Religions
Church of the Flame – a religion from the distant land of Pintare, the Church of the Flame claims to have existed in one form or another since the very beginning of time, though no written record remains of the world before the Cataclysm. Trade with Pintare has spread this faith to the shores of Archos and the Troll Kingdoms, though conflict with the native religions has prevented them from moving much further inland.
The faithful of this religion believe that all power and magic in the world comes from their nameless god, called simply the Lord of Flames. They are taught that fire itself is the simplest form of magic – a magic anyone can learn, and that even the warmth of their bodies is the gift of fire from the divine. Their priests preach that the Lord of Flames has placed each and every person into their caste, and only his blessing can advance or reduce them. As a fire-worshiping faith, they also venerate the sun as the fire of their god.
Priests of the Church of the Flame tell their followers that other faiths and religions are simply pale shadows or misunderstandings of their own.
Church of the Trinity – a relatively young religion that first became popular among sailors crossing the treacherous waters of the Near Sea, this faith can be traced back at least as far as the Dark Age following the fall of Leistos. Since then it has spread to become one of the largest religions in the known world, counting almost a third of Archos’s population as believers and having churches as far away as the Free Cities of Pintare.
Adherents of this faith believe in a single god with three major aspects or representations – the Creator, the Destroyer, and the Guide. They believe it is the Creator that brings everyone into the world, the Guide who attempts to lead them down the path to their destiny, and the Destroyer who punishes them for straying, and ultimately ends everyone’s life at the appointed time. While the religion is Monotheistic, most believers pray to one aspect of the god or another depending on the nature of their supplication. Craftsmen often pray to the Creator for skill in their art, travelers to the Guide for safe passage and warriors to the Destroyer to strike down their enemies. Many of the priests prefer to assume the role of one of their God’s aspects, and their specific devotion can lead them to express their divine power differently.
The official dogma of the Church of the Trinity is that no other gods exist, and all other religions are false teachings, their miracles and holy men merely the servants of deceitful spirits – and potentially themselves duped. Many of the laity take a less hostile view of other religions, often thinking that the Trinity is simply the best and most powerful of a number of gods.
The Nord – one of the most ancient religions still widely practiced, the Nord is a polytheistic religion that venerates five primary deities and a small host of demigods serving each one. Most popular in the north, this religion evolved with the old clan system of Arkuz. Like that clan system, it emerged after the cataclysm of the old world and has declined somewhat since the fall of Leistos.
Each of the primary deities represents an element inseparable from life in the north, with Norric the cruel god of ice and cold, Eitne the chaotic god of the winds and herald of change, Shima the benevolent lord of the earth representing growth and life, Raer the demanding deity of fire and warmth, and the Unnamed – a treacherous god of magic, spirits, and deceit. Each of these gods is also associated with a direction, to which prayers for their aid or mercy are directed. Norric dwells in the far north, Raer in the south, Shima in the west, the Unnamed in the east, and Eitne moving as he wills between them. Most adherents of this faith pray to each of the five as the situation warrants, but choose one to worship above the others and venerate in their daily lives. Worshipers may call on Shima for a bountiful harvest or a strong child, sacrifice to Raer for respite from the cold or strength in battle, cry to the Unnamed for protection from magic or to conceal their shame, pray to Eitne to bless their new ventures or for a change of luck, or beg Norric to weaken their foes or grant them mercy from his terrible wrath. Few priests of the Nord venerate each god equally, most preferring to devote their lives to the worship of just one of the five.
Priests of the Nord preach a live and let live attitude toward most other religions, though they take exception to the monotheistic teachings of the Church of the Trinity, calling it an absurd blasphemy. The priests say that their own gods hold sway in their lands, but in foreign lands foreign gods may rule. Many priests of the Nord travel to spread their faith, though less now than in previous ages.
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