General Information/Religion
From Westaven
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[edit] Religion General Information
[edit] Top Ten Notes regarding Westaven Religion
Westaven is a polythesitic society; do not confuse Westaven polytheism with modern notions of any major world religion—-a difficult task for those of us raised in modern America! Westaven’s religion diverges in many, many places that will affect your role playing. Here are some major “mythos myth busters”:
[On a personal note, the ideas below do not reflect the GM’s personal beliefs; these are fictions manufactured from a multitude of sources, both print and electronic, the milieu of our fantasy campaign. --Pyrandon ]
1. The pantheon is neither uniform nor complete. From antiquity Westaveners have worshipped many, many deities and believed many, many myths. New deities & myths crop up occasionally, too. Some locations are hot-spots for one deity (Ex: Pollexia is the center of all Altuth worship), but numerous others are worshiped therein as well. To make matters confusing, sometimes the same god is called by many different names, depending upon the town/city; and, visa versa, sometimes completely different gods share the same name (ex: in Lognia, Altuth is the male god of the ocean waves, rather than the female goddess of victory and commerce as in Pollexia.) Rural areas are especially varied due to their isolation—-some even worship their own unique god or pantheon of gods centered entirely on a sacred grove, ancient ruin, powerful folklore, etc.
2. The gods are neither “good” nor “evil.” Gods are petty, ridiculous, vain, stupid, vicious, etc. Deities are not idealized "types," but immortals who have all the downfalls of mankind—-perhaps even worse, since they have the powers to act upon their desires unchecked by any force besides other, more powerful gods. Each god has a domain or special function (hunting, sex, the sun, wisdom, etc.). The most popularly worshiped gods are, understandably, those displaying qualities that people find the most agreeable (wisdom, prowess, trade skills, etc.), but other gods with less to offer mankind are still worshiped—-mainly with the intention of pacifying their wrath.
3. Morality is not religion’s domain. Unlike all major world religions today, Westaven pantheism does not attempt to teach believers to “be good.” Granted, this may be an outcome of some of their practices, but there are no Ten Commandments or other moral directives. Westaven is full of gods. Gaining favor with powerful divinities while appeasing spiteful divinities is the goal in life of every believer. This means praying at the right times (ex: before battle) and not stepping on any god’s toes (ex: by killing or stealing from his priest). If the latter occurs, then the former kicks in: make sacrifices to appease the offended deity & hope for the best. In actuality, then, many practices downright immoral to us today are fine in Westaven as long as practiced by the right believer at the right time! Two examples: mass murder would be fine if in the name of a very powerful god, and raping a priestess is acceptable if one can afford the “divine fine” her goddess demands. This is not to say that “anything goes,” for Westaven polities do have laws against murder, rape, robbery, etc.; the difference is that these are purely secular laws, not theological mandates—-for the latter does not really exist.
4. Westaven has no common dogma. There are no fixed rituals binding at all shrines and on every worshiper. Most localities have their own distinctive myths and practices. Although many major temples in large cities devoted to Altuth may be similar to one another, there is very little uniformity at large. One individual priest may proscribe sacrifices of entire flocks of doves, whereas another only requires a dab of blood from a local butcher. Political leaders have at times wielded religion for political ends, but never has a central creed or dogma successfully imposed upon all believers. (The Sacred Jyrfidaea’s work Stratum [471 AE ] did begin that process, but it has not been promulgated in the past five centuries.) Overall, the individual can believe what he or she pleases so long as they do not openly do violence to local traditions—which would in the past have brought swift punishment, although in the current day and age such fervor has faded.
5. There is no sacred text. (i.e., Bible, Koran, Torah, etc.). A specific temple may have sacred scrolls containing thoughts of past priests or “revelations” to a scribe by their patron deity, and there are pieces of literature that use the gods as either characters or natural forces, but the myriad unwritten traditions of the myriad specific temples are the only true “guidebooks” to ethics, ecclesiastical law, rituals, etc. The lack of a universal scripture is one of the factors contributing to the Westaven pantheism’s disunity, mentioned above.
6. There is a vague but perceptible separation of church and state. In contrast to our stereotypical view of historical Christianity, no priestly orders attempt to interpose their decrees upon Westaven society. Local habit alone determines both ritual and belief. The temples exist to carry out rites and to help petitioners. That’s basically it. A lord, king, or emperor may give money to a temple or sponsor one cultus or another, but even the most powerful religious hierarch in all Westaven has only the influence on government that he can scrabble together using his own personal political savvy.
7. There is no “Church.” People use whatever gods they choose at that moment. Surely, some gods are of more importance to some individuals, nations, or professions (ex: hunters feel affinity for the goddess of the hunt), but anyone other than a priest will sacrifice at multiple temples throughout their lives. Thus, there is no “Church”—no common body of believers who worship in close proximity and on a regular basis. (Of course, there are no smaller-case “c” churches, either, but “temples.”)
