Prophet

Prophet or Prophetess is a title or religious name given to select senior San'Shyuum officials. Conferred upon the most religiously or politically accomplished San'Shyuum, often senior Ministers, bishops, magistrates or hieromonks, the Prophets formed the highest social class of the San'Shyuum and the overall leadership of the Covenant. Unlike Ministers, whose titles were fixed and tied to their political post, the Prophets would choose an episcopal name meant to represent a key characteristic they wished to be known for. Usually this name would be picked from a long lineage of historical examples, though some have been known to adopt original names. The lineages of Prophet names were protected, so no two Prophets may adopt the same name at the same time; in addition, it was typically not regarded as proper to adopt a title of a recently-deceased Prophet. In practice, the Prophetic name supersedes that San'Shyuum's birth name in virtually all but domestic contexts, and addressing a Prophet or Prophetess by their birth name is at best a social faux pas, at worst blasphemy.

The Prophets were broadly separated to the Hierarchs or "High Prophets", and the Minor or Lesser Prophets, often known simply as Prophets. The High Prophets served as the political and religious leaders of the entire Covenant, while the Minor Prophets occupied the majority of the San'Shyuum seats on the High Council alongside the incumbent Ministers and various other officials. Additionally, Minor Prophets may be assigned as high-ranking religious legates to Covenant fleets, or representatives of the High Council in regional domains. Though potential candidates were typically put forward by various institutions such as the Ministry of Ordination, Prophets could only be appointed by the High Council and were specifically conferred their titles by the Hierarchs.