and sunlight piercing the darkness, radiating outward from a central source. I think the longbow enables warriors of the Church to battle evil without exposing themselves to it, such as during the ancient battle against the rakshasas (who are also most vulnerable to piercing weapons), or the lycanthropic purge.

In the end, the use of the longbow might be a matter of simple good sense and pragmatism rather than symbolism. Followers of the Silver Flame believe in honor in battle, but there’s no call to be stupid about it.

Rising from the Last War

The Silver Flame has no need of prayers or offerings; instead, services focus on the parishioners, encouraging virtuous behavior. Church hierarchy is strictly observed, and only ordained priests can perform services.

Archery is a devotional practice of the Silver Flame, used both as a means of meditation and a martial art. Communities devoted to the Flame engage in archery training, and villages have militias of peasant archers.

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The Purified believe that the proper way to venerate the Silver Flame is to live in accordance with its precepts—virtue, constant vigilance, and struggle against evil wherever it is found. A life that embodies these ideals does not need rites and prayers to sanctify it, for it is holy in its own right.

The ceremonies performed in the church revolve around acts of purification. Priests are called upon to perform rites to purify the faithful dead in preparation for burial, to purify the bodies of fallen foes after battle (symbolic of purging their evil from the world), to purify the sick and rid them of illness, and to purify aspirants to the priesthood in the act of ordination. Newborn children of Purified parents are dedicated to a life of purity in the church’s most elaborate rites.

In Thrane, the Church of the Silver Flame also performs rites to commemorate occasions of state, invoking the Silver Flame to purify the hearts and minds of the people and of the members of the government to make Thrane a truly holy nation. These rites are not performed in other nations.

Faiths of Eberron

Unlike other faiths that celebrate and venerate aspects of the world, worship of the Silver Flame is primarily a religion of deeds. For a Purified, leading a life of virtue is honoring the Silver Flame, requiring few rituals to enhance that veneration. Thus, prayers and rites to the Flame are relatively uncommon, practiced only under fairly specific circumstances. As with all other aspects of the religion, when they do occur, they are conducted in a formal and prescribed manner.

Prayers

Due to the martial birth and nature of the faith, many prayers to the Silver Flame are intended for utterance in the midst of battle. Thus, they are short and direct. Nearly all such prayers make some reference to light, flame, justice, or similar concepts.

Prayers to the Silver Flame are usually requests for aid of some sort or another. This might be as simple as, “Flame of righteousness, grant me strength” during combat, or “Divine light, show me the way” when lost. Purified might also pray for aid in living a life free from sin and evil. These prayers tend to be longer, though still relatively brief, and are often led by priests during larger ceremonies.

The Purified rarely use prayer as a means of thanking the Silver Flame. While a tired warrior might utter a brief “Thank you for bringing us victory” after battle, followers of the Flame assume that their god prefers they show thanks by living virtuously. A follower who feels the need to offer thanks by some other means consults the local priest, who might assign a minor duty, such as bringing alms to the poor or comforting the bereaved

Minor Rites

Minor rites to the Silver Flame are uncommon and serve special purposes, usually when priests or other Purified seek to accomplish very specific goals. They are considered ritual magic, although they do not produce any obvious spell effects. Minor rituals exist entirely for purification, and normally apply to any one of four separate circumstances described below.

Burial of the Faithful: The Church of the Silver Flame does not believe in long or ornate funeral services. They do not forbid them, but they are primarily secular gatherings; the religious aspect is relatively short. A funeral consists of a small series of prayers over the body or gravesite, asking the Silver Flame to forgive any lingering impurities in the deceased’s soul and accept it as a new part of the divine Flame. Silverburn-enhanced candles illuminate the corpse or gravesite, onto which silver dust is sprinkled. These are symbolic gestures, intended to keep any evil spirits away from the soul until the Flame takes it in.

Death of the Foe: When a Purified slays a creature of evil, such as an outsider or lycanthrope, tradition requires that she perform a brief rite over the body. These include prayers to the Flame while sprinkling silver dust into the eyes of the deceased. If the Purified lacks silver dust, drawing the symbol of the Silver Flame on the creature’s fl esh is an acceptable alternative. The purpose of this rite is to ensure that the creature does not mystically rise again, and to protect the surrounding lands from any evil that might be unleashed as its soul travels to Dolurrh (or whatever realm it calls home). This rite is frequently ignored, since adventuring or martial Purified often slay such creatures in the midst of larger battles and cannot take the time to perform it immediately. Some attempt to return afterward and do so, but the opportunity is not always available.

Illness: Lighting silverburn candles around a sick friend or relative while praying is said to attract the Silver Flame’s attention. If it is time for the sick person’s soul to join the Flame, no amount of supplication will prevent it, but if not, this ceremony hopes to purge the illness from the victim and return him to health.

Evil Injury: A Purified who is injured by an evil being is required to sprinkle silver into the wound and cauterize it with a silverburn flame, if magical healing is not available. This gesture symbolizes her will to resist evil, and petitions the Flame to prevent any possible corruption from traveling to her soul through the wound.

Major Rites

Because funerals are minor rites, the only two life events requiring major priestly attention are births and weddings. Weddings among the Purified are always conducted during one of the high holy days rather than forming ceremonies unto themselves. Only the birth of a child to a Purified couple is cause for a ceremony unaffiliated with a particular holiday. This is the only major rite that is not strictly defined by religious doctrine. While the priest must say certain specific prayers and light silverburn candles in a particular pattern, the remainder of the ritual—hymns, any specific dances, particular sermons—is up to the parents. Expecting couples normally meet with their priest months in advance to arrange the service as they wish it. The symbolism behind this is readily discerned: Not even the greatest priest can foretell what will happen in life, so it is not the Church’s place to determine how a newborn child enters the world.

The faith contains one weekly celebration: the first day of each week, called the Day of Cleansing Fire. For most of the Purified, the Flame is honored on this day by skipping a single meal in favor of prayers of devotion and repentance. For priests and especially devout followers, the entire day is one of fasting and prayer, second only to Rampartide (see below). The Day of Cleansing Fire is a religious holiday in the larger cities of Thrane, and many shops are closed. The service always begins with a recitation of the Nine Miracles of the Silver Flame, spoken in Draconic. The precise nature of these miracles varies a bit from sect to sect and church to church, but for the most part consists of the following:

• Bringing light to the world.
• Imprisoning demons.
• Offering souls an afterlife beyond Dolurrh.
• Granting cleric magic.
• Bonding with Tira Miron.
• Transforming Thrane into a holy nation.
• Victory over the lycanthropes.
• Victory (of a sort) in the Last War.
• The promise of the end of evil, and the creation of a better world to come.

Quests

All quests in the name of the Silver Flame are intended to thwart or destroy evil. Paladins and clerics take the battle to bastions of wickedness, hunting down monsters in the wild, exorcising ghosts and demons in the hearts of cities, obliterating shrines to the Dragon Below and the like. Even less adventurous priests or Purified might undertake quests, however. A friar seeking to bring the word of the Flame to distant villages or a priest who travels far from home to acquire medicines to aid the sick are both battling evil in their own way, and are just as well loved by the Church.

Dragonshard

Quests

The Silver Flame has a simple goal: Abolish evil. There are hundreds of options: venturing into Droaam to strike against an enclave of monsters; sneaking into Karrnath to destroy a temple of the Blood of Vol; battling lurking fiends or possessing demons in the cities of Khorvaire; recovering a cursed object and then traveling to the Demon Wastes to destroy it; and so on.

Prayers

Appeals to the Silver Flame are short and direct; this religion is born of war, and prayers must be called out in the midst of battle. References to light and flame are extremely common. "Light of the Flame, guide my arm."

Rites

Priests of the Silver Flame perform many services. While some of these are practical -- ranging from marriage to military training (specifically, archery) -- the tasks of the priest also include offering guidance and inspiration to the community. Daily services provide the faithful with the chance to hear the words of the priest and to present their troubles.

Favored Weapon

The favored weapon of the Church of the Silver Flame is the longbow. Many believe that this dates back to the battle against the rakshasas, who are most vulnerable to piercing weapons. Furthermore, a quiver of arrows can include shafts with a wide range of enchantments or arrowhead materials, allowing a templar to operate at peak efficiency against all manner of beasts and fiends. Priests also encourage archery as a form of meditation, and in many communities the faithful can come to train at the local church of the Flame.

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The Purified observe the first day of every week, Sul, as the Day of Cleansing Fire, a day to recommit oneself to a life of purity. On Sul, devout worshipers of the Silver Flame fast for at least one meal, spend the mealtime in prayers of devotion and repentanceand spend the money that would otherwise pay for that meal on alms for the needy or donations to the church. In addition to this weekly observance, the church marks several significant holy days throughout the year.

Tirasday (5 Therendor): This holiday celebrates the birth of Tira Miron, the Voice of the Flame.

Promisetide (28 Dravago): As nature’s beauty reaches its height in late spring, the Purified honor the Silver Flame for the promise of the paradise to come, when the world is made pure and perfect for the faithful to inhabit.

First Dawn (21 Nymm): This observance commemorates the day in 914 YK when the Church of the Silver Flame assumed control of Thrane’s government.

Silvertide (14 Lharvion): This highest holy day of the faith celebrates the sacrifice of the couatls and the birth of the Silver Flame.

The Ascension (1 Sypheros): On this day, worshipers remember the sacrifice of Tira Miron, who joined with the Silver Flame to become its Voice.

Rampartide (24 Aryth): As nights grow longer and the world turns toward winter, the Purified steel themselves against evil, both without and within. Obeying the scriptures that enjoin them to “Make yourself a bastion, a rampart against wickedness,” they atone for past sins and fast to fortify themselves for the year ahead.

Khybersef (21 Vult): On the longest night of the year, when light and goodness seem to be at their weakest, the Purified believe that the bonds holding the fiendish overlords in Khyber are also at their weakest and that the world is in its greatest danger. Many quests and crusades are launched on Khybersef (a shortened, dialectical form of “Khyber’s Eve”)

Bright Soul’s Day (18 Olarune): As the dark days of winter draw to a close, the Purified celebrate the lives and the sacrifice of those who gave their lives to fight evil and protect the faithful.

Faiths of Eberron

Other than births and the Day of Cleansing, the Silver Flame uses major rites to celebrate thirteen high holy days. Each of these days is marked by specific prayers and rites.

Rebirth Eve (14 Zarantyr): The Purified new year, Rebirth Eve occurs on the winter solstice. It celebrates the passing of the longest night, when the world begins its slow journey toward light and warmth. The faithful stay up the entire night, holding spiritual vigil and guarding against evil, and spend the following day in rest or celebration, as they see fit.

Bright Souls’ Day (18 Olarune): As the dark days of winter draw to a close, the Purified celebrate the lives, and the sacrifice, of every follower of the Flame who died fighting evil and protecting the faithful. Those who have lost relatives in the past five years perform the funeral rite on the gravesite (or in a church, if the gravesite is not accessible), while everyone else sings paeans of gratitude to the fallen. On this day, the Purified are forbidden to use artificial or magical light sources, except in emergencies. They enjoy the day and accept the fall of night, as those who have died experienced life and did not fear death.

Tirasday (5 Therendor): This holiday celebrates both the start of the planting season and the birth of Tira Miron, Voice of the Silver Flame and the woman who brought mortals and the divine together. This is a day of work, but also of joyous celebration in the evenings. It is a time for giving gifts, and one of the most popular marriage dates.

Initiation Day (11 Eyre): According to Church histories, on this day the priesthood of the Silver Flame formally declared itself an independent faith, rather than an offshoot of the Sovereign Host (as it had been considered in its earliest years). Construction of the first Silver Flame cathedral began on this date. Even today, groundbreaking on a new cathedral or major church is usually scheduled for Initiation Day, as are most seminary graduations.

