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Message: <blockquote data-quote="seasong" data-source="post: 671027" data-attributes="member: 5137">Clerics & WarAn individual is a Theralis citizen first, and only then a worshipper or priest of the gods. Indeed, a priest is not a fanatical breed of worshipper here, but rather an individual who works with the gods on behalf of the rest of society. If a diety is being a putz about something, the people (and their priests) may well turn their back on the god for the duration!Of course, there's always tradeoffs, exceptions, contracts and so on... and the threat of divine smiting may allow a god to get away with a certain amount of putzness, but the above is a good general rule.This may be shocking to the modern American Christian, for whom god is ultimate reality and arbiter of one's fate, but the gods of Theralis have no such claim to omnipotence. They are powerful beings that demand worship and offer goodies in return.With that said, a priest's spells come from the gods, and most priests specialize in a particular divine entity for efficiency, and so priests have a very long-term relationship with that diety. When push comes to shove, the priest may have to make some hard choices about that relationship, and different priests will cut off relations at different levels of putzness.If a god was threatening to destroy Theralis for a transgression, for example, a priest would have to be pretty turned in the head to even consider continuing to work with him/her. On the other hand, a diety who wants a particular citizen punished for transgressive acts, most priests would help get that citizen punished as part of the overall relationship between the god and the city-state. Where a priest falls in between on that spectrum varies.So, when war threatens Theralis, the various orders, sects, temples and monasteries will be working with the gods to see where and how they can help.Of the big four, Xeras, Peladas and Hethas are largely unconcerned with Theralis, and care little for the war. As there are very few priests to any of them in Theralis, this is expected. Although there are shrines to Xeras for good weather for the vineyards, they are largely unattended, and are places where farmers make small token sacrifices.Phastas is reasonably well known, enough so that the phastini are born occasionally in the valleys, and She has a few priests devoted to Her who operate small shrines for craftsmen and masons. She has little role in the war, however, beyond the usual blessings on occasional weapons crafted by her favored smiths.Atmos has little to do with Theralis, and most priests who work with him do so primarily on the side. Nemesis, Detis and Kallos (among the minor arcana) are much the same.Athos is strongly worshipped among the Theralese people, and his war blessings are flowing almost continuously in the course of this battle. As orcs worship their own ancestors rather than the gods, and are disorganized to boot, Athos' blessings are one-sided. Most major groups of soldiers have at least one soldier who is also a militant priest. The Keraunesti often make sacrifices to Athos (and Xeras for their name, despite her uninvolvement) before a battle. Captain Agina is a strong worshipper of Athos, and some believe that she may be gaining His blessings more directly as the war goes on.Although Aphos and Demis both have a reasonable amount of worship in Theralis, neither involves themselves in the making of war. At best, Demis' priests petition for a more abundant yield to help stave off the impact on trade. Eras and the Muses and Graces (among the minor arcana) are much the same.Allas normally does not involve Herself in matters of war, but has made an exception (without explanation) in this one. The first Battle of Eastpass and each battle of Theralis Ridge since the first, she has made her presence known in the form of areas of daylight to counter the night attacks of the orcs.Dianas is active in every facet of Theralis life, including the war, but Her aid in this has been more of the "stress relief after battles" variety. Her priests have also helped sober soldiers when needed, and have provided aid spells via the strong bones of the grape. Some say that Dianas is somewhat saddened by the battle, as even though the orcs do not worship her directly, her grapes are a primary staple of their diet.</blockquote>

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