8. There are no weekly services. Here’s how it works: a peasant needs a favor from the gods—-let’s say his daughter is ill. He takes the child to the temple to ask the priests to perform cleansing rites on her; he gives whatever money he can afford to purchase sacrifices (ex: a white dog), and he may brings offerings from his farm (ex: a bushel of beets). If the god favors him, the daughter gets better; if not… The only occasions people visit the temple are: 1) with a specific request (heal child, bring rain, fertility, make that boy love me, bring me money, quit cursing me with bad luck, etc.) OR 2) on a pre-set, scheduled feast day (or, typically, a feast week that starts and culminates in mass religious observances, with massive bacchanalias in-between.) This is true for all strata of society. Priests may tend to their sanctuaries on a daily basis, but they do this alone—-and often their rites are cloistered behind curtains, containing secret prayers, incantations, and proceedings.
9. There is no Heaven and there is no Hell. Because, as mentioned above, there is no systematic theology, the afterlife is wide open to interpretation. Many do not think there is an afterlife at all--only the memories you leave behind in others' minds (or, if influential enough, in books.) In general, though--and this is a wide overgeneralization!--most Westaveners believe that the souls of the dead relive an exaggerated replay of their current lives after they die. This means if you were faithful to your duties and thus blessed by the gods in life (with peace, happiness, wealth, etc.) then this will be tenfold true in the future. If the contrast is true, then your afterlife will be eternal torment. Thus, there is no conception of “eternal reward” in the next life, or of divine judgment: there is only a revisiting of the blessings or pain of the present. This being said, an undercurrent of eternal justice does exist, mainly in the notion that gods (especially Gharv & his minions) visit the spirits of the dead and punish them in a hellish Hades torture chamber of fire. The concepts of “heaven” and “hell” are also not analogous with the abodes of the gods, although many gods could be said to live in “the heavens” (i.e., up with &/or beyond the stars) or in a “hellish” underworld consisting of lakes of brimstone, etc.
10. Westaven religion is “tired.” A person having mild or missing piety is commonplace as of 985 AE. Atheism and outright impiety is still shocking to many—-especially in rural areas—-but it will not carry formal punishment. Likewise, clerics are not revered or even overly respected by much of the populace, especially in urban areas.
[edit] Hierarchy
Religious Rank equates to various Status equivalents depending on nation (i.e. Pollexian Peerages). See each nations description for specifics.
| Rank | Public/Formal Honorific | Order Honorific† | Examples |
| Initiate | no honorifics often referred to as young + surname | young Hargold | |
| Acolyte | Acolyte + given name | novice given name† | Acolyte Hadric or novice Hadric† |
| Priest(ess) | Priest(ess) priestly name‡ | Brother/Sister priestly name‡† | Priest Ulta or Brother Ulta† |
| Cleric | Cleric priestly name‡ | Brother/Sister priestly name‡† | Cleric Altorus or Sister Torania† |
| Elder | Elder chosen name§ | Elder/Brother†/Sister† | Elder Vextor or Elder Torania |
| Hierarch | Hierarch chosen name§ | Hierarch chosen name§ | Hierarch Vextor or Hierarch Torania |
† Order honorifics are used privately within an order. It is unacceptable for someone outside a religious order to use the familiar order honorifics. Members within an order always address those of higher rank by their formal honorific. Only other Elders and Hierarchs may refer to Elders as Brother or Sister. Generally, referring to an Acolyte or higher as if they were an Initiate is a grave insult. On the other hand, Young plus a proper honorific when offered by a ranking member is considered a sign of affection.
‡ Priestly name is given at investiture, when an Acolyte becomes a Priest(ess).
§ Chosen name is the name chosen by a Cleric upon being invested as an Elder.
[edit] The Gods and Related Entities
Herein are described the various Deities and other Entities within Westaven. Each description should generally follow the template below. This is by no means a hard and fast rule, and new sections may be added or removed, depending on need.
- General Overview
- Name (Pronunciation)
- Nicknames/Titles/Epithets
- Portfolio/Spheres: Subjects, items, ideas, and/or emotions the deity is ascribed control
- Manifestation: Describes how the god/goddess is seen
- Symbols: Description of the symbol(s) used by the deity
- Animals: Animals associated with the deity
- Power Centers: Areas where the deity is worshipped
- Temples: Describes typcial arrangments and uses of temple grounds
- Priestly Rainment: Garments typically worn by the priests of the deity
- Affiliated Groups: Religious Orders/Groups known to be affiliated with the deity beyond priests/temples such as splinter sects
- Background: Characteristics aka attitude towards worshipers should be described here along with a brief history of the deity
- Game Details: Describes game details required for a player to create a character, and it could be broken down into sub-sections such as:
- Prayer-spells available to players of the deity (and should be used in a general way as to how common people see the priests powers).
- Prerequisites: Advantages, Disadvanages, and/or Skills required of the clergy beyond those already listed under Character Creation (i.e. Vow (Remain Chaste [a Virgin]) to be a follower of Nyvaella, etc).
- Links to pages that provide game details (i.e. rules covering Status or Rank within a nation, such as that created for Pollexia or the Lens information for creating an Aenean Knight).
Altuth
Baketis
Garm
Gharv
Pylsephion
Nyvaella
[edit] Religious Orders and Groups
Priests of Baketis
The Oracles of Trin
The Pythonic Sisters
Nyvaella Idolotrists
