Religion
in the World of Ere
There are numerous minor religions and so called ‘small
gods’ on Ere, ranging from philosophical ideals propagated
by who dreamed them up, to the worship of local heroes and
ancestors. Most of these are relegated simply to quirks
of culture and nothing more. Some small gods, however, actually
have clerics who actually have the ability to receive spells
from them. Such beings are exceedingly rare so as to be
of little consequence outside their communities.
There are three ‘mainstream’
religions on Ere; the Greater Pantheon, the Church of the
Three-fold Moon, and the Cults of Dragon. These are the
religions that have dealings across the continent and thus
are considered mainstream.
This section details how each of the mainstream
religions operate and gives some information on some of
the smaller religions.
Refer to the article: Alignment
in the World of Ere for information on how alignment
is handled on Ere.
Allies,
Recusants and Enemies
On Ere, gods do not determine their enemies
based on alignment. Instead, they use a system
that designates enemies, allies and recusants
and treats them accordingly. Thus, while both
Hessa and Justicar can be considered ‘good’
gods, a Holy weapon of Hessa hurts different
creatures then a Holy weapon of Justicar.
Most
characters will not have any status whatsoever.
Allies
A deities allies are those who seek the same
ends as the core religion dedicated to the deity
or are under special protection of the deity.
This naturally includes clerics and other clergy,
warriors in the church’s service and wards
of the church, but also extends to creatures
and people who are part of activities in the
deity’s portfolio. For example, most artists
are considered allies of deities of art.
In
some cases, through their own actions, a character
that would normally be an ally is instead treated
as a recusant or enemy. For example, a warrior
in the service of a deity with children in their
portfolio who is cruel to children would be
a recusant of the deity.
Effects
that effect a deity’s allies typically
aid them.
Recusants
Recusants are people who by thought or by action
go against the will of the god or are a determent
to their portfolio. Crusading against actions
of the church, seeking to curtail activities
in the god’s portfolio, or doing malicious
harm to a member of the clergy or faithful all
earn recusant status. Being an exclusive member
of church of a recusant deity earns recusant
status.
Gods
typically don’t take action against recusants,
but many effects that harm their enemies have
smaller secondary effects against recusants.
Enemies
Allies of enemy gods, creatures declared anathema
to the church, and singular individuals who
have gained the personal ire of the gods are
Enemies of the faith. Actual actions against
the church and not just doctrine earn enemy
status as well. For example, an orator who uses
their speeches to speak blasphemies is only
a recusant, but one who advocates harm to the
church and its people is an enemy.
Ironically,
even the faithful of some deities can be considered
enemies.
Effects
that effect a deity’s enemies typically
harm them.
Replacement
Spells and Domain
Using the Allies, Recusants and Enemies system
instead of alignment involves replacing a number
of spells as well as the Chaos, Evil, Good,
and Law Domains and the Holy and Unholy weapon
qualities.
Suggested
replacements can be found here.
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The Greater Pantheon
Formed of the gods generally credited with Saint’s
Landing, plus the goddess Dey, the Greater Pantheon is the
most widely worshipped religion on Ere. While they are sometimes
mildly opposed to one another, the six deities of the Greater
Pantheon generally accept one another.
The gods of the Greater Pantheon seldom
speak directly through their clergy if at all, relying largely
on their doctrine and those they invest with powers to do
that for them. As Saint’s Landing is widely accepted
as fact, however, there is little doubt that the five involved
in it exist and Dey’s direct intervention prior to
and at the end of the Hailene War of Ascension dispels all
doubt in her existance.
Below are listed the six gods that make
up the Greater Pantheon and their core philosophies. Different
races and religions worship different aspects of these deities
and sometimes are rewarded with different domains than the
ones listed.
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As a pantheon, the Greater
Pantheon grants all domains the individual deities
grant. Its favored weapon is Denaii’s
long sword.
Allies: Greater
Pantheon (all deities), humans.
Recusants: none
Enemies: Kayda (deity), outsiders,
creatures with the discarnate subtype.
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Denaii,
Lawgiver
Denaii is a deity of honor, tactics and logic. He is the
patron of warriors and inventors, particularly those who
develop weapons of war. In some circles, he is also the
patron of wizards and alchemists, who value an underlying,
mathematical logic to the world.
The core Denaiian church espouses the value
of personal and family honor as well as discipline in ones
profession and striving for personal profession. Other sects
teach the innate power of mathematics and physical sciences
as they apply to the worlds. Still others demand strict
adherence to tradition and total submission to authority.
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Denaii grants the War, Protection,
Knowledge and Strength domains. His favored
weapon is the long sword.
