The Heartwood: Religion

As in most medieval cultures, religion is a major factor in The Heartwood's common man's life. It provides one with a place in the world, a set of values, morals, or ethics to live by. It provides an Institution where one can find shelter and comfort. Religion answers many of the disturbing questions on how the world works: where did one come from, what is my purpose on the world, and what happens to me when I die? The Heartwood's Gods watch over their followers, and unlike the real world, they sometimes answer when called upon.

The typical inhabitant of The Heartwood is a member of one of the many cults. That is, they believe and practice the teachings of a particular deity.

The common person, however, seldom rises above the position of lay member. Their responsibilities are simple, usually just attending the proper ceremonies and saying their prayers at the correct intervals.

It is only when one decides to become an Initiate of a Cult that one learns the true secrets and powers of a particular god. In exchange for dedication, the Initiate acquires spiritual enlightenment and temporal power.

But to be initiated into a cult necessitates that one must follow the tenets and beliefs of that cult.

And the gods of The Heartwood are very jealous.

The cults of the Heartwood derive from a common history. All cults tell of a time before time, of an infinite World Forest. But this primal world was broken, and strange and weird wars were fought between powers known and unknown. It is during these struggles that the first tales of those who were to join The Heartwood's various pantheons arise.

These new deities were those heroes who taught mortal folk to survive the chaos of the Shattering. Each deity had their own special talent or path, which when followed, created a means to live through those first wars. War gods taught that through strength you could survive, Healers taught how to cure the wars ills, and Sneaky gods taught how to survive by preying on others, and so on. Each particular cult teaches their own mysteries concerning that time.

At this time there are three basic pantheons upon The Heartwood.

The Imperial Court are the four deities whom are worshiped by the Bankorpool Empire. Because of the dominance and popular support of the Bankorpool Empire on the mainland, the Imperial Court is not only the state religion but the backbone of The Heartwood's common culture.

The Imperial Court is a civilizing force, which is aptly mirrored by the growth and strength of its Empire.

LORD RAMES
(rom-mas)

Lord Rames is the foundation of the Imperial Court. His rule is that of law and order. Where he does not create the laws by which man must live, it is Lord Rames who enforces these laws and protects all who live by them. To be a lay member of this cult is fairly simple: be honest in your life and be fair in your dealings with others. Most of the inhabitants of The Heartwood are lay members who follow Lord Rames.

The cult is known to have two distinct branches. The most visible are the Knights and Squires of Rames. They are the Chivalry of the Heartwood. These men are said to protect the weak and helpless, to uphold the Laws of the land, and to live by a strict code of honor. The Knights of Rames are, to put it simply, heroes.

The other branch are those who look out for the spiritual welfare of the community, The Fathers and Brothers of Rames. It is rare to see them far from their cathedral, where they look over their flock, and teach both the commoner and the Knights how to better live under the rule of the Imperial Court.

The Knights of Rames teach the martial arts, such as sword fighting and shield work. They also tend to teach some of the nobler of life's skills, from riding to the courtly arts. Their magics tend towards that which directly enhances the battle skills . Certain weapons and spells are prohibited to their use, such as the bow, because they are considered unchivalrous.

LORD HASTUR
(hass-tur)

Where Lord Rames protects and enforces the Imperial Court's laws, it is Lord Hastur who writes these laws. He is the lawgiver and judge of the Heartwood. And like Lord Rames, this cult has two major facets.

The first, and perhaps the most respected and feared, are the Justices. These are the priests whom interpret the laws of the Bankorpool Empire, and sit as judge when those laws are broken. It is said that the decision a Judge of Hastur is always true. It may be lacking in mercy, but it is always just and true. The Justices of Hastur also have the annoying habit of investigating the plaintiff as well as the accused ...

The second facet of this cult are the Eyes of Hastur. These are scholarly types who wander the mainland collecting information. This knowledge eventually finds its way into the great law libraries of Hastur. For one cannot make a good judgment without knowing all pertinent information. It is said that the Eyes of Hastur look at everything, from obscure farm techniques to the dark practices of the Pagans themselves.

This cult is known to teach most knowledge based skills, and is one of the few dependable institutions teaching reading and writing. Magic tends to be along the lines of information gathering. Some martial training is given, usually with the cooperation of Lord Rames. There are no lay members of this cult.

LADY ATTERA
(a-tair-a)

Lady Attera is the goddess of Healing and Mercy and is perhaps, and justly, the most beloved goddess worshiped on the mainland. It is said that there is no hurt that she cannot heal, no poison she cannot abate, and no soul she cannot return to the world.

A Lady of Attera may never hurt nor bring harm to another. They may carry no weapons, but they usually have little to fear : harming a Lady of Attera not only damns the aggressor, but brings down the wrath of all those who respect her arts.

Lady Attera provides a place for the women of the Bankorpool Empire. Yet even then, it is quite obvious that she is the least of the Imperial Court. But even if she is looked down upon by Lord Rames, Lord Hastur, or even Jagnar the Dark, of all the Court, she is the most welcomed by the common people, both Imperial and pagan alike.

Lady Attera teaches all of the healing arts. Both magical and skill based healing is open to her. And where she cannot use any form of weapon, her chosen are the only ones who can even attempt to return someone from the dead.

LORD JAGNAR the DARK
(jag-nar)

Lord Jagnar is the dark one of the Imperial Court. He is their death-god, and is rumored to be the one whom escorts the souls to the cold icy hells. Officially this is an outlawed cult. It holds a strange position in the Empire: while the imperial beliefs cannot continence the worship of death god, they have to acknowledge that death is one of the facts of life.

It is also said that the followers of Jagnar can be convinced to escort a soul earlier than perhaps the other gods expected. Those marked for such an honor and early death often wake up with a red scarf on their pillow.

If this cult could be found, it would probably very secretive, and teach such skills in hiding and skulking. It probably would teach a various array of martial arts, and have access to magic which would help in killing quickly and silently.

Technically by Imperial Law, any cult which is not of the Imperial Court is considered a pagan cult. And as such to follow one is to bring on one of the more brutal punishments of the Bankorpool Empire: to burn at the stake.

Traditionally, the pagan cults are those that were worshiped on the mainland before the coming of the Bankorpool Empire. These older gods make up the second major pantheon on The Heartwood. They tend to be less of a civilizing force, being more closely tied to the earth and the elements which make up the world.

While outlawed, and with the fear of fire looming over them, the worship of these pagan gods still occurs on The Heartwood. The truth of the matter is that the Imperial forces are spread a little bit thinner than they would care admit. Thus there exist situations in which the pagan cults fulfill a need or occupy a social/political niche to the point that it would become unwise to make any attempt purge them. This usually occurs either at the fringes of Imperial influence or lost deep in the wilds of the High Tarn. To fully eradicate the pagan worship on The Heartwood would throw the mainland into a long and bloody war. The Empire realizes these facts, and thus in cases tolerates the presence of pagans under their gaze. This does not, however, give the pagan cults much influence or power, or even security. The pagan followers are tolerated only as long as they do not draw undo attention to themselves. Indeed, most pagans are very good citizens of the Empire, for they know that if they step the slightest bit out of line, no matter for right or wrong, that the Empire will treat them as a pagan. And as such there future would be only fit for firewood.

KHANNISH
(con-ish)

Khannish is the Lord of the Hunt. The hunt, therefore, provides the focus for His way of life. In the backwoods villages of the High Tarn, the Hunters of Khannish often serve to provide meat, hides, and other game. They are famous for their training of the great snarkhounds, half-wild hunting dogs which can track better than a normal man. This is one of the more peasantish of the older gods, but in its simple way one of the most feared.

To a follower of Khannish all life is but a great Hunt, and the worst thing to be is prey. They are the predators of the Mainland.

This cult specializes in the bow and all hunting and tracking skills. The magic available to them is definitely along those same lines. They also are taught to raise and train snarkhounds. They are, however, rather jealous of their skills and do not tell their secrets to outsiders.

RISHA
(rish-a)

Risha is the Lady of the Harvest, that of fertility and birth. She is very closely tied to the ground and earth. Her followers tend to be outlying farmers who depend on Her for the crops they grow. In the more civilized places Her worship is seen as vulgar and barbaric and her followers are often ridiculed.

Risha specializes in the farming arts, plant lore and healing.

Note - This cult is not recommended for player characters. Not only does it definitely limit player development, most of Risha's follower's are tied to one particular farm on the mainland, and can only rarely travel.

KRYSTA
(krist-ah)

Cold Lady Krysta is the pagan goddess of the dead. Little is known about the secrets of this cult, save that her followers are adept at the manipulation of darkness and in the end, all souls belong to her.

Before the coming of the Bankorpool Empire this cult served as the dispenser of the final justice. Krysta's lords are The Heartwood's executioners. At times even the Lords of Hastur use their services, to let a pagan bloody their hands rather than a pure Imperial. Her priestesses watch over the souls of the dead.

Krysta is said to teach the skills of the executioner's axe, and magics which work with the black and cold world that Krysta rules. It is said that Krysta's children can call out for aid, and harness the dark messengers of death.

