Champion

From Codex Vocrotha

A Champion is the chosen representative of one of the Nine Gods: in short, the person chosen as a Champion is the direct spokesman and mouthpiece for that God in the world. In return for the direct service they provide to their God, a Champion receives immortality, of a sort, the ability to direct the powers of their God in the world, and the ability to commune with their God, though the last two require that their own blood be spilled, so their powers are not exactly unlimited.

The immortality conferred by Championship is also limited: it is not proof against damage, only death, so while a Champion cannot actually die at the hands of a mortal opponent, they can be vivisected, tortured and worse. The influence of their God will re-knit their body together and keep their spirit attached to whatever elements of their body remain, but the experience is perhaps the most painful conceivable.

On a political level, while a Champion is not actually the head of their respective religions, they are accorded respect on the same level as a King or Emperor, and addressed by the honorific 'Your Grace.' The custom is to leave the Champion free of the political obligations a religion tends to accumulate such that they may be free to do their works in the world, though obviously there are times when they must get directly involved, usually when a faith is in need of support or has gone astray from its teachings.