Baker’s Night (6 Dravago): On this night, families and friends gather to share magnificent pastries and similar treats, prepared by bakers and confectioners faithful to the Flame. This is one of the most popular Flame holidays, particularly among children, yet it is also the least understood. It has been a tradition since the earliest days of the church, yet not even the Cathedral of the Flame in Flamekeep, Thrane, has records suggesting where it came from, when it was adopted, or what it celebrates. Practice of Baker’s Night has begun to fade in some of the more puritan communities of Purified, and it might slowly disappear from the calendar in coming generations.

Promisetide (28 Dravago): As nature’s bounty reaches its height in late spring, the Purified honor the Silver Flame for the promise of paradise to come. They also honor—but do not worship—the Sovereign Host for creating the world that the Flame would later complete, and for graciously stepping down to allow the Flame its rightful place as the last god of Eberron. Not surprisingly, many people who do not worship the Flame find this holiday offensive.

First Dawn (21 Nymm): On this day in 914 YK, the Church of the Silver Flame officially assumed control of Thrane’s government. On the anniversary of this ascension, the Purified give thanks that at least one nation is firmly in the hands of the just, pray that the Diet of Cardinals and the nation’s secular leaders will receive the Flame’s guidance, and honor the memory of King Thalin, whose passing paved the way for the Church to take over.

Silvertide (14 Lharvion): The highest holy day in the faith, Silvertide commemorates the sacrifice of the couatl and the entry of the Silver Flame into Eberron thousands of years ago. Cathedrals fill to overflowing as all Purified who do not absolutely have to be somewhere else spend the day in prayer and observance.

Victory Day (9 Barrakas): Victory Day commemorates the successful conclusion of the lycanthropic purge. Children act out great tales of these final battles with toy swords, while adults attend sermons on the lessons of the triumphs, the defeats, and the sometimes questionable methods used by the templars during the purge.

The Ascension (1 Sypheros): On this day, worshipers remember the sacrifice of Tira Miron, who became the Voice of the Flame. They gather to reaffirm their faith and to thank Tira, attending great blessing ceremonies in the cathedrals. On this day, the faithful seek ways to contribute to the community.

Saint Valtros’s Day (25 Sypheros): This day commemorates the birth of Saint Valtros, the first paladin called to serve the Silver Flame (as distinguished from those who had served other gods until they heard the voice of the Flame). Although important, this festival is perhaps the least of the high holy days; it is marked primarily by brief prayers and church services.

Rampartide (24 Aryth): As the world turns toward winter and longer nights, the Purified steel themselves against evil, both without and within. They follow the scriptures, which say, “Make thyself a bastion, a rampart against wickedness.” This is a day of fasting and repentance; Rampartide is a time to atone for the evil within. Children, the sick, and the elderly are not required to fast, but merely to give up their favorite foods for the day.

Khybersef (27 Vult): A shortening of the original name, “Khyber’s Eve,” this is the start of winter, when light and goodness are at their weakest and worship of the Shadow is strongest. Scripture states that the bonds holding the demon lords in Khyber are at their thinnest between this night and the solstice. The Purified spend the night in intense prayer and spiritual vigilance. Many quests and crusades begin on Khybersef

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• Trust in the Silver Flame. The Voice of the Silver Flame never lies. It will light your way to glory and salvation.
• Heed the words of the Keeper. The Keeper of the Flame is the emissary of the Silver Flame speaking to you.
• Fight evil in all its forms. Not everyone can have the strength of a paladin, but there are many ways to fight evil. All followers of the Silver Flame must remain vigilant, for the one thing evil does well is hide in plain sight.
• Lead a noble life, and encourage others to do the same. Temptations abound, but the wise can recognize and avoid them. If you die with a pure spirit, you will be joined with the Silver Flame to burn forever bright.
• Share the faith. The Silver Flame can purify the darkest spirit. Share the power of the Flame with those who have not yet embraced it.

Dragonshard

The Silver Flame has existed since the dawn of time. When Eberron was overrun by darkness and the demon spawn of Khyber, the Flame arose to bring light to the world and to bind the fiends in the depths of the Dragon Below. But the Flame was too pure for flawed humanity, and the people of Khorvaire could not hear its call -- until Tira Miron set upon her righteous path. This noble warrior had devoted her life to the cause of honor and sacrifice, and in her the Flame found a worthy vessel. Guided by a glorious feathered serpent, Tira gave her life to end the reign of a demon lord that had escaped its bond. Though she fell in battle, Tira's soul joined with the Silver Flame, and in so doing, she became a conduit -- a voice that humanity could hear. Across Thrane, the pure of heart heard her call; and ever since then, the Church of the Silver Flame has stood against evil, whatever form it might take.

The Silver Flame is not an anthropomorphic deity. It is a celestial force comprised of a vast multitude of noble spirits. It neither requires sacrifices of gold or spices, nor does it want praise in the form of prayer. Instead, it needs bold warriors and pure ministers who will embrace the light and use that inspiration to banish evil from the world. A typical worshiper of the Sovereign Host offers prayers in the hopes that the deities will help him; a true follower of the Silver Flame is interested only in how she can serve the cause of the flame.

The Afterlife: Some say that when a true follower of the Flame passes on, his spirit joins with the Silver Flame, strengthening the light. While some people may see this as a mediocre reward, the priests of the Flame say that they can achieve no greater bliss and that glory beyond anything that can be experienced in life awaits -- not to mention that this far surpasses the experience of wasting away in Dolurrh. For this reason, clerics of the Silver Flame are loathe to raise the dead; when a true hero dies, his spirit has gone to a better place, and he continues to fight from the other side. Gold rarely influences a true priest of the Flame; the cleric brings the hero back only if she believes he has a noble purpose to serve in this life, and this often involves a quest or vow.

Human Evil: The goal of the Church is to cleanse the world of evil. In the minds of most outsiders, this conjures up images of templars and exorcists fighting with sword and spell. But the vast majority of the members of the Church are not warriors. More people are in the ministry and the Order of Friars than in the Order of Templars, and they seek to battle evil by nurturing good. A Thrane farmer who is faithful to the Flame does not fight demons. But he seeks to live his life by the ideals of the Church: to help those in need, to encourage virtuous behavior, and to be a force of light in the world. Gradations of evil exist, and while no mercy can be granted to the demon, hope remains that the greedy merchant or the arrogant king may follow a different path if shown how. The minister -- and the paladin -- leads by example and demonstrates to others the errors of their ways. With this said, puritans of the Flame may be less forgiving and more apt to use violence as a tool to eliminate social evils as well as supernatural forces.

Other Faiths: While the Church of the Silver Flame seeks to abolish the worship of the Blood of Vol, the Cults of the Dragon Below, and the Dark Six, it can be tolerant of other religions. Warriors of the Flame have much in common with the followers of Dol Arrah, and the teachings of Aureon and Boldrei echo those of the Church. With that said, followers of the Sovereign Host are often somewhat lackadaisical in their faith, and this often draws disdain from the faithful of the Church. A loyal member of the Church can associate freely with followers of the Sovereign Host or the Path of Light, but a zealous friar will still try to lure them to the true faith.

Faiths of Eberron

The Purified are bound together by numerous rites and traditions, by many beliefs, but by only a single religious doctrine, called the Tenet of Purity:

Burn the corruption and taint of evil from all Eberron. Other gods have begun the creation, but it is the Silver Flame, by searing wickedness and darkness from their imperfect world, that must complete it.

This belief that the world can only be made perfect by the Silver Flame and its followers embodies the height of arrogance in the eyes of followers of other religions, but it is absolutely central to the faith of the Purified. They acknowledge the existence and divinity of other gods, such as the Sovereign Host and the Dark Six, and of the three great Dragons. They even honor them, knowing them worthy of respect. After all, the Silver Flame has never claimed to be a creator deity, and it has not even existed as long as Eberron itself.

Even so, the Purified believe that although the Silver Flame was not the first god of Eberron, it will be the last. So long as evil exists, the world remains flawed and cannot become whole. By ridding the world of all evil, the Silver Flame will transform Eberron into a paradise without wickedness or sin or pain. Then will the other gods fade, for even the best of them are also impure, leaving the Silver Flame to hold dominion over heaven on earth.

For many thousands of years, the Flame existed in Eberron but could not commune with mortals. It was too holy, say the Purified, for flawed creatures to hear its voice. Only when Tira Miron, a paladin most pure of heart, joined with the Flame did it gain a voice that could speak to mortals.

The Purified believe in a hierarchy of evil. All wickedness must eventually be purged, but some is of more immediate import, and is more heavily damaging to the world itself, than other sources of wickedness. Not that the Church feels any evil is acceptable or less important; this is strictly an issue of prioritization. In simple terms, the hierarchy of evil is as follows.

• Entities of alien evil. These include evil outsiders and many aberrations. Being not merely creatures of innate malevolence, but also foreign to Eberron, these entities cause the most harm to the physical and spiritual health of the world.
• Entities of unnatural evil. These include undead and lycanthropes, creatures that were native to Eberron but corrupted into something hideous. Their presence taints the world around them, making them almost as great a threat as outsiders.
• Entities of innate evil. These include most creatures that are malevolent as a group, such as medusas, yuan-ti, and hags, but are not unnatural.
• Those who choose evil. This includes all evil humanoids, warforged, and the like. Though the cliché of the Purified shows no mercy to evildoers, most real followers of the Flame seek to save these people, not destroy them. Human evil should be fought with compassion, diplomacy, and leading by example. Whenever possible, people should be shown the error of their ways and have the chance to correct their behavior. If this is not possible, the sword might be the only answer; it should never be the first choice, however.
• The evil within. Even the most devout follower of the Silver Flame holds sin in his heart. The Purified believe that once all other evil is destroyed, mortals must purge the very desire for it from their souls. Only then will the demon be expelled from the Silver Flame, and the final traces of evil vanish from the world.

Not only does the Church prioritize evil, it accepts the notion that sometimes a lesser evil can serve to fight a greater. Sometimes, good people might be forced to commit questionable acts in the battle against darkness, or sometimes even be sacrificed for a yet greater good. The Silver Flame does not encourage such decisions, nor does the Church always approve extreme measures, but sometimes no other choice exists.

Rising from the Last War

The Last War had a serious impact on the church. Leaders still respected the Keeper’s authority over spiritual matters, but the war wasn’t about good or evil. Templars of all nations still joined together to fight demons, but if no supernatural threat was present, they fought for their own nations. This division allowed cracks to form in the foundation. In Breland, some priests fell prey to greed or forged ties to criminal organizations. In Aundair, a zealous faction known as the Pure Flame advocates using violence rather than compassion as the primary tool for rooting out evil. And in Thrane, the church has become the ruling body. While still driven by Tira’s principles of redemption and sacrifice, the intrusion of politics means that some come to the faith seeking power rather than purely to do good.

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Agents of the church can be ordained by three distinct orders—the Unknown, the Unknown , and the Unknown. Ministers include priests, who lead local temples, act as community leaders, and serve as chaplains in the military and other institutions. Templars are the warriors of the church, including temple guards, crusaders against evil creatures, wandering adventurers in search of wrongs to right, and soldiers in the armies of Thrane. Most individuals with character classes who are ordained to the church’s service are members of the Order of Templars. Members of the Order of Friars are missionary priests, traveling agents of the church who tend to the spiritual needs of the faithful and bring the light of the Flame to dark places.

The spiritual leader of the Church of the Silver Flame—and the political ruler of Thrane—is the Keeper of the Flame. That post is held at present by Unknown, an eleven-year-old girl. In practice, a Council of Cardinals oversees most affairs of both church and state.