JVRILL
(jiv-rill)

Jvrill is the warrior god of The Heartwood. It is said that he was one of the first to stand against the Chaos Lords. The purpose of this cult is to fight. It is that simple.

There are two forms to the worship of Jvrill.

OLD JVRILL

Often claiming to be the only true manner of dedication to Jvrill, this is the older form of worship. The followers of Old Jvrill are few and far between, and this is often considered a blessing by the other folks of the land.

Old Jvrill's worship has but one law, that only the strong survive. As such, they are often portrayed as dangerous, barbaric murderers. In actuality, they tend to be simple, strong, and secure in the knowledge of their strength. And while they may wander the world in search of conflict, it is not done for pure emotional gratification. They are deadly serious about their views. But they do have a particular weakness, they see in the chaos of the East a foe who is strong but laughs at straight minded determination. Their feud with the East is famous, and has lead to many a rash and foolish Jvrillian death.

The cult of old Jvrill teaches all of the martial arts save the use of missile weapons. They teach the making and magicing of wode, a blue dye which can block harm like strong armor.

NEW JVRILL
(the Mercenary's Guild)

The worship of New Jvrill is the maturation of Jvrill the warrior god. It is the temple and home of the professional soldier. Where it could be said that Lord Rames stresses heroics, and Old Jvrill strength and dedication, the New Jvrillians stress pragmatism.

The organization of this cult is that of the mercenary troop. Individual Jvrillians can also be found, selling their swords as personal guards, as couriers, or to accomplish a specific task. They care not who they fight, others can determine the where and why. It is said that the New Jvrillians live and die by their contracts.

New Jvrill teaches all of the martial arts and magics.

MARRENNENN
(mah-renn-nen)

He is the Lord of Merchants, and like the mercenary bands, many of the Merchants guilds of The Heartwood center on the temples of Marrennenn. The secret to success in this cult is to succeed as a mercenary. And yet not all of this cults activities are completely self centered. The cult is also one of the major distributers of information across The Heartwood. More reliable news is passed by caravan than the rare minstrel or courier. The Merchants of Marrennenn were also responsible for most of the exploration and discovery of new lands in their search for new trade routes.

This is a fairly common cult in the regions about the Black Mountain. There is a dark side to this cult however. Where many of Marrennenn followers are good, honest people, it is said that this cult has old ties with Khol, god of thieves.

The cult of Marrennen teaches skills of trading and exploration. They also make sure a member knows a craft or trade. They do teach reading and writing to their more promising Traders. Their spells tend towards those used for information gathering.

KHOL
(coal)

Khol is the god of thieves, those who live off the profits of others. The Thieves Guild is the church of Khol, and they hunt freelance thieves with a fervor that would make a Hunter of Khannish smile. They are a secret cult, not often found in public, whose members sometimes have entire lives built up to cover their less than honest activities.

The thieves of Khol do not have a secure place in society. In some areas the practice of removing the hand of a thief has yet to disappear. Khol teaches that thievery is not bad.

But getting caught is.

This cult is rumoured to have ties to that of Marrennenn, but is that not unexpected? For what is a merchant but a legalized thief?

The cult of Khol teaches the skills thieves need to survive. These include skills from sneaking to the mechanics of complex locks. They teach just enough fighting to keep one alive, because even if you get caught, it won't be for long, for they've probably bought a local sheriff or two.

The third of the common pantheons is that of the East itself. They have four deities to which they dedicate their souls and actions. Each of the four Eastern deities have an avatar, who represent thier presence upon the world. These four are known as the Sunset Riders. Indeed no one ever speaks those two particular words, for it is said that they hear when that name are called. Then they will come to investigate, leaving nothing but death in their tracks.

The four young gods of the East are ...

MARIN
(mare-in)

Marin, symbolized by a single bloody red arrow, is also a warrior god. He, however, does not revel in the life of the sword, but the simple and pure carnage that war brings. The followers of Marin are marked by a bloody red scarf tight around their necks. It is said that if one wishes to become an initiate all he has to do is slit his own throat and then call upon Lord Marin.

If Lord Marin is pleased, the initiate recieves his bloody scarf. If Marin desires a bit of carnage, the hopeful would-be initiate dies, choking in his own blood.

DIEATA
(dee-at-ta)

No symbol but mottled clothing, Dieata is the Lord of Pestilence and Disease. His cult lives, and is knowingly damned, for the spread of sickness in the world. It is said that Dieata has killed more souls than all the swords in the throughout all the ages.

FORLAL
(fore-lal)

Marked by a pale brown disc, Lord Forlal is bane of farmers and the poor.. He is the Master of Famine and Drought, and where he walks the ground is parched and barren. He has few followers who survive for long.

