Religion on Duria
Religious practice on Duria tends to be aligned along national lines, with much less communication between cultures than is common on Aurea. Most states have a patron deity, either of the nation as a whole or a personal patron of the monarch that is held in high esteem across the nation. In contrast, the former states of Cambrecia (Daredonia, Kamara and Numentora) tend to eschew national religious structures because of a history of oppression by the priests of Zelos in the Third Age.
The Koramian Heresy
Koramia is, of course, the heart of the Koramian Heresy, though the vast majority of worshippers of Vortumnus in Duria look to the Prelate of Paeldain as their ultimate spiritual guide in the mortal world. It is in Koramia that it was believed that, about eleven centuries ago, a young boy named Garimund of Ryard discovered the Glorious Galleon and retrieved the Koram. This holy book describes how, upon the birth of Vortumnus to Fides and Meliboea, Lord Ptharos realized he had become mad with power and turned over rulership of the gods to this newest of gods.
Though the Church of Vortumnus is heavily involved in the politics of Koramia, church leaders elsewhere are careful to point out that their loyalty is to the God of Honor, not to the Koramian Crown. Within Koramia, the Church is administered by seven Archbishops (including the Prelate, who is described as a ‘first among equals’), with most other nations having at least one Archbishop responsible for the administration of the Church in those nations. The Red Band are a knightly order of paladins dedicated to Vortumnus who operate as fighting monks for the Church, mainly centered in Paeldain (though there are chapterhouses of the Red Band throughout western Duria and even a few in far-flung Narbonne, on Aurea).
Outside of Koramia, most worshippers of Vortumnus are knights, lesser nobility, some soldiers (particularly cavalrymen) and hunters.
The Harvest Lord
As in most of the world, the worship of Podalirius is pervasive throughout the human nations of Duria, particularly in more rural or manorial settings. The Holy Fields themselves have been located in Enesia for centuries. The Potentate of Podalirius holds great influence over the vast and loose array of priests of the Harvest Lord throughout Duria, though he rarely exerts that power, even within Enesia itself. By way of example, elected officials in Enesia usually request the blessing of the Potentate, rather than the Potentate being legally required in confirming a leader to his seat.
Most human cities and almost all rural villages have a temple to Podalirius with at least a lay priest in attendance, supported by local taxes. The only human region that is typically hostile to the Harvest Lord is the Pirate Isles, where Podalirius’ mother and ally, Betshaba, is particularly reviled.
The Triad
Direct worship of the Triad as a concept is not as predominant a concept in Duria as it is in Aurea. While Baelthor and Betshaba are certainly popular in certain regions, Ptharos tends to be worshiped only by sages and the elderly, when there is a local congregation at all. In places where there is a unified Temple to the Triad, the Transept of Ptharos is often without a priest and is tended as a shrine for the Father of the Gods by the priests of Baelthor and Betshaba.
Betshaba is, unsurprisingly, popular along the Inner Shore of Duria, particularly in large port cities. The most prominent Temples of Betshaba are in Neptaris, Noviozeta and Paeldain (the Bishops of these three temples are often in disagreement as to who should be considered ‘first among equals’ for Duria). Most sailors, fishermen and even some pirates (ones that conduct raids under writ from a nation) are extremely devout worshipers of the Bitch of the Sea.
Though worship of Baelthor is limited mainly to masons some scholars and smiths in human states, worship of Baelthor as Balthor is pervasive throughout the dwarven kingdoms of Derlos and Gundag. Though propitiating of the other descendants of Ptharos is allowed when circumstance requires it and relationships with their human clergies friendly, only gods who are descendant from Balthor are permitted to construct temples and maintain a clergy in regions where dwarves hold sway on Duria. The worship of Baelthor as Balthor has begun to spread as dwarves come to live in human communities during the Fourth Age, often constructed out of solid bedrock beneath a human temple to Baelthor.
The Kingmaker
Though the priesthood of Zelos is fairly pervasive throughout the capital cities of human nations of Duria, perceptions of the priesthood is often marred by the absolute domination of Cambrecia by the Potentate of Zelos for over four centuries. Even after the Great Empire withdrew from Duria, the Holy See of Cambrecia remained the one state that remained loyal to the Emperors until the Mage War in the final years of the Third Age of Man. During this war, when Potentate Horatius IV declared his allegiance to Emperor Lucasa the Heretic, it caused a great schism in the formerly monolithic religious hierarchy of Zelos. The priesthood had not yet settled the schism when Zelos withdrew from the world with the other Elder Gods a little less than a century ago. The Recession of the Gods crippled the priesthood of Zelos in Cambrecia (as it did elsewhere) and the Holy See split in open civil war. By the dawn of the Fourth Age, the Potentate of Zelos controlled far less territory as the Holy See and struck a conciliatory tone with their new neighbors, refuting the Great Empire (or what was left of it) and re-establishing the priesthood as a politically neutral entity. The Church even recognized the Koramian Heresy as a possible explanation for the rulership of the Gods and formally announced its neutrality between the Koramian, Orthodox and Imperial religious structures.