Most members of the Council of Cardinals are drawn from the Order of Ministers, with a notable few coming from the Order of Templars. The council exerts its authority through archbishops, who are members of the Order of Ministers. Archbishops are regional authorities who in turn oversee bishops (also ministers) and prefects, the highest rank among the templars. These leaders hold spiritual authority over priests within a single large city or cluster of smaller towns and villages, and in Thrane they are local governors as well.

Faiths of Eberron

The Voice of the Silver Flame: This is the highest position in the Church hierarchy, though one could argue that it is not a position at all, so much as it is part of the god itself. The paladin Tira Miron joined with the Silver Flame in 299 YK, binding a couatl and the escaped demon lord they were attempting to destroy. Since being joined with the paladin, the Flame has communicated with mortals—Tira serves literally as the Flame’s voice.

The Keeper of the Flame: This individual serves as the intermediary between the Voice of the Silver Flame and the Diet of Cardinals. The Keeper is not elected but is called by the Voice. The current Keeper is an eleven-year-old girl named Jaela Daran.

Cardinal: A cardinal is a member of the Council of Cardinals, the most senior priests of the Church. Cardinals rarely conduct ceremonies of their own and have little to do with governing affairs in individual cities, as they are too busy running the Church itself. Only a cardinal can serve on the Diet of Cardinals—the actual ruling body—but not all cardinals are members of the Diet. Because cardinals must be nominated and elected by other cardinals, the overwhelming majority of them come from the ranks of the arch bishops, since the cardinals have regular discourse with few others.

Archbishop: A priest who holds authority over the bishops of several major cities is an archbishop. Only the Order of Ministers has members of this rank, and it is the highest rank clergy can obtain without joining the Council of Cardinals.

Bishop: A bishop holds authority over all the priests of a given city or other large community. The term is used primarily by the Order of Ministers. The equivalent title in the Order of Templars is “Prefect.” There is no equivalent among the Order of Friars. A friar who wishes to advance farther in the hierarchy must change orders.

Priest: Those who have successfully joined the priesthood, but have obtained no higher position, are simply called priests. The overwhelming majority of Silver Flame functionaries never rise higher than this rank. A priest in the Order of Ministers is referred to as “Father” or “Mother.” A priest in the Order of Friars is referred to as “Brother” or “Sister.” A priest in the Order of Templars is “Sir” or “Lady.”

Pilgrim: The lowest rank of true priests, pilgrims are beginning members of the Order of Friars. They are lower in the hierarchy than starting members of the other orders, because their responsibilities are fewer and less well defined.

Acolyte/Seminarian: These two designations do not technically count as ranks in the priesthood, since those who hold them have not yet become priests.

Servants of the Silver Flame

Unlike most other faiths, which are primarily regional or cultural, the Silver Flame appeals to specifi c types of people. A faith based on purging evil calls most clearly to those with similar goals. People who believe the world is not just and wish to make it so, those who have been wronged (by individuals, governments, or even other faiths), and those who yearn to make a difference and to give their lives real meaning, are all likely candidates for worship of the Flame. The precepts of faith dictate that simply leading a virtuous life is a blow against evil. Even common worshipers of the Silver Flame, incapable of crusading against evil, try to lead lives of goodness and charity. The majority of the Church’s priests come from their ranks.

That said, not all faithful, or all priests, focus on virtue to the exclusion of all else. The Church of the Silver Flame is a powerful religion, particularly in Thrane and specific communities of other nations. Advancement in the Church is a viable path to temporal and political power. A sizable minority of priests seek to advance not the Flame’s objectives, but their own. As the Church spreads and new generations are born into its worship, it becomes more of an establishment. In the earliest days, the Purified were entirely converts, and their faith was absolute.

Today, the Church of the Silver Flame is becoming a cultural presence, although not nearly as much so as the Sovereign Host or the Undying Court. Entire populations worship the Flame because they were raised to do so, not because its precepts called to them. This has increased the numbers of the Purified, but it has also diluted the intensity of their belief. Like the priesthood of the Sovereign Host, the Church of the Silver Flame is seen by some as a mere vocation, a means to make a living for those with few other prospects.

Becoming a Priest

Taking the cloth in the Church of the Silver Flame is a rigid, formal procedure. The would-be acolyte must serve under a Silver Flame priest, learning the basics of the faith. This period might last for only a few months, or as long as several years. Once this training is complete, the acolyte petitions for admission to one of the Church’s many seminaries, located throughout the civilized nations. The most prestigious of these include the Psalm of the Flame Seminary, or simply the Great Seminary, which is part of the massive Cathedral of the Silver Flame in Flamekeep, Thrane; and Saint Ignatius the Mentor’s School for Divine Service in the city of Passage, Aundair.

Before being accepted as a seminarian, the petitioner is subject to a battery of questions and tests of faith. These are almost entirely verbal or written, but they are intense. The individual need not show a deep knowledge of the scripture or liturgy—only what one would be expected to learn when serving a priest— but must display unshakable devotion to the Flame itself. She must demonstrate past acts of charity, faith, and goodness, and she must find at least one established priest to speak for her.

A successful petitioner becomes a seminarian for a period of no less than four years. During this time, she receives intense training in matters of philosophy, history, and dogma. If she displays a propensity for adept or cleric magic, or the calling of a paladin, her training focuses in these areas as well. At the end of every year, seminarians are tested on their knowledge and their faith. Early trials are mere tests, such as those required for admission, but later ones ask the student to solve real community problems, adjudicate doctrinal disputes, and make moral judgments. Most who fail are permitted to retake the year’s courses, and no stigma is attached to those who require more than four years to graduate. A truly horrific failure, however, revealing corruption or a flaw in character, might result in expulsion.

All in all, seminary training is a long and arduous process. Those who succeed emerge as true priests of the Silver Flame, with all the rights and responsibilities of the office. During the course of the training, instructors study the students’ interests and talents, and recommend which of the Church’s various orders to consider upon graduation. A new priest is not bound to follow this advice, but the vast majority of them do so.

Duties of the Clergy

All priests, and indeed all followers, of the Silver Flame have one duty above all others: Purge the world of evil. Everything else pales before this one imperative. Priests of the Flame do not necessarily have to seek out evil if doing so is beyond their abilities or expertise, but should they stumble across it, they must not turn their backs or shut their eyes. They must try to destroy it or at least expose it to the light of justice if possible. If not, they must seek out those who can.

Obviously, how driven a given priest is depends on which order he represents. Many templars, and some pilgrims, actively hunt creatures and people of evil, either to destroy them, bring them to justice, or show them the error of their ways. These devoted few have little time for other duties. For the less martially inclined, however, the struggle against evil could simply be a matter of leading virtuous lives and encouraging others to do the same. Friars, priests, and cardinals have many other duties, and many simply are not equipped to hunt down demons or criminals.

Clergy of the Silver Flame conduct ceremonies and lead prayers for their faithful, just as priests of other faiths do. Because the faith of the Silver Flame originally grew from those who worshiped the Sovereign Host, they undertake many of the same duties, even if they go about them by different means. These include leading services, holy day rites, and life-event rituals; offering counsel to the faithful, or to any who seek it; and undertaking charitable works. This last is considered to be of paramount importance, since alleviating suffering is a step on the road to banishing evil. One duty on which the Purifi ed place substantially more importance than do the worshipers of the Sovereign Host, however, is evangelism and proselytizing.

The followers of the Silver Flame believe that their duty is to cleanse Eberron entirely of evil. Spreading the faith can hasten that glorious aim. After all, those who turn to the Flame are less likely to commit acts of evil themselves (or so the theory goes). Furthermore, the more Purified there are, the more soldiers the Flame has to battle the forces of evil. Either way, good grows stronger and evil weaker.

All priests of the Silver Flame, regardless of rank or order, must wear the holy symbol of the faith when engaging in the duties of their offi ce. They are supposed to wear it at all times, but this dictate is less rigorously enforced. If doing so would put them in danger—such as a templar attempting to infi ltrate a stronghold of evil, or a pilgrim passing through Droaam—they are permitted to go without. When conducting services, priests wear garb of predominantly silver and white. It might be white robes with silver trim, silver armor, or whatever else is appropriate to the circumstances.

True clerics of the Silver Flame have a religious duty to avoid spells that raise the dead, such as resurrection. The Purified believe that the souls of the faithful join with the Silver Flame after death, granting them an afterlife of peace and bliss, and strengthening the Flame itself. Thus, calling a soul back weakens the Flame and subjects the soul to further pain and suffering in the material world. Clerics of the Flame return the dead to life under only the most extreme circumstances, and only if the dangers of not doing so outweigh the possible trauma to the soul. Most Purified priests cannot be enticed to do so for any amount of money, though the Church does have members who bow to temptation. Raising a member of some other faith is even less likely. In all recorded history, fewer than half-a-dozen instances exist of a Silver Flame cleric resurrecting a non–Purifi ed individual, and each case was the result of a greedy or weak-willed cleric being tempted by material reward.

Fallen Clergy

The procedure for defrocking a priest is just as rigid and formal as that for taking the cloth. Any Purified can bring charges against a priest simply by offering a formal complaint to any clergy member of equal or higher rank. The priest who receives the complaint turns it over to an inquisitor. In many cases, the complaint is without merit, and the inquisitor swiftly dismisses it; the accused might never even know she was under investigation.

Should the initial inquiry suggest a more thorough examination, the subject is formally accused of wrongdoing, temporarily stripped of her authority, and placed under guard while the inquisitor investigates. These investigations can involve standard detective work and information gathering, discern lies and other divination spells, or, in extreme circumstances with a particularly driven and brutal inquisitor, physical coercion.

Certain lesser crimes result in expulsion from the priesthood, but no further punishment. These include corruption, lying to superiors, failure to uphold one’s duties as a priest, taking inappropriate advantage of congregants, and similar offenses. Some crimes, however, are so great that the Church dispenses lethal justice on those who commit them. A priest who secretly prays to the Lords of Dust, for instance, is likely to be executed as a heretic and traitor, as is a priest who murders other priests.

Dragonshard

Ministers and Priests

The Church of the Silver Flame is highly structured. Someone who seeks to enter the order of friars or ministers first serves as an apprentice within his local community, learning the basic teachings of the Flame. When he receives the blessing of the local minister, he can enter one of the seminaries of the Flame.

Most initiates progress as experts, learning mundane skills that will help them serve their communities. Knowledge (religion), Heal, and Diplomacy are vital skills, and Knowledge (the planes) and Sense Motive are encouraged. In addition, most initiates have ranks in Craft or Profession. Various challenges test an initiate's potential to channel divine magic; those who possess this talent are called to the Great Seminary of Flamekeep, where the wisest adepts of the church teach them. The cardinals occasionally visit the Great Seminary, and on rare occasions the Keeper herself will speak to the young adepts. A character's backstory could incorporate this, giving a PC a pre-existing connection with a high-ranking patron in the church. But is the cardinal in question faithful to the Flame, or is she a corrupt schemer?

At the end of this training, a minister usually possesses two NPC levels (expert, adept, or one of each) or one level of cleric.

Paladins and Templars

The templars learn their trade in one of the fortress monasteries scattered across Khorvaire. While monasteries exist throughout Thrane, Breland, and Aundair, the three largest fortresses are located in Thrane: the massive monastery of Kloijnir, which watches over Flamekeep; Tira's Watch, on the southeastern border of Thrane and Breland; and Morningcrest to the west. Templars live an austere life, and they dedicate themselves to combat training and religious studies. The majority of templars become warriors, while the most gifted become fighters or monks. A cleric typically travels to a fortress monastery after completing spiritual training in Flamekeep, and here he learns the use of weapons and armor. These monasteries also serve as garrisons, and most templars remain at the monastery even after completing their training. Occasionally a templar accompanies a friar or serves as a pilgrim; this calling is a matter between the templar and the abbot.

