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Religions of Theah


This isn't a comprehensive list. Ussura has some other religious traditions that go unmentioned and there is no mention at all of the tropical islands or of the Cresent Empire below.

The Church of the Prophets

Reverence for the Prophets and their message is by far the most widespread family of religion in Theah. The First Prophet preached belief in a single god, Theus; compassion and tolerance; a seeking out of God through knowledge of Truth; and an end to sorcery. The Second Prophet offered guidelines to help the faithful live lives according to Theus's will. The Third Prophet brought fire and the sword, sanctioning the violent purging of sorcery from the lands. The Fourth Prophet will herald the end of the world.

The Vaticine Church

The Vaticine Church is the oldest of the Prophet-based faiths. They have an well-structured church hierarchy. An Hierophant leads the faith; beneath him (or her) serve cardinals, archbishops, bishops, and priests. There are also cloistered orders of monks and some militant orders, like the Inquisition.

Vaticine priests may be male or female and may marry. They must be chaste but not necessarily celibate (although some take vows of celibacy as a matter of personal spiritual preference). In the countryside, they are often the most learned men and women in their local area.

The Church has always been a patron of learning. It is no coincidence that Castille is both the headquarters of the Vaticine hierarchy and the nation most renowned for its scholarship. Castille, Vodacce and north Eisen are all Vaticine, as are most of the people of Montaigne.

The Ussuran Orthodox Church

The Ussurans refused to acknowledge any Prophets after the First. They follow the basic tenets of the First Prophet and mix in a healthy respect for Matushka, the Grandmother Winter who Theus installed as their guardian.

The Objectionist Church

Mattais Lieber was trying to improve the Vaticine Church; instead, he was branded a heretic and ended up founding his own new branch of the Church of the Prophets. The Objectionists do not have such a structured hierarchy as the Vaticines and are more open to new ideas. Some seem very forward-thinking, such as translating of the Book of the Prophets into the vernacular languages of Theah from the Old Thean in which it was originally written.

Without a central authority, the Objectionist Church is quickly becoming many churches, each with its own twists on doctrine. Vendel, the Highland Marches and south Eisen are Objectionist strongholds, and those Montaigne nobles who want to maintain some religion without supporting the Vaticine Church (and incurring l'Empeurer's displeasure) may consider themselves Objectionist.

The Church of Avalon

The Church of Avalon was formed for political reasons - its last king had a falling out with the Vaticine Church and separated. After his death, the country was briefly and violently returned to the Vaticine fold by Queen "Iron" Margret; Queen Elaine has reinstated the CoA as the official church of Avalon. It is something between the Objectionist movement and the Vaticine Church, and also features a tolerance for the Goodly Folke and Glamour magic of the Triple Kingdom.

Other Faiths

Vesten Ancestor Worship

The Vesten believe that a person's spirit exists only for as long as they are remembered. Families have the responsibility of honoring their ancestors; great heroes are immortalized by the collective memory of all.

Inish Gods

Like the Vesten, the Inish believe that memory is immortality. The greatest dead heroes are elevated in Inismore to the status of gods. The Inish honor their gods, the gods don't cause trouble, and everyone considers this a good deal. The Goodly Folke are not gods, but might as well be, so show respect.

The Highland Marches and Avalon used to share similar beliefs; they are mostly supplanted by Objectionism in the Highlands and by the CoA in Avalon. A minority of Avalonians still hold to these "Old Ways."

Glamour Isles Druidism

Druids are wise and pious people, and know well the rites to please the gods, but aren't consecrated priests. They are mystics, seeking enlightenment. Druidism is more of a philosophy than a true religion, but its philosophy is somewhat at odds with Vaticine theology, so there are no known Church of the Prophets druids. They worship the old gods of Avalon and Inismore, and outsiders tend to believe that their religion and their philosophy are inseparable.

Atheism

This intellectual movement has picked up momentum from the very open support of Eisenfurst Nicolas Trague of Freiberg. (As I understand a few referents in the books) This hasn't yet gone so far as to deny the existence of Theus, but rather holds that He created the world and hasn't been back since. As a practical matter, God is dead.

Legion Worship

Rumors of Legion worship are far more common than its actual practice. Many educated Theans scoff at the notion these days.

Historical Religions

Ancient Numan Religion

Before the coming of the First Prophet, the peoples of the Numan Empire venerated a whole host of nature and ancestor spirits. These, in good Numan fashion, they arranged in neat hierarchies. The spirits at the tops of the hierarchies, who had the widest and most powerful dominions, were de facto gods.

Ancient Arete Religion

The civilized peoples who inhabited the Vodacce islands worshipped a pantheon of gods who embodied ideals such as Love and War.

Numan/Arete Syncretic Religion

When the Numans conquered the Arete, the two older faith systems merged. The Numan great spirits took on the aspect and coloring of the Arete gods; the lesser spirits were folded in as minor dieties, heroes, and so forth.



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