The following was compiled for the 'Alliance Nexus' forum in Pardus and explains the Theocracy's ranks and structure a little more comprehensively.
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Formerly an alliance, the Theocracy of Kai-Rang can now be considered as a kind of 'unofficial syndicate'. Its main purpose is to provide pilots with new challenges, and opportunities for 'something different to do'. Consequently the Theocracy is open to members of all factions (or none), all alliances, and all syndicates.
There are no obligations imposed that may clash with existing loyalties, though Theocrats are expected to consider aiding their brothers and sisters in Kai-Rang when called upon to do so.
The Theocracy believes that the universe was created by Kai-Rang, the Sky-God Dragon.
It mainly revolves around worshipping the Space Dragon Queens by releasing them temporarily from their mortal forms (i.e. defeating them in combat). But the other two dragon types are important as well.
When encountered in certain Dragon Dens across the pardus universe, Theocrats call certain Space Dragon Queens "Matriarchs". Matriarchs are the Wives of Kai-Rang, and the only divine beings that can be visited and communicated with, and are critical for completion of Pilgrimages, and progression to become a Runic Guardian.
Kai-Rang himself rarely appears, mostly only when Summoned by the Rune Master or Runic Guardian of Kai-Rang.
Becoming an Initiate of Kai-Rang is simplicity itself: Pilots merely have to demonstrate that they are worthy (by killing any Matriarch - or rather, freeing her temporarily from her mortal form - and sending the combat logs to a Priest/ess, Guardian or the Rune Master) and declare the intention to embark upon a Pilgrimage at some point. (Details of Pilgrimages can be found here:
Pilgrimages ). Interested parties who are not yet skilled enough to free a Matriarch should refer to the following section about the Theocracy's Novitiate.
- Quote :
- Theocracy Novitiate
Generally, the Theocracy of Kai-Rang is accessible only to those able to kill SDQs - and it takes quite a while for graduates of flight school to reach that level. The Theocracy has just insitituted a Novitiate to cater to less experienced pilots, however.
A Pilot who has 10 YSD kills can request to join the Novitiate, acceptance guaranteed. They receive the title of Probationer Novice and their High Priest / Guardian / Runic Guardian mentors then have an obligation to help them acquire the necessary skills and equipment to ultimately release a Matriarch from her mortal form.
When Probationer Novices have killed 100 YSDs they lose the 'Probationer' tag (becoming Junior Novices) and can also adopt the title of Dragon Executioner.
When Junior Novices have killed 100 ESDs they lose the 'Junior' tag.
When Novices of any level kill their first SDQ they leave the Novitiate to become fully fledged Initiates and the responsibilities of their mentors cease.
Initiates have doors to a number of 'career paths' within the Theocracy opened for them. There are four paths: The Temples, where theocrats become priests dedicated to a single Matriarch as they progress within the Temple ranks. The Pilgrimages, where the theocrat will travel the universe, releasing Matriarchs from their mortal forms and possibly completing their Quests. They may become Templars of the Red Dragon Fleet, the Theocracy's PvP group, dedicated to bounty hunting and protecting the Pilgrims on their perilous journeys. And last, but not least: the path of the Dragon Hunters. Pilots that release all space dragons from their mortal forms.
A full list of Theocratic Titles, with details of how these titles are bestowed, appears below.
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Basic titlesInitiateFull title: "Initiate of the Theocracy of Kai-Rang."
Initiate is the basic title for any Theocrat. You are acknowledged by the Rune Master and/or the Runic Council as part of the Theocracy. From this title, you can progress into all other careers within the Theocracy of Kai-Rang. It's not uncommon for lesser skilled pilots to first join the Theocracy Novitiate before becoming Initiates, but if skilled enough, the Novitiate can be skipped.
To obtain the title, you must demonstrate that you are worthy (by killing a Matriarch - or rather, freeing her temporarily from her mortal form - and sending the combat logs to a Priest/ess, Guardian or the Rune Master) and declare your intention to embark upon a Pilgrimage at some point.
AcolyteFull title: "Acolyte of the Theocracy of Kai-Rang"
Initiates who have been a part of the Theocracy for 30 days or more but have not yet progressed into Priest or Templar careers.