Paladins are a special case. You cannot train to be a paladin: it is a spiritual calling. Many paladins learn basic skills outside of the Church, since the Voice of the Flame guides them. Ministers and friars who discover a potential paladin send her to a monastery for full training, though some paladins have risen to significant levels before officially joining the church. A paladin must undergo tests at Flamekeep before she can act as an official representative of the Church. Some then take up residence at the templar monasteries, but many serve as pilgrims or serve in secular organizations, such as the Knights of Thrane or the King's Citadel; their calling draws them out to the world, and they find monastic life stifling.

Eberron is a place where alignments are blurred, but the paladin is held to a higher standard. A paladin embodies good, and the Flame itself calls her to serve as a champion of the light. A paladin's powers are the result of her faith, her purity, and her destiny. If a player wants to be a corrupt warrior with divine powers or a holy warrior who doubts her cause, she shouldn't be a paladin -- she should play a fighter/cleric, or something similar. With that said, the moral ambiguity of Eberron makes life challenging for the paladin who expects everything to be black and white. In a crowd of ten commoners, odds are good that three will be evil. But that doesn't mean they are monsters or even killers -- each is just a greedy, selfish person who willingly watches others suffer. The sword is no answer here; the paladin is charged to protect these people. Oratory, virtue, and inspiration are the weapons of the paladin -- though intimidation may have its place. A paladin who meets this challenge and lives up to the ideals of the Flame should be treated with respect by the faithful; a paladin in good standing should find shelter and support among any community of the Flame.

Friars and Pilgrims

Ministers and templars are assigned to specific regions. Friars and pilgrims take the light of the Flame into dark places. A friar goes through the same training as a minister, but instead of settling in a single community, he is charged with the task of missionary work. A friar travels across Khorvaire preaching the virtues of the Silver Flame and attempting to win converts to the church. Friars also serve as the eyes of the Church; a friar will search every new village for signs of possession, cult activity, or other foulness, and then he can report his findings back to the nearest Church official. The majority of friars are experts; a few remarkable individuals possess adept levels.

The role of the pilgrim is less strictly defined. A pilgrim wanders the world. She is not required to perform missionary work, but she is expected to lead by example wherever she goes, to oppose evil in all its forms. This is the lowest rank in the hierarchy of the church, but it still represents a commitment -- a vow to serve and protect. Pilgrims are not as well received as paladins, but the faithful will still support a passing pilgrim in exchange for a sermon or tales of her bold deeds. This is the most likely role for a PC cleric to fill: As a pilgrim, she is free to go on any adventure she sees fit.

Eberron Campaign Guide

Order of the Radiant Flame: The monks and hermits of this contemplative branch of the church seek spiritual union with the Silver Flame in this life, in anticipation of the true union that comes after death.

Knights Militant: This rigid order maintains extreme standards of purity and morality, although it emphasizes heroic sacrifice in battle rather than imposing its moral standards on others.

Servants of the Pure Flame: Fanatics and extremists, the Servants (also called Puritans) espouse forced conversion and sometimes employ questionable methods to achieve their goals. This sect is most powerful in Aundair, although it has sympathetic ears at every level of the church’s hierarchy.

Faiths of Eberron

The Silver Flame boasts a number of variant sects and subsects. Some are simple factions within the Church, not recognized as separate entities by the priesthood. Others are considered heresies by the faithful, subject to ostracism, rigorous proselytizing, or even open conflict. What follows is a list of some of the larger or more important subgroups and variants.

Ghaash’kala: The “Ghost Guardians” tribe of orcs believes it has a divine duty to prevent evil from escaping the Demon Wastes into the world. The tribesmen worship a great power called the Kalok Shash, the “Binding Flame,” which gathers the souls of the departed and keeps darkness and evil at bay. Some Purifi ed refuse to accept this as an embodiment of the Silver Flame, unwilling to share a faith with barbaric orcs. Most priests, however, acknowledge that the Ghaash’kala do indeed worship the Flame, but believe their view of it to be skewed and inaccurate. The Flame has sent several missionary expeditions, but none of any real size or success to date, due at least in part due to extremists among the Servants of the Pure Flame who would rather see this heretical worship wiped out than accepted.

Knights Militant: This rigid order maintains extreme standards of purity and morality. The Knights tend to emphasize heroic sacrifice in battle more than imposition of their way on others. As such, they have not generated the depth of hostility the Puritans have.

Order of the Radiant Flame: A more contemplative group, the Order seeks spiritual union with the Flame in this life, instead of after perishing in the battle against evil. They do not shun the physical and are valiant foes, but neither do they quest far and wide for confl ict. They are content to ponder the mysteries of the cosmos from their monasteries and shrines.

Penitent Brethren: This subsect of Purified, consisting largely of shifters, believes that its members are innately creatures of evil. The shifters see themselves as tainted with the lycanthropic curse, while the few nonshifter members consider themselves cursed in some other way. (Warforged might believe themselves incapable of anything but killing, for instance.) They join the Silver Flame in an effort to atone, and seek injury and even death in its service as punishment for their innate sins.

Servants of the Pure Flame: The Servants (also called Puritans) are true fanatics and extremists. They follow every law of the faith to the letter, seek the destruction of every force even remotely opposed to the Flame, and have no compunctions—unlike other Purifi ed—about forced conversion. The Puritans are the most likely to resort to violent or questionable means to obtain a “good” goal, and they have substantial power and influence in the priesthood, all the way to the Diet of Cardinals. The Pure Flame is based primarily in Aundair’s major cities, where it has been strong since the lycanthropic purge.

Tarnished: This is not a single group or entity. Rather, “Tarnished” is the name the Purified apply to any who devote themselves to the demon trapped within the Silver Flame. While the faithful refuse to believe it, a number of individuals claim that a so-called Voice in the Darkness occasionally whispers to the faithful. Sometimes it tricks devout followers into believing it is the voice of the Flame itself, or it works with the greed or corruption in an individual, offering power or even immortality in exchange for service. The Shadow in the Flame is a potent demon overlord, and while it lacks the power of a god, it was a world-spanning power in its day. The Tarnished believe it remains strong enough to follow through on its promises. The greatest of the Tarnished was Melysse Miron, the so-called AntiKeeper who challenged the established Keeper in the year 497 YK. Melysse presented herself as a reformer, claiming that the Church had lost its way. Only after gaining a substantial following that threatened to rip the Church asunder was she revealed as a servant of darkness. She was captured after a brief but bloody struggle and sentenced to an eternity of slumber in Dreadhold. No agent so powerful has pledged service to the demon since, perhaps because part of its power is still trapped in Melysse. Still, those who claim to hear its voice and bear its powers cut a swath of darkness through Church ranks.

Player's Guide to Eberron

The Church of the Silver Flame illuminates a way of life for millions of people across Khorvaire, represents the force that governs the nation of Thrane, and inspires bands of crusaders dedicated to exterminating evil from the face of Eberron. If mere membership in the church grants a comforting degree of faith and security, life as a crusader in its order of knights templar guarantees a career of excitement, virtue, and honor.

Dragonshard

The templars learn their trade in one of the fortress monasteries scattered across Khorvaire. While monasteries exist throughout Thrane, Breland, and Aundair, the three largest fortresses are located in Thrane: the massive monastery of Kloijnir, which watches over Flamekeep; Tira's Watch, on the southeastern border of Thrane and Breland; and Morningcrest to the west. Templars live an austere life, and they dedicate themselves to combat training and religious studies. The majority of templars become warriors, while the most gifted become fighters or monks. A cleric typically travels to a fortress monastery after completing spiritual training in Flamekeep, and here he learns the use of weapons and armor. These monasteries also serve as garrisons, and most templars remain at the monastery even after completing their training. Occasionally a templar accompanies a friar or serves as a pilgrim; this calling is a matter between the templar and the abbot.

Paladins are a special case. You cannot train to be a paladin: it is a spiritual calling. Many paladins learn basic skills outside of the Church, since the Voice of the Flame guides them. Ministers and friars who discover a potential paladin send her to a monastery for full training, though some paladins have risen to significant levels before officially joining the church. A paladin must undergo tests at Flamekeep before she can act as an official representative of the Church. Some then take up residence at the templar monasteries, but many serve as pilgrims or serve in secular organizations, such as the Knights of Thrane or the King's Citadel; their calling draws them out to the world, and they find monastic life stifling.

Eberron is a place where alignments are blurred, but the paladin is held to a higher standard. A paladin embodies good, and the Flame itself calls her to serve as a champion of the light. A paladin's powers are the result of her faith, her purity, and her destiny.The moral ambiguity of Eberron makes life challenging for the paladin who expects everything to be black and white. In a crowd of ten commoners, odds are good that three will be evil. But that doesn't mean they are monsters or even killers -- each is just a greedy, selfish person who willingly watches others suffer. The sword is no answer here; the paladin is charged to protect these people. Oratory, virtue, and inspiration are the weapons of the paladin -- though intimidation may have its place. A paladin who meets this challenge and lives up to the ideals of the Flame should be treated with respect by the faithful; a paladin in good standing should find shelter and support among any community of the Flame.

The Purified maintain that the soul is a form of divine energy, but that it does not originate from the Silver Flame or indeed any god. Rather, it coalesces from the energies of the world. Each person born adds a spark of the divine to the world. Those who are faithful to the Silver Flame join with it after death, their own souls adding the tiniest bit to its own near-infinite power. Others are condemned to Dolurrh, where their souls’ divinity is extinguished, condemning them to an endless existence as passionless minds with no true spirit. Only the Silver Flame can offer an alternative to Dolurrh, and that is proof to the Purified that the Flame will eventually be the one true god of Eberron. When that day comes, the realm of Dolurrh will cease to exist, for it will no longer serve any purpose.

The Church of the Silver Flame was born in the year 299 YK, but the Flame itself is far older. Historical and sacred writings agree, at least, on that much. Where they cannot seem to reach any accord is on the birth, or the nature, of the Flame.

Most scholars attribute the source of the Flame to the end of the couatl–demon lord struggle, roughly a hundred thousand years before the founding of the Kingdom of Galifar, at the end of the Age of Demons. The couatls sacrificed themselves, almost to the last, to banish the native fiends and their terrible overlords to the underworld of Khyber, where they remain trapped to this day. According to this theory, the souls of the couatls merged together into a force of great purity and light, the power with which the paladin Tira Miron would eventually bond.

Most of the Purified have a different interpretation. They believe that the couatl souls did not form the Flame but rather opened the way for it. This supreme act of selfless good caused them to bond with the force mortals view as the Silver Flame, and allowed it access to the world of Eberron from a heavenly realm—a transcendental dimension beyond any known plane. Once the door was opened, it could not again be closed.

Another dispute exists over the nature and influence of the Silver Flame. The more rigid of the Purified, including the Puritans, claim that ancient texts are mistaken about one fact: the demon was merely bound by the paladin and serpent; it did not merge with them. They claim the Flame itself and thus the Voice of the Flame is unburdened by any darkness. It is merely beholden to its prison to keep the evil contained.

The majority of the priesthood refuses to disclaim ancient writings that speak of the binding of “ demon, serpent, and paladin together forever.” They acknowledge the evil at the heart of the Flame, but reject any notion that that darkness can influence the Flame’s essential goodness. They also consider heretical the notion of some scholars that the faint impurity within the Flame made it possible for mortals to communicate with it—that the divine had to be lowered at least one tiny step nearer mortals and the physical world before any such congress was possible.

Source: Faiths of Eberron

One of the reasons the typically rigid Church of the Silver Flame has not generated more ill will in communities is their refusal to engage in coerced conversion. Converts are expected to be virtuous and to banish evil from their hearts and minds. That goal has served to dissuade even the most violent and misguided members from conversion by the sword. Even if such techniques were not anathema to the precepts of the Flame, what value is there in forcing someone who still harbors evil in her heart to claim allegiance to good? Though they might not state it as bluntly, I believe that most soldiers of the Silver Flame would much rather see a truly repentant worshiper of the Sovereign Host or even the Radiant Cults than a falsely penitent convert to the Flame.

