Religion in Arthea
Introduction
The gods of Arthea are many, and are no longer invoked by their individual names. The events of the The Great Disaster have broken the channels of power with the physical world to protect it. Now they bridge this void and deliver their power in the world by moving in groups, callng their followers to form cults and churches for their collective worship, which support the widest ethical and moral standpoints of society. It is to these cults that society looks for divine teaching, guidance and aid.
Long before The Great Disaster, the number of gods began to grow as powerful mortals rose high enough in stature to challenge the very power of the old gods. Seizing the power of the mages, these mortals claimed immortality, and some went further and earned their own place among the divine. These new gods brought a wilful arrogance and vied with the old gods and with each other for superiority, pushing one god aside for a few generations before themselves being deposed. The situation had repercussions, and The Great Disaster followed on from this strife. The new gods eventually brought war, and the outer planes themselves became a battleground, until many of them were destroyed.
After this time of strife, only those immortals who survived now had the right to call themselves true gods, and it is these survivors who now control the outer planes. The pathways the gods had used to project their power through to the Prime Materal plane were closed down. The power of each god to intervene on the mortal plane was greatly curtailed, and this joining together has helped each to maintain their influence to aid or subjugate mortals, depending on their will. The old grouping still continue, and have been echoed by societies of all the free races who worship these groups by using the collective names provided by their deities.
Clerical Classes
The standard Cleric class is the first of these classes. It has its own religious spell lists, its own benefits and its own restrictions defined by the game rules. There are additional specialisations that apply to clerics of each of the churches, and in this way they are distinct.
Druids are also a cleric class, and followers 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. The church of Nature is different in so many ways to the mainstream religions. Their godly power is not set among the outer planes, but tied deeply to the prime material plane. Nature, it has been argued, suffered the most in the Great Disaster, yet the church survives and the gods survive.
There are elements of the clerical class in others too, especially the Paladin and Monk classes, who are both subject to religious restrictions governed by their beliefs. Any class that uses spells from the Cleric or Druid spell lists can be considered a clerical class.
Tithing
The religious cults and churches are supported financially by their members. Some apply their income to external projects which they sponsor as part of their missions; others use the money just to run the organisation and, from time to time, some are accused of lining their own pockets. These tithe donations are made by all church members.
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, clerics and monks, however, are expected to contribute more.
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, for any steed which is in their care, and also exclude land incomes which are expected to be used to maintain estates, defences and settlements. These figures seem high, but Clerics and Paladins never have to pay for their training, and Monks only pay only a nominal fee. Clerics and clerical classes can rely on their church for accommodation and food if necessary.
A Summary of the Religious Cults and Churches
All clerics, unless noted in the particular description for their cult, have the power to turn undead. Even though some cults cover the neutral alignment, any truly neutral cleric must follow the Church of Nature.
The Church 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 well-being. 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 counterpart, the Cult of Thardanor. The association between the churches goes far beyond teaching the same principles and values. Even though the church organisations are not fully integrated, they are both representations of the same faith within their own racial communities. There are many examples of co-operation and shared teaching between them.
Danethrae supports its own monasteries.
Cleric restrictions:
Alignment: lawful good, lawful neutral, neutral good.
Domains available: Destruction, Good, Healing, Knowledge, Law, Protection, Strength, Sun, Travel, War.
Weapons: any simple weapon (except Dagger, Sickle, Longspear or any Crossbow), Shortbow, Flail, Light Hammer, Warhammer, Greatclub.
The Church of Pendaroch
Membership alignment: Any non-evil.
Pendaroch takes a general stand for the cause of Good, more so the other churches of Arthea, favouring a moral outlook more 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 church will usually try to re-educate the stumbling churchmember.
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 suffer consequences from their gods.
Cleric restrictions:
Alignment: lawful good, neutral good, chaotic good.
Domains available: Air, Earth, Fire, Good, Healing, Knowledge, Protection, Sun, Travel, Water.
Weapons: any weapons allowed by the class description.
The Church of Melas Uldonia
Membership alignment: any (provided they're elfish or half-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 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) spells 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, and some 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 or leader; 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 noncorporeal 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 (and half-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.
Domains available: Air, Animal, Earth, Fire, Good, Healing, Knowledge, Luck, Magic, Plant, Protection, Sun, Water.
Weapons: any simple weapon (except Crossbows) plus Longsword and Longbow.
The Church 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. It also provides services for Paladins and anti-Paladins, who are more alike than their names may suggest.
Cleric restrictions:
Alignment: lawful good, lawful neutral, lawful evil.
Domains available: Destruction, Evil, Good, Healing, Knowledge, Law, Protection, Strength, War.
Weapons: Battle Axe, Light Crossbow, Dart, Footman's Flail, Footman's Mace, Hand Axe, Morning Star, Quarterstaff, Spear, Scimitar, Shortsword, Warhammer.
The Church 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 - committee rule is a waste of time. 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 their 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 own little empire by whatever means available, but without disrupting the order. It is very unusual for members to leave this cult. The hierarchy impose their own laws on their members, and if any step outside these laws, then punishment swiftly follows.
Suldurn supports its own monasteries, and has its own branch of anti-paladin knights, much like those of Anbartae.
Cleric restrictions:
Alignment: lawful evil, neutral evil.
Domains available: Air, Death, Destruction, Earth, Evil, Fire, Knowledge, Law, Luck, Strength, Travel, War, Water.
Weapons: any simple weapon plus short bow.
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.
Domains available: Animal, Chaos, Destruction, Good, Healing, Luck, Protection, Strength, Sun, Travel, Trickery.
Weapons: any simple weapon.
The Church of Nature
The Church 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 church can be found here:
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