Religion
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The Cult's clergy spends many years in dedicated religious study. The core texts of the faith are complex and extensive, and priests are expected to become extremely familiar with them, as well as with the ritual activities that surround them - marriage ceremonies, ritual sacrifices to the Fayedir and the Cortes Divine, and so on. Though the laity are allowed to venerate one Saint or God over others, the clergy must worship all the divine hosts equally, and so temples of the Nine are built around several shrines, usually as towers ascending from the Saints, to the Fayedir to the Riendir. When they have enough land to do so, they spread the temples out however, building monastery complexes tended not only by priests but by lay monks dedicated to one god or saint or another.<br> | The Cult's clergy spends many years in dedicated religious study. The core texts of the faith are complex and extensive, and priests are expected to become extremely familiar with them, as well as with the ritual activities that surround them - marriage ceremonies, ritual sacrifices to the Fayedir and the Cortes Divine, and so on. Though the laity are allowed to venerate one Saint or God over others, the clergy must worship all the divine hosts equally, and so temples of the Nine are built around several shrines, usually as towers ascending from the Saints, to the Fayedir to the Riendir. When they have enough land to do so, they spread the temples out however, building monastery complexes tended not only by priests but by lay monks dedicated to one god or saint or another.<br> | ||
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| + | == The Triumvar Church == | ||
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| + | == The Imperial Cult == | ||
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| + | == The Brotherhood of Steel == | ||
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| + | == The Korgoth == | ||
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| + | == Other Faiths == | ||
Revision as of 04:06, 25 August 2007
The people of the empire enjoy widespread freedom of religion. Imperial decree protects the sanctity of all faiths so long as they obey the strictures of Imperial Law, and the law specifically forbids the establishment of a state-sponsored religion. As a result, there is a great deal of syncretism among the most wide-spread religions in the Empire, and most of the faiths that Imperial Citizens adhere to can best be described as henotheistic off-shoots of the original churches.
Five faiths, described below, dominate Imperial religion, but paganus religions are still very common among the lower classes - non-citizens and poor, rural Citizens alike. It has become common for many rural towns and villages to maintain a forum divinitas, a small plaza set aside for the worship of local gods. While this is a common and accepted practice, the High Lords frown upon it - seeing such paganus traditions as ignorant and foolish, beneath the notice of a true Citizen of the Empire.
The chief three religions of the Empire - the Cult of the Nine, the Imperial Cult and the Triumvar Church - are scholarly traditions. Among their many other great works, they also form the back bone of the Empire's education system, providing Citizens and non-Citizens alike a basic education that, in other nations, would be the province only of the wealthy. The other two largest religions, the Korgoth ancestor cult of the Ghulmith and the Brotherhood of Steel, provide equally useful benefits to the Empire, though in other realms, as shown below.
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The Cult of the Nine
The Cult of the Nine originated in Verindus, among the river dwelling northerners whose society would build the Empire, and it still finds its primary lay following there. It's doctrine centers around the emulation and appeasement of the "Nine" - gods of both heaven and earth said to have created and shaped the earth before the dawn of history. These gods are divided into two distinct pantheons - the Riendir, or gods of the heavens, and the Fayedir, or the lords of the earth. Both pantheons are ruled by a central figure known as Gont, the hermaphroditic Creator god whose self-sacrifice provided the raw materials from which the world was forged.
Among the Riendir are Marwen and Annwen, respectively the gods of the moon and the sun. Marwen is the goddess of passion, of leisure and rest and the enjoyment of fine things, while Annwen represents hard-work, purity and industry. Also of the Riendir are Aragond, the god of stars and dreams, who teaches the importance of hope, and Gryme, the god of the dark behind the stars and the keeper of the dead, who teaches the importance of duty. The deeds of the Riendir during the creation of the world are detailed in the first of the Cult's holy texts, the Malkanus Saga. Priests of the Cult study the Saga and its countless variations and interpretations, and exhort their laity to follow the example of the Riendir and Gont - to work hard and sacrifice of themselves for duty, but to understand that their work brings peace and hope to the world as a whole.
The Fayedir are those who came after the creation of the world, born not from the act of sacrifice but from the desire of the world itself to be shaped from the formless mass created by Gont's sacrifice. Among the Fayedir, Gont is considered their king and creator, having given them the means by which they could be shaped. The four Fayedir are attended by the Cortes Divine, fey elemental spirits known for their mischievious nature. Alynea is the goddess of water, travel and commerce, the patron of merchants, thieves and gamblers alike, and she is invoked to provide good fortune and protect against bad luck. Mon'jihr is the god of fire, of war and of cunning, but also the god of anger. He is invoked to ensure victory in battle, but his rages and violence cause him to be blamed for earthquakes and numerous other disasters. Vrati is the goddess of air, knowledge and magic, for both good and for ill, and Caldosis is the god of the earth, of craftwork and tradition, invoked to bind oaths, but unwilling to change.
The deeds of the Fayedir are recorded in the Scrolls of Atonath, and paint them as larger than life hero-kings who ruled the pre-historic world and adventured widely. Whereas the Riendir are gods to be worshipped, the Fayedir are heroes - representing all that is good and bad about mortal life - and they act as examples and warnings for the laity. Many lay members of the Cult keep a copy of the Scrolls for just such a reason.
Aside from the Nine, the Cult venerates a number of mortal heroes and saints, the chief of which are the Imperial Saints - Salidarus Titus, the first Emperor, and Hanuman, the Wise General. These great leaders provide important object lessons for those who would follow in their footsteps, and the stories of their lives are collected in the Proverbs. Like the Scrolls, the Proverbs are often used by the Cult laity as a guidepost to proper action, helping them understand the five noble duties of the Riendir - sacrifice, duty, passion, hope and dedication.
The Cult's clergy spends many years in dedicated religious study. The core texts of the faith are complex and extensive, and priests are expected to become extremely familiar with them, as well as with the ritual activities that surround them - marriage ceremonies, ritual sacrifices to the Fayedir and the Cortes Divine, and so on. Though the laity are allowed to venerate one Saint or God over others, the clergy must worship all the divine hosts equally, and so temples of the Nine are built around several shrines, usually as towers ascending from the Saints, to the Fayedir to the Riendir. When they have enough land to do so, they spread the temples out however, building monastery complexes tended not only by priests but by lay monks dedicated to one god or saint or another.
