Salii (Ianarius Acolyte)

Traditional Acolytes might have ties to a specific temple dedicated to your chosen deity or pantheon, and you have a residence there. This could be the temple where you used to serve, if you remain on good terms with it, or a temple where you have found a new home. While near your temple, you can call upon the priests for assistance, provided the assistance you ask for is not hazardous and you remain in good standing with your temple.

For Salii this is the Ianua, but you do not reside there, as there is no place to actually reside. Most Ianua are formed a by a walled enclosure with gates at each end and a fountain in the middle of the passage way. No rooms or other doors are present, as the temple is meant to be passed through, either by travellers or soldiers on their way to or returning from war or adventure. At the center of each fountain is contained a statue of the god with the right hand showing this sign for year, the other showing the sign for sky or heavens and twelve altars at his feet symbolize one for each month. Many will stop at the fountain and either traditionally take a sip from the fountain, or toss keys into it asking for blessing or transitioning from one home to the next. Situated between the old Lodark Forum and that statue of King Solas, which had been consecrated by Numa Pompilius himself, is the most famous Ianua in the capital city of the Lodark Empire. In wartime the gates of the Ianua were opened, and in its interior sacrifices were held, soldiers proceeded through and vaticinia were held, to forecast the outcome of military deeds. The doors were closed only during peacetime, an extremely rare event. The function of the Ianua was supposed to be a sort of good omen: in time of peace it was said to close the wars within or to keep peace inside: in times of war it was said to be open to allow the return of the people on duty. The first temple of Ianuarius is said to have been consecrated by the consul Gaius Duilius in 260 BC (Before Conquest) after the Battle of Mylae in the Forum Holitorium and the destruction of the Veii Kingdom, but has since been lost to time.

As an acolyte, you command the respect of those who share your faith, and you can perform the religious ceremonies of your deity. You and your adventuring companions can expect to receive free healing and care at a temple, shrine, or other established presence of your faith, though you must provide any material components needed for spells. Those who share your religion will support you (but only you) at a modest lifestyle. 

This, however, does not apply to most Salii as Ianuarius has no high priest or hierarchy assigned to him, but the King of the Sacred Rites (rex sacrorum) himself carries out his ceremonies at the Capital City and the Salii are often his clerics and occasional Paladins. You have a mentor, your duality opposite (Variants listed below) but other than your direct teacher there is no system of hierarchy.  Due to his nature of being the guardian of the Doors, especially to Heaven, many of his clerics are Aasimar in nature, though the duality also attracts many fallen Aasimar and even Tieflings to his cause. Ianuarius had a ubiquitous presence in religious ceremonies throughout the year. As such, Ianuarius was ritually invoked at the beginning of each ceremony, regardless of the main deity honoured on any particular occasion, which also lead to his lack of formal religion but widespread knowledge. Due to this, while you will not find refuge in a specific temple, as many have no priests in residence due to the transitory nature of the shrine. What you will find is that many townsfolk, including nobility and high political power, will seek out your skills in blessings and divintation, with the traditional exchange of food and shelter provided for said services. 

The rites concerning Ianuarius are numerous. Owing to the versatile and far reaching character of his basic function marking all beginnings and transitions, his presence is ubiquitous and fragmented. Apart from the rites solemnizing the beginning of the new year and of every month, there were the special times of the year which marked the beginning and closing of the military season, in March and October respectively. Ianitor, another name the Salii go by, means guardian of doorways and as such the rite of the Salii's oiling the posts of the door of a new home or bows of a new ship with wolf fat at their arrival, though not mentioning Ianuarius explicitly, is a rite of passage related to the Ianua and one of many that celebrate the creation nature and journey into the new inherent in your religion.

Each year in March only in the capital city of the Lodark Empire, an Honorary Salii Guard make a procession round the city, dancing and singing the Carmen Saliare. The Honour Salii ended the celebration day by banqueting and Saliaris cena became proverbial for a sumptuous feast. While many true Salii don’t believe in the supremacy of the sacred shield and its divine right to rule, many of them still carry a similar shield due to tradition or superstition and often preside over Feasts and Harvest Celebrations in continuous tradition. This also aids in your need for shelter and food, as in those celebratory months, as well as major landmark celebrations such as weddings, funerals, christenings or naming ceremonies and rites of passage are seen as blessed if your presence and good omens are witnessed at the occasion.

Some Salli have conjectured that Ianuarius derives his meaning as transitional movement and would then be an action name expressing the idea of going or passing; as from Ianus  is derived the word Ianua ("door"), and hence the Ianitor, another name the Salii go by, means "guardian of doorways." This belief leads to a more war-like disposition, as they take the guardianship as the foremost, taking a more hands on approach to solving problems and guiding journeys instead of their more divination based comrades. These Salii are often present at the beginning or ending of many wars or major conflicts, having actively participated in their blessing at the start or finish of the campaign, as their skills are often sought after much like the oracles of ancient times. As such, many of these Salii are actually ones attached to actual Ianua, since they are often sponsored by noble houses, political factions, or ruling forces of that city, however historically these have often been the Salii that are also the easiest to be corrupted, so many tread carefully and keep a nomadic life style to avoid such occurrence once the conflict has completed. Due to the heavy battles and political intrigue that often is attached to a Salli's omens and divination, many live in residence or never travel  without their Peace, in order to keep a greater balance and make sure they stay grounded in their scrying and communication, lest they give way to Chaos and give him a foothold in re-entering this plane. 