Allies: Hessa
(deity), Justicar (deity), combatants, fighters,
constructs, minotaurs
Recusants: Being a recusant
of Denaii implies being an oath-breaker or a
coward or someone who puts themselves constantly
ahead of even the ones they love. Those who
act solely in their own interests and who hold
no value in honor or tradition are recusants
of Denaii.
Enemies: aberrations
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Dey the
Grey Hand
The Grey Hand is a goddess of necessity and duty. She is
the patron of mercenaries, assassins and adventurers; people
who do often unsavory jobs because they need to be done.
In some groups, her forgiveness is used to justify many
cruel acts, while in others, penance and tithing is still
required.
Dey’s temples offer safe haven and
aide to wayward souls in need as well as a private venue
for more illicit activities such as the sale of black market
goods. Deyic tradition honors personal sacrifices, even
those of a moral nature. More than any other temple, Dey’s
clergy are heavily involved in politics on the behalf of
its faithful.
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Dey grants the Luck, Travel,
and Healing domains. She favors the dagger.
Allies: Hessa
(deity), Pandemos (deity), rogues, barbarians,
children of all races
Recusants: Being a recusant
of Dey is actually much harder than other deities.
Characters who harm and defile for pure enjoyment,
those who dole out heavy handed punishment,
and those who harm children are recusants of
Dey.
Enemies: Kayda (deity), outsiders
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Hessa
of the Goodly Morn
Hessa is a deity of healing, protection and art. She is
the patron of healers, guardians, parents and artists of
all kinds. Her core church is extremely organized and encourages
the value of community and the defense thereof.
Hessan churches are known for fielding
healers and warriors to protect outlying villages and for
inspiring wandering heroes. Combat is the last resort for
a Hessan faithful, but never off the table, especially against
those who threaten those who cannot defend themselves.
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Hessa grants the Sun, Protection,
Healing and Air domains. Her favored weapon
is the longbow.
Allies: Denaii
(deity), Dey (deity), all clerics with the healing
or protection domains, intuitives, bards, elves.
Recusants: Being a recusant
of Hessa implies being of a nature that is anathema
to community and light. Recusants of Hessa include
characters who actively shun aiding their fellows,
characters who use [shadow] subtype spells or
class abilities that involve shadows and incorporeal
undead.
Enemies: Kayda (deity)
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Justicar
Justicar is a god of righteousness, community and order.
He is the patron of guards, judges, political leaders and
other keepers of the status quo. He is often confused for
Denaii in rights of worship and has few actual remaining
followers.
Justicar’s faithful teach strict
adherence to tradition, the need for hierarchy and the wickedness
of all forms of crime or secrecy. They also advocate the
ultimate punishment of death for those who do wrong.
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Justicar grants the Knowledge,
Magic and Death domains. His favored weapon
is the glaive.
Allies: Denaii
(deity), Sylph (deity), wizards, hailene.
Recusants: Being a recusant
of Justicar implies a flaunting of law and order
and a rebellious nature. Those who actively
work against legitimate (in Justicar’s
eyes) authority, who often find themselves on
the wrong side of the law and who gives themselves
over to sin and vice is a recusant of Justicar.
Enemies: creatures with the
discarnate subtype
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Pandemos
the One Dice Rolling
Pandemos if the god of revelry, luck and freedom. He is
the patron of entertainers, gamblers, travelers and halflings.
Sometimes, his affinity for luck is construed as a favoring
of probability instead of chance.
Pandemian temples are bawdy, semi-nomadic
affairs that usually serve as diversions for those of all
faiths to set down their burdens an live their lives. A
typical Pandemian religious ceremony is little more than
a party with religious emblems. Making oneself or even better,
others happy is the basic tenet of the Pandemian church.
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Pandemos grants the Trickery,
Luck, Travel and Magic domains. His favored
weapon is the quarterstaff.
Allies: Dey
(deity), Sylph (deity), bards, sorcerers, inborns,
halflings
Recusants: Being a recusant
of Pandemos implies self repression or encouragement
of repression in others. This includes characters
who seek to abolish drink, gaming or dance,
who use domination magic heavily, who enslave
other sapient beings, or who actively seek to
quash revelry.
Enemies: constructs, slavers/slaveholders
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Sylph
of the Forest Folk
Sylph is the goddess of all of nature’s metaphysical
aspects; life, death, growth and decay. She is the patron
of druids, the sylvan races and farmers. Most worshippers
of Sylph emphasize one aspect of this over the other while
some take these aspects to mean that Sylph opposes ‘unnatural’
things such as arcane magic or construction.
