Gracefully curved towers float in a golden sky, so serene that not even gravity can touch them. Devout priests sing beautiful songs of veneration. Winged angels fly through the air on their way to bring gentle comfort to the needy and swift justice to the cruel. This is the Church of Serra, a benevolent religion founded to honor the memory and example of its goddess.
Heroes of Serra
Belying the appearance of a monolithic order at the center of the church, dozens of officially recognized clerical and knightly orders within it keep peculiar traditions dating back centuries. Each order counts an array of angels, clerics, and knights among its adherents.
Suggested Classes
Consider the following class options when playing a Serran character.
Cleric
Many different ranks of priests fill the church hierarchy, but they all serve the same essential functions of ministering to the populace and interpreting the teachings of Serra. Priests who go out into the world and spread Serra's word are known as missionaries. As a cleric of Serra, you can choose from the Knowledge, Life, Light, and War domains.
Monk
Monks are true believers who devote their lives to understanding Serra's word rather than preaching it. Some focus on contemplation, study, and the healing arts, but others find their deep wisdom by way of martial practice.
Paladin
Even within the peaceful Church of Serra, some are called to fight. Soldiers (called acolytes and guardians) serve a largely ceremonial function, protecting the cathedrals of Serra. But paladins are more worldly, venturing out across the land in search of evil to defeat. Serran paladins typically swear the Oath of Devotion. Those who are devoted to the Four Virtues of art, discourse, freedom, and peace are more apt to swear the Oath of the Ancients.
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Law. "Law must be upheld. If the knots of order are loosened, chaos will spill through." (Song of All, Canto 167) |
| 2 | Grace. "Grace must be preserved. If the strands of Grace are unraveled, its design will be lost, and the people with it." (Song of All, Canto 167) |
| 3 | Duty. "Duty must be obeyed. If the frame of Duty is broken, none shall weave life's fabric." (Song of All, Canto 167) |
| 4 | Reason. "Reason must be retained. If the web of Reason comes unwoven, madness will escape." (Song of All, Canto 167) |
| 5 | Truth. "Truth must be set free. If the wings of Truth are clipped, the voices will fall silent." (Song of All, Canto 167) |
| 6 | The Four Virtues. Art, discourse, freedom, and peace are the life of the spirit, as the spirit is the life of the body. |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I would do anything to protect the Cathedral of Serra at Sursi. |
| 2 | I have sworn to aid Lyra Dawnbringer in protecting Benalia. |
| 3 | I make regular pilgrimages to the Temple of Serra at Epityr in New Argive, the oldest active Serran worship site in the world. |
| 4 | I preserve many of the old traditions of the Daru nomads or the aven, revering Serra as the Ancestor. |
| 5 | A lesser angel has become a close friend and confidante to me. |
| 6 | I think the stained glass in my holy symbol came from Serra's Realm before that artificial plane's collapse. Invoke the Divine Magali Villeneuve |
Serran Adventures
As a major force for good in the world, the Church of Serra is more likely to act as a patron for heroic adventurers than as an adversary. That said, even the most well-meaning paladin can take on a villainous nature, either out of misguided zeal or when manipulated by a sinister force. You can use the following tables to help inspire adventure ideas dealing with the Church of Serra.
Serran Quests
Characters with ties to the Church of Serra might be sent on holy quests by priests or even angels. Alternatively, they might draw on their own pious devotion to undertake a pilgrimage—or a crusade.
| d6 | Quest |
|---|---|
| 1 | Act as an impartial mediator between Benalia and Keld (or two other powers of the region). |
| 2 | Tame a mesa pegasus from the lands of Sursi on the east coast of southern Aerona, near the great Cathedral of Serra. |
| 3 | Protect a peaceful community of Serran monks who have come under attack (from without or within). |
| 4 | Answer the call of a barbarian chieftain who wants to hear the message of Serra and consider conversion. |
| 5 | Find an angel who has disappeared in a dangerous land. |
| 6 | Retrieve as much artwork as possible from a ruined Serran church—whether an ancient site or one that was only recently destroyed. |
Serran Sites
Sites associated with the Church of Serra are not limited to any particular geographical area. Adventures linked to the church might take characters across the world.
| d10 | Adventure Site |
|---|---|
| 1 | A majestic Serran cathedral floating in the air (perhaps above Benalia City) |
| 2 | A small monastery surrounded by pastoral farmland or quiet woods |
| 3 | A remote temple maintained and inhabited by an order of knights |
| 4 | An ancient ruin preserving some foreign aspect of Serra worship (such as Otarian devotion to the Ancestor) |
| 5 | A sacred cave where a new angel was (or is about to be) birthed |
| 6 | An abandoned missionary post destroyed by hostile natives of the area |
| 7 | A chapel within a castle or palace beset by intrigue |
| 8 | A roadside shrine where miracles have occurred lately |
| 9 | A community devoted to the spiritual path of the artistic life |
| 10 | The scorched site of an angel's death |
Serran Villains
The Church of Serra is markedly lacking in hypocrisy. Perhaps enough holy power suffuses the sites and relics of the church that people are truly transformed into better versions of themselves by their exposure to it. Or perhaps the church is particularly effective at rooting out corruption and false virtue before those things can exert their evil on the world in Serra's name. When adventurers find themselves opposed to a Serran, it might be for reasons like those shown on the Serran Villains table.
| d8 | Villain |
|---|---|
| 1 | A Serran priest believes that no one is beyond redemption, and is shielding a murderous villain from the law in the hope that they will repent. |
| 2 | A naive angel keeps sending Serran knights on deadly quests against impossible odds. |
| 3 | An aven priest wants to lead other aven away from the Serran church and revive the worship of the Ancestor, but without the accretion of Serran tradition. |
| 4 | A warrior chieftain claims to have converted to Serra worship and launches a crusade in the church's name—but this is a thinly veiled excuse to conquer a neighboring territory. |
| 5 | A Serra angel has been corrupted by the demonic power of the Cabal. |
| 6 | A community of Serran monks has been somehow led astray into the contemplation of an ancient, nameless evil. |
| 7 | An old priest grows bitter with grief and frustration, convinced that their life's work has been a waste—and turns to the pursuit of revenge. |
| 8 | A priest twists the teachings of Serra to paint a certain group of innocent people as evil, and to call for their extermination. |