The Priest

Alternate Titles: Doctor, Shepherd, General

The essential defining feature of a Priest is that he is responsible for others who he takes into his care. This can involve a character who has literally taken on Holy Orders, but it also includes Doctors and Generals, who are responsible for the lives of those entrusted to them. The Priest has an absolute loyalty to those in his care, they are his flock and he is their shepherd. If they go astray, he will follow and rescue them. If they are beset by dangers on all sides, he will lead them safely through the valley of the shadow of death.
The Priest must have a great capacity for forgiveness. He is often in contact with the deepest weakness of others: their sins, their illnesses, their despair. He is able to heal both the body and the soul, and to bring peace to restless hearts. This is the character who will free his own persecutors, or pardon those who have tried to murder him. He is able to become "all things to all men," to enter into the life of his flock; he is revered as a leader, but he is approachable enough to have the trust of his followers. He is able to inspire men to endure great hardships, or to persevere in the face of overwhelming odds.

Archetypal Events: Absolve, Heal, Free Captives, Lead, Anoint

Common Priest Plots:

Going to the Promised Land: The Priest has a flock, which he must shepherd successfully through hostile terrain. This could be a military General leading the charge that will take back the capital from the enemy, or the head of a colony succouring his people on a new world. Ideally, he does not lose a single soul -- though there are tragic variants where everybody dies.

Lost Sheep: Someone, usually an Avenger or Adulteress, is in need of redemption. The Priest makes them his personal project, cares for them, intercedes to get them out of difficulties, and provides them with shelter, silver candlesticks, or company on the way to the electric chair. Eventually he receives their confession and they are able to live or, more usually, die in peace.

Fall from Grace:

Church: The Church or Temple is the place where the Priest shelters his flock, provides sanctuary, hears confessions, offers sacrifice to God/the gods, and so forth. It can be transformed into a tent if the people are in exhile, particularly into the tent that holds the Holy of Holies.
Alms: The Priest is limited by the amount that he has to give. This can be money, rations, water, grain stored in a granary, medical supplies, or whatever else he needs to care for his people. When this runs out, he must seek divine assistance or else fail in his quest.
The Sacrificial Knife: This weapon is used to apportion supplies, to cut out what is to be offered to God and to fairly divide the remainder. It is used to slaugher or sacrifice any animals whose lives must be offered for the good of the people, and in it's darker moments to cut loose those who would destroy the flock from within. It can also be used to unbind captives, or be transformed into a scalpel for excising diseases. 
Stole: This represents the weight of the responsibility that the Priest takes on. It is symbolic yoke that binds the Priest to his people and to his God.
The Promised Land: C
Monument: A
Minor Symbols: T

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