The Church of Three Sisters is a major religious institution headquartered in Dupho. Their healers are renowned for their skill.
Origins
The Church of Three Sisters began as a cult that worshiped Seawind, a woman from the Children of Knowledge who healed people by manipulating elemental Life.
Early Years
After Seawind’s death in 608, the Cult of Seawind began expanding along the coast, looking for new healing techniques. Seawind had taught them how to manipulate elemental Life, but they were also interested in mundane techniques and in requests for divine guidance.
Many members would call on Seawind for miraculous healing and some stories suggest that on more than one occasion, their prayers were answered.
The cult was successful enough to become a church, with its legitimacy recognized by giving it a role in the governments of the two republics on the coast.
As the church grew, their studies became more intense and their healing techniques became more advanced. Although Children of Beauty do not usually have an affinity for Life magic, the Church of Seawind was able to teach people how to use even a weak affinity. Even healers with no affinity were welcome, if they were willing to constantly push themselves toward learning new techniques.
The Reformation
Religion has always been important to the Children of Beauty. The artists look to their religious institutions to guide them, and they expect churches to play a central role in government.
The Church of Seawind, though respectable and successful, suffered from the fact that the object of their devotion had been a mortal. Non-adherents felt that they were a cult, not a church.
In 932, the clergy found an ingenious solution to this problem. They observed that all their healing techniques could be categorized as magical, miraculous, or natural. They said the magical techniques came ultimately from the Goddess of Knowledge, because Seawind was her child. The miraculous techniques came from the Goddess of the Sun, because she was the religious authority over all the deities. And the natural techniques came from the Goddess of Beauty, because they had obviously been known to Children of Beauty since entering the world.
Thus the church stopped emphasizing worship of Seawind and began to portray her as a messenger from three Goddesses. It was these goddesses that people would worship from then on. They became the Church of Three Sisters.
Under The Theocratic Empire
In 1084, the Theocratic Republic conquered the Republic of Dupho, putting the region under the control of the Theocratic Empire of Beauty.
The Theocratic Empire had no tolerance for other churches, and the Church of Three Sisters was driven out of Dupho.
In 1311, the time of The Artificer of Dupho, the Church of Three Sisters has returned to the province and built an inspiring temple on a hill above the city. The church’s influence is spreading throughout all lands where Children of Beauty live.
The Church of Beauty will tolerate them as long as they do not interfere with government and do not challenge the authority of the Church of Beauty.