The Raven Conclave is the ecclesiastical organization behind the Light of the Raven Divine. While often considered a constituent organization of the Scarlet Onslaught, an assumption only furthered by the fact that all ranking members of the Conclave's hierarchy have been members of the Onslaught, the Conclave considers itself an independent organization, and in fact considers itself the successor organization to the Church of the Holy Light in Lordaeron. It is by nature a secretive, cult-like organization. It is currently lead by the Raven Archon Triana Brandt.
Background[]
The Conclave began as a subsect of priests within the Holy Order of New Avalon, the chief ecclesiastic arm of the Scarlet Onslaught led by Bishop Street and High Abbot Landgren. However, with the deaths of these figures and the disappearance of the Raven Himself, the Conclave asserted itself as the new origin for Raven doctrine.
Hierarchy[]
The Conclave acts simultaneously as an independent religious order, a governing body for a much larger church, and a subversive organization; as such, its membership takes on a variety of roles, some more nefarious than others. The Conclave makes no distinction in its treatment of its members who undertake these different tasks, as each as seen as being as legitimate as the others in pursuit of the Raven's ultimate goals.
Raven Archon[]
The entirety of the Conclave is headed by the leader of the priesthood, who in the modern day bears the dual titles of Raven Archon and Archbishop of the Holy Church, the former signifying their holy mandate as the elect of the Raven and the latter signifying the sphere of influence they claim. There has only been one Raven Archon, the incumbent, Triana Brandt, though she served as Archon before becoming Archbishop, the latter title being held by Landgren until his death in late 29 LC.
The proper forms of address for this position are "Her Eminence, the Raven’s Archon" and "Her Holiness, the Archbishop of the Holy Light".
Thael Opadein - The Priesthood[]
The primary body of the Conclave is Thael Opadein, the Raven Priesthood. This order is responsible for the maintenance of the holy orthodoxy by leading sermons, maintaining archives for holy texts, and evangelizing the faith. They also provide Raven Priests for use in battle.
The Raven Priesthood is technically under the direct control of the Raven Archon; however, many of the responsibilities are shared with the so-called "Grandmaster of the Pit," the Bishop of Thaelgarde. While nominally only a bishop like any other, by virtue of being the bishop of the Raven's most holy site, the Bishop of Thaelgarde has a remarkable amount of sway over the direction the faith takes, and is the de facto if not the de jure head of the priesthood. Like all bishops, the Bishop of Thaelgarde is referred to as "His Excellence, the Bishop of Thaelgarde."
Operating around the Bishop of Thaelgarde are the numerous other bishops accepted by the Conclave. Beneath the other bishops are individual parish and monastic heads, typically referred to as "Father/Mother Raven" by the faithful. Acolytes who do not control any particular locale are referred to as "Brother/Sister Raven."
Thael Eiostrein - The Protectorate[]
Thael Eiostrein, or the Raven Protectorate, is the militant arm of the Conclave, responsible for providing security for holy sites and important persons of the Conclave, as well as leading crusades. Due to the Conclave's entanglement with the Scarlet Onslaught, this order's role is somewhat redundant, though perhaps its very existence speaks to the distrust the Conclave and the Onslaught's old Abbendite guard have towards each other. The most notable part of this order is its command of the Raven Dreadnaughts.
The Raven Protectorate is headed by the Grandmaster of the Protectorate, a position currently held by the Dreadnaught Iustus Cole. He is referred to as "His Ardour, the Protector of the Faith." Beneath him are regional ordermasters, referred to in similar manner: "His Ardour, the Protector of Northrend." It is rare to find the Raven Protectorate fielding sufficient numbers to necessitate proper military ranks; as such, units of protectors in the field are simply known as "battle-brothers" or "battle-sisters," under the command of a "battle-father" or "battle-mother."
Thael Azrathein - The Patient[]
Thael Azrathein defies a proper Common translation; perhaps the closest one can come is "Order of the Patient." It is a fairly apt name, however, as this order is responsible for the infiltration of other religious sects and the planting of the seeds of Raven ideology, in preparation for a Raven incursion or conversion effort. These men and women could look like priests, warriors, or even simple merchants and farmers. Their chief skill is in subversion.
The Patient are headed by the Grandmaster of the Patient, an unknown figure referred to as "His Serenity, the Deliverer of Kingdoms Come." Regional spymasters are referred to by a similar epithet: "His Serenity, the Deliverer of Ironforge." As far as is known, there is no formal name for those in the service of this order; they are referred to in conversation as "Brother/Sister Known," though due to the nature of their work, this is a rare act of recognition.
