Religions

Dwarf

	"A Dwarf needs no god!"
      

Dwarfs have as much to do with gods and religion as they do with spell-craft, that is to say, not much. Their reactions to Human clerics range from mild disdain to amused tolerance, though they are certainly willing to benefit from the cleric's healing powers.

Elf

	"We are all star stuff!"
      

Elves, in their typical Elvish way, view Human religions as an amusing, useless exercise, an attempt to quantify the all-encompassing natural world as a collection of discreet parts. They are tolerant and generally respectful of Human beliefs, and have no problems dealing with clerics, aside from a tendency to engage them in long, circular arguments about the nature of the divine.

Halfling

	"So when's that next feast day, anyhow?"
      

When it comes to Human religion, Halflings are the most accepting demi-human race, with individuals ignoring or following various religious precepts as desired. Whereas Human religions have pretty much given up on the Elves and Dwarfs, the Halflings are a different matter, and the small race's willingness to accept Human beliefs has drawn the two races together.

Human

	"The One has a thousand faces. Choose."
      

The core of Human religion, both Hasuden and Toresden is The One, the ultimate, and ultimately unknowable, divine being. This being a rather unwieldy concept for the common man to accept as a religious belief, Human clerics have slowly divided The One's nature into hundreds, if not thousands, of aspects, each providing a palatable and meaningful basis of belief for a subset of humanity.

Hasuden aspects are focused on human behavior, culture and society: Justice, Honor, War, Cruelty, and Fate, for example. Toresden aspects are more concerned with the natural world, Wind, Night, Forest, Snow, and Storm. Various factions of human religions are associated (loosely) with differing alignments, and there are greater and lesser conflicts between factions, cults and orders.

Statues and minor shrines to the various aspects of The One can be found almost anywhere, homes, taverns, roadside shrines, aboard ship, or in the workplace. Of course there are also formal churches and temples, usually dedicated the the local ruler's favorite aspect. There are also monastic orders and wandering holy men dedicates to various aspects scattered across the civilized realms.

Agnia

	"If it bleeds, we can kill it"
	     -- Unknown priest of Agnia to King Kalig of Let
                   (shortly before the king was slain by a wild boar)
      

Agnia is a Toresden aspect of The One, known as the queen of the hunt. She represents the pursuit and slaying of wild things, for both good and evil. She is most often portrayed as an armored figure riding a giant boar and wielding a great bow. Clerics of Agnia are most common on the edges of civilization, and are often sought out to bless hunting parties and their weapons, particularly when hunting dangerous predators.

Clerics of the order seek to maintain the balance between nature and those that would exploit it, defending the natural order of life and death. Many clerics retreat into the wilds and live a hermits life, while others serve nobles as huntsmen or foresters. All clerics of Agnia wear her signs, a boar's head medallion and a boar spear tattoo, given during their rite of initiation.

Arking

	"Destruction is easy. Undoing destruction takes iron will."
	          -- Kalent of Plews, High Priestess of Arking
      

Arking is a Hasuden aspect of The One. His followers and devotees practice the arts of healing and restoration. They tend the needs of both the flesh and the earth, depending on their calling. The followers of Arking have a large monastery outside of Mosberg in South Gorsebonn.

Churla

	"Kings may rise and fall, but everyone must eat."
	          -- Lupa the Obscure, holy wanderer
      

Churla is the earth mother and queen of the harvest, a popular aspect of The One among Toresden farmers. Her statues, which are always carved from elm, can be found in almost every farmer's home and in many of their gathering places as well. Churla is honored during the fall harvest festival, when special breads are made and beers are brewed.

Churla is depicted as a plain-faced and stout woman dressed in commoner garb. She carries a great scythe over one shoulder, and is often shown seated on a pile of harvest bounty. In some degenerate villages Churla is also seen as a harbinger of winter and death. Among her followers, breaking a scythe blade is thought to bring seven seasons of bad luck.

Erlinga

	"We do what we must, not what we desire."
	          -- Soren, High Justicar of Erlinga after the Massacre at Dagmary
      

Erlinga is an aspect of The One, representing blind justice. She appears as a beheaded woman wearing a bloody tunic, holding a golden scepter in one hand, a lightning-edged sword in the other. Clerics of Erlinga pursue justice at any cost, particularly in cases involving personal loss or damage. They pursue their goals relentlessly, but the justice they dispense is fair and impartial, and their order requires they give all sides an opportunity to present their case.

Clerics of the order often take their vows seeking revenge for perceived personal wrongs, but through their training find the strength of will to restrain their baser instincts. Erlinga's holy symbol is a sword within a circle, draped with red cloth.

Fraykulga

	"Blood for Fraykulga! Aaaowwwww!"
	         -- Common Fraykulgan war cry
      

The evil god of war worshiped by many of the demi-human races, Fraykulga desires chaos and conflict above all other things. It is rumored that he grants his loyal followers berserk strength and poisonous curses for their weapons.

Fraykulga is depicted as a great beast-headed humanoid, often wolf-headed, but the depiction varies depending on race. He wears mail that burns and is often shown carrying a great axe.

Rados

      "The end is a beginning; the beginning an end."
                      -- Anonymous priest of Rados
      

The followers of Rados, also known as the Silent Ones, tend the dead and offer prayers for the grieving. The various orders of The One maintain their own burial grounds and graveyards, but the Silent Ones deal with the bodies, preparing them for burial or entombment, digging the graves and building the crypts, and standing silent vigil with grieving family and friends.

The Silent Ones hold that the dead return to the embrace of The One. Honoring their memory and remains brings honor to The One.

Rhehaab

      "Come on lads! We're stronger together than apart!"
             -- Common expression of unity used by clerics of Rhehaab
      

Rhehaab embodies the ideals of simple service, unified action, and community effort by the common man. He is commonly depicted as a stern but compassionate man of great stature, and usually rendered in the midst of some shared effort, like a barn raising or large harvest scene, but occasionally he appears in violent contexts, the stoning of criminals, mercy killings of plagued livestock, or leading peasant soldiery.

Rhehaab worship is tolerated by the nobility, but his priests are watched with a careful eye. In the past, priests of Rhehaab have incited uprisings against unfair lords, seeking justice for the common man.

Rhehaab's clerics wear one of his signs, a circular symbol depicting five clasped hands, or two hands trying to break a bundle of sticks.

Thesau

	"Before you do, know."
                                              -- unnamed follower of Thesau.
      

A Hasuden aspect of The One, devoted to scholarship and knowledge. This aspect is most often venerated by loremaster, sages and scribes.

Vostat

	"May the sun light your path, and the moon light your camp."
                                              -- common Vostat traveler's blessing.
      

Vostat is a guardian aspect of The One, popular among both the Hasuden and the Toresden. He is depicted as a mailed figure bearing a long spear and a shield marked with a golden spoked wheel. He is often shown stabbing or standing over a great cat. The golden wheel is his most common symbol.

Though he has no great temples or churches dedicated to his name, Vostat is a popular deity, and many folk, particularly traveling merchants, and bards, wear his golden wheel as a token of safe travel.