Religious TitlesThe religious titles are for when you eventually want to progress into becoming a Runic Guardian of a Matriarch. These are some of the most prestigious and important titles of the Theocracy of Kai-Rang.
The Matriarchs all have their Temples. A Temple is a group of theocrats who have shown a progressively stronger allegiance to a specific Matriarch, with their Runic Guardian being the embodiment of that Matriarch's "Aspect". (ie: Koo-Rir is the Matriarch of Wrath, making the Runic Guardian of Koo-Rir's Aspect "Wrath")
Priest(ess)Full Title: "Priest of *Matriarch*'s Temple"
The Priest is a Theocrat who has shown allegiance to a specific Matriarch. To become a Priest of a certain Matriarch, an Initiate must announce this, then kill the mortal form of that Matriarch 3 times and send the logs to the Rune Master or that respective Matriarch's Runic Guardian (if applicable) to confirm the kills.
Once a Priest, the Priest can switch allegiance to any other Matriarch at any time they wish. To do so, they must inform the Runic Guardian of the Matriarch they want to switch to, and/or the Rune Master, and kill the mortal form of the Matriarch they want to switch to the required three times.
High Priest(ess)Full title: "High Priest of *Matriarch*'s Temple"
The Priests of a specific Matriarch can become her High Priest when they have fulfilled the following criteria:
- Completed a Standard Pilgrimage
And at least one of the following accomplishments:
- obtained the titles of Dragon Slayer & Templar
- Started a Runic Pilgrimage with the Quest of their Matriarch
- Started a standard Pilgrimage with the killing of the mortal form of their Matriarch.
Priests who wish to be considered for their Matriarch's High Priesthood must make the Rune Master and/or the relevant Runic Guardian aware of the fact. There will be no automatic progression.
Each month, the candidate who has killed the most Space Dragon Queens will be selected.
In the unlikely event of a tie, Priests who are also Templars are given priority, the amount of theocracy-endorsed PvP kills being used to determine the successful candidate if more than one.
If there's still a tie, then a PvP fight between the competing Priests will ensue. But the chances of this actually happening are very slim.
Once a candidate has been selected, the former High Priest becomes an Elder Priest (in other words it is not possible to remain a High Priest for more than a month if there are any other qualified candidates available).
If no Priests are eligible at the monthly selection, then a selection is made from any willing Elder Priests and Champions, guaranteeing a switch.
If no Priests are eligible, and there are no Elder Priests or Champions to choose from, then the current High Priest can keep their title indefinately.
Priests that are eligible but were not selected, may be selected in a future month, provided they don't change allegiance to an other Matriarch.
High Priests can challenge a Runic Guardian for the title. If they win the challenge, they will become the Guardian of their Matriarch and give up the High Priesthood.
If they lose the challenge, they will keep their High Priest title, but may not challenge the Runic Guardian again for at least two months.
Elder Priest(ess)Full title: "Elder Priest of *Matriarch's Temple"
A former High Priest who has been replaced during the monthly selection.
A Temple can contain any number of of Priests, Elder Priests and Champions.
If an Elder Priest switches allegiance to another Matriarch, they will keep their Elder Priest title.
GuardianFully named: "Guardian of *Matriarch*" (ie: "Guardian of Koo-Waimiz")
A Guardian is a High Priest who has successfully challenged a Guardian of Runic Guardian. If a Matriarch has no Guardian then upon securing the High Priesthood the High Priest is automatically promoted to become Guardian, thus progressing from the High Priesthood immediately.
Runic GuardianFull title: "Runic Guardian of *Matriarch*"
A Guardian who has undergone the Ascension Ceremony and has had the Rune of his/her Matriarch bestowed during this event becomes a Runic Guardian.
The Runic Guardian is the religious leader of a Matriarch's Temple.
Guardians and Runic Guardians can not switch allegiance to an other Matriarch.
Runic Guardians are also part of the Runic Council, which plays a big role in the Pilgrimages and the Red Dragon Fleet. Together with the Rune Master, they make up the leadership of the Theocracy in the absence of the Runic Guardian of Kai-Rang.
ChampionFull title: "Champion of *Matriarch*"
A champion is a (Runic) Guardian who has been defeated in a challenge against a High Priest.
They are eligible to become a High Priest again, much in the same way as Elder Priests.
