Pantheon

Many have left and a few new faces have snuck in since Charon left.  Those few stoic bodies that have been there since the introductions have had their heads filled with semi-useful information and a greater understanding that they really don’t know squat.  In walks the next man to show them that their extensive knowledge of the world is a lot smaller than they thought. This one has nothing to distinguish him from any other mage and that in and of it self distinguishes him from the others that have come before.  This guy actually looks like a typical mage. Tall and thin with the wire rimed glasses the long flowing blue robe with stars on it and the staff with a clear crystal globe on top.

In a small unassuming voice he says, “Hello, my name is Lintherm.  I will be talking about the various religions that one can find in our fair valley.  If you do not wish to hear about the differences between Obsidious and Gaea, then I suggest you leave now.” 

He pauses for a moment as everyone shifts uncomfortably knowing that this façade of normalcy will give way to some strange foible that taints all the magi here.

After a discreet pause he continues on in a slightly louder voice so that those in the back of the room can finally hear what he is saying.

“First of all I will only be giving brief synopsis of the gods worshiped here.  For those of you who want more in-depth knowledge, I shall try and answer your questions or you can read my notes on the various religions I have here.  The information is of course not complete.  There is only so much knowledge one can gain outside of the priesthood.  And I cannot limit myself to anyone one religion otherwise I will not be able to learn about any of the others.”

“First of all there are four major religions and seven major gods.  These religions are the Followers of Gaea (also known as the Children of Gaea), the Universal Harmony Church, The Elemental Lords, and the lesser known Ogre god Assyir.”

“The Children of Gaea follow the will of the Goddess Gaea, whom they believe to be the mother of all creation.  They range from the common farmer to the mightiest troll.  They believe in all things natural and even natural disasters have their place.  They are extremely tolerant as a whole and the only thing they don’t tolerate are things that aren’t truly natural, such as summoned monsters.  They also take a dim view of anyone or anything that destroys natural resources without gaining some benefit for it.  If there were a natural monster that ate forests for breakfast they wouldn’t have a problem with it until it invaded their territory.  But you start one little forest fire...and they’ll hunt you for weeks.”

“Next is the Church of Universal Harmony.  They follow the teachings of the Goddess Tara, who teaches pacifism and kindness are the way.  I’m sure everyone in this room knows someone from this church, as it seems to be very popular.  You can recognize their priests anywhere as they always seem calm and serene.  And if they are nearby when a fight breaks out, they do what they can to stop it, even if it means calling upon the Goddess Tara to help them.  Of course just because that innkeeper believes in pacifism and kindness doesn’t stop him from hiring a dozen bruisers to stand between you and him as he charges you insanely high rates for a room for the night.”

“Now we come to the Elemental Lords of Creation.  Hmm.  How to best explain this?”  Lintherm frowns for a moment before continuing.  “In this religion there is not one, but four gods or in this case ‘Lords’.  Each ‘Lord’ corresponds to a different element and with each element they represent a different mindset.  First off there is Lord Obsidius, the Stone Lord.  Hard and impassive as a mountain, these followers tend to be rugged, quiet, wise and knowledgeable.  They also tend to be more defensive than offensive.  Next we come to Arilus, the Storm Lord.  Despite the name he is the Lord of the Air or Wind.  Not, wind, rain and lightning.  He is difficult to pin down and his followers tend to be...rather flighty and whimsical.  If you make a deal with one of his followers, don’t expect him to keep it very long.  His mind could and often does change quite literally with the wind.  Next is Solutious, the Lord of Liquids.  As the title states he is the god of all liquids from water to milk to ale.  Don’t ever get in a drinking contest with one of these priests you’ll lose period.  They are a force to be reckoned with.  And once they get going in one direction it take a huge effort to change their course, but don’t ever think you can stop them completely. Finally is Lord Enerius, the Lord of Energy, more commonly known as the Lord of Fire.  His followers are quite... enthusiastic and energetic and lots of other things.  Don’t bother telling them what to do because they do as they please.  So unless there is some possible amusement in it or you have similar aims, they won’t pay any attention to you.  Of course if you have similar aims you still won’t want to depend upon one these followers as similar is not that same, which means they are going to take a left turn on you somewhere.”

“Finally we come to the last...” Lintherm sighs as he realizes everyone except the priest of Obsidius has gone to sleep, but then it’s hard to tell with his type.  Lintherm reaches into a hidden pocket and produces a tiny bell.  He holds the bell up and rings it once.  The sound it makes is so small and high pitched it is barely audible, yet suddenly everyone in the room is wide-awake and staring.  Putting the bell down he continues, “We come to the last god, his name is Assyir, the Ogre God of Judgment, Battles, and a whole slew of other unknown things.  First of all, yes we all know ogres are stupid, with few exceptions, but that does not preclude them from having a valid religion.  Unfortunately they aren’t very forth coming so all that I have you’ll have to read my notes.  Are there any questions?”

***************

Q.       I heard that in the Gaean religion that Tara is the favored daughter of the Mother Gaea, is this true?
A.      Yes there is the story of the chosen one Tara who Gaea asked to go on a journey, most Gaean priests know the story by heart.

Q.      Is it the same Tara who is the Goddess of Harmony or is that a coincidence?
A.      No, it is exactly the same Tara.  In the Gaean religion she is known as the Saint of safe travel and miracles.  The Universal Harmony Church does not deny this they simply ignore it and any questions regarding it.

Q.      So are all the followers of Arilus thieves and the followers of Enerius insane?
A.      Mostly, but not all...

Q.      Which religion has the best healing abilities?
A.      During the spring and summer it is definitely the Gaeans, but their powers wax and wane with the seasons so it is difficult to say otherwise.

Q.      What about weapons restrictions?
A.      It varies with the religion.  The Harmony Church, for example, forbids any weapon whose primary use is to kill.  While the Elemental Lords often don't care and the Gaean church only allows weapons used for hunting and gathering or 'natural' weapons.

Q.      What are 'natural' weapons?
A.      Natural weapons are things like claws and beaks...normal pieces of an animal's anatomy like a bone or guts used to make slings.

Q.      Which is the most popular religion?
A.      Usually it is the Universal Harmony Church, but the Elemental Churches have been experiencing an influx of people in the recent past.

Q.      In a war between the gods, who would win?
A.      When I become a god, I’ll answer you then.

Q.      I heard there was another god out there?
A.      I don't know what you're talking about.  Have you been listening to old fables again?

Q.      None of the others could answer me.  So let's see if you can.  I want to know what is the reason for all of the problems we've been having lately I keep hearing of lots of recent heroic quests all of a sudden when they used to be incredibly rare.  Then there are all sorts of weird rumors flying around and now the war with the Orcs.  Do you know what is going on around here?
A.      Young lady.  Am I to understand that you think there is a common thread or something holding all of these random events together?  Well that’s nice.  Stop listening to old ogre’s tales and ask me a real question.

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