Essentially, there are three major branches to the Church of Telgard; the elven, human, and dwarven branches.

ELVES

The Elven branch is the oldest but also the most fragmented. There are three known sects within the Elven branch, each sect purporting to preach the 'one, true way of Dargotten.' They all have Síril'asthà, who are priests one step above those who come to worship; the equivalent of the Brantars in the Human branch.

The church was divided from the beginning, one sect thought they should guide the other races to greatness, to follow in the footsteps of the first born. To help them like the children they are, by force if necessary.

The other sect has a "let them find their own way" attitude. Their philosophy is: all wild things created by Dargotten have their own peculiar beauty and way, let them live in peace and strive for the greatness of the first borns.

After an eon or two in an age that has just come to pass, yet another faction has arisen. One that harkens co-operation and learning with the other races, as peers not as superiors. This movement lasted a while before being squashed, and all details have been lost as to its demise. Although as of late there has been a resurgence of followers in this sect. Members from the two other sects have left and started joining in this new religious fervor.

THE SECTS

Siril'kete- The guides

The Siril'kete are the middle child of elven religion and the second largest sect. They wield the most power and influence in the elven court. Their mother church is in the Glimmerwood somewhere.

History: This sect arose when the second race appeared in the realms. The Siril'kete believed the dwarves should be lead in the steps of Dargotten to attain the greatness of the first born. During the race wars they tried to convince the then emperor to keep up the war, but the Tel'arifae prevailed as they hold the heart of the people. They were the ones who had goblins exiled from Lirynn after the Bittering. They even tried to have the goblins hunted down, so that that examples could be made of the savages they caught. The sect have since become slightly more tame.

Philosophy: Dargotten created the first born to guide the other races, like a gardener pruning the twisted branches. They preach the high values of the first born, and dictate to the others how they should act to achieve such greatness.

They hold the ear of the emperor, they act as the eyes and ears of the nation. Not always seeking the emperor's approval before acting either. They hold the most government authority throughout Lirynn. Most informed of the three. They're slightly paranoid of infiltration in their ranks, and their superior attitude mean they are always despised by brother and sister orders in different nations. Constantly needing to weed out rumors of the elf-gob town.

Tel'arifae- The high religion of life

Tel'arifae is the biggest sect in Lirynn, the most popular amongst the commoners. They are the most powerful in terms of number and matters of policy, and they often have to act as a referee for the other two sects. All meetings of import are located at the Mother Church in Silverdawn. As the people see it the head of the Tel'arifae, the telaris, holds as much sway as the elven emperor, the telar. Sermons are attended regularly, where choirs sing with the Lifesong. These sermons are the sermons that help places like Silverdawn grow.

History: The Tel'arifae arose when the first elves were put on Telgard, when the scriptures were first discovered and put in to practice. It is the oldest religion and by far the most wide spread. As the other races began to appear and interact, they looked to their elven brethren for guidance. At least at first they did, the word of Dargotten spread and transformed. Each race took what they needed from the scriptures spread by the elves, interpreting them as they saw fit. Thus began the different sects in the religion, although from the first appearance of dwarves there had been division in the house of Telgard. The Tel'arifae were the ones that convinced the telar to retreat into Lirynn, during the race wars. "Let the other races duke it out, we are above such fighting. Let's be patient and wait for the turmoil to pass then start to spread the religion once more..." Which is the state of the present and the root of current problems.

Philosphy: Tel'arifae, have the belief that Dargotten put them there to sing his praise. That the other races were also put there for the same reason, although they've lost their vision with their short lifespans. Tel'arifae take a
'wait and see" approach to most things. They feel that if they move slowly, re-introducing the elven interpretation to the other races, they'll have a better success rate.

Ke'site- The co-operators

Time passed, as time does, and a third vision came into being. One that saw that elves were no more special then say humans or dwarves. They sought to spread the word of Dargotten through co-operation, as peer to peer not as a superior being to a lesser. This gained popularity with the youngest generation of elves who were restless, an emotion taught to them by the influence of the humans. Thus arose the Ke'site, the smallest and youngest of the three sects. The Ke'site are the youngest of the three sects, and also the smallest. They are gaining momentum with the younger generation, who are tired of the older generations prejudices. Their home church is probably in Na'el where there is the most human influence.