However, unlike Elder Priests, Champions cannot switch allegiance to a different Matriarch.
Religious Titles Factoids- High Priests or better can build a physical Temple in their respective Matriarch's den, offering shield recharges to passing Pilgrims and other pilots who free dragon souls from their mortal forms. The general consensus is that 5 credits per shield point is a reasonable fee. Sometimes, 'rental' arrangements are secured with the owners of existing Energy Wells instead.
- It is perfectly okay in the Theocracy of Kai-Rang to kill offline pilots in Matriarch dens. The dens are sacred and loitering in these sanctuaries is not allowed. Of course, non-Theocrats may not see this in the same light.
- Because of the relative ease to become a High Priest at the first attempt, but it becomes significantly harder to become a High Priest multiple times, it is smart to not make a run for High Priest until you're ready.
Pilgrimage TitlesPilgrimages are fully explained in a different thread on the pardus forums:
http://forum.pardus.at/index.php?showtopic...dpost&p=1326403A pilgrim has gathered the wisdom of the universe, and more. They have travelled the far reaches of space to understand the divine. They have completed Quests that would give them knowledge of all the different kinds of life in the universe.
PilgrimA theocrat who has completed a standard Pilgrimage in any order.
Runic PilgrimA theocrat who has completed a Runic Pilgrimage in any order.
Obsidian PilgrimA theocrat who has completed the Obsidian Pilgrimage. This is a secret pilgrimage, unlocked only for theocrats who hold the title of "Runic Pilgrim" and "Obsidian Guard".
Pilgrimage Title Factoids- Runic Pilgrims act as an extension to the Runic Council, giving advice.
- Pilgrims and the Pilgrimages are under complete control of the Rune Master. The Runic Council serves to give advice.
- Runic Guardians, in discussion with the Rune Master, can suggest modifications to the Quests of their Matriarchs, changing the criteria that need to be fulfilled by theocrats on a Runic Pilgrimage.
Red Dragon Fleet TitlesRed Dragon Fleet is the Theocracy's military arm, dedicated to the hunting of bounties and theocracy foes and protecting the pilgrims on their perilous journeys. Many priests, pilgrims, and dragon hunters also are part of this group.
Temple GuardNew members of the Red Dragon Fleet. Any pilot with a combat ship and the will to fight, will be admitted into this group.
Despite their name, they are not related to the Temples of the Theocracy of Kai-Rang or the Dragon Guards.
Minimum requirements:
- Any ship with 3 skulls or better.
TemplarMembers of the the Red Dragon Fleet who are required to have better skills and more powerful ships than Temple Guards.
Minimum requirements to become a Templar:
- Dragon Hunter rank of Dragon Slayer or better.
- A ship with 3 skulls or more, and 300+ armor.
With at least one of the following:
- 30 days as a Temple Guard.
- Participation in a past, present, or future war with at least 1 war point. (Patriot Medal of War)
- Average TAC/HA/MAN skills of 40 or better.
- Completed at least 1 Runic Quest of either Koo-Rir, Koo-Kaj, Koo-Adauchi, or Koo-Pakanga during an ongoing or finished Runic Pilgrimage.
Templar KnightA Templar Knight is a Templar who has experience of joint 'wartime' operations and is able to lead multiple Templars and Warriors into combat.
To become a Templar Knight, a Templar must have met the following minimum requirements:
- The title of Pilgrim, having completed a Standard Pilgrimage
- Dragon Hunter rank of Dragon Guard.
- A ship with 3 or more skulls and 450+ armor points.
- TAC/HA/MAN average skills of 50 or better.
- Completed all Quests of Koo-Kaj, Koo-Rir, Koo-Adauchi, and Koo-Pakanga as part of an ongoing or finished Runic Pilgrimage
And at least
two of these accomplishments:
- Successfully led any form of combat operation on their own initiative while being a Templar.
- Participation in a past, present, or future war with more than 100 war points. (any category)
- Got the winning kill in a Hunt for the Fallen*
- Got 10 Theocracy endorsed kills*
Grand TemplarThe Grand Templar leads the entire Red Dragon Fleet in the largest operations that the Theocracy of Kai-Rang can muster. He or she is appointed by a majority vote of the Rune Master and the Runic Guardians of Koo-Rir, Koo-Kaj, Koo-Adauchi, and Koo-Pakanga.
