By Master Ulthir Malik, of the Brotherhood of Knowledge Submitted for addition to the Brotherhood’s library, a treatise on the holy orders of the gods To Mistriss Aerith, and Headmistress Ceal C’Twan, both of the Brotherhood of Knowledge. While performing the research for my previous letter, I came across a great deal of information on the worship of the various gods. Since some of it may be of some import to the potential supernatural menaces, I felt it prudent to forward it as well. I apologize for the scarcity of information in some areas, particularly that of the "evil" dieties, but it is difficult to infiltrate some of them. Eraen The most devout followers of Eraen tend to refer to themselves as Druids. Although they sometimes gather formally, it is usually to celebrate things such as harvest festivals and solstices instead of traditional gatherings. Followers of Eraen are common amongst the Elves and Shamani, and aside from the Humans it is rare for them to be of any other race. Virtually all worshippers of Eraen have a high respect for nature and life in general, and even those who eat meat rarely kill more than they need in order to provide for themselves and their families. Although typified as being one with the forests, followers of Eraen are one with nature itself. While the majority like the forests because of their beauty and variety of life, they are equally adept in mountains, deserts and swamps. The only places the Druids aren't comfortable is crowded cities, leading most to live in solitude or small groups. Most Druid homes are simple and often take advantage of natural features such as caves, large tree hollows and rock formations. Like their homes, the clothing of the Druids tends toward the natural, with leather or cloth robes being more common than the plate or chain that many of the other clerics tend to prefer. Fiera The followers of Fiera generally fit one of two stereotypes. Many are clerics in the classical sense, tending to a church, temple or shrine and tending to the spiritual needs of their flock. However, even these clerics have the inner fire of the holy warriors and are as adept with a mace and shield as they are with a prayerbook. Followers of Fiera are most common amongst the Humans and the Thordoth, although they have many followers in almost every race except for the Dark Elves and the Undead. Even amongst the Humans Fiera isn't the most common god worshipped, typically her followers are small sects within a greater population. Some cities exist with her as their patron god, but these tend to be smaller cities and villages in areas that have seen war. The most common image of a follower of Fiera though is that of the Paladins - a battle-hardened knight with the faith of a cleric. These holy warriors are well known across the world as a force to be reckoned with. Unlike the Paladins of Sond, the Paladins of Fiera are typically used either as search and rescue units or to retake captured cities, castles and outposts. Most Fierans fight for justice and rