The Gods and Worships of the Peoples - General

Intent

The Peoples of The World render devotion to multifold divers gods and beliefs. Herein shall the Keeper of These Chronicles mark out in brief the worships of the Peoples, laid out according to the Lands and States in general, with some small notation of any notable feature or fact. Latter entries shall devote deeper study and greater discourse to each worship.

The South

The lands of the south engage in the worship of a pantheon of fourteen Gods, of which Sky-Mother, a mother-goddess, is the supreme deity. These deities can be invoked and induced to manifest their presence through ritual, but rarely intervene in the affairs of their devotees. Not all the Peoples of the southern lands worship the gods- the Elves make no worship of any god or deity and are known to have an antipathy towards to the gods of the pantheon, for reasons that are lost in antiquity. (Yet it is the great wish of the Keeper of These Chronicles to one day be able to study the most ancient elvish histories and elucidate the origins of this primeval animus).

The North

The Peoples of the cold lands of the North seem to be generally ambivalent to religion and the worship of higher beings. Here, the Peoples have seen mostly war, famine and disease in the two centuries past and any regular citzen is apt to declare little use for gods.

Of note is that in latter years, perhaps six or seven tens of years past, has emerged The Prelatium, the proponents of which declare that all gods are but a branch or manifestation of a single god, a father-god deity. Their power has grown over time and they have risen to enjoy a place in the Court of the High-Prince and a seat at both the Great Council and the Inner Council.

But this extreme of "no god" or "one god" is not a true understanding of the religious disposition of the north. As a traveller ascends into the frigid wastes and icy peaks of the high-north, they will eventually encounter the true worship of the north, that which is called Pagan in the chronicles. Though the more south-lying places of the northern continent seem to have forgotten the groves, henges and rituals of the ancient druidica, in the high north these practices still exist.

In the North, the knowledge of the pagan worship is waning, the customs are gradually being forgotten, and there has not been a pagan High-Prince of All-the-North in three generations (though the House of Carmine still sits on the throne). Yet, there are many who fear the rise of The Prelatium, for it is not a worship that tolerates the presence of others and puts great store in expanding its influence.

The East

The eastern lands, in particular the Land of Kula, also subscribe to the pantheon of the South, though they call the gods by different names.

In other east-lying States such as the isles of the Azure Sea, the Peoples there are not allowed the worship of gods or the veneration of groves. Kalandria lives by the pirate laws and claim gold as their only god. The Pastor of Mercy will allow no rival to his cruel dictatorship and certainly no rivals of greater power than he. And the Triumverate that rules Drna- the mysterious beings also called The Three- they take all worship for themselves, for they may well be immortal.

The Far East

Beyond the Kulani Imperium, further east where the Peoples are found among the constantly warring mountain tribes, in the villages, hamlets and walled-city states of the valleys, hills and plains, the gods, beliefs and worships are numerous and difficult to chronicle without much time devoted to travel within those lands and communing with the Peoples there.

The North-East

The Land of Anemoi (the Circle Continent) lies north by east and takes little part in the workings, strivings and affairs of the World. The libraries and lore-houses of the south and east present much conflicting knowledge of this land and its beliefs. So much of what is written is in such conflict, that it is best to conclude that little to none of it can be trusted to be more that conjecture, rumour and myth.

The writings do show some commonality from which it can be concluded that the Anemoi worship a pantheon of gods, though it is not clear if this is the same pantheon as the gods of the south and east. Then, it is apparent that they rely on interlocutors with these gods, sometimes called priestesses or otherwie shannai. The queen of the Anemoi, the Casigeya, also intercedes with the gods. Despite the contradictions and confusions, the Keeper of This Chronicle has found the study a most stimulating pursuit, and will endeavour to record what has been elucidated as the most trustworthy knowledge of the worships of the Anemoi.

The Distant South

This is fabled as the Land of Dragons. Little is known of the worships and beliefs of the Fire-Bretheren, and none has been seen among the Lands and Peoples of the World in a millenium.