Saturday, December 16, 2006

The faiths of the Iron Kingdoms

Religion in the Iron Kingdoms is primarily concerned with the soul. In the Iron Kingdoms, the soul is a resource that can be captured and used, although it is hard to destroy. Each god uses the souls of its faithful in the never-ending "War of Souls" that is fought in the spiritual realm of Urcaen--the place of afterlife. When an adherent of a particular god dies, their soul is transferred to Urcaen, where it joins that god.

Exceptions to that procedure exist, such as the Earth Mother, Dhunia. She is beloved of many of the more civilized humanoids, such as Trollkin and Gobbers (civilized cousins to trolls and goblins). Her faith is a peaceful and passive one, considered somewhat rustic by most humans, but her followers believe that their souls do not pass on to the afterlife. Instead, they believe that she reincarnates them upon the earth in life after life.

The experience of souls that worhips the Devourer Wurm, embodiment of natural chaos, is debatable. Some do not grace this entity with the title of 'god,' rather believing it to be a legendary monster. Said to be tied to Dhunia (worshippers of Menoth believe them to be a single entity), humanoids of less gentle bent pay homage to this force. Its worship is feared, as followers of the Wurm tend to be as capricious and savage as their deity. Druids, whether they revere the Wurm or not, believe that they draw strength from this being.

Lawful Menoth, on the other hand, certainly watches over the souls of his faithful. His followers teach that he is the creator of mankind, and possibly the world, and indeed, his faith predates any other human worship. His faith is a stern and unbending one, demanding obedience to his laws and reverence from his children. Menoth hunts the Devourer Wurm, destroying its chaotic influence wherever it is found, and he teaches his followers to do likewise. The Protectorate of Menoth contains the greatest number of practicing Menites, but promotes a particularly harsh and unforgiving form of worship.

Menite worship has faded from human society over the two millennia since the rise of the Twins, Morrow and Thamar. These two, the first humans to ascend to divinity, are rivals--the patrons of goodness and evil, respectively--but share the same core beliefs. Their faiths teach that one's destiny is not fixed, that humans can improve themselves nearly without end, even ascending to divinity as the Twins did. Indeed, each has a number of servants who have done just that--the Ascendants of Morrow and the Scions of Thamar. Morrow's faith is the most popular in the Iron Kingdoms, featuring a warm, light-focused style of worship that emphasizes good works. Thamar, his twin, is the patroness of evil and self-sufficiency. Her worship is secretive and her followers are feared, but Thamar must be recognized for certain contributions. She is the one who gifted humans with the ability to use arcane magic, aiding them in the struggle against the Orgoth occupation centuries ago. These two are said to come to every person at some time in their lives to offer that person a test: will they follow Morrow's example or Thamar's?

The faith of Cyriss, the Maiden of Gears, is the newest to come to Caen. She is an abstract goddess of technology and science. Her worship is mysterious, involving secret rites, but her followers have access to technology beyond that of any other humans.

Elves and Dwarves have their own deities, little spoken of among humans. The Elves keep their worship as secret as their homeland. Though few know it, the truth is that most of their gods are missing. Only one of the Iosan deities remains on Caen, and she fades with a mysterious wasting illness. There is a second sub-race of elves known as the Nyss, but these are even more clannish and xenophobic than the Iosans. They, too, are missing most of their gods, save one who froze himself in ice in order to endure in his weakness.

The Dwarves worship a pantheon of thirteen demigods, known as the Stonefathers. These beings are paragons of the dwarven race, founders of the Dwarven houses. Though they are recognized as individuals, they are worshipped as a unity. Dwarves share little of their

Finally, there is Toruk, the Dragonfather, who is only arguably a deity. Legend has it that Toruk was the first dragon, the creator of his kind, and perhaps the oldest living being in Caen. Where he came from and what he wants, no one knows. Dragons do not revere him, but fear him. Only his subjects in the nightmare realm of Cryx worship him as a deity, and he, somehow, rewards their faith with power.

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