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The religions of Balazar can be divided into two types: the indigenous hunting and gathering religion which has continued virtually unchanged since the neolithic First Age survivors of the Darkness, and the imported religions brought in by foreigners. These are the rival groups of Lightbringers or Lunar pantheons, plus a smattering of old Yelmalio worship.
The Hearth-Mother is an ancient and venerated figure in Balazaring myth and religion. It was she who kept a desperate band of frightened humans alive during the Great Darkness, nurturing them on her own hope and magic after the world died. She found a young mewling godlet alone in the wilds and raised him to be a great warrior with her three famous meals. This was Found-Child, also called simply the Hunter. They had one child here, named Votank, who populated this region with the tribespeople.
Hearth-Mother's worship is restricted to the women of the tribes. She is an idealized model for them and epitomizes their crafts. She is cited as the source of cooking, finding food, sewing, and treating wounds and illness, and so her worshippers are adroit at those skills. She teaches the women of the tribes the small magics that aid them in these tasks.
In general each clan has a single leading elder, called Grandmother, who is rather like a priestess or shaman. Elder women form a band of teachers and officials for women and are always treated with care and respect. However, when an elder feels herself to be too much of a burden to her family, she will often go off into the grasslands to die.
Votanki women usually gather about 60% of the daily food, except in Summer when it is about 45%, and Winter when it is about 15%. They also care for orphans and whelps.
The loyal dog is an old friend of the hunters. It is said that Brother Dog approached Found-Child during the Darkness and said he'd rather be a friend than food. The two became brothers and have served each other ever since. Worship of Brother Dog is open to men or women. The ceremonies are usually performed during Summer, which is sometimes called Dog-month, and is attended by young people and young animals both.
During the ceremony the spirit of Brother Dog appears and after worshippers sing a magical song everyone can speak one language for a while, whether it is dog-speech or people-speech. This song can be led by any council elder or holy person, and so there are actually many smaller Brother Dogs which appear on this holy day. Even within a clan there is often more than one Brother Dog.
To belong to the cult one must only promise to treat his own dogs as brothers (i.e., feed and heal them), to never willfully harm a domestic dog (while dogs promise never to attack a Balazaring), and to attend the ceremonies once every two years. At the ceremony the worshippers must worship Brother Dog, and must also bring some meat to feed the spirit visiting them. After the ceremony is over the participants eat the remainder of the sacrifice.
Votank is said to be a son of Hunter and Hearth-Mother by most people. He is an eponomous ancestor who defines the community and social order, and his worship follows the general pattern of Ancestor Worship in central Genertela.
Votank was wed to several different wives or mistresses, and founded a widespread batch of sons. Ancient accounts say there were 25, but only ten sons are now known. Each of these is credited as the founder of one of the clans. In any case, his descendants were numerous enough to name the region Votanki - a name which lasted until the coming of Balazar, and which is still used by the more traditional natives.
The cult of Balazar is basically a hero-cult. A foreigner, Balazar came to the region in the Second Age and made the land his own. He built the citadels, and left his children to care for them when he marched off with the True Golden Horde to plunder Dragon Pass. Like most participants in the Dragonkill War of 1120, Balazar was killed, but by thenl he had already performed many noteworthy deeds.
Balazar stole the sacred image of Entra the Sow Mother from dragons, and since then the spirit has allowed the citadels to raise those animals safely. He founded the dynasties that rule the three citadels, and so the nobles there, and many common people, trace their lineage to Balazar instead of (or in addition to) Votank. Balazar worshiped a deity named Tharkantus, all of whose worshipers apparently died during the Dragonkill.
Since Balazar worshipped Yelmalio, his followers do also. The cult of Yelmalio is strong at the citadels (though stronger at the two uncontrolled by the Lunars). Balazar is sometimes considered a subcult of Yelmalio.
Found-Child is the name for the Hunter god. It is primarily a masculine cult that follows the general pattern of Hunter cults throughout Glorantha.
There are several religions native to the region but which are not popular with humans at all and occasionally are overlooked. These include: Aldrya, Kyger Litor, Zorak Zoran, and Cacodemon.
This is the religion of the elves and their kin. They love their woods and trees and go to lengths to defend their most sacred groves and prevent dangers to wide expanses of woods, but they will not go into a frenzy over woodchopping or a small fire.
The upper hierarchy of this religion duplicates the hierarchy of the elves of the forest. These Aldryami are secreted away and would not show themselves to humans.
This is the basic troll religion. There is no set monolithic hierarchy among trolls of this region, though they all claim a similar origin and distantly common ancestry.
There are no set temples to this cult located here, but instead there are High Priestesses who carry sacred magical items for contacting the Higher Forces of their religion when necessary.
This is the common troll wargod, noted for his brutality, cruelty, and lust for destruction. Many trolls dislike or distrust the god, but there are humans who follow him.
Cacodemon is a monstrous chaos demon worshipped by troublesome or evil creatures.
Several foreign cults have found their way to Balazar, and are worshipped by foreigners, usually at the population centers. Details on these cults were originally printed in Cults of Prax.
Imported cults used here include Yelmalio, the Seven Mothers, and the Lightbringers.
The worship of Yelmalio was introduced in the Second Age, a period of revival among the cults of Fire and Light through Peloria, which overflowed into even the wilds of Balazar.
Balazar was the name of the hero who introduced the cult, and his hero-cult (mentioned previously) is considered indigenous to the region since he is worshipped nowhere else. He founded the noble families which have, ever since, provided heirs for the citadels of the land. The centre of power is at Elkoi where the High Priest of Yelmalio lives.
The cult of Yelmalio is a specialized cult of the nobles and citadel dwellers, though occasional Balazaring hunters also join it to gain the noble status implied by the religion. The temple itself is a very poor affair, lacking even a meditation tower.
Yelmalio is popular among the elves, too, who have their own high Priest hidden away someplace in their strongholds.
The religion of the Seven Mothers is the local representative of the Red Moon. It appears to offer much in return for little and makes friends with the poor and downtrodden. It is primarily found in the Elkoi region, and occasionally among Balazaring tribesmen and women from the western part of the land.
This group includes people from the Orlanth, Lankhor Mhy, Chalana Arroy, and Issaries cults. They all share a common temple in the city of Trilus and are considered friendly to its king.
It should be noted that Lightbringer members are all friends, but that their intercult relationship is informal at best. The Issaries Priest and Lord have lived here far longer than the rest and view the newcomers as potential trouble to their trading plans.
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