Also on the issue of duties, it is interesting to note that in the earliest days of the religion, the faithful were forbidden from using cosmetics or otherwise altering their appearance. Men could not shave, nor could anyone cut their hair, except to keep it out of the way in battle. The idea appears to have been that vanity led to greater sins of pride. In the modern era, priests have taken on more established positions with substantial secular power and been drawn from less-zealous generations of faithful. As a result, this tradition has largely been abandoned. Some Servants of the Pure Flame—the Church’s rigid, puritan faction—do still maintain this practice. Their current rarity, however, renders these wild-haired faithful all the more striking.

Exploring Eberron

The Church of the Silver Flame has lofty aspirations, and it’s easy to find fault when it fails to live up to them. While there’s always potential for corruption in the church, it’s often exaggerated. Stories about corrupt priests can be more dramatic than virtuous ministers who are only there to help, but the majority of priests do strive to live its principles—resisting the evil within, treating others with compassion and empathy, and working together for the common good. The point isn’t that the church is a fundamentally corrupt institution, but rather that no one is perfect—in their imperfections, people can be led astray by the Shadow in the Flame or simply succumb to pride or greed. In dealing with corrupt followers of the faith, consider what kind of “corruption” it is and where it comes from. There’s a considerable difference between the Brelish priest who demands gold for a blessing and the Thrane inquisitor who lets their zeal for fighting evil drive them to cruelty.

Zealots represent the most common form of corruption, especially among paladins or clerics. A zealot is devoted to the principles of the faith, but loses sight of the importance of compassion—giving in to the evil within in their quest to fight evil in the world. This includes those who engage in unnecessary cruelty, especially when dealing with those who choose evil. Zealots have no interest in gold or power, and risk their lives to defend others; they are simply able to justify ruthless and evil actions in the name of the greater good. This is the primary sin of the Pure Flame, but zealots can be found anywhere.

Opportunists seek to use their religious authority for personal gain. This typically involves charging people for services that should be granted freely, or gaining gold or influence by using church resources for unrelated purposes. In Sharn, Archierophant Ythana Morr is often accused of using templars as mercenaries and serving as a strongarm for local merchants. Usually this reflects a fundamental lack of faith, and as a result, opportunists rarely wield divine magic. If an opportunist can channel the power of the Flame, it suggests that somehow, they are able to justify these conflicting concepts— that they truly believe their actions are righteous and serve the greater good, even if those actions incidentally line the pockets of the priest. Such a character might believe that they need greater wealth or influence to help others, or that they are fighting fire with fire—teaching the wicked the error of their ways through political or economic means. Before the Last War, opportunists were usually found in Breland, but the rise of the theocracy has yielded more opportunists in Thrane as well.

The Tarnished are the worst form of corruption: priests or templars who knowingly serve the Lords of Dust or the Shadow in the Flame while posing as servants of the light. The Tarnished may mimic a devout priest—as Melysse Miron did in the Time of Two Keepers—but they are drawing this power from the Shadow in the Flame. This still requires deep faith, but the Tarnished are devoted to quite different principles. The most widespread form of this corruption is the cult of the Whispering Flame, described in the section on “The Cults of the Dragon Below.” But the Tarnished can also be loners who embrace the evil within alone. In dealing with a Tarnished villain, consider what has caused them to embrace darkness over light. Have the Lords of Dust promised them something priceless? Do they believe mortals are fundamentally flawed or that the cruelty of Bel Shalor is the rightful state of humanity? Do they somehow see themselves as the heroes of the story?

Faiths of Eberron: For the Love of Silver

It astounds many people that a Church claiming to stand for justice, right, and the abolishment of evil could be so rife with corruption. For all their enemies, it sometimes seems that the priesthood of the Silver Flame must inevitably be brought down not from without, but from the growing darkness within.

To an extent, this is a skewed perception. The overwhelming majority of Silver Flame priests are legitimately faithful, if perhaps not as pure as they would like. Only a small portion of Purified priests are truly corrupt, but they stand out so starkly against the bright background of the rest, and tend to hold positions of great importance when they are discovered, creating the impression that the taint runs deeper than it truly does.

Still, corruption does indeed eat away at portions of the Church hierarchy. For the most part, it seems to manifest in three different forms.

The most common form of corruption occurs when zealous devotion causes a priest to set aside mercy and compassion. Such a priest might be a pillar of the community and an admirable citizen, absolutely dedicated to the Church, who nevertheless gladly sacrifices the innocent in pursuit of the greater good. He tortures and kills without remorse. He does not glorify these actions, and does not take them needlessly, but neither does he shirk from using dark methods to win the battle against evil.

A second form of corruption is greed. Clerics and adepts of the Silver Flame are not supposed to sell divine spells; these miracles are intended to protect the faithful. Yet some clerics use their magic to gain gold or influence. Some merely want to live in luxury, but others believe that political power is a more effective weapon against evil than a paladin’s sword. Even if these priests have evil alignments, they might still be working in the interests of the greater good—at least, as they see it.

Both the above types of priests do not see themselves as evil and might even aid the cause of good. The third category is the priests who knowingly embrace darkness. They hear a second voice calling from the Silver Flame, the whispers of the terrible demon that Tira bound in battle. It is this false Flame that leads a good priest astray. Worse still, a few seek out the evil within the Flame, serving the Lord of Dust at the very heart of the Church.

Dragonshard: The Fury of the Flame

The ministry of the Silver Flame performs countless good works throughout the Five Nations, but the actions of the templars often overshadow these efforts. The most dramatic instance of this occurred when the inquisition destroyed the lycanthropes. To outsiders, this wholesale slaughter may seem shocking and unforgivable. However, a few factors can help people understand how such an event could occur -- and what the Church might do in the future.

• The Church of the Silver Flame operates under a strict hierarchy. The Church expects the faithful to trust the wisdom of those who stand above them, since those higher in the hierarchy stand closer to the Flame. Thus, most templars act without questioning their orders: If a cardinal authorizes an action, it must be in the best interests of the world. This is especially true of the puritans.
  
  
• The ultimate goal of the Church is to cleanse Eberron itself. For many members of the Church, this noble goal justifies any means required to reach it. This manner of thinking serves as one of the sources of evil-aligned priests within Thrane. Such a priest may be good in almost all ways, but she has a willingness to employ evil tools -- such as torture -- when necessary to achieve a goal that furthers the Church's cause.
  
  
• When the Church targets a problem, it seeks to completely eliminate it. The templars act with ruthless efficiency. In the case of lycanthropy, any lycanthrope can afflict a victim with a curse that alters behavior and alignment, and this makes the victim a threat to others and a new carrier for the curse. In 832 YK, the Keeper of the Silver Flame declared that lycanthropy afflicted the soul as well as the body, since it could turn the noblest soul to a tool of darkness. Even those lycanthropic strains that were not inherently evil still force a change of behavior on the subject, and were thus suspect; the Keeper declared that these still imperiled the soul. If a single lycanthrope remained alive, it could pass the curse to others, and they could pass the curse to others, and within a generation the problem could arise anew. Thus all lycanthropes -- even those seemingly innocent and young -- must be destroyed.
  
  A handful of paladins found alternatives. Some helped werebears escape to Lamannia, while others sought to cure the afflicted. Unfortunately, the process of breaking the curse is long and involved, and the Keeper of the Flame said that once the curse was set (via changing alignment), nothing could save the victim's soul. And so the templars relied on their silvered swords, cutting out the cancer and praying for forgiveness when innocents fell at their hands.

The Church is fighting a war, and it intends to win. Casualties are certain. Sacrifices must be made, and allies may fall to friendly fire. But the Church will always act swiftly, decisively, and in a manner that serves the greater good -- at least, as the cardinals see it.

The idea that good people can do evil and that evil people can serve the cause of good is a central theme of Eberron. The Church of the Silver Flame embraces this paradox. It has a noble cause. The majority of its followers champion the ways of the light. And yet, with the best of intentions, they can become your enemies -- or you may be asked to do questionable things in the service of the Church.

Dragonshard

In Eberron, the alignment of a priest does not have to match that of his deity. As a result, corruption is a major concern in the Church of the Silver Flame. However, corruption can take many forms, and each can have a vastly different impact on a campaign.

The most common form of corruption is when zealous devotion causes a priest to set aside mercy and compassion. Such a priest may be a pillar of his community and an admirable man who has absolute dedication to the Church. But if he must sacrifice the innocent in pursuit of the greater good, he will. He will torture and kill without remorse. He will not glorify these actions, and will not torture needlessly -- but he will not shirk from using dark methods to win the battle against evil.

A second form of corruption is greed. The clerics and adepts of the Silver Flame are not supposed to sell divine spells; these miracles are to be saved for the protection of the faithful. But some clerics use their spells to gain gold or influence. Some just want to live lives of luxury, but others believe that there are many ways to fight evil -- and that political power is a more effective weapon than a paladin's sword. While these priests have an evil alignment, they may still be working in the interests of the greater good -- at least, as they see it.

These two types of priests both have their redeeming features. They do not see themselves as evil and may aid the cause of good. But then there is the third category -- the priest who knowingly embraces the darkness. A second voice whispers in the Silver Flame -- that of the terrible demon that Tira bound in battle. Occasionally a good priest is led astray by this false flame. However, a few seek out this quiet voice and serve the interests of the Lords of Dust from the heart of the church. Some believe they will gain immortality or fiendish power in exchange for their devotion. Others have been driven mad by the horrors of the Last War and believe that the light has forsaken the world. Either way, these heretics are cunning and dangerous.

Unfortunately, dealing with corruption is a tricky business. The Church does not define evil as "that which can be detected with detect evil"; as noted earlier, someone with an evil alignment may serve the greater good. Furthermore, a cleric of a good deity always possesses a good aura, regardless of her personal alignment. Rank within the church hierarchy is another complication: a pilgrim can't kill a cardinal and expect to get away with it because "he was evil." She will need proof of actions that went against church doctrine and harmed the innocent. Thus, a paladin's ability to detect evil allows her to judge the character of those around her -- but it's in no way a license to kill.

When dealing with this sort of situation, a DM should bear in mind that a significant difference exists between rank and character level. A cardinal may be a high-level cleric. He could also be a low-level expert. A high-ranking church official may not be able to physically challenge a high-level PC -- but he has the many resources of the church and the Templars behind him, and lower-ranking members of the Church are expected to defer to his judgment or face sanction and excommunication.

Source: Faiths of Eberron

Despite the importance most Purified devote to their faith, active worship of the Silver Flame does not consume much of the faithful’s day-to-day living. The churches hold mass three times a day, but only the most devoted attend more than once or twice a week, and only the truly zealous attend more than once a day. By all appearances, the Purified offer little more than lip service to the Flame.

This is a false impression, though. The Purified do not offer many prayers or rites throughout the day because they honor and worship the Flame through living virtuous lives, and doing good deeds for themselves and their fellows. “A life of virtue,” states one of the religion’s greatest axioms, “is the greatest gift a mortal has to offer.”

This does not mean that the Purified never demonstrate their faith, merely that overt worship is not so common as in other faiths. Purified pray to the Flame whenever they require aid or succumb to fear. They perform rites, and they attend services on the thirteen holy days of the religion, as well as on days commemorating local events of religious significance (such as the ascension of a new bishop). They give thanks for positive events, such as the recovery of a sick relative or even a meal with family and friends. Such prayers are very brief, sometimes involving no more than the lighting of a silverburn candle to shed its glow over the table.

