After a random encounter with some Rakasta, the players have agreed to meet with the leader in a month. From there, the party will be escorted to the the encampment. I stole some ideas for their culture from the book Blood Song by Anthony Ryan. These are my DM notes for that meeting.
The Rakastas' religion is called simply "The Faith."
The Faith is a belief in the veneration of the dead, including one's ancestors, that are called The Departed. The Departed are seen as being able to intercede on behalf of the living, often as messengers. It is a way to respect and honour ancestors in their afterlives as well as seek their continued guidance.
The Rakasta that you meet here call themselves "The Order of the Hope," a religious faction whose sole purpose is to rediscover the temple and presumed resting place of Rajas'el-najar, who is dubbed "The Hope" by these Rakasta. It is said that his Departed soul has been resting in contemplation with all the Ancestors. It is prophesied that The Hope's rediscovery will bring "a golden age of peace and posperity guided by the Ancestors." These stoic fanatics are all warriors and believe themselves to be possible forerunners of a migration by the rest of their society. But, who knows? Messiahs are inscrutable and cats are fickle; and we're talking about a prophesied messiah cat-person here.
The concept of worshipping an Immortal is foreign to them.
[The PC's might witness this ritual at daybreak or sunset. It is often said in a group, but might be said alone.]
The Brothers and Sisters of The Faith learn call and response phrases:
___________
When we pass into the Beyond our essence joins with the souls of the Departed to lend us their guidance in this life. In return we give them honor and faith
What is hope?
Hope is the heart of the faith. Abandonment of hope is a denial of the Faith.
What is death?
Death is but a gateway to the Beyond and union with the Departed. It is both ending and beginning. Fear it and welcome it.
What is the body?
The body is a shell, the cradle of the soul.
What is the body without the soul?
Corrupted flesh and nothing more. Mark the passing of loved ones by giving their shell to the fire.
__________
Random tidbits of useful info as Role-playing rewards:
A lion's silhouette is carved into the rock face of southern badlands, small priests' tomb with a cache of cultural treasures was found there. A clue vaguely hints that the shrine is in the hills to the north.
https://brewminate.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/110118-33-History-Archaeology-Petra-Jordan.jpg
"If you ever come upon a temple with an open lion's maw for an entrance, be warned. The temple is heavily trapped and can only be entered by someone who knows its secrets."
The Isle of Dread is known as "The Shifting Isles" to the Rakasta. According to their legends, the Isle of Dread can teleport to another part of the world. It teleported here several hundred years ago and will do so again. The reason for this teleportation is believed to be connected to the "Elemental Otherworld," but anything beyond that is unknown by the Rakasta.*
*Digression
The Elemental Gates is something that the Goodman Games version has added to the adventure as an option. It is one of the few things that reviewers criticize, but I'm kind of intrigued by them. I have no idea how I will use these Gates, but they'll probably be involved with a epic finish to this campaign.
