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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Isida Kep'Tukari" data-source="post: 1634935" data-attributes="member: 4441">More stuff about Keldev, currently under construction:Religious CustomsOld Relgion - These are some of the typical spirits (or gods, they are used interchangeably) that praises are offered to by those that follow the ancient ways.  Most people of Keldev, as well as all the Nessarine and Atiik follow the old ways.  The Nessarine and Atiik follow these ways exclusively, while the civilized peoples praise the Five Pillars alongside the old spirits.Bestet - Goddess of cats, the moon, nighttime, the devious and clever.  Worshipped by those plagued by rats, those who work at night, women, thieves.  Known as a capricious and independent goddess, she is nevertheless very popular amongst the poor, who are often plagued by rats.  Cats are considered sacred in Keldev, and most run freely in the streets.  Women who show a strong, unexpected independent streak are said to be "possessed by Bestet" and they are not held accountable for their actions while so possessed.  Feloram - God of fire, pain, destruction, warmth, cleansing, healing, civilization, creation, and creativity.  Worshiped by all peoples as the force that allows people to survive desert nights.  Also worshiped by the army, mothers, healers, doctors, and artists.  Feloram is seen as both the creator and the destroyer, and is often represented by the phoenix in art.  Since fire is seen as the driving force behind behind a great deal of fundemental aspects of life, he is one of the most popular gods.Oram - God of death, the afterlife, dreams, those in comas, spirits, the dying, ancestors, and visions.  Worshiped by morticians, dream-interpreters, seers, exorcists, and ghost-hunters.  The guardian of the gate of death, and the one who protects the spirits of the dead, Oram is commonly invoked by those seeking advice from the other side.Denati - The androgynous god/goddess of judgement, punishment, reward, truth, lies, illusions, and true sight, Denati is known as the Two-Faced.  He/she can create and and destroy illusions, and always sees the truth of the matter.  However, many of the words he/she says could either be lies, or the truth.  It is up to the interpretation of the listener to decide.  Worshipped by judges and liars.Kaliv - Goddess of cold, water, rain, storms, hate, sacrifice, growth, and plants.  It is said that hate is a cold emotion, and thus it falls under the sway of Kaliv, the goddess that drains all the heat from the sands when the sun sets each day.  Curiously enough, she is also the goddess of storms and rain, as well as the greenery that grows in their wake.  Occasionally sacrifices of animals, or very rarely, a willing sentient sacrifice is performed in order to persuade her to bring rain.Death and Funerals in KeldevIn Keldev, all peoples believe in life after death, as well as reincarnation.  It is believed that the spirits of the dead go into the afterlife for a while to be rewarded or punished for their acts on earth.  After they have been sufficiently punished or rewarded, they are reincarnated.  Their advice can be sought at any time by their descendents, whether or not they have been reincarnated.However, it is very important that the dead person's body be preserved, as the body must be intact for the judges of the dead to recognize the person in the afterlife.  If the body is destroyed, the dead person will become a ghost and wander lost forever, until they are purposefully sent to judgement by a priest.Mummification is done by creatures known as Anointers.  They superficially resemble the hated jackal lords, but these are gentle creatures, earthly representatives of Oram, that prepare mortals for the journey to the afterlife.  Even the Nessarine will make long journeys to the Temples of the Dead where Anointers live.  There is at least one Temple of the Dead in every city, and several in the deep desert and along the highways.  Anointers don't charge very much for their services, so even the poorest can afford a rudimentary mummification.  The prices for a funeral only escalate when families buy elaborate tombs or sarcophagai for their departed loved ones.Grave goods are considered very important, as it represents how important or wealthy the person was in life.  Grave robbing is a lucrative but very dangerous trade.  More than one sarcophagus has curses on it to prevent this very thing.  Though graveyards are guarded by daylight, in nighttime ghosts roam.  In addition, grims and spectral panthers roam graveyards to discourage graverobbers.  Despite this, there are some who have become very rich from robbing tombs.  Undead in Keldev simply do not come out in the daylight.  Undead are purely creatures of night, with one notable exception.  Mirage spirits are malevolent spirits of those that died of thirst while chasing a mirage, and they try to lure others to the same kind of death.  Unlike other restless dead, these are only encountered duriing the day.  Castes of KeldevHigh - Vizier (wizard), sorcerer, nobles.  Women can be found in these roles and treated the same as men.High skills:  Diplomacy, Bluff, Intimidate, Knowledge (nobility and royalty, others), Gather Information, Profession (courtier), Speak Language.Imam and Ghazis - Priests (Imam, usually psions) and temple guards (Ghazis, usually psychic warriors).  