PALINATE
(pal-lin-ate)

Palinate is the Lord of the faceless undead. He is an abomination to one of the most basic Laws of the world. He does not let the dead rest, and not only does he use these lost souls to extend his influence, but those who join him willingly are the core of his church. Of all the Four, Palinate is the hardest to defeat, for how can you kill that which is already dead?

Note: It is very probable, considering the location and people in which the majority of the game is going to be played, that any player who choses to follow these gods will have an unbearably short lifespan.

Three other religious or magical using institutions exist upon The Heartwood. Sorcery and the Witches both hold a special place. Both these groups share a common basis of fear. Both are peversions of the natural order. Thus, any whom are caught practicing these arts bring down the fear of their neighbors. And in a simple society, this fear often mainfest itself in blind violence. Then the nighttime bonfires reach out to starry skys. Sorcerers and the Coven are not tolerated as the other pagan cults might be.

At the opposite extreme are the spirit cults. These extremely small and simple beliefs are hardly bothered because they are not taken very seriously at all.

THE ART OF SORCERY

Sorcerers are perhaps the most feared and hated groups on The Heartwood. They are known to perform magics and to call great powers without the aid of any god or spirit.

It is said that this is the magic practiced by the East.

Thus there are few known sorcerers on the mainland. Western sorcerers tend to come in two types. The first are young and inexperienced, but secure in their superiority over mere peasants. These always end up as fuel for the nightime fires. The second type is much more reserved. He is the Sorcerer who has aquired so much power that he can walk the lands without fear, stronger than any man or Knight who might stand against him.

THE WITCHES OF THE COVEN

The Second Age was dominated by the Great Coven, and all the tales which reached this first age are nightmare legends of sacrifices and bizzare pagan rites. It is said that the Witches held dominance of the World itself, bending its elements to there whim and call. The Horned God mastered all that was green and grew from the Earth, while his Mistress played with all that lived and breathed.

As with Sorcerers, this represents a threat to the foundation of the world. The Coven could turn Nature herself against those who might stand in their path.

SPIRIT CULTS

Spirit Cults are the least form of worship on The Heartwood. Some of those people who live on the back, lost farms of the High Tarn still give their devotion to the spirits they say permeate The Heartwood. With the dominance of the major gods, those that worship spirit cults are often looked down upon as simple peasants who just don't know better.

What the spirit cults do offer is a bit more freedom and variety than the divine religions. A spirit cult follower is allowed much greater leeway in how they live, for a spirit cannot afford to lose any worshipper, so the spirit puts less demands upon their devotees. And there is a great many different spirits on The Heartwood. Thus it is often possible to find one which can fit personal desires.

Spirit cults usually do not have enough members to offer training in skills. These cults do teach magic, however, but this varies from cult to cult, for each spirit can only teach what they know.

These are the common cults on The Heartwood. However, it should be realized that these are not the only cults upon the world. Others exist, to be discovered by experience or by personal insight. There are many clues to the other possible cults buried within these documents.

Players who choose to follow any cult will be given a much more in depth description of their cult. Remember, the inner workings of all cults are that cult's teachings. The descriptions, both the narrative and this more straight forward listing, only give the common view of that cult.

The next important fact is that it is not imperative that a player be a member of a cult. On the positive side, a cult member does get a better set of skills (from cult training), a place to learn magic, and a determined and measurable way to advance in the world. Cults can provide companionship, aid, and shelter. But the Cults also give the player a set of values, morals, and ethics to live by. And they are bound by this.

The gods tend to get very angry at their followers whom stray from the proper path. And in The Heartwood their wrath can become manifest in the world.

A player who choses not to follow a cult does not get most of the starting benefits that such a believer obtains. But such an independent character has a different kind of advantage. The independent adventurer has freedom. The freedom to act as he or she wills, to travel with whom they please, and to learn any skill or magic which passes their way.

As these descriptions indicate, there is the possibility that many cults or magical types do not get along very well. And in the party it is just as likely that two of the players may end up with opposing cults. It is the player's responsibility to come to terms with this fact. Characters can not develop when the players are killing each other off. There are many reasons and rationales as to why characters with opposing viewpoints can to learn to co-exist.

Players choosing cults which are not in favor also have the additional burden of keeping their cult secret, lest they inadvertently turn the entire world against them. The easiest solution to this is not to draw attention to one's self. Careful actions can be the key to survival here. Saying that you belong to a spirit cult is often a good cover ... no one will take you seriously.

The last note is very simple. If you have any questions concerning belonging to a cult, or not belonging to a cult, please ask.

About any cult, real or rumoured.