Only Templar Knights and the aforementioned Runic Guardians are eligible to be chosen as Grand Templar.
Templar Title Factoids* Hunt for the Fallen is a bounty hunt which can be initiated by Templar Knights, Grand Templars, and the Rune Master. A bounty is set at any one pilot with this as the reason, and a group of Templars is assembled to hunt that pilot. The pilot will count towards a theocracy-endorsed kill.
* Theocracy endorsed kills: Faction Bounties worth over 250,000 credits. Docked pilots in illegals. Offline pilots in Matriarch dens. Hunt for the Fallen targets. Theocracy public enemies.
- Switching to a trade ship while part of the Red Dragon Fleet automatically removes the current Red Dragon Fleet title from you. Switching back to a combat ship will reinstate your title.
Dragon Hunter TitlesDragon Hunters specialise in the destruction of Space Dragon's mortal forms, releasing their souls.
Dragon ExecutionerHas 100 YSD kills.
Dragon SlayerHas 500 YSD kills, 100 ESD kills.
Dragon GuardHas 1000 YSD kills, 500 ESD kills, 100 SDQ kills.
Obsidian GuardHas 1000 YSD kills, 1000 ESD kills, 500 SDQ kills, 1 Obsidian Dragon kill.
Runic Halls of Kai-Rang TitlesThese pilots are remembered by the Theocracy, with stories told about their actions.
These titles are prefixes to the titles the Theocrat had before inactivity/retirement from the spacelanes.
(ie: Archon Codex Delphi, Runic Guardian of Kai-Rang)
Archoninactive/retired followers of Kai-Rang that have meant a lot to the Theocracy and have transcended to the Runic Halls. Sages become Archons by a vote of the Runic Guardians and the Rune Master.
SageRespected followers of Kai-Rang that have been retired or inactive for over 3 months while part of the Theocracy.
Theocracy leader titlesAs the name implies, these are the leaders of the Theocracy.
Runic Guardian of Kai-RangThe absolute leader of the Theocracy of Kai-Rang. All other titles fall below him.
Codex Delphi was the most recent Runic Guardian of Kai-Rang, reviving the ancient Theocracy of Kai-Rang in the universe, bigger and better than ever under his reign.
No other Runic Guardian of Kai-Rang is expected for another thousand years.
Rune MasterIn charge of the Theocracy in the absence of a Runic Guardian of Kai-Rang.
Keeps track of the Cycles, organises Festivals, is the head of the Runic Council, and guides new theocrats on their pilgrimages.
Rune ScholarThese pilots assist the Rune Master in his task, and may become Rune Master themselves one day. Are hand-picked by the Rune Master. Can represent the Rune Master in his/her absence.
They study the Codexian Archives; the centre of all Theocracy lore.
Other titlesWriter: Someone who has written extraordinary lore for the Theocracy.
Artist: Someone who has made extraordinary visual art for the Theocracy.
Musician: Someone who has made extraordinary music for the Theocracy.
These titles are awarded by the Rune Master, with feedback from the Runic Guardians of Koo-Kangenraga and Koo-Paibisundarat.
EpilogueThanks a lot to Camille for her thoughts and ideas to (re)define the titles within the Theocracy of Kai-Rang! A lot of the above has been influenced by her input on this subject. Her enthusiasm is infectious, and I hope she will continue to do great things to help the Theocracy as a whole!
And of course thanks to all the pilots that remained interested in the Theocracy of Kai-Rang, despite the dissolution of the alliance. Without you, there would be no Theocracy in the first place.
The titles were a nearly unnoticeable part of the Theocracy of Kai-Rang after its dissolution, limiting the Theocracy to the Pilgrimages.
We hope that by defining the titles and progression, it gives theocrats many different goals to accomplish within the Theocracy of Kai-Rang, opening it up for everyone.
No doubt that some titles may change slightly in the future, or are removed entirely, or new titles are invented for a better distinction.
The titles are made with the assumption that the Theocracy has hundreds of pilots, but of course, our little group is a bit more humble than that.
Consider joining us if you feel bored, without purpose, or are simply looking for something to do alongside the daily grind towards greatness.
