The Zakarum Church
The dominant religion of the western world, built on the teachings of the prophet Akarat.
Origins and structure
Section titled “Origins and structure”The Zakarum Church is the largest religious institution in Sanctuary, founded on the teachings of the prophet Akarat, who spread the faith of the Light across the western kingdoms. By the current era it is the dominant faith of the west, an institution whose reach is architectural, political, and cultural.
Authority runs down a strict hierarchy: the Que-Hegan holds supreme authority, followed by the High Council of Archbishops, the Grand Inquisitors, and the Zealots below them. The Church maintains a militant arm in the Paladins, formally the Protectors of the Word. Raised to guard the priesthood, the Paladins proved better at winning converts than the clergy they were created to protect, and became the public face of the faith at war.
The Church holds particular sway in Khanduras. King Leoric converted Tristram to the faith, and its seat of power lies far to the east, in the temple city of Travincal in Kurast.
Beliefs and outlook
Section titled “Beliefs and outlook”Zakarum doctrine holds the Light as a force of order, justice, and protection against the darkness of the world. Faith is treated as a discipline rather than mere belief: the devout are expected to act, to shield the innocent, and to carry the Light into places where evil has taken root. This zeal built the Church’s reputation and drove its expansion, and in its purest form it produced sincere protectors of ordinary people.
Relationships
Section titled “Relationships”Zakarum’s dominance has come at the expense of others. The Church has long persecuted the eastern mage clans and the Priests of Rathma, and its doctrine sits apart from the ancestor worship of the Askari and the warrior cultures of the north. Its authority is rarely challenged openly in the west.
In recent years something has gone wrong at the heart of the institution. Paladins sent east return troubled, or do not return at all, and the High Council has grown secretive and remote. A character shaped by the genuine teachings of Akarat, rather than by the Church as a political body, may find themselves increasingly at odds with what the institution has become.
Ties to Tristram
Section titled “Ties to Tristram”Zakarum is the faith of Leoric’s Khanduras, and Tristram sits within its sphere. A Paladin or devout believer might travel to Tristram on the Church’s business, or as a matter of personal conscience, drawn by reports of the darkness rising beneath the cathedral. A faithful Zakarumite who has begun to doubt the eastern hierarchy has all the more reason to act on their own initiative, far from the Council’s oversight.
Player character ideas
Section titled “Player character ideas”Example motivations:
- The Light as a shield against evil, and a duty to protect the innocent.
- Faith held as a discipline rather than an inherited institution.
- Growing unease with what the distant hierarchy has become.
Suggested classes: Paladin, Cleric (Light or War), Fighter (Battle Master).