Because living virtuously honors the Flame, sinning against others is a religious offense. This does not mean that the church punishes Purified who commit secular crimes—that’s what government is for, even if, as in Thrane, that government is controlled by the church—but even minor offenses are stains on the soul, which the Purified must atone for before being worthy of the Flame.

The People of the Silver Flame

In some regions, most notably Thrane, worship of the Silver Flame is the dominant religion. Most locals are born to the faith rather than seeking it out.

That said, in all areas but Thrane, the Silver Flame still gains as many new worshipers from conversion as from procreation. It is the only major religion that specifi cally preaches a need to change the world and the ultimate triumph of good over evil, justice over injustice. Other faiths preach the need to protect Eberron (as some of the druid sects do) or to ascend from mortal life (such as the Blood of Vol), but few grant worshipers the sense of purpose required to transform Eberron into a heaven for all virtuous people. Worship of the Silver Flame appeals to those who have suffered injustice or who seek to make the world a better place. It also resonates with people who have a strong martial ethic—many of those who fight for good in the name of the Silver Flame are in it more for the fight than the good.

The Silver Flame and the Government

The Church of the Silver Flame has always been strongest in Thrane. For many years, the nation’s rulers were followers of that faith, and the Diet of Cardinals took over the nation in 914 when the people rejected the claim of King Thalin’s heir. The nation has been a theocracy ever since, with the Keeper of the Flame and the Cardinals wielding secular as well as religious power.

In most other nations of Khorvaire, the Silver Flame is just one faith among many. Although the church might attempt to convert members of the government and infl uence political decisions, it has only a limited ability to do so. Some of its more zealous factions call for an open coup, claiming that the violence would be more than justified by the good the Flame could do with all the Five Nations under its sway. Fortunately, the majority of the Diet of Cardinals is opposed to this action—the church, powerful though it be, lacks the means to carry it out in any event. The Purified coexist with followers of the Host and other faiths, and preach to the nobility as much as they are able. The church also makes itself indispensable by lending its soldiers to national armies—if those armies are fi ghting for a cause it can support.

Only in regions vehemently opposed to the Silver Flame, such as Droaam, do the Purified not operate openly and actively. Even here, however, the church has a few hidden enclaves of templars seeking to do what good they can. Some rescue travelers menaced by Droaam’s forces, while others actively sabotage the workings of local governments. Most importantly, however, they watch for those rare natives who seem unhappy with the current situation and might be suitable candidates for conversion. A faithful insider is a greater weapon against the darkness than half a dozen holy warriors.

The Silver Flame and Other Faiths

The Purified have a simple attitude toward the other religions of Eberron: They’re all wrong.

This does not necessarily translate into hostility. The Purified have an abiding respect for the Sovereign Host, who created the world the Silver Flame will complete. They feel, however, that worshipers of the Host are clinging to old and outmoded ways, and that they are unwittingly delaying the inevitable coming of paradise. Thus, Purified proselytize to followers of the Host and attempt to convert them at every opportunity. Followers of the Flame approach the druid sects in much the same way. They acknowledge the druids’ role in protecting Eberron from great evils, but claim that the Church of the Silver Flame can do a better job, especially if the druids join them.

Where the Silver Flame is not trying to convert other faiths, it is trying to destroy them. The Dark Six, the Dragon Below, and the Lords of Dust are all the darkest evil in the eyes of the Purified. Individual members of those religions might still be saved, shown the error of their ways and brought to the light, but they are few. Templars do not walk down city streets beheading anyone who utters a prayer to the Six, but in regions where the church has power, such faiths are vigorously stamped out.

Specific Attitudes

Different members of the faith might hold these attitudes to a greater or lesser degree.

The Sovereign Host: They mean well, but they must be convinced that clinging to the old ways harms the future. Certainly I honor my parents, but more importantly, I work to give my children a better world. Clearly, we and future generations owe a debt to the Host, but we cannot complete our holy task until all serve the Flame.

The Dark Six: A barbarous, savage faith. At least those who follow the Host, misguided though they are, venerate gods who represent the best of what was. Those who worship the Six cling to the worst of the old, and they must be cleared away to make room for the coming day.

Druid Sects: To protect the world without also improving it only condemns it to a slower death. The druids should turn their attention to shaping the future, not merely maintaining the present.

The Blood of Vol: Devotion to the blood within is misguided and foolish. Those who take this so far as to seek to become vampires, liches, or other evil undead are fiends most vile. If a common Vol worshiper will listen to reason, he must be turned from its twisted path. Those who become evil undead must be destroyed. Other Faiths: Some are merely misguided, worshiping beings no more divine than I. Others are heretics on par with twisted souls who offer their loyalty to the Lords of Dust and other demons. Some might possibly be converted, but better that no one so foolish be brought into the fold.

The Silver Flame in the Last War

The bulk of the church’s resources in the Last War were tied up in Thrane’s campaigns. As a theocracy ruled by the Keeper and the cardinals, Thrane fought for not only its own dominance but that of the Silver Flame. Many among Thrane’s Purified sought victory to unite the Five Nations not merely under one rule, but under one faith. Even today, many of them resent the soldiers of the other nations, not for their own political defeat, but because Thrane’s victory would have hastened the promised earthly heaven.

The church did take advantage of the war to attack enemies uninvolved in the political struggle. Moving templars under cover of Thrane troops, or using battles as diversions, it launched assaults on temples of the Dark Six, or against cults of the Lords of Dust. They struck deep into territories belonging to other nations, sorties that would have been acts of war if war were not already ongoing, to reach some of these foes. The more violent factions even wiped out communities of Sovereign Host worshipers who stood in the way of Purifi ed expansion. The church has punished those who were discovered, but in the war’s chaos, more than a few have avoided exposure.

Rising from the Last War

Fortresses of the Silver Flame are designed to serve as templar garrisons and to provide sanctuary against supernatural threats. Churches feature enormous arches and open spaces. The sanctuary of a Flamic church has a mosaic floor with a flame burning at its center.

The seat of the religion is the Grand Cathedral in Flamekeep. Built around the site of Tira’s sacrifice, this fortified temple is the size of a small city.

Faiths of Eberron

The Silver Flame is a religion of extremes when it comes to houses of worship. Nearly any structure or room can serve as a shrine to the Flame. All that is required is a spot for a fire—preferably tinted with silverburn— sufficient to light the entire space. This symbolizes the Silver Flame offering light to the Purified and warding off the darkness. Most such shrines are private family affairs, but some are the only place to worship in smaller or poorer communities.

True temples of the Flame, more properly called churches or cathedrals, are another matter entirely. Churches are constructed of stone, and while they require no prescribed number of stories, the first floor always has abnormally high ceilings. All Flame churches feature enormous arches, peaks, open spaces, and graceful flying buttresses, in what has been dubbed the Flamic style. Many have stained glass with silver filigree. The main sanctuary has a mosaic floor, with a representation of the Flame in the very center. A real flame burns in the middle of the mosaic or in a brazier hanging from the ceiling above. This flame, tinted with silverburn, is never allowed to gutter out. Whites and silvers are the primary decorative colors, augmented with deep blue in times of mourning and red and gold in times of active war. The priesthood seeks out manifest zones with connections to Syrania and, to a lesser extent, Irian. Only a tiny handful of these exist, of course, but the Flame’s followers prefer to build their greatest cathedrals on such sites.

The greatest house of worship is the Cathedral of the Silver Flame (or simply the Grand Cathedral) in Flamekeep, Thrane. The Cathedral, formerly a castle, has grown to the size of a town and is entirely self-sufficient. It is as defensible as any fortress and contains artisans, soldiers, and even a few large gardens, as well as its various sanctuaries, libraries, and of course the Chamber of the Flame. Even if cut off completely from the outside world, its several hundred inhabitants could maintain a reasonable quality of life for many months.

The neighborhoods surrounding the Cathedral never experience true darkness. Twenty-four hours a day, 336 days a year, a great fire burns atop the Cathedral. This flame is tended constantly, mystically protected from rain, wind, and other elements, and never allowed to die. It burns directly above the Chamber of the Flame, creating the illusion that the Silver Flame itself rises through the ceiling into the night sky, illuminating the city. It does not always burn silver, though. When the Keeper of the Flame dies, it is treated with an alchemical substance that causes it instead to burn the deep blue of mourning. It remains thus until the Silver Flame calls a new Keeper, and the Diet of Cardinals confirms his or her appointment. Only then does the fire atop the Cathedral return to silver, signaling to all that a new Keeper rules from Flamekeep.

Orders and Monasteries

The Silver Flame boasts an enormous number of knightly and monastic orders, each with their own specific devotion or their own assigned region. (These are distinct from the ecclesiastical orders described above, such as the Order of Ministers.) Knightly orders are usually drawn from the Order of Templars and consist of warriors and fighters, with a smattering of paladins, clerics, and monks. They are based in or near large cities, operating from enormous chapterhouses that double as fortresses. Monastic orders, however, are located in simple abbeys in or near smaller cities and villages. Comprised primarily of experts and warriors, monastic orders also include a number of fighters and monks. Only a few paladins and clerics grace these chambers.

Some of the most famous orders are the Order of the Argent Fist, boasting elite holy warriors called argent fists (see page 70); the Holy Brethren of the Silver Blade, a knightly order based in Lathleer, Aundair; the Monastery of Saint Dioscian the Anchorite, near Black Pit in Breland; and the Knights Custodial, who protect other members of the clergy, with chapterhouses in all the major cities of Thrane, and in many in Aundair and Breland.

One order stands out in the minds of Purified and nonbelievers alike. Its members have been known at various times as the Ardent Seekers of the Illuminated World, the Knights Inquisitive, the Office of the Hallowed Confessors, and—most simply and most famously—the Inquisition. They have been a knightly order and a monastic order, but are now simply a semiformal gathering of Church operatives. Whatever their shape, their purpose remains the same: to root out enemies of good and of the Silver Flame, within the Purified and without, and to cleanse the world of them by all appropriate means. The definition of “appropriate” changes from era to era, and inquisitor to inquisitor. Most would never stoop to acts of evil, but some believe strongly that the ends justify the means. Some even resort to torture, or to burning innocents to cleanse a village of a single evil. Unfortunately, the actions of these few have tainted the reputation of the Inquisition, so that other people see all inquisitors as the worst of the Silver Flame. The Inquisition answers to a single cardinal on the Diet, referred to as the Grand Confessor, whose identity is known only to the Keeper and few elder cardinals. Even other inquisitors see their leader but rarely; they normally receive directives through channels and intermediaries. In those rare personal appearances, the Grand Confessor is masked and cloaked in magical protection. Such extreme secrecy keeps the Grand Confessor free from outside influences.

Dragonshard

Temples of the Silver Flame always are heavily fortified and capable of providing shelter to the innocent. Furnishings are typically austere, but elaborate carvings displaying intertwining flames and heroes of the church often cover the walls. A brazier filled with silver continual flame is set before the altar.

Eberron is just one bad day away from collapsing into a demonic apocalypse. The fiendish overlords struggle against their bonds, and shapeshifting rakshasa are manipulating humanity and working to release their masters. If you live in Khorvaire, you know as absolute fact that the dead can rise to prey on the living. You know that horrific aberrations could burst out of the underworld at any time and that the bite of a werewolf is all it would take to turn you into a murderous monster. The more you know, the worse it gets—even your dreams could be orchestrated by the Dreaming Dark. These things aren’t questions of faith; these are simple facts. The overlords embody our worst fears. They thrive on hatred, cruelty, and chaos. Even when they’re bound, they can use their influence to drive people toward darkness. And if they break their bonds, the world as you know it will be destroyed.

