The Purified

In the Atalan Empire's final century, new prophets arose who spoke that the Gods promised a glorious afterlife to those who were sufficiently pure. They taught that the sins of the people kept them from this afterlife, but if they could cleanse those sins then they could pass into the realms of the Gods after death. Possible ways of cleansing such sins included:

• Doing deeds pleasing to the Gods
• Donating to the temples
• Confession of sins to and absolution by an ordained priest
• Being exposed to the holiness of holy people and their relics (which often includes a pilgrimage)

The Purified see the world with a clear hierarchy, with some people (priests and saints) being more holy than others, and some places (temples, shrines with relics) being more holy than the rest of the "base" material world. This hierarchy also extends to the priesthood, starting with simple parish priests and ending with a patriarch or matriarch leading the faithful of a vast region. In the past, there have been attempts to unify all the Purified under a single leader, but these have rarely lasted for long. Nevertheless, the Purified Patriarchs and Matriarchs have long been powerful political actors among the Flannish Kingdoms, and they often crowned the kings and nobles of various realms.