Polaenian Church

Type: Religious Founded By: Ginev Nation(s): Continent-wide; present in most nations of Alatrya

Overview

The dominant religious institution of Alatrya, founded by Ginev to formalize worship of Polaena and her ten elemental children under the guidance of the sacred texts Leneles and Ponashi. The Church is present in nearly every major city and many smaller towns across the continent, serving as both a house of worship and a civic anchor of community life. Its buildings, typically tall, domed, and built of alabaster or pale stone, are often positioned at the highest point in a city or at the end of major roads, reflecting both spiritual hierarchy and urban planning tradition.

Goals

To facilitate worship of Polaena and her children, preserve the sacred texts, offer spiritual guidance to the faithful, and maintain holy sites and shrines across Alatrya.

Key Members

• Ginev — founder
• Reverend Bhulytaszi — former head of the Grand Central Church of Godascher, the largest Polaenian Church on the continent
• Various unnamed priests and reverends serving in locations from Lumen to Covana to Nneminik

History

Founded in an earlier era by Ginev using the texts Leneles and Ponashi as its doctrinal foundation. The faith grew to become the near-universal religion of the Alatryan surface nations, though not all peoples observe with the same regularity or devotion. In smaller towns like Vahhlve, only a handful attend weekly, while in larger cities the Church's bells mark the hours of the day and the faithful fill its pews in great numbers.

The Book of Nasariane, the canonical collected scripture of the Polaenian faith, is the primary text in all churches. Its later books, particularly Nasalis, the final book, are rarely read, with many clergy and congregants stopping at Leneles. One unnamed Angelic priest at the Church in Covana notes this directly, remarking that those who seek only laws discard the endings.

By the time of Book II, the Church remains intact and active, though there are signs of internal complexity. At least one Church official, Qirai Alvetavjh of Nneminik, is secretly in league with hostile forces, using the Church as cover for a trap laid against Anue Beidaka.

Notes

• Standard Church architecture: cross-shaped layout, domed center, alabaster walls, red-orange or copper roof tiles, marble hand-of-Polaena sigil atop the spire. Pews sometimes arranged in concentric semicircles rather than rows, though these details often differ from culture to culture.
• The Church bell rings on the hour in many cities, marking time for the surrounding community.
• Caretakers of shrines dedicated to individual gods (such as the Arveshian Shrine in Vahhlve) are typically required to have been raised within the Church.
• The faith does not extend as faithfully to Huozhi, whose government and culture are deliberately closed off from continental norms.