Church of Erastil
A typical worshiper of Erastil is a common farmer, rancher, village artisan, or subsistence hunter who wants to live her life, take care of her family, and not worry about kings, wars, or monsters. Erastilians are not pretentious, and while they might be proud of their accomplishments, they’re simple folk and their desires are modest—a good crop, a fine piece of land, fat livestock, and a healthy family. They look after their neighbors’ farms in emergencies and expect the same in return, but are otherwise content to be left to their own business.
Among the faithful, elk iconography is common, but they have no taboos about hunting the animals as long as no part of the body goes to waste. Because elk shed their antlers at the start of winter, tools made from them are fairly common, and even children may own simple knives made from antlers. At birth, a firstborn child is given an elk tooth, supposedly to ensure fertility and a long life. In the extreme north, reindeer iconography is more common than that of elk, though the traditions and rituals among Erastil’s worshipers are otherwise essentially the same.
Hymns constitute most of the church’s music, often with a strong rhythm so they can be sung to keep time during repetitive work. Flutes, drums, horns, and other easy-to-make, easy-to-play instruments are also common.
Erastil is very pro-marriage, seeing it as the proper way to create families and frowning on those who would bend or break the sacred bonds with adultery or divorce. The church sees marriage as a way to “tame” unruly men and women, and most villages have at least one married couple who tied the knot after being caught in an indiscretion. Widowers and widows usually remarry, especially if there are still children in the house. Most of Erastil’s priests are married, though they are not required to be.
Assets
Temples and Shrines
A temple to Old Deadeye is almost always a simple wooden building, longhouse, or even town hall that serves a rural community as a gathering place, with religion being only one of its many uses. Sparsely decorated, such structures often contain highly functional furnishings, as the faithful prefer not to waste their holy area with rows of awkward, heavy pews and statues when sturdy tables and stools would make the area well suited for mending tools and clothes, food preparation, and other helpful crafts. In some cases, temples of Erastil have no seating, leaving the congregation to stand. In such temples, sitting during the faith’s short services while not taboo, is looked down on for all but the elderly or infirm—and even they bring their own chairs or mats. A shrine to Erastil is usually little more than an antler- or bow-mark carved on a tree or rock.Worship
Adventurers
Because of his focus on the home and family, and the need for adults to be practical providers for their children and communities, Erastil produces fewer adventurers than many other gods. When his faithful do strike out on an adventure, it’s inevitably to help those they leave behind. Followers of Erastil seek riches not for their own sake, but for what such rewards can do for their families and communities, and those forced to embark on a long adventure regularly count the days until they can return to the warmth and simplicity of home. Erastil’s faithful desire to keep the peace, and while they do what they have to, the farther a conflict strays from regions that directly affect their chosen community, the less they feel compelled to continue the fight. They are paragons of stability—some might say too much so—yet while some might call Erastilian values quaint or backward, the faithful feel they serve as anchors for hearth, home, and family, and help folk understand their place in rural communities, where roles must be well defined.Priesthood
A Priest’s Role
Erastil’s priests usually have a conventional role in a community—such as being farmers or artisans—in addition to their explicitly religious duties, and consider attending to the needs of their own land and families a form of devotion as well. Most of a priest’s day is spent performing mundane tasks just like any other member of the village, with the priest pausing only to speak a blessing at the dawn’s breaking, but always ready to drop what he’s doing and pitch in when he’s needed. They are often called upon to help build homes, deliver children, oversee trade, and bless crops. Erastil’s priests are careful to put the needs of the community first, because Old Deadeye’s gifts may give them an advantage in aiding their fellow townsfolk. For example, a cleric of Erastil who is a shepherd might use his skill and magic to take care of all the village’s animals rather than just his own, even if that means he makes less money selling his own sheep at market—the prosperity of the community and the health of its f lock being more important than his own wealth. Priests usually have ranks in Diplomacy (though Intimidate may work just as well), Heal, Knowledge (local), Knowledge (nature), and Sense Motive. Priests bless farmland and herd animals, plan the planting and harvest, and look after injured folk and families in need. Priests often serve as community counselors and mediators, and are generally the first to step in with a firm hand to deal with a rebellious or disruptive member of the community, whether that person is a frequent drunk, an abusive spouse, or a child prone to screaming tantrums. Adult troublemakers who repeatedly break the community’s trust and prove unwilling to change are usually branded on the hand and exiled from the community. To prevent more problems, they’re usually pointed in the direction of the nearest city. If something comes along that’s too much for the priest to handle, such as bandits, an orc band, or a hungry monster, it is the priest’s responsibility as a community leader to find those who can deal with the problem, such as experts from other communities who share the faith, or traveling adventurers. Every few years the church encourages young priests to set out from the community in search of news, seeds for new crops, alternate techniques for animal husbandry, and other useful new skills that can aid their home villages. Though these wanderers appear to be fish out of water, their stubborn dedication to helping those back home has guaranteed the survival of many poor villages, whether they acquired desperately needed money to send back or by eradicated foul beasts that lurked nearby. Young adventuring priests often end up settling in remote villages saved by their heroic efforts, especially if there is no local priest. This gives the faith an opportunity to grow and establishes the bonds of a greater community outside the immediate interests of a single village—though the church prefers to focus on life in small settlements, it sees the surrounding communities as a kind of extended family and recognizes the importance of maintaining ties with them. Because a priest usually has a leadership role in a community, the priests of Erastil prefer to take charge when they are part of an adventuring party, and sometimes run into conflict with equally headstrong members of the group as a result. Though druids are a minority among the clergy, all priests respect them for maintaining the natural world they and their people depend upon. They also give a nod to the rare paladins of the faith who are willing to take up swords and shields so the common folk can keep on with their lives. Rangers rarely become leaders in the church, as their skills and magic cater less to healing and growth compared to other priests. Erastil’s church is simple and practical. Most communities have only one or two priests, so complicated hierarchies are unnecessary, and priests defer to the wisdom of elder clergy. Visiting priests are shown hospitality as is appropriate for any guest, but unless these visitors are particularly important (such as the eldest priest in the country), they typically defer to the judgment of the local leaders. Priests who are part of a community are usually called elders, regardless of their rank within the community or the church. Traveling priests not associated with a community are called brothers or sisters.Erastil’s Paladin Code
The paladins of Erastil are gruff, strict traditionalists. They seek to preserve the integrity of rural life and communities. Their tenets include the following affirmations.- My community comes first, and I will contribute to it all that I can. If I don’t give something back, who will?
- I must offer the poor in my community assistance, but I may not do the work for them—instead, I must teach them to contribute to the settlement. It is only through cooperation that a community grows strong.
- When danger threatens, I am not a fool. I seek first to make sure the weak and innocent are safe, and then I quell the danger.
- I keep to the old ways, the true ways. I am not seduced by the lure of money or power. I remember that true honor comes from within, not from the accolades of others.
- I remember that reputation is everything. Mine is pure and upstanding, and I will repair it if it is broken or tarnished. I stand by my decisions, and live so that none shall have cause to blame me.
- I show respect to my elders, for they have done much. I show respect to the young, for they have much left to do. I show respect to my peers, for they carry the load. And I shall carry it with them.
- I am honest, trustworthy, and stable. If I must leave my lands and community, before I go, I ensure that they will be tended in my absence. Even when duty calls, my duties to my home come first—letting them lapse makes me a burden on my people.
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