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Religion in Arthea

Introduction

The gods of ["Arthea"] are many, and are not invoked by their individual names. The gods have banded together into groups and their followers have formed cults for their collective worship, and these support various ethical standpoints or sections of society. It is to these cults that society looks for guidance and for aid.

Long before ["The Great Disaster"], the number of gods was growing; several powerful mortals had grown high enough in stature to challenge the very power of the old gods. Seizing the power of the mages, these mortals claimed immortality, and many then went further and proved their power by earning their place among the gods. These new gods always seemed to vie with the old gods, and with each other, for superiority, pushing one god aside for a few hundred years or more before being deposed by another god. The situation became intolerable for many of the gods, who went on to form groups to provide greater security for each other. The new gods eventually brought war, and the outer planes themselves became a battleground, until many were destroyed.

Only those gods who survived now have the right to call themselves true gods, and it is these survivors who control the outer planes. Also, the power of each god to intervene on the Prime Material plane was greatly depleted during the Great Disaster, and this joining together has helped each god maintain their influence to aid or subjugate mortals, depending on their alignments. The old grouping still continue, and have been picked up by societies of all the free races, who worship to these groups by using cult names provided by their deities.

Druids are a cleric class, they worship the ["Nature"] religion. They are subject to restrictions placed upon them by their church, and must pay tithes in the same way as standard clerics.

Tithing

Religious cults are supported financially by their members. Some cults apply their income to external projects which they sponsor as part of their missions; others use the money just to run the cult and are often accused of lining their own pockets. These donations are made by all, and are termed tithes.

Player characters that belong to a church organisation are expected to tithe 10% of their income to the church, but frequently magic users avoid these fees, as the cost of their own class is very high. Paladins and clerics are expected to do more that this, too.

Clerics are expected to tithe 30% - 50% (or more if there are worthy causes to support) of their income back to the church. Paladins and Monks are expected to tithe 90% of their income, but they are allowed to retain money to buy and maintain equipment and for any steed which is in their care. These figures seem high, but Clerics and Paladins never have to pay for their training, Monks only pay a nominal fee, and all these classes can rely on their church for accommodation and food if necessary.

A Summary of the Religious Cults

All clerics, unless noted in the particular description for their cult, have the power to turn undead. It should also be noted that even though some cults cover the neutral alignment, any truly neutral cleric must follow the cult of Nature.

The Cult of Danethrae

Membership alignment: Lawful good, lawful neutral, neutral good, neutral, chaotic good.

["Danethrae"] is the most Lawful and Good of all the major cults, supporting the knightly virtues of honour, truth, purity and humility. Clerics of the cult are mostly lawful-good but can also be lawful-neutral or neutral-good. The cult is also believed to be very wealthy, not through a need to covet money but because many clerics and paladins supply ample income for the groups wellbeing. Most of their wealth is applied to charity causes.

Membership of the cult is aimed at people of the above three alignments. True neutral and chaotic-good will also be accepted provided they conform to the viewpoint of the cult, at least on matters where the cult is involved. The cult had no penalties for not conforming to their wishes; they simply retract membership (a great dishonour to those involved).

Clerics of this cult are expected to fight to defend their beliefs against the works of evil. Warriors of all types who are members are expected to fight against evil wherever possible, openly attacking those who consort with evil if necessary. The cult's concept of evil refers mainly to chaotic-and-evil outlooks, although this does not mean that members can allow lawful evil acts to continue.

The Cult of ["Danethrae"] has a dwarfish section named the Cult of ["Thardanor"]. They teach the same principles and values as the mainstream cult in the dwarfish communities.

["Danethrae"] supports its own monasteries.

Cleric restrictions: Alignment: lawful good, lawful neutral, neutral good. Weapons: a choice of any bludgeoning weapons, shortbow, spear.

The Cult of Pendaroch

Membership alignment: Any non-evil.

["Pendaroch"] cult takes a more general stand that the Cult of ["Danethrae"], supporting more of a moral outlook than one of order or chaos. This means that clerics of the cult can be any of the good alignments, while membership is open to anyone of good or neutral alignments. The cult stands for the cause of goodness, preaching that all members should be honest, charitable and upright. If any step far from the track, the cult will usually try to re-educate rather than impose punishments. Their strongest course of action, expulsion from the cult, is very seldom used.

The clerics of the cult are expected to fight only in defence of themselves, defence of the innocent and those who cannot defend themselves, or in defence of the cult and its beliefs. Those clerics who involve themselves in violence for the sake of it quickly lose their spell capability.

Cleric restrictions: Alignment: lawful good, neutral good, chaotic good. Weapons: any bludgeoning weapons.

The Cult of Melas Uldonia

Membership alignment: any (provided they're elfish), non-evil for everyone else.

["Melas Uldonia"] is also known (in human and dwarfish circles at least) as the Cult of Elves. In elfish society religion has never played as big a role as it has for humans, but they still have need for their spiritual guidance. The cult is strongly linked with the cult of ["Nature"], but membership is closed to all but elves (and half elves, where they exist), and elf-like races (such as pixies, sprites, etc.). The cult also encourages use of magic among its people, and can supply some magic (wizard) spell of low level to its members.

Of course, membership is not compulsory among elves, and there are other elfish religions, but none as large or as organised as this cult. The elves, in general, find it difficult to devote themselves easily to a strict religion. Some are members of several cults, come are members of none. Elfish clerics, however, are of a special breed. It is usually known from an early age with elves that they are destined to join on of the cults as a preacher; it is almost as if this were decided before they were born. Even these elves, however, find it difficult to devote themselves completely, and usually have more than one class.

Because of the nature of the elf race, the Cult of ["Melas Uldonia"] has an unusual effect over some types of undead. Their clerics gain a bonus of +1 when attempting to turn all NONCOPOREAL undead, such as ghosts and spectres. Also these undead are at a penalty of -1 to any saving throws made against spells cast at them by these clerics.

The clerics of the cult must be of chaotic-good or neutral-good alignment, but membership is open to elves of any alignment, and to anyone else of good or neutral alignment that is of elf-like race. The cult's outlook is a very moral one, but does not place any emphasis on order or laws. It teaches all elves to respect individual freedom, but also to uphold the elfish homelands and those that dwell there.

Cleric restrictions: Race: elf only Alignment: neutral good or chaotic good. Weapons: Longsword, Longbow, any bludgeoning weapon.

The Cult of Anbartae

Membership alignment: any non-chaotic.

Clerics of ["Anbartae"] teach that order, organisation and society are the vital forces of the universe. Man does not create the orderly structure, but must conform to them. Strength can only come through unity, and a well ordered church is the first step along that path.

There is no dishonour for the clerics of this sect in taking up weapons and fighting for their cause, although the cult at times quibbles over the methods involved - some seek to impose order by force, others seek to move the powers of authority into making laws and rules which codify what everyone is allowed to do.

The cult of ["Anbartae"] are followers of lawfulness; they seek to impose order, and remove chaos wherever thy find it. Clerics of the cult may be any lawful alignment, and membership is open to any non-chaotic alignment.

["Anbartae"] supports its own monasteries.

Cleric restrictions: Alignment: lawful good, lawful neutral, lawful evil Weapons: Battle Axe, Light Crossbow, Dart, Footmans Flail, Footmans Mace, Hand Axe, Morning Star, Quarterstaff, Spear, Scimitar, Shortsword, Warhammer.

The Cult of Suldurn

Membership alignment: lawful evil, neutral evil, lawful neutral, neutral.

["Suldurn"] conforms to the belief that individual achievement and the imposition of order is the only way society can progress. It calls for the most able person to rule, rather than the best politicians - as talk wastes time, and very little ever gets done. A single decision maker is the quickest form of authority, and if that decision maker is the most powerful, then they are the least likely to have his decisions challenged.

Clerics of this cult tend to be arrogant and overbearing. They are usually filled with their own importance, and forever seek to increase their hold over their little empire by whatever means available, but without disrupting the order. It is very unusual for members to leave this cult. The hierarchs impose their own laws on their members, and if any step outside these laws, then the penalty of death usually follows. They do not always hold trials to argue a case of guilty.

Clerics are restricted to alignments of lawful evil and neutral evil, while members can also be of lawful neutral or neutral alignment.

["Suldurn"] supports its own monasteries.

Cleric restrictions: Alignment: lawful evil, neutral evil. Weapons: any bludgeoning weapons, short bow, light crossbow.

Ascheinar's Cult

Membership alignment: neutral good, chaotic good, chaotic neutral, neutral.

["Ascheinar's Cult"] is a conglomeration of cults which proliferated in Arthea before the fourteenth century. The cults were all good or chaotic in alignment, but had no formal order or organisation, until Ascheinar, the sage, poet and thinker, talked the cults into joining forces. Ascheinar lived from 1218 to 1307, and was born in ["Hebria"]. He spent the last forty years of his life talking to far flung cults from all corners of the realms. The cult he created from disunity was named after him when he died. The gods themselves were very pleased with his work, as an angelic host was said to have attended his burial.

The cult teaches that freedom is paramount, but that it should not stand in the way of benevolence. They uphold the rights of the individual, and have little use for laws and regulations.

Membership of this cult is open to anyone of neutral good, chaotic good chaotic neutral and neutral alignments, although clerics are restricted to neutral good and chaotic good. The cult spans many racial boundaries, having affiliated cults and members from all the free races, and seems particularly popular to the halflings living in human societies.

Clerical restrictions: Alignment: neutral good, chaotic good. Weapons: any bludgeoning weapons.

The Cult of Nature

The Cult of ["Nature"] is supported by druids. Druids are the clerics of the Cult of ["Nature"]; they can only be of neutral alignment, and are in line with the character class Druid from the players handbook. Membership of this cult is open to anyone of part-neutral alignment.

Chaos and Evil

There are a great many cults of chaotic evil alignment, but unfortunately they do not have enough backing from each other to form any large organisations. Instead they have small, disorganised groups, each working for their own ends. They wield an enormous amount of power between them, but without the support from organisations such as the Mathada Rebrecht, which often exploits them, they would have difficulty continuing their faiths. The cults are VERY dangerous, and almost totally unpredictable.

Detailed Cult Descriptions

The detailed descriptions of each cult can be found here:

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