They can be found traveling from city to city as well as in their temples of the Five Pillars.Priests Skills:  Knowledge (religion, local, nobility and royalty, psionics, arcana), Diplomacy, Psicraft, Spellcraft, Concentration.Merchants - Rich merchants have almost as much power as a noble, and even a poor merchant has an enviable position over most others in a city.  They can traffic almost any kind of goods, from gems to wine, animals to slavesMerchant skills (middle class):  Profession (merchant, jeweler, slaver, etc.), Appraise, Bluff, Diplomacy, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Spot, Gather Information, Decipher Script.High Artisans - These are those that make luxury goods such as silk clothing and royal robes, fine foods, carvings, painting, and frescos, or those who provide valuable services such as doctors, make-up and hair artists, vinters, glass-blowers, sages, bath attendants, massage experts, courtesans, and astronomers.High Artisan skills:  Profession (sewing, cooking, beautician, vinter, astronomer, etc.), Craft (carving, painting, glass-blowing, etc.), Knowledge (cosmology), Heal, Appraise.Eunuchs and Ghulams (mercenaries) - Eunuchs are mostly harem guards, and valued for their uncompromising values and uncorruptiblity.  Some societies of mercenary fighters will become eunuchs to command higher prices, due to the reputation of eunuchs.  Ghulams are mercenaries, trained and very dedicated.  They trade temporary loyalty for money, and those that betray their oaths to their employers are often killed by other ghulams.  Those in the city watch or in the army are considered in this caste.Eunuch and Ghulam skills:  Listen, Spot, Search, Sense Motive, Diplomacy, Knowledge (local, nobility and royalty), Ride, Climb, Jump.Entertainers - These are often families that travel in troupes between the cities, offering things like juggling, storytelling, music, dancing, poetry, or fire eating.  Rarer ones include snake charmers, lion-tamers, or minor magicians.  They are considered on par with the low artisans.Entertainer skills:  Bluff, Disguise, Perform (juggling, storytelling, music, dancing, poetry, fire-eating, snake-charming, etc.), Handle Animal, Knowledge (arcana), Spellcraft, Sleight of Hand.Low artisans - These are the folk that make things for lower classes of society, such as pottery, coarse clothing, beer, cheese, mud bricks, and those that provide services such as being an innkeeper, cobbler, beast trainer or handler, blacksmith/weaponsmith, leatherworker, executioner, jailer, whore, servant, or similar.Low artisan skills:  Craft (pottery, bricks, blacksmith, weaponsmith, leatherworker), Profession (innkeeper, brewer, charcoal burner, tailor, servant, execution, jailer, whore, cobbler, etc.), Handle Animal.  Nessarine and religious hermits (dervishes, fakirs, and sufi) - The Nessarine, not being civilized, are considered below the low artisans in the cities, though above the beggars.  However, in the deep desert, their rank can be reversed, as they are the kings of the sands.  Devishes are mystics dedicated to religious fervor, whether that be one of the spirits or of the five pillars.  Most are outcasts from their families, and all of them own nothing more than their robes and their begging bowl.  They act as teachers and guides, though they have a flexible idea of morality, and some have turned to thievery to keep themselves alive in the cities.  Sufi are those who are seeking religious perfection, a unity with diving being.  Many can do astonishing feats of mental and physical prowess through their dedication to their cause.  However, some can be dangerous fanatics.  Many Sufi have levels in the Contemplative class.  Fakirs are travelers, adventurers, and guides who know the roads of the desert well from their many journeys.  They travel from city to city with no purpose other than to expand their minds and to learn.  Devoted scholars, the fakirs are resources of lost knowledge, ancient myth, and other ancient information as well as more modern knowledge.  Some are wandering magicians, trading their in exchange for food or shelter, and othersare scribes, lending their ability to read and write to the masses that have no such education.Nessarine skills:  Survival, Knowledge (nature, cosmology, religion), Handle Animal, Balance, Climb, Heal, Hide, Jump, Ride, Spot, Listen.Religious hermit skills:  Knowledge (religion, local, history, geography, arcana, nearly everything else), Profession (scribe), Speak Language, Decipher Script, Sense Motive, Diplomacy, Bluff.Beggars, assassins, thieves, and the unskilled - Those who learn no trade are known as the unskilled and are relegated to the worst jobs in the city, street sweeping, shoveling dung, laborer, porter, grave-digger, and other such undesirable jobs.  Those even worse off than the unskilled are the beggars; those too young, too old, too sick or hurt, too addled with drink or drug to hold any kind of job.  They are seen on every street corner begging for crusts of bread and copper coins.Assassins and thieves, along with smugglers and other criminals make up the lowest rung of society, even though they often live as if they were much higher.  One of these creatures can often be killed with little retribution from anyone, and perhaps even accolades.  The unlucky could get maimed as a result of being caught (having hands, noses, or ears cut off is common) and end up as a beggar.Unskilled and beggar skills:  Profession (porter, beggar, cleaner, shoveler, grave-digger, etc).Thief skills:  Sleight of Hand, Hide, Move Silently, Listen, Spot, Search, Profession (fence, jeweler, goldsmith, etc.), Appraise, Climb, Open Lock, Disable Device, Forgery, Decipher Script, Intimidate, Disguise, etc.</blockquote>

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