Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="mikeg" data-source="post: 4025729" data-attributes="member: 39640">ÄRAM: Wake of Fallen Empire RELIGIONThe religious life of Äram has been punctuated historically by a succession of deities whose adherents have seen their own influence and powers strengthen and wane. Many cults have revered similar deities who differ only by name, while others borrowed rites from distant lands which over time would become enmeshed in the culture of the Continent. The current ascendancy of the Doma is rooted philosophically in the old sun cults of Hual, and historically in the life and works of Ben Duín born over eight centuries ago. The Doma's view of other cults fluctuates between grudging acceptance and wholesale incitement of religious violence. A more holistic view sees the pantheon of deities as sharing common roots, and now falling into divine categories of Creators (the Old Gods), Preservers (the New Gods) and Destroyers (the Dark Gods).Classical Pantheon (The Old Gods)The Old Gods of Äram embody divinity in its creative aspect. These are the deities who feature prominently in the shared creation folklore of the Continent and beyond. Due to their age, many of these gods are known by different names in different cultures, and yet many of the powers granted to their clerics are similar. The number of proponents of these gods have dwindled in the past several centuries. And today they are worshipped among the more isolated pockets of Äram, such as the druidic cults of Lephthra and Nerfyrda, the dwarven deeps of the West, superstitious mariners on the high seas, and the lodges of the barbaric northern tribes of Boream.EraAll but the most rigidly patriarchal cults of Äram will agree that Era is the origin of all earthly life. A benevolent but fair universal mother, Era figures in all the major creation myths. But her own origins are either shrouded in mystery, or else understood as the single force without beginning or end. The realms of earth, nature and fertility are hers. As are the elemental forces of the cosmos. Her representation varies wildly between cultures, but it is not uncommon to see her as a triply-manifested goddess of consort/mother/crone in the south, or maiden/mother/crone among those northern regions with a prehistory of dowry rituals. Although reverence for Era is nearly universal, her worship is today largely relegated to the wilderness and more backward areas of Äram. Her strongest base can be found deep among the oak groves and cairn rows of the druidic cults of Lephthra and Nerfyrda, where her reclusive clerics ensure the bounty of the land, but whose rare morbid demands temper the even strongest chieftains.domains: Earth, Plant, Air, Fire, WaterEtrychIf Era is the maternal origin of all beings, her consort Etrych is closest to a universal father. His name is the origin for the Teulan word enterych, meaning the firmament or height. He is considered by many to be the sky itself. And as such, he is historically understood to be the all-seeing, all-knowing protector, who dispenses measures of punishment and forgiveness.He is now largely considered an impotent figurehead, as his power waned with the arrival of Jovurno, the southern rain god whom some traditions revere as Etrych's own son.His many divine minions are still called upon by those who have suffered from seemingly random acts of fate, although mainly through superstitious acts such as tossing earth into air or knocking on an earth-bound stone.Clerics of Entrych are rare, although not unknown, and he maintains strong associations with the realms of magic, math and astronomy.name invoked in animating constructs though potency is uncleardomains: Air, Law, Good, Knowledge, MagicJovurnorain, lightning, virilityseen by some adherents as the consort of Eratemples still exist in Arta, rural areas of southern Csorna, and the more remote holdings among the Free Princesancient southern origins, rumors of lightning/rain god in Asur indicate the worship of Jovurno by another nameclerics still have foothold in west, call lightningdomains: Air, Water, ChaosManananthe sea, weather, seafaring, the unknown, the unconscious, drunkenness, the voidorigin shrouded in mystery, perhaps the void before Era, bringer of Eaphalla, winesome clerics, object of superstition among sailorsrelated to berserking cults of Lephthra and Nerfyrdadomains: Water, Travel, LuckIgnfuarnthe raven, thought, wisdomone of first beings of Eraassociations with magic, appears on spellbooks, raven is a common familiar, tradition without religious componentbarbaric cults, shaman culturedomains: Air, Animal, Knowledgecigfran (raven)Araththe bear, strength, hunting, intuition, bringer of visionsone of first beings of Erabear sacrifices far to the northclerics and druids among the lodges of BoreamAnimal, Protection, Strengtharth (bear)Ysgyfarnogthe hare, messengers, trickster, logic of the absurd, sudden insight, enlightenmentone of first beings of Erasome adherents worship Ben Duín as an incarnationclerics among dwarven cults of the deepdomains: Animal, Earth, Luck, Trickery, TravelCrhywilthe locust, greatest good for the greatest number, collective identity, utilitarianismone of first beings of Eraambisexual parent of Fero and Fenethdogfly as messenger, unclear as to whether one or manyinfluenced/tricked by Caladú to procreatesignificant in that the death Ben Duín was caused by the rarely-fatal sting from a dogflyclerics are rare, very few in Alfaad (Lawful neutral), some among anti-Doma cults of mountains of southern Gallume (Lawful evil)domains: Air, Animal, Lawchwil (beetle)Fero and FenethFirst Boy and First Girl, innocence lost, original sin, mortality, knowledgeforbidden children of Crhywilparents of men and the subhuman racesbanished (killed?) by Era and set in the sky (Twin Moons)clerics do not exist</blockquote>

Verification