The core temple of Sylph is made up of
druids, who tend life and various martial classes who assist
in its inevitable end. Sylph teaches that life is sacred,
but so is death and the express denial of either is wrong.
Thus, the temple abhors undead and teaches that they should
not be suffered to live.
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Sylph grants the Animal, Plant,
Death and Destruction Domains. She favors the
sickle.
Allies: Pandemos
(deity), Justicar (deity), druids, rangers,
miare
Recusants: Being a recusant
of Sylph implies debasement and disrespect foe
nature. Those who hunt for sport, defy the natural
order, exploit nature for personal gain and
bring harm to the natural beasts of the world
are recusants of Sylph.
Enemies: undead
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The Church of the Three-fold Moon
Founded in the early days after Saint’s Landing, the
church of Kayda, the Three-fold Moon has two distinct faces.
First, it publicly exists as an institution
that preaches the concept of life as a trial by fire; that
the only way to survive is to grow stronger by seeking out
conflict. This ideal appeals to a great many of Ere’s
population and has gained the church a large following.
The faithful of the church in this capacity are merely recusants
of the Greater Pantheon deities instead of enemies.
In secret though, among the most loyal
of the faithful, the church teaches that the Greater Pantheon
is a sham and a blight on the face of Ere; that only by
their destruction can the world be cleansed. To this end,
they encourage the transformation of the truly faithful
into Kaydan Demons, highly augmented beings that serve as
partial avatars of the Lord of Shades. The demons are the
secret, martial arm of the church, hunting down, tormenting
and destroying those who serve the Greater Pantheon.
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Kayda grants the Strength,
War, Death and Destruction domains. His favored
weapon is the bastard sword.
Allies: outsiders
Recusants: To be a Recusant
of Kayda simply means that you are not one of
his faithful. If you are not with the Lord of
Shades, then by his word, you are against him
and therefore a recusant.
Enemies: Greater Pantheon (all
deities)
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Cults
of Dragon
Across the plains of Taunuan, tribes of humanoids pay homage
to the Dragon Nations as the ultimate exemplars of living
things. The elders teach that the dragons represent wisdom
and strength, which all beings should strive to attain.
Most dragon cults subscribe to strong ideals
of community and appeasement of the dragons, whom occasionally
visit their worshippers.
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All dragon cults grant the
Strength and Knowledge domains, plus two dependant
on the color of the dragon as detailed below:
Black: Water and Earth
Red: Fire and Air
Green: Air and Earth
Silver: Air and Water
Brass: Earth and Fire
Bronze: Water and Fire
Copper: Trickery and Travel
Allies: dragons,
dragon-sired beings, sorcerers
Recusants: Those who tap their
belief in other deities to channel divine power
are all considered recusants of the Cults of
Dragon.
Enemies: non-dragons with elemental
subtypes
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Small
Gods
Ere is home to too many Small Gods to list here. Many are
local hero-gods, ancestral or racial spirits, or actual
helpful spirits. Occasionally, simple ideals are enough
to grant some minor clerics spells and a single related
domain. Below are some of the more well known small gods:
The
Mother of Blades
The Mother of Blades was a leader during the last days of
Draconic Control. Her expertise with the greatsword earned
her the moniker that she is known solely by today. The religion
built around her dictates that strength and leadership are
the keys to survival and happiness.
The
Mother of Blades grants the Strength, War and
Protection domains. Her favored weapon is the
greatsword.
The
Mother of Blades is not strong enough in the
world to effect allies, recusants and enemies.
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Sefar,
the Passionate Night
Sefar
is a goddess of dreams and joy worshipped by the Sylvan
Naga of Vini Tresolm. Worship of her dates all the way back
to Saint’s Landing when the naga believe Sefar created
them. Sefar’s symbol, a black dream-catcher, appears
surprisingly often in older depictions of Saint’s
Landing and the Pantheon, but disappears near the onset
of Draconic Control.
The
naga believe that Sefar’s edict is to follow one’s
dreams and to help others attain their own dreams. They
have shaped their society around these ideals and feel they
are better for it.
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grants the Healing and Luck domains as well
as domains mentioned in the magic section. Her
favored weapon is the unarmed strike.
Allies:
Pandemos (deity), Dey (deity), Hessa (deity)
Recusants: Being a recusant
of Sefar means actively denying oneself or others
their life’s true ambition. Tyrants, overly
strict employers, slavers and bullies are recusants
of Sefar.
Enemies: Sefar’s enemies
are those who would normally be recusants, but
are denying the dreams of a follower of Sefar.
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