the Old Ways

The tomes speak of dark rituals that predate the Empire's arrival in [the Eleikar Valley]. The people of the land - the savages that the Empire ousted - were worshippers of all sorts of foul beasts. Hydra, dragons, and other terrible creatures attracted followings of people who would sacrifice enemy soldiers to the beasts to sate their terrible hunger...
~A note found in the library of Jonitan Kilas of Eleikar Town

The Old Ways is the moniker attached to the religious practices of the Gratic natives of the Eleikar Valley and Schinter regions before the arrival of the Gratic Empire in the First Age.

History

Divided by the dry land of the mountain valleys and the inhospitable and wild terrain, the original peoples of this region turned to supernatural creatures for guidance and protection. Creatures like dragons, hydra, manticores and devils often headed these cults, forming groups of worshippers that would feed them in exchange for protection and small magical boons.
When the Empire arrived in the region, the various cults were often warring with one another for territory, making them easy pickings. Within years, the Empire had eradicated all of their religious sites, killed or chased away the beasts that lived there, and forcibly converted many to the worship of the Imperial Temple deities.

Related Ethnicities

• Gratic

Related Locations

Eleikar Valley, Schinter

Recent Events

Whispers have been going through some of the more remote areas of the Eleikar Valley, speaking of small cults of people who still keep to the Old Ways. It wasn't until a few traitors were captured this past summer with runic tattoos reminiscent of the Old Ways' iconography that the rumours were validated. Now, the Imperial Temple has begun a long investigation into these cults to see if there are any others and if they can be 

Misconceptions

The Frost Dwarves living in the Coldwater region worship the Primal Beast, a combination of all natural beasts that exist in the world. That religion and the religion of the Old Ways are completely distinct and are not to be confused with one another.