These realities—and the need to protect the world from them—form the vital foundation of the Church of the Silver Flame. This is a world where deadly supernatural evil is a concrete fact of existence, and the church itself was founded when a noble paladin gave her life to pull her nation back from the abyss. Some might mistakenly see the church merely as a militant hierarchical religious organization and assume that it must be a force of oppression. But while the Church of the Silver Flame is a religion, it’s equally a volunteer militia whose members are prepared to risk their lives to protect every innocent from the real and deadly threats lurking in the shadows. At the end of the day, the templar isn’t there to tell you how you should live your life; they’re there to make sure you can live your life, to protect you from the monsters and fiends that could appear at any moment.

Foundations of the Faith

The Silver Flame was forged in the Age of Demons, and heroes of many cultures have wielded its power over the ages. The following principles form the common foundation of the Flame, regardless of whether you’re a Ghaash’kala orc or a templar of Thrane—though extremist sects pick and choose which tenets to follow or discard. When dealing with followers of the Silver Flame, keep these in mind.

A Power, Not A God

The Silver Flame is a force created during the Age of Demons to bind the overlords. It has a concrete purpose: it is the cage that keeps apocalyptic evil at bay. The Sovereigns and Six are deities, believed to influence every facet of daily life. The Silver Flame is different. It’s not seen as an anthropomorphic entity; rather, followers recognize it as a pure force of celestial energy. It doesn’t influence the world on its own, and can only empower champions who will use that gift to protect the innocent. The Flame itself doesn’t speak to people; instead, it is the Voice of the Flame that guides the faithful. Ultimately, the Silver Flame is a resource; if you seek to protect the innocent from supernatural evil, you may be able to draw on the power of the Flame to aid you in your fight.

Coexistence

The Silver Flame won’t grant you a good harvest as Arawai will, nor will it send storms like the Devourer. The Silver Flame isn’t a god, but a resource to serve a specific purpose, and there is no inherent conflict between the beliefs of the Silver Flame and the Sovereign Host. The Church of the Silver Flame is a practical, pragmatic faith founded on active public service. It takes the approach that the world will manage itself—that there will be a harvest or a storm whether or not you acknowledge Arawai or the Devourer—and that the most important thing is to protect people from the darkness that could destroy them. The church doesn’t inherently challenge the worship of the Sovereigns, and the two faiths have coexisted peacefully throughout history. Paladins of Dol Arrah often coordinate with templars of the Silver Flame to deal with threats, and Vassals of the Sovereign Host are usually happy to accept the assistance of templars when danger strikes.

Defense of All

The Silver Flame protects the entire world from the evil of the overlords, and likewise, those who channel its power should protect all innocents from supernatural threats. While extremist sects may stray from this path, the core beliefs of the Church of the Silver Flame don’t elevate any nation or species above another. Templars of the Silver Flame should protect everyone from evil. Friars should guide and care for all who are in need. This principle was clearly evident during the Last War. Even when the Church took power in Thrane, most priests and templars in other nations continued to serve their people. Regardless of the position of the cardinals and the Keeper, the mission of the Flame is to defend the innocent, not to rule the world. Brelish and Cyran templars would quickly unite with Thranes if a supernatural threat arose in the midst of a conflict; if demons from Shavarath appeared on a battlefield, all templars would unite against them. But in the absence of supernatural evil, there’s nothing preventing a templar from serving their nation or protecting their family. While the templars of Thrane are also the army of Thrane, they still recognize the difference between their sacred duty and their service to their nation.

Eternal Evil

The Silver Flame was kindled to bind the fiendish overlords, immortal spirits that cannot be destroyed. The overlords are the embodiments of hatred, fear, greed, cruelty—and, like the overlords themselves, these things can never be permanently destroyed, only held at bay. The message of the Silver Flame isn’t that evil can ever be permanently eradicated. It is that we must be ever vigilant and prepared to deal with evil when it arises. Even in the most peaceful moments, a new terror could emerge from Khyber, or a gate could spill shadows out of Mabar. And even in a town of virtuous people, someone could be corrupted by greed or anger. The templar stands ever ready to fight the physical threat, while the minister seeks to keep their people on the virtuous path.

Afterlife and the Voices of the Flame

The basic doctrine of the Silver Flame doesn’t promise punishment or paradise after death. But its faithful commonly believe that the souls of those who live virtuous lives pass through Dolurrh unharmed, merging with the Silver Flame itself. By strengthening the Flame, these souls continue to protect the innocent of generations to come. Merging with the Flame is generally depicted as a transcendent union with those who have gone before, a state beyond mortal understanding— seen both as a reward and a duty.

Typically, souls that merge with the Flame don’t return to the mortal world. However, it is possible for a spirit within the Flame to maintain its identity, guiding or advising the faithful from beyond. The Church of the Silver Flame calls out Tira Miron as the Voice of the Flame, who stands between eternity and mortality and guides the faithful toward the light. However, the Ghaash’kala and the serpent cults existed long before the sacrifice of Tira Miron, and they have their own Voices of the Flame—heroes who guide the faithful of these cultures.

The Hierarchy of Evil

The Silver Flame empowers mortals to fight against evil. But not all evils are equal, and different threats call for different approaches. The Church of the Silver Flame defines the hierarchy of evil as follows:

Entities of alien evil. These are the children of Khyber, encompassing all manner of fiends and aberrations. These beings are fundamentally unnatural and innately malevolent; even their presence is seen as harmful to the world.

Entities of unnatural evil. These are beings once native to Eberron that have been corrupted by alien forces. Undead and lycanthropes are the most obvious examples of this category—innocent people transformed into monsters. Like the followers of the Undying Court, the Church of the Silver Flame maintains that undead are inherently unnatural and harm the living simply through their existence.

Entities of innate evil. This is the most contentious category on the list, and it is the idea of monsters—that there are creatures native to Eberron who are evil by nature. In the past, the church has placed medusas, harpies, trolls, and similar creatures into this category, asserting that through no fault of their own, these creatures are vessels for supernatural evil and pose a threat to the innocent.

Those who choose evil. This encompasses all humanoids who are born innocent but choose to follow an evil path. Because such beings aren’t evil by nature, the goal of the faithful should always be to lead them back to the light.

The evil within. Every follower of the Flame must recognize their own capacity for evil action; only through awareness can they guard against it. The Shadow in the Flame is always whispering, and it is arrogant and foolish to ignore that threat.

Entities of alien and unnatural evil must be fought with steel and spell. This is the purpose of the Silver Flame: to protect the innocent against these threats. When such forces arise, followers of the Silver Flame are expected to set aside any differences until the evil is defeated; this was seen in the Last War, where templars might serve different nations but would unite to deal with a supernatural threat. If it’s possible to eradicate a threat without violence—such as curing a lycanthrope rather than killing it—that’s acceptable, even laudable. But protection of the innocent should always be the primary concern, which is why the Silver Crusade focused on the eradication of the lycanthropes; the templars rarely had the resources to capture and cure lycanthropes.

With those who choose evil and those who fall prey to the evil within, the Church of the Silver Flame urges compassion over brutality. Templars take arms against unnatural evil, but it is the purpose of friars and ministers to guide mortals to the light. Innocents must always be protected from those who would harm them, but anyone who chooses evil could be convinced to choose good, and true followers of the Flame are encouraged to act with empathy and compassion for all natural creatures.

In the past, the church assumed that trolls, harpies, worgs, and similar creatures were innately evil, so templars eliminated these threats wherever they were encountered. With the rise of Droaam and House Tharashk’s introduction of monstrous mercenaries, Khorvaire is learning that these creatures aren’t any more inherently evil than humans or dwarves. Ultimately, it is up to the Keeper of the Flame to make rulings on these matters—much like a past Keeper’s ruling that the deathless of Aerenal are not creatures of unnatural evil. In 992 YK, Keeper Lavira Tagor ruled that the church needed to reevaluate the classification of innate evil, and that templars should judge the actions of creatures in question and seek guidance from the Voice of the Flame. Since then, the Council of Cardinals has been debating the status of Droaam, but Keeper Daran has yet to make a final ruling on the matter.

The Ghaash’kala, serpent cults, and other paths have their own traditions, each with the same core principle—the Silver Flame is a tool that allows the virtuous to fight fiends and unnatural horrors. Though those paths may share similar beliefs, this particular hierarchy of evil is specifically defined by the Keeper and the doctrine of the Church of Thrane.

Heresy

The Church of the Silver Flame represents just one path of the faith. It was built on the teachings of Tira Miron, but less than a year elapsed between her vision—leading her to embrace the Flame and rally an army—and her final sacrifice to defeat Bel Shalor. Thus, it was’t her own words that established most of the church’s traditions and doctrines, but the words of those who fought alongside her during that year. These were refined over time by priests who’d never met her—despite the passage of time, it’s believed these priests were guided by the Voice in the Flame.

The Keeper of the Flame is tied specifically to the official Church of the Silver Flame. The Keeper’s power is based in Flamekeep, and the fountain of fire they keep marks the spot where Tira Miron gave her life to restore the bonds of the overlord Bel Shalor. Some people mistakenly assume that this fountain of fire is the Silver Flame. While it’s a focal point where the Silver Flame’s power bleeds into the world and a conduit for those who seek the guidance of the Voice of the Flame, the Silver Flame itself is far more than a spark in one cathedral— its power stretches across Eberron, binding overlords on every continent. The Church of the Silver Flame celebrates the Keeper of the Flame as being both the vessel of the Voice and the channel for the power of the Flame. However, the faithful of other cultures—such as the Ghaash’kala of the Demon Wastes— see the Keeper as a powerful priest and nothing more.

The Church of the Silver Flame is largely willing to overlook the divergent beliefs of groups like the Ghaash’kala. In the church’s eyes, these northern orcs are a curiosity and their unusual beliefs don’t threaten the faithful of the Five Nations. Likewise, the Council of Cardinals has taken no action to suppress the extreme beliefs of the Pure Flame, even going so far as appointing the puritan Archbishop Dariznu as governor of Thaliost. In part, this is because the Pure Flame came into its own over the course of the Last War, and the cardinals of Thrane had little ability to enforce their will over the faithful of Aundair. Dariznu’s appointment was an effort to ensure that the followers of the Pure Flame would accept the authority of Flamekeep. Despite the church thus far taking no action against the Pure Flame, Keeper Daran is deeply troubled by this sect and is considering the best way to address the problem.

There have been times when heretical beliefs divided the church, the most infamous known as the Time of Two Keepers. In 497 YK, a peasant woman calling herself Melysse Miron challenged Keeper Kyra Danth for control of Flamekeep and the Church of the Silver Flame. Melysse claimed that Tira Miron had revealed she was Tira’s direct descendant and the rightful Keeper. She challenged many church doctrines and claimed it had strayed from its path. And like Keeper Danth, Melysse was shockingly able to wield the power of the fountain of fire in Flamekeep, performing miracles no lesser priest could match. This triggered a deep schism that lasted for years, until Melysse was finally revealed to be the chosen hand of the Shadow in the Flame—it was not the Silver Flame, but rather the overlord Bel Shalor, that strengthened her in Flamekeep. Because of the fear that her death would allow Bel Shalor to choose a new AntiKeeper, Melysse wasn’t killed; instead, she was petrified and placed in Dreadhold, where she remains to this day.

More recently, the church was divided in 914 YK when Keeper Serrain was invested with temporal authority over the nation of Thrane. While many celebrated the idea of a kingdom founded on the noble principles of the church, there are many—even some in Thrane itself—who believe that investing cardinals and Keeper with political power distracts the church from its proper mission and serves as an invitation to corruption. This served as justification for the foreign templars who fought against Thrane in the Last War; they argued that they continued to respect the spiritual authority of the Keeper, but that the church shouldn’t rule a reunited Galifar. The priests of Stormreach went so far as to condemn the theocracy and Keeper Serrain. In the wake of this division, Stormreach was formally severed from Flamekeep; it receives no support and Flamekeep doesn’t acknowledge its priests within the church hierarchy. As such, Stormreach has become a haven for those who believe in the principles of the Flame but question its doctrine.

