Founded by the first Hierophant, the Church began as a humble collective of Aurelia I and her closest supporters as a way for them to spread the Host's name and teachings. The warlords of old Calaria saw this new Church as a threat to their power but could do little in the face of so much divine energy. The Church quickly grew, empowering those who suffered under the old lords and amassing support across the continent. Today, the Iridescent Church is the most powerful organization on Færrin.
The Church is led by its Pontifex, Aurelia. It is said that the Host granted Aurelia the gift of reincarnation so that she might always lead her people in the Host's name. The current Pontifex, Aurelia VII, is the most recent in the Aurelian line to take up the position.
The Church has the most influence in the Iridescent Belt: Calaria and its neighbors, Brithwyn and Tormeré. In Tormeré, the Church holds an advisory role -- while it technically doesn't rule, the Tormerén people defer to the Church's wisdom and leadership. In Calaria, the Church is an integral part of the government. Worship of the Host is the official state religion, and many see joining the Church as a public service or duty.
Due to its long history with Calaria, many of the Host's devout live in Brithwyn. Among others, a significant reason for Brithwyn's split from Calaria is the belief that the current Pontifex is not a true reincarnation of Aurelia. Many in Brithwyn still follow the Church's teachings but await the true Pontifex to make herself known.
The Convoxes of the Church
The Church is not a monolith. No organization could be at the scale that the Church operates. The Church splits its responsibilities amongst semi-independent, miniature organizations called convox. Different convox hold different tasks -- one may be responsible for a particular city or region's worship, while another might oversee the training of new priests across the whole institution.
Spurred on by the Host's teachings of prosperity and self-enrichment, there can be jockeying amongst the convox for the favor of the Pontifex. While the Church forbids (and harshly punishes) infighting, rivalries are intense, and one's reputation is heavily tied to their membership.
A convox is typically named after the Saunt (someone canonized by the Church) that founded it. Some of the more well-known convox are the Suric convox, which trains new priests, and the Forma convox, which manages the churches of Hallia.