Many still distrust the priesthood of Zelos, as most suspect Cambrecian priests of organizing a vast conspiracy against the former Imperial colonies on Duria and particularly against the Freecity of Neptaris, whose democracy was a constant nemesis to the Holy See in the Third Age. As a result, there are few active lay worshippers of Zelos in Duria. Even so, no human nation has been willing to permanently ban the worship of Zelos in their territory for fear of upsetting the God of the State and losing their sovereignty, so the relatively small priesthood of Zelos tends to maintain at least a sizeable temple in national capitals and smaller temples in regional seats of power. Inside the remaining territories of the Holy See of Cambrecia, of course, worship of Zelos is still predominant, despite loosening of religious requirements for secular leadership there.
The Lady of Mystery and her Dukes
Worship of Abaris was considered innocuous for much of Duria’s history, with her small clergy focused primarily on wizardry and esoteric research than political or societal matters. Unfortunately, the insane dreams of Davalor the Mad, founder of Lun Dorak, were revived by the last Mage King, Lucasa the Heretic, sparking the Mage War at the conclusion of the Third Age of Man. During his relatively short reign, Lucasa succeeded in conquering much of the continents of Duria and Aurea in Abaris’ name, subjugating all non-casters as slaves and establishing wizards and sorcerers as a ruling elite. After the Mage King’s defeat and the Recession of the Gods, worship of Abaris was outlawed in some human nations on Duria and wizards were actively hunted down and burnt at the stake, regardless of whether they supported the Mage King’s naked aggression. The small priesthood of Abaris went underground in these regions, working to protect those wizards who refused to heed the Mage King’s call.
Eventually, pogroms against wizards began to abate, in no small part due to the work of the Wizarding Guilds that began to establish themselves throughout Duria. Originally predominant on Gallorea, during the Third Age of Man only a few of the Wizarding Guilds had any real presence on Duria (and in those cases, most were based in or near Neptaris). Those Guilds began to work for recognition among nations that were persecuting wizards, eventually succeeding in becoming something of a self-policing force that actively ensured renegade wizards were hunted down and turned over to the government for punishment. By the dawn of the Fourth Age of Man, most wizards in human lands on the continent of Duria belonged to one or another of these guilds, most of which looked to Abaris or one of her Dukes for patronage. The Church of Abaris on Duria slowly came out of hiding, though the vast majority of Mysterioriums on the continent ignored, if not actively opposed, edicts from the Grand Mysteriorium of the Seventh Carnation in Lun Dorak. Politically, the worshippers of Abaris realize they are in a very tentative state as far as the free peoples of Duria are concerned and work hard to ensure the mistakes of the Mage War are not repeated.
Of the Dukes of Mystery, Faunaros, Pavor, Sarpedon and Selene tend to maintain the most respect throughout Duria, though worship of Melpomene and Paelemona is respected in most nations. Of the Dukes, only Tethys tends to be relatively reviled by most human nations:
- Faunaros, god of hunting, is extremely popular in Koramia and is likely the third-most popular deity in that nation (behind Podalirius and, of course, Vortumnus). Ironically, Faunaros tends to also be very popular in Ciritasnia, a fact that was significant in arranging an alliance between the Ciritasnia and Koramia in the early years of the Fourth Age of Man. Despite his association with Abaris under the guise of Bidari the Warmaster, Duke of Evocation, worship of Faunaros did not wane in the areas where Abarisian worshippers were persecuted.
- Melpomene, goddess of Clouds, has never had a large or politically powerful clergy and few lay worshippers on Duria. She is often propitiated by expectant mothers and those seeking a change in the weather. As Jomaera the Ever-Changing, the Duchess of Mystery of Transmutation, Melpomene is somewhat distrusted still in human lands because of her association with Abarisian worship and notable Jomaeran clerics who fought with Lun Dorak in the Mage War.
- Paelemona, the Fateweaver, has long been extremely significant not only to those seeking advice on the future, but to clothiers and weavers throughout Duria. As Scalla the Spider-Queen, Duchess of Mystery for Divination, Paelemona is somewhat distrusted by those who recall the assistance Scallan worshippers provided to the Mage King’s armies in the waning decades of the Third Age of Man. Though never specifically proscribed, temples to Paelemona tend to be restricted primarily to cities and other areas with large numbers of clothiers or weavers.
- Pavor, the god of travel, is popular throughout western Duria, with small shrines along all the major trade routes and temples in any significant trading town. Though worship of Pavor as Pavari Longshanks, the Duke of Conjuration, was unpopular in regions where Abarisian worshippers were persecuted, Pavor was never formally listed as a prohibited deity.