It’s up to the DM to decide if the rifts over the theocracy and the Pure Flame could widen or whether the faithful will remain united. There is always room for new revelations or beliefs to create a new path for the faithful to follow.

Corruption

The Church of the Silver Flame has lofty aspirations, and it’s easy to find fault when it fails to live up to them. While there’s always potential for corruption in the church, it’s often exaggerated. Stories about corrupt priests can be more dramatic than virtuous ministers who are only there to help, but the majority of priests do strive to live its principles—resisting the evil within, treating others with compassion and empathy, and working together for the common good. The point isn’t that the church is a fundamentally corrupt institution, but rather that no one is perfect—in their imperfections, people can be led astray by the Shadow in the Flame or simply succumb to pride or greed. In dealing with corrupt followers of the faith, consider what kind of “corruption” it is and where it comes from. There’s a considerable difference between the Brelish priest who demands gold for a blessing and the Thrane inquisitor who lets their zeal for fighting evil drive them to cruelty.

Zealots represent the most common form of corruption, especially among paladins or clerics. A zealot is devoted to the principles of the faith, but loses sight of the importance of compassion—giving in to the evil within in their quest to fight evil in the world. This includes those who engage in unnecessary cruelty, especially when dealing with those who choose evil. Zealots have no interest in gold or power, and risk their lives to defend others; they are simply able to justify ruthless and evil actions in the name of the greater good. This is the primary sin of the Pure Flame, but zealots can be found anywhere.

Opportunists seek to use their religious authority for personal gain. This typically involves charging people for services that should be granted freely, or gaining gold or influence by using church resources for unrelated purposes. In Sharn, Archierophant Ythana Morr is often accused of using templars as mercenaries and serving as a strongarm for local merchants. Usually this reflects a fundamental lack of faith, and as a result, opportunists rarely wield divine magic. If an opportunist can channel the power of the Flame, it suggests that somehow, they are able to justify these conflicting concepts— that they truly believe their actions are righteous and serve the greater good, even if those actions incidentally line the pockets of the priest. Such a character might believe that they need greater wealth or influence to help others, or that they are fighting fire with fire—teaching the wicked the error of their ways through political or economic means. Before the Last War, opportunists were usually found in Breland, but the rise of the theocracy has yielded more opportunists in Thrane as well.

The Tarnished are the worst form of corruption: priests or templars who knowingly serve the Lords of Dust or the Shadow in the Flame while posing as servants of the light. The Tarnished may mimic a devout priest—as Melysse Miron did in the Time of Two Keepers—but they are drawing this power from the Shadow in the Flame. This still requires deep faith, but the Tarnished are devoted to quite different principles. The most widespread form of this corruption is the cult of the Whispering Flame, described in the section on “The Cults of the Dragon Below.” But the Tarnished can also be loners who embrace the evil within alone. In dealing with a Tarnished villain, consider what has caused them to embrace darkness over light. Have the Lords of Dust promised them something priceless? Do they believe mortals are fundamentally flawed or that the cruelty of Bel Shalor is the rightful state of humanity? Do they somehow see themselves as the heroes of the story?

Paths of the Faith

The Silver Flame is older than humanity itself. The Church of the Silver Flame is the dominant manifestation of this faith on Khorvaire, but you can be a follower of the Silver Flame without having ties to the church. In creating a player character or NPC, consider the following options, or if you’re interested in playing a Tarnished character, refer to the section on “The Cults of the Dragon Below” later in this chapter.

The Common Faith

Templars, friars, and ministers are all part of the formal hierarchy of the Church of the Silver Flame. But you can be a cleric without being an acolyte. You could be a ranger who trusts in the Flame to sharpen your aim even though you have no formal role within the faith. Most of the commoners of Thrane fall into this category: people devoted to the faith, but not part of its structure. What role does the Silver Flame play in daily life?

A few basic tenets guide the faithful masses. As a farmer, you may not have the strength to fight alien evils, but you can always guard against the evil within and help those around you to choose light instead of darkness. Church doctrine urges the faithful to act with empathy and compassion, seek to understand the troubles of those around you and to lighten their burdens, resist responding to anger with anger, and turn to violence only as a last resort. Not everyone can live up to these ideals, and the Last War was an inherently violent time. But the faith still urges everyone to resist the evil within, and instead to embrace the virtues of generosity and compassion.

As discussed earlier, the church also emphasizes unity against supernatural threats. The world is a dangerous place, and those who have strength should always use it to defend the innocent. Every village in Thrane maintains a militia prepared to defend the community from the unnatural. Archery is a common devotional practice among the faithful; some say the rainbow-feathered arrows represent the couatl defending the innocent, but they also reflect the practicality of remaining as far away from danger as possible.

The Church of Thrane believes in the value of hierarchy, but the church can’t grant the divine powers of a cleric or paladin— these come through faith and noble intent. As such, you can play a character who draws power from the Flame without having any formal tie to the church itself. The primary question is why—if you are a paladin, why have you made the decision not to become a templar? Do you feel the hierarchy is corrupt? Or do you simply feel you’re called to follow a different path?

The Church Hierarchy

Backgrounds are an easy way to create a character with an established place in the hierarchy of the Church of the Silver Flame. Ministers and friars would typically take the acolyte background, while the Military Rank feature of the soldier background can reflect your rank as a templar. Are you still an active agent of the church, or have you been released from your duties after serving with distinction? Eberron: Rising from the Last War presents the templars as an option for the religious order group patron, exploring the idea that your entire group of adventurers could be fighting evil on behalf of the church. However, you could also serve alone. Friars of the Silver Flame are charged to wander the world and combat evil through acts of compassion and charity; if you’re a friar with the powers of a paladin or a cleric, that would certainly encompass protecting innocents from supernatural evil wherever you encounter it. You could be a retired templar who continues to fight evil as an adventurer, or you could be a templar given a specific mission that coincides with the goals of the adventurers. Or you could be tied to the Argentum, an order which began with the mission of finding and destroying dangerous magic items, but that has since come to serve as the espionage arm of the church.

In making a character with ties to the hierarchy, consider which branch of the church you call home and how this affects your outlook. If you were trained in Flamekeep, you’re most likely a strong supporter of the cardinals and the theocracy. On the other hand, if you’re from Breland, you might be more pragmatic, if not entirely corrupt. As a cleric who served in Sharn, you could potentially take the criminal background instead of acolyte; you no longer have significant influence in the church, but you still have friends in low places.

The Flametouched Folk Hero

You don’t have to follow the faith of the Silver Flame to draw on its power. Tira Miron herself was a devout paladin of Dol Arrah when a couatl set her on the path to the Silver Flame. Ultimately, the Flame is a pool of divine energy that can empower anyone who seeks to defend the innocent from supernatural evils. If you’re a paladin, it could be that your powers came to you unbidden when you leapt into danger to protect a group of strangers from a ghoul. Or it could be that you hear a voice guiding you on the path to virtue: is it the Voice of the Silver Flame? Or perhaps a couatl with a specific purpose for you? Either way, you could be a champion of the Silver Flame who not only has no ties to the church, but who doesn’t even know anything about the faith or acknowledge it as the source of your divine power. The manifestations of your abilities will likely be obvious to any religious scholar; your spells might manifest with silvery radiance, and your guardian of faith could be a couatl. Are you simply ignorant of the source of your power, or do you have a different name or explanation for it?

The Ghaash’kala

The traditions of the Ghaash’kala are not only older than the modern Church of the Silver Flame, but predate human civilization itself. The warriors and priests of the Ghaash’kala guard the vast network of canyons that separate the Demon Wastes from the rest of Khorvaire, preventing both fiends and the barbarians of the Carrion Tribes from threatening innocents. The Ghaash’kala began as orcs, but over the course of centuries, members of other races have been drawn to this sacred duty. An outlander or hermit of any race—especially halforcs—could assert that they served with the Ghaash’kala. The Ghaash’kala revere Kalok Shash, “the Binding Flame.” While they follow the same basic principles as other forms of the Silver Flame, they are fighting a brutal, never-ending war in a harsh and deadly land. As such, their focus is more on fighting supernatural evil than on using compassion to guide mortals to the light. Even so, they risk their lives every day to protect all mortals from the evils of the Wastes. They typically consider the people of “the south”—meaning everywhere south of the Demon Wastes—to be weak and naive, but still see it as their duty to protect these innocents from evil. They don’t care that they receive no acknowledgment for their eternal vigilance; it is a war that must be fought. As a character tied to the Ghaash’kala, consider why you’ve left your post and ventured south. Do you have a specific mission? Are you guided by divine visions? Or have you been exiled from the Wastes for some reason—and if so, have you shared the truth with your fellow adventurers?

The Pure Flame

An extremist branch of the Church of the Silver Flame, the Pure Flame rose in the aftermath of the Silver Crusade. Aundairians whose families had suffered through decades of lycanthropic terror embraced the Flame as the weapon of their liberation, but as a faith born in battle, they have a distorted view of its principles. The core principle of the Silver Flame is to defend the innocent, but those who follow the Pure Flame see it as a tool to punish the wicked. They see no room for compassion; while they accept the idea that the overlords and the Shadow in the Flame drive people to do evil, they focus not on treating them with compassion, but on burning the evil out of them.

The primary defining traits of the Pure Flame are this harsh violence and uncompromising sense of justice. There must be no compromise with the wicked, and there is no hierarchy of evil; no evil deed can be tolerated. Most followers of the Pure Flame are exceptionally loyal to the Voice of the Flame and believe the Keeper to be a divine being. However, many also distrust the cardinals of Thrane, and should the Keeper make a proclamation that goes against their beliefs, they’re quick to attribute it to the corrupt cardinals putting words in her mouth. A movement in Thaliost urges Archbishop Dariznu to rally forces and seize Flamekeep in order to “liberate the Keeper,” though the Pure Flame doesn’t have the forces, resources, or training to pull off something like this.

Members of the Pure Flame are intolerant, bigoted, and violent, rejecting the compassionate principles of the faith and denying that all are equal in the light of the Flame. However, because of their fanatical devotion to the fight against evil, they might offer adventurers assistance against a real supernatural threat. Purists are generally NPCs, not player characters, as their uncompromising and intolerant nature will likely cause clashes with other adventurers. That being said, a player character might be a former Purist seeking redemption for their vile behavior, or perhaps a young Aundarian rebelling against a Purist upbringing and broadening their horizons.

Serpent Cults

Serpent cults are the Silver Flame’s oldest tradition, though they’re virtually unknown in the present day. Rather than venerating the Flame itself, serpent cults honor the countless couatl whose sacrifice brought it into being. A common myth says that the couatl were formed by the last breath of Siberys, unleashed to contain Khyber’s evil. These cults maintain that the Silver Flame was formed when the couatl sacrificed their individual existence and bound their celestial energy together to bind the overlords; research suggests that this is true, though it’s not in the common doctrine of the church. Rather than revering a Voice or Keeper of the Flame, the serpent cults listen for the guidance of couatl themselves. A few couatl did remain separate from the Flame in order to serve as guardians or carry out specific missions, and it’s also possible for couatl to temporarily serve as spiritual guides; this was the case with Tira Miron, and could also be the case with an aasimar tied to the Silver Flame.

As a member of a serpent cult, the hermit background can be a good option to reflect that you possess secret knowledge about the Silver Flame that the modern church knows nothing about. If you’re tied to a serpent cult, work with your DM to determine its size, origin, and influence. Is your sect a band of six people living in the Blade Desert, or are you tied to the Shulassakar—a race of rainbow-feathered yuan-ti who have been watching from the shadows for millennia? Do you have a specific mission? Or do you have a less-spiritual reason for adventuring, despite your unusual faith?