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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Byrons_Ghost" data-source="post: 938433" data-attributes="member: 7396">ReligionReligion plays a major role in Arcanis. All the families of the Val are descended in one form or another from the gods, and they have been given divine mandate to guide the land. The gods themselves are distant, often considered uncaring, but worshipped because of their acknowledged might.Arcanis differs from most fantasy religions in one key element- alignment. The gods are do not have alignments themselves, and their worshippers may be of any alignment. Certain gods tend toward certain alignments, of course, but a worshipper of the God of Death could be a healer as easily as a necromancer.Because of this departing from alignment, the Good, Evil, Law, and Chaos domains are combined into a single domain: Holy, which is then flavored by the alignment of the caster.The following is a brief description of the gods of the Pantheon, which are followed by everyone except the elves (who instead serve elemental powers, and are not on good terms with the Pantheon).For space considerations, I am not including the list of domains or the Val family associated with each diety. I can post information for a specific diety or family for those players who are interested.Althares: God of artifice and knowledge. He is the patron of the Altherians and taught them how to make blast powder.Anshar: Goddess of travel, endurance, and pain. She looks after the lost and outcast, and tends the portals of Arcanis. She does not have a formal clergy, but is instead served by wandering mendicants and ascetics.Beltine: Goddess of the afterlife and of medicine. Wife of Neroth. Her priests are both healers and morticians. Beltine is said to forge the souls of the living, allotting them their time on Onara.Cadic: God of rogues, darkness, night, and stealth. Patron of criminals and assassins. He is known for his quiet, brutal pragmatism, and is considered to do those tasks which Illir does not want to be associated with. Ironically, Cadic is the lover of Larissa.Hurrian: God of storms and warriors. He is also known as the Reluctant Warrior, one who fights out of necessity rather than joy. He is said to have been disfigured saving his father Illir from demons; his priests wear masks in honor of this sacrifice.Illir: God of light and truth. His followers are often nobility, and he is the official patron of Coryan. He is the stern father-figure of the gods, meting out both compassion and justice. It was he who cursed the giants and made them into dwarves. His priesthood is exclusively male, and is complemented by the priestesses of his wife, Saluwe.The Fire Dragon: Patron of the Ss'ressen, the Fire Dragon is thought to be another aspect of either Nier or Saluwe, depending upon the tribe worshipping it.Larissa: Goddess of love, passion, and fortune. Lover of Cadic. Once an oracle, she gave herself over to hedonism when she was unable to cope with her visions, and her clergy followed suit.Neroth: God of death and disease. He is responsible for the death of the body while his wife Beltine collects the soul. However, the faithful of Neroth believe they will be given eternal life as undead beings. He is one of the three patrons of Canceri, and his religion is sardonic and nihilistic. His followers often practice self-mortification to bring themselves closer to himNier: God of flame war, and destruction. Unlike his brother Hurrian, Nier delights in carnage and warfare. His followers are fanatic militants and among the fiercest fighters in Arcanis. He is the second patron of Canceri.Saluwe: Goddess of nature and fertility. Wife of Illir. Her priesthood is entirely female, and contains as many druids as priests. They preside over weddings and harvests. Her priestesses are calm and placating unless confronted by brutality toward women or nature; then nothing can hold them back from vengeance.Sarish: Lord of oaths, magic, and otherworldly contracts. Sarish is the chief of devils, and his worshippers are primarily spellcasters seeking control over such beings. He and his servants must respect the contract they make, but they are experts at twisting things to destroy the bargainer. He is the third patron of Canceri.Yarris: God of sailors and the sea. Both he and his priests are known for their violent mood swings. His worship is common in any seafaring country (ie most countries in Arcanis).Finally there is Belisadra. She is the patroness of the elves, and of life and the elements. At one time she was one of the five elemental gods worshipped by the elves, but the other four were slain in battles with the gods of the Pantheon. She and her followers (all elves) still harbor a grudge against the other races for this, particularly humans and the val.</blockquote>

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