- Selene’s popularity waned after the fall of the Third Age of Man, but only insomuch as people turned more to more utilitarian deities during those dark and difficult times. Though worship of the goddess of beauty was never proscribed, even in her aspect as Alera the Alluring, the Duchess of Enchantment, many temples closed or fell to ruin prior to the rise of the Fourth Age of Man. Her small clergy have begun to rebuild, but even still most people only implore Selene when they need something specific, such as falling in love or when needing inspiration for art.
- Worship of Sarpedon, god of guardians, actually increased as the Third Age of Man came to a close and continued to surge after the dawn of the Fourth Age. Congregations are composed mainly of town guards, warders and even some soldiers. In his aspect as Sard, the Duke of Abjuration, worship of Sarpedon waned only inasmuch as those who worshiped him in this aspect (i.e. wizards) were forced underground.
- Worship of Tethys, the goddess of undeath, has long been proscribed in most human nations and worship of the deity during the Dark Times was considered a capital crime. As the Crone, the Duchess of Mystery for Necromancy, Tethys is still generally reviled, particularly because more than a few necromancers plied their trade in support of Lun Dorak during the Mage War. Even with the coming of the Wizarding Guilds, direct worship of Tethys is prohibited in most human nations, despite the presence of a shrine to the Crone in most Abarisian temples.
All of the Dukes of Mystery remain popular in Lun Dorak, where their temples receive state support from the ruling council.
The Tuatha de Dannan
Worship of the Tuatha de Dannan during the Third Age of Man on Duria was relegated only to the druids of the Calmerian Marches and, to some degree, secluded giant tribes of the Divian Mountains. Even during this time, worship of the Tuatha was markedly different than worship of the Elder Gods across Duria. While there were certainly holy places associated with the Tuatha and stories told of their deeds among the tribesmen, they were not directly worshiped or propitiated in the same way as the Elder Gods expect.
At the conclusion of the Third Age of Man, stories about the Tuatha and the druids who exposed their wisdom were already beginning to spread. Upon the Recession of the Gods, the druids of the Tuatha began their first foray into the wider world beyond the Calmerian Marches in over two millennia, providing many of the same services that the now-powerless clerics of the Elder Gods had provided. It was generally believed among the druids that the Fourth Age of Man would mirror the Second Age, with the druids providing spiritual guidance to the populace while the Elder Gods remained unable to affect the mortal world.
This was not to be. The powers of the Elder Gods returned a mere forty years after their Recession and, for the first time, druids and priests found that they were co-existing and, in some ways, competing for the spiritual hearts and minds of the mortal populace. In some areas, the priests re-established themselves rather quickly, their divine authority having been lost well within the living memory of many. In others, particularly in the former Cambrecian states that distrusted the priesthoods of the Elder Gods, the druids continued to provide spiritual and even judicial services to the populace.
Centers of Tuathan belief on Duria include the Calmerian Marches (where the Archdruid of the Golden Oak still resides), Auteria, Danas, Kamara, Malvetia, Numentora and Dakra. Rumor is that a second Great Henge is under construction in the Volasci Forest of Numentora and it is said that druids have made serious inroads allying themselves with the rebels of Stenoa, much to the consternation of the Dorakian mages.
The Judiciary
The priesthoods of the Judiciary are pervasive throughout Duria, though they tend to be weaker in regions where the druids established themselves after the Recession of the Gods at the end of the Third Age of Man. Even when they were bereft of divine guidance, priests of Aridnus, the god of judgment, were valued as judges throughout western Duria and priests of Fides, the Oathmaker, continued to provide services in overseeing contracts and oaths in cities and towns. The clergy of Majestas, goddess of law, was small even before the Recession of the Gods and began to rebuild only after their return at the dawn of the Fourth Age of Man.
The largest and most significant temples to the Judiciary are located in the Freecity of Neptaris and most other temples across Duria, which are usually organized on national lines, tend to look to Neptaris for leadership when necessary. There are also significant temples to Meliboea in Koramia and a growing interest in the goddess of Justice among the rebels in Stenoa.
The Deepdweller
The direct worship of Taltos, the Deepdweller, is prohibited in most human lands and actively opposed by worshippers of Betshaba in most major ports. Among the Pirate Isles, of course, worship of Taltos is pervasive and often the cause of wars between those who look to Betshaba and those who look to Taltos for security on the waves. The largest and most significant temple to Taltos in the known world is believed to be somewhere near the central plateau of Tamerynd Isle, though it is debated as to whether it is closer to Vispilio Bay or Deepberth (or neither!). Regardless of the location of this Temple, worshippers of Taltos prowl the Betshaban Ocean, both looking for booty to steal and for worshippers of Betshaba to send down to the briny depths.
| This article is part of the Player's Guide to Duria | |
|
Introduction · Economics and Trade · Legends and History · Religion · Regions and Realms | |
| Religion on Duria | |
|
The Koramian Heresy · The Harvest Lord · The Triad · The Kingmaker · The Lady of Mystery and her Dukes · The Tuatha de Dannan · The Judiciary · The Deepdweller |
