The Divine is the leader of the Chantry organization at large, based out of the Grand Cathedral in Val Royeaux. The Divine of the Chantry is always female. The Tevinter Imperium however, have their own Divine, who is a male, as well as their own version of the Chantry: the Imperial Chantry. The Andrastian Divine is informally known as the White Divine while the Imperial Divine as the Black Divine.
Duties
The duties of the Divine include the well-being of the Chantry and the organisations which are affiliated with it as well as the further spreading of the Chantry's message in the known world. However, if a Divine is too senile to rule, then her role is largely ceremonial.[2]
Another known duty of the White Divine is to accept in a ceremony the newly appointed senior enchanters of the Circle of Magi.[3] It is rumored that some White Divines are also major players of The Grand Game.[4]
Election
In the Andrastian Chantry, it is customary for a Divine to leave the name of her chosen successor before her death, but this does not guarantee their ascension. Upon the death of the current Divine, every Grand Cleric is required to travel to Val Royeaux for the Grand Consensus. There, they elect a new Divine from among themselves, or choose another member of the Chantry. The vote must be unanimous for a new Divine to be properly elected. Once coronated, the White Divine takes on a new name as a symbol of her office. The Grand Clerics write all the best sacred names on slips of paper and stuff them in a miter. Then the newly elected Divine picks a name out of the hat.[5]
The election of the latest Divine, Justinia V was controversial, as rumours abound that many of the Grand Clerics were reluctant to elect her due to her colourful past, despite Revered Mother Dorothea (as she was then known) being the first choice of her predecessor, Beatrix III. In the end, she was successful, and began her reign in 9:34 Dragon.
Dragon Age: Inquisition opens after the death of Justinia V. Through choices made throughout the game, the player has the opportunity to influence who will be the next Divine.
Known Andrastian Divines
Divine Beatrix III
Divine Justinia V
- Justinia I: The first Divine. Appointed by Emperor Kordillus Drakon in 1:1 Divine.[6] Chose her name to honour the disciple who recorded Andraste's songs. Before her coronation she was the only female general in the Orlesian army. She was known as the "Warrior-Priest" and her version of the Chant of Light has survived with few changes to the present day.
- Ambrosia II: Reigned during the Divine Age. Wanted to order an Exalted March against her own cathedral after protesting mages barricaded themselves inside.
- Hortensia I: Reigned in 1:99 Divine. Named the Glory Age.
- Renata I: Reigned during the Glory Age. Declared the Exalted March of the Dales (2:10—20 Glory). Ordered the establishment of Alienages afterwards. She also ordered the destruction of all Chantry art in Orlais depicting elves save a single original mural of Shartan with his ears docked. An un-besmirched copy exists at the University of Orlais.[7]
- Galatea: Reigned during the late Glory Age. Galatea was a commoner who was elected after the electorate became locked in a gridlock. In 2:83 Glory she granted the Right of Annulment to all grand clerics of the Chantry to purge Circles of Magi ruled irredeemable.
- Innocente: In 2:99 Glory she consecrated the newly constructed Grand Cathedral of Val Royeaux. At the start of the next year she declared the Towers Age in honor of the twin towers of the Grand Cathedral.
- Joyous II: Reigned in 3:86 Towers. Her issue being with the Maker's second commandment, she attempted to bring Tevinter in line with Orlais and declared all members if the Tevinter clergy heretics. Died in 3:99 Towers.
- Beatrix I: Elected in 3:99 Towers. She named the Black Age. Beatrix I declared an Exalted March against Tevinter, although the actual invasion was delayed for 40 years due to the devastation of the Third Blight.
- Clemence I: Reigned in 4:46 Black. Commissioned the writing of the Litany of Adralla.
- Justinia II: Reigned in 4:99 Black. Named the Exalted Age.
- Hortensia II - Died in 5:16 Exalted.
- Rosamund: Elected in 5:16 Exalted. Died in 5:71 Exalted. Divine Rosamund was born Lilette Montbelliard, a granddaughter of Queen Asha Campana. Lilette was groomed from birth by Divine Hortensia II to be her successor, and at the age of 20 she became the youngest Divine in history.
- Amara III: Elected in 5:71 Exalted. Died in 5:85 Exalted. A sister of Emperor Alphonse Valmont, Amara III's election was controversial because of her close connection to the Emperor, and the fact that she had never even attained the rank of Revered Mother. Amara III was known as both a tyrant, and a sadist who enjoyed bonfires fueled by the bodies of maleficarum. She eventually died under suspicious circumstances, leading her brother to commission a witch hunt to find her killer to no avail.
- Theodosia I: Reigned in 5:99 Exalted. Named the Steel Age.
- Theodosia II: Gave birth on the steps of Val Royeaux's Grand Cathedral in front of a crowd of devout Andrastians. She was removed from her position shortly afterward for violating her vow of chastity.
- Hortensia III: Reigned in 6:99 Steel. Named the Storm Age.[8]
- Faustine II: Reigned in 8:99 Blessed. Planned to declare the Sun Age, but abruptly declared the Dragon Age instead after a high dragon rampage occurred.[9]
- Beatrix III: Reigned in the beginning of the Dragon Age. Died in 9:34 Dragon.[10] Used the templars to pressure the Viscount of Kirkwall.[11] It is stated that she held the office for almost 50 years[2] which however is conflicted with the reign of her predecessor.
- Justinia V: Elected in 9:34 Dragon.[10] Died in 9:41 Dragon.
- Victoria: Elected in 9:41 Dragon.
Other Andrastian Divines
Official robes and headdress of the Divine[12]
These Divines cannot be placed chronologically or their existence has been implied by the names of other Divines (for example, there could not have been a Justinia V without a Justinia III and IV), but no other information is provided about them.
- Amalthea I
- Amalthea II - Created the Conclave of Cumberland to determine a canonical version of the Canticle of Andraste.[13]
- Amara I
- Amara II
- Ambrosia I
- Aurelia[14]
- Beatrix II
- Clemence II[15]
- Faustine I
- Hortensia IV[16]
- Joyous I
- Justinia III
- Justinia IV
Known Imperial Divines
- Valhail: The first Imperial Divine. Elected by the Imperial Chantry in 3:87 Towers.
- Urian Nihalias: A magister who became the Black Divine in 9:27 Dragon after a coup against his predecessor.
Trivia
- the cloister in which a Divine used to serve as a Mother becomes a holy place to visit on pilgrimages
See also
Codex entry: Chantry Hierarchy
References
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