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Message: <blockquote data-quote="EzekielRaiden" data-source="post: 9673543" data-attributes="member: 6790260">I have yet to add too many specific festivals to my game. I've tried to keep a light touch with the major religion of Jewel of the Desert, because it's inspired by a mix of Islam and Judaism, two religions I don't personally practice. Better to keep a light touch in that context, IME. (Doubly so when nobody else at the table is particularly religious themselves.)But one specific heretical sect, the Zil al-Ghurab (Raven-Shadow) assassin-cult, has been very relevant. Their theology has mattered to multiple characters. The fact that they're a heretical (and heavily oppressed--for not-entirely-wrong reasons!) sect means that their festivals have to be practiced in quiet and it can be difficult for them to get the materials they want for the associated rituals. They hold a "Day of Remembrance" for their martyrs, many of whom were Raven-Shadows slain by the wider Safiqi priesthood. It's a bit like a blend of Yom Kippur, Eid al-Adha, the solemn parts of New Years, and Memorial Day, with incense-burning, fasting, prayer, self-reflection, meditating on the lives of the martyrs, etc.I've actually had a lot of fun developing the R-S theology and practices, because it means they're much more nuanced than a typical "religion of evil". They have beliefs that are...difficult...to engage with because, y'know, murder, but they aren't insane zealots that can't be reasoned with, and for everyday life, their values aren't meaningfully different from the wider Safiqi religion. They are extremely devout, and thus an approach based on "you have to give up your religion" won't work for the vast majority of them, but that's not the same as being totally bugnuts crazy. They desire enlightenment, and aren't all about just killing anyone anytime--there are structures and limitations--but if they have their way and take over, they would definitely be killing a lot more people than they do now. But! That could change. The party has learned that their theology has been...manipulated, shall we say. Not totally faked, but controlled by outside forces, channeling them toward one specific interpretation rather than a different, perhaps less murder-centric, interpretation.</blockquote>

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