These Salii were, in ancient times,  the "leaping priests" and were supposed to have been introduced by King Numa Pompilius and the War Salii are the closest to the original Salii in modern times. They were twelve patrician youths, one fore each month of the year, dressed as archaic warriors: an embroidered tunic, a breastplate, a short red cloak (paludamentum), a sword, and a spiked headdress called an apex. They were charged with the twelve bronze shields called ancilia, which, like the Mycenaean shield, resembled a figure eight. One of the shields was said to have fallen from heaven in the reign of King Numa and eleven copies were made to protect the identity of the sacred shield on the advice of the water elemental Egeria, consort of Numa, who prophesied that wherever that shield was preserved, the people would be the dominant people of the earth. The Honour Salii ended the celebration day by banqueting and Saliaris cena became proverbial for a sumptuous feast. While many true War Salii don’t believe in the supremacy of the sacred shield and its divine right to rule, many of them still carry a similar shield due to tradition or superstition and often preside over Feasts and Harvest Celebrations in continuous tradition.

Because of this background these Salii are often all classified as Death Clerics. As such the follow the same structure as general Death Clerics, but instead of a fascination with death and what causes it they are focused on the balance of life and death and endings- either their prevention of or insuring the finality of the moment.

Bonus Proficiency

When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain proficiency with martial weapons.

Reaper

At 1st level, you learn one necromancy cantrip of your choice from any spell list. When you cast a necromancy cantrip that normally targets only one creature, the spell can instead target two creatures within range and within 5 feet of each other.

Channel Divinity: Touch of Death

Starting at 2nd level, you can use Channel Divinity to destroy another creature's life force by touch. When you hit a creature with a melee attack, you can use Channel Divinity to deal extra necrotic damage to the target. The damage equals 5 + twice your cleric level.

Inescapable Destruction

Starting at 6th level, your ability to channel negative energy becomes more potent. Necrotic damage dealt by your cleric spells and Channel Divinity options ignores resistance to necrotic damage.

Divine Strike

At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon strikes with necrotic energy. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal an a 1d8 necrotic damage to the target. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage increases to 2d8.

Improved Reaper

Starting at 17th level, when you cast a necromancy spell of 1st through 5th level that targets only one creature, the spell can instead target two creatures within range and within 5 feet of each other. If the spell consumes its material components, you must provide them for each target.

Another classification indicated by Macrobius, another great Salii, explains the name Ianarius is from the verb ire ("to go") and  based on the interpretation of Ianuarius as the god of beginnings and transitions, is often seen at crossroads or gates, be it physical or metaphorical. Many times he might appear as a wise sage or old man at the edge of the road who often asks pointed questions that eventually allow heroes to find their correct path or guide a weary traveller back home, even if it is just in a vision. As such, those who subscribe to this version are often Lawful Neutral and abstain from interfering instead choosing to guide, either from the edges or from the shadows, with as little interference as possible, often relying on divination and omens as their main communication with their deity. On occasion, Peace Salii can be persuaded to enter the campaign of an adventurer but only if they feel they have been given a sign or omen from their deity.

 The Life domain, which is the focus of the Peace Cleric and their belief in the Beginning and Creation forces of Ianarius, is centered on the vibrant positive energy — one of the fundamental forces of the universe — that sustains all life. They promote vitality and health through healing the sick and wounded, caring for those in need, and driving away the forces of death and undeath, making a perfect foil for War Salii. Ianuarius frequently symbolized change and transitions such as the progress of past to future, from one condition to another, from one vision to another, and due to this they are the more Nomadic of the pairing often having Message as one of their Cantrips in order to communicate with their other half. Due to their God presiding over time, because he could see into the past with one face and into the future with the other, they are more disposed to have visions but have to often scry to find out the moment of their visions (if they are from the past or omens of the future).  As Ianuarius was worshipped at the beginnings of the harvest and planting times, as well as at marriages, deaths and other beginnings, of which the Peace Salii are often sought to oversee. Having jurisdiction over beginnings Ianuarius had an intrinsic association with omens and auspices, in fact most Peace Salii study divination as their primary arcana, as they believe that Ianuarius is often sending them signs to guide their transitions from one space to the next.

Bonus Proficiency

When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain proficiency with heavy armor.

Disciple of Life

Also starting at 1st level, your healing spells are more effective. Whenever you use a spell of 1st level or higher to restore hit points to a creature, the creature regains additional hit points equal to 2 + the spell's level.

Channel Divinity: Preserve Life

Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to heal the badly injured.

As an action, you present your holy symbol and evoke healing energy that can restore a number of hit points equal to five times your cleric level. Choose any creatures within 30 feet of you, and divide those hit points among them. This feature can restore a creature to no more than half of its hit point maximum. You can't use this feature on an undead or a construct.

Blessed Healer

Beginning at 6th level, the healing spells you cast on others heal you as well. When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher that restores hit points to a creature other than you, you regain hit points equal to 2 + the spell's level.

Divine Strike

At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon strikes with divine energy. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 radiant damage to the target. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage increases to 2d8.

Supreme Healing

Starting at 17th level, when you would normally roll one or more dice to restore hit points with a spell, you instead use the highest number possible for each die. For example, instead of restoring 2d6 hit points to a creature, you restore 12.