Their Philosphy: To guide the other races as equals, to help them like they would a brother/sister. TO walk the path of Dargotten by example, not by word alone.

History: The movement is enjoying it's second coming, having been squashed out almmost to extinction. They do not know why or even how that came to be, for nearly a thousand years have passed.
Things going for them: They are the sect that is most popular outside Lirynn, especially with other chapters of the church.
Things going against: They are always at odds with the Siril'kete, who seem to have the emperors ear.

HUMANS

The Human branch is now the most powerful branch of the Church of Telgard, and has been since before the construction of the Great Cathedral in Inner Maston. The church is headed by the Matr(May-tra), the world mother's incarnation here on Telgard. She heads the Council of LifeLaw. This is the 9-member, lawmaking body of the church. They consist of 5 females and 4 males of mixed races (currently only human, elf and dwarf). One of the five females is always next to be Matr, chosen by the other females. Males have no say in the choosing of the Matr. The council members are known as High Traphars. The current Matr is a Dwarf named Matr Rosalind the Pious.

Below the Council are the city representitives, known as Traphars. These are the only church members who may approach the Council. They also preside over holiday festivities in their respective cities.

Under the Traphars are the parish clergy, known as Brantars. These are the priests and priestesses whom the public depends on for regular interpretation of scripture, social aid, and religious guidance.

Worship services are constant, there is no set time to participate. All races are accepted and racial difficulties are not tolerated on holy ground. It is for this reason the church is often called on as a mediator. Citizens are encouraged to attend whenever and as often as they wish to. The doors are always open. Tithes are accepted with a blessing. The Church recognizes all the dieties in the pantheon. worship is directed towards all of them, as appropriate. There are holidays for each of them, joyous in some cases, meditative for others.

The Human branch of the Church of Telgard is the richest organizations in Telgard, and holds great political power. Its clergy take no vows of poverty, so they tend to be well off, and many of the Traphars hold noble titles. It owns land and invests in private enterprises, and has for centuries been supported by the trading power of the human nation.

The Church has a military force, for use in times of crisis. They have a select group of Church Knights, who are knights that have received their titles from the church, not a king. Some Brantars are trained as men-at-arms. They become guards (known as sentinels) or questors. It has also been known to hire mercinaries. The Church will defend itself, if need be.

It is very organized, and a respected, fixed part of the culture.

DWARVES

The Dwarven branch of the Church of Telgard is the branch that has changed the most since its inception; many scholars attribute this to the influence of the Delfae, who being a race which embraces magic is also seen as a font of evil. Nevertheless, the Dwarven branch is accepted as a version of the True Faith

Currently, the High King is also the head of the Church in Garr; there is no seperation of Church and State in the Kingdom. Under him are the Council of Thanes, the council made up of all the Clan leaders and who also serve in a religious capacity in their own turn. Each Clan in turn is made up of a fluid membership of Houses, which are the bloodlines through which dwarves trace their ancestry. The Heads of Household--or Otak--are religious leaders in their turn much as the Thanes are. Priests are invested by the Heads of Household and are the equivalent of the human Brantars. The Dwarves are a practical folk, and recognize some are better at politics while others are better at religion; consequently, the people with the most experience in either tend to be regarded as the 'experts' and their advice is most frequently followed while that area of expertise is being discussed, despite being nominially all equals.

The chief differences in the practices of the Dwarven branch are largely influenced by the heathen religion that many dwarves follow, which is thought by outsiders to be the fault of contact with the Delfae, though the dwarves recognize that the delfaen religion has very little to do with the dwarven heathen one. Primarily, Dargotten is known as the Smith, and the Houses and Clans worship their ancestors as spirits that can cross over from the grave to aid them in times of need. The Dwarven branch has the most thorough definition of the circumstances of the afterlife, and have entire libraries dedicated to keeping track of each ancestor and what powers that ancestor may bring to bear to aid House and Clan.

In addition, Faeterna is barely recognized; her role is practically forgotten, and while true Church followers recognize her as the creator of life, most dwarves have forgotten her and follow the heathen beliefs for the creation of life, even otherwise devout Church members.