Religion and Belief
The Importance of Belief.
Every mortal being that exists on The Old World beleives in something. What they believe in will vary according to their species and ethnicity, hopes, desires, fears and paranoia. But everyone beleives in something and if anyone really doesn't them they are a fool. Because the important difference between 'The Old World' and our world is that thanks to the contamination of the wo0rld by Aethyric Energy as a result of The Great Cataclysm belief creates reality. Consequently, the number and nature of the gods and their daemons is only really limited by the extent of mortal imagination. But people get the process back to front. Most assume that the god comes first and then mortals start to believe in it. In reality it works the other way around. Mortals begin to believe in a god and Aethyric Energy listens to their expectations and makes the god they expect and believe in. Mortals are conditioned to expect mythical beings to conform to the images described by their culture, and they are rarely dissapointed.The Diversity of the Divine
As already stated there is almost an infinite diversity in what mortals imagine their gods to be and how they manifest themselves. Dwarf's for example imagine their gods to be the manifestation of their ancestors. Great dwarfs from their history now immortalised as Gods to watch over and guide their offspring. Elves imagine their gods to divine spiritual beings who are part mortal and part diety. Whilst some species like Goblins imagine their gods to be great and powerful entities that weild almost unlimited power.The True Nature of the Gods
In practice and by way of clarification there are only two type of god in Warhammer Fragile Alliances.Santa Claus Gods
- 'Those born of mortal belief' The most common I refer to as 'Santa Claus Gods' as they are entirely dependant for their existence on the belief of the mortals that worship them. Their motivations, appearance and behaviour is entirely conditioned by the expectations of their followers.Warp Entity Gods
- 'Those awoken by mortal emotion' However, there is a much smaller group of gods which I refer to as 'The Warp Entity Gods'. These gods were given sentient existence in 'The Warp' as a result of its contamination by the mortal emotions eminating from space craft full of mortal beings passing through it in order to shorten their journey's between planets.These Warp Entity Gods are easily distinguisged from Santa Claus Gods by their almost single minded pursuit of more of the same emotional energy that gave them life. In truth they are not gods at all but rather Warp Entities, who were given life and purpose in the warp as a result of its contamination with mortal emotions and now seek even more power if the same type to secure their domination of their own realm. Their actual understanding in the mortal plane and the souls who live within it is limited to their thirst for more energy, and their interest in those mortals is limited to little more than the strength of their emotional beacon and the influence it has on the emotional output of its immediate environment. Unlike the 'Santa Claus Gods' whose existence is entirely restricted by the expectations and fears of their followers. Warp Entity gods can seek to influence the mortal realm by investing burst of aetyric energy at any emotional beacon it thinks might be stimulated to expand and deliver a return on its investment. The entity has no idea what form this investment takes when it manifests in the mortal realm, and probably has little real interest as long as it generates more emotional energy. The chaos that such actions cause in the mortal plane is of little interest to the Warp Entity itself and it has no more understanding or interest in the consequences of its actions than we do when we breath, or sneeze or walk through a field of grass crushing and destroying thousands of mortal lives with every single step we take.
The Known Gods of The Old World
What follows is a summary of the major known Pantheons of The Old World and who worships them.Major Human Gods Of The Empire
- Sigmar Heldenhammer - Patron Deity of The Empire, Protector of Empire Folk, worshipped by the Nobility, the Army and the Cult of Sigmar.
- Handrich - God of Trade worshipped by human merchants and traders.
- Manann - God of the Seas, Tides and Oceans, worshipped by Fishermen, Sailors, Travellers
- Morr - God of Death and Dreams, worshopped by the Bereaved, Dreamers, Amethyst Wizards
- Ranald - God of Thieves and Tricksters Worshipped by Thieves, Tricksters, Gamblers, the Downtrodden and those who need luck.
- Shallya - Goddess of Healing, Mercy, Childbirth and Compassion, worshipped by the sick and diseased, Women.
- Ulric - God of Battle, Wolves, and Winter, worshipped by the Cult of Ulric and those facing hardship especially during the winter months.
- Verena - Goddess of Learning and Justice, worshipped by the Cult of Verena and by academics, lawyers and judges.
- Khaine - Lord of Murder, Power and Domination, worshipped by those who seek vengeance.
Gods whose worship is prohinited by the Cult of Sigmar
Most of these Gods are of the Warp Entity type and are thus sentient and driven by a lust for mortal emotions.
- Khorne - The Blood God attracted to those with a desire for power and control.
- Malal - The Doomed One, attracted by jealousy and envy.
- Necoho - The Doubter, attracted to those who lack commitment and doubt everything they are told.
- Nurgle - Great Lord of Decay, attracted to those who feel alone and rejected.
- Slaanesh - Lord of Pleasure, attracted to those who seek pleasure and self-indulgence.
- Tzeentch - The Changer of Ways, attracted to those who seek change and reform.
- Zuvassin - The Undoer, God of Destruction and Undoing, attracted by vindictiveness and spite.
Gods Worshipped by humans in Bretonnia
- Lady Of The Lake - Patron Deity of Bretonnia
Gods Worshipped by humans in Estalia
- Myrmidia - Goddess of War and the Science of War, Estalia, Tilea Soldiers, Strategists, Officers
Gods Worshipped by humans in Tilea
- Lucan And Luccina - Patron Deities of Luccini, Tilea
- Myrmidia - Goddess of War and the Science of War, Estalia, Tilea Soldiers, Strategists, Officers
Gods Worshipped by humans in Kislev
- Dahz - Kislevite God of Fire and the Sun
- Ursun - Kislevite Father of Bears
- Tor - Kislevite God of Thunder and Lightning
Gods Worshipped by most Humans in Rural Communities.
- Taal - God of Nature and Wild Places worshipped by Rural folk, Woodsmen and Amber Wizards.
- Rhya The Mother Goddes and the Fertility of the Earth, worshipped by human Farmers, Jade Wizards, Peasants
- Olovald - Spirit of the Delta, Lord of the Water's Bounty
The Human Gods of Law
- Alluminas
- Arianka
- Solkan - Lord of Vengeance
Dwarven Deities
- Gazul - Lord of the Underearth
- Grimnir - Ancestor God of Warriors
- Grungni - Ancestor God of Mining and Stonework
- Morgrim - Ancestor God of Engineers
- Rukh - Ancestor God of Smiths
- Smednir - Shaper of Ore
- Thungni - Ancestor God of Runesmiths
- Valaya - Ancestor Goddess of Home and Healing
Chaos Dwarf Gods
- Hashut - Father of Darkness, God of the Chaos Dwarfs
Elven Gods
These will need to be further classified into Ethnic Groupings and Panteons- Isha - Goddess of Earth and Fertility, Worshipped as the mother of the Elven race and the protector of the natural world.
- Karnos/Kurnous - 'Lord of Beasts', God of Nature, father of the Elven race,
- Asuryan - 'The Defender', Father of the Gods and ancestor of all living things. Worshipped by the High Elves of Ulthuan.
- Adamnan-na-Brionha - The Lord of the Dance - worshipped by the Wood Elves, Patron God of Wardancers
- Hoeth - God of Knowledge, Learning, and Wisdom worshipped by Elven mages and all learned Elves.
- Vaul - Smith of the Gods who forged the mightiest artefacts of the Elven race, including the dread Sword of Khaine.
- Khaela Mensha Khaine - 'The Bloody-Handed God', God of War and Murder, worshipped by the Dark Elves of Naggaroth but also by Elven warriors before battle.
- Liadriel - Goddess of Song and Wine
- Lileath - 'The Maiden', Goddess of Dreams and Fortune, worshipped in concert with Isha and Morai-heg. Patron of elven prophets and seers.
- Morai-heg - 'The Crone', Goddess of Fate: said to hold the fate of mortals inside a skin rune pouch.
- Mathlann - God of Storms, Elven God of the sea, worshipped by Sea Elves and the patron of elven sailors and explorers.
- Sarriel - God of Dreams
- Torothal - Goddess of Rain and Rivers
Halfling Deities
There is a lot more to be added to this section.- Esmeralda - Halfling Goddess of Hearth and Home
Gnomic Gods
- Ringil - Gnome God of Smiths and Jesters
- Morris - Gnome God Of Dreams and Fancies.
Skaven Gods
- The Horned Rat - God of the Skaven
Greenskin Gods
- Gork
- Mork
Lizardman Gods
- Chotec - The Sun God
- Huanchi - The Stealthy
- Sotek - Saviour of the Lizardmen
- Tepoc - The Wise
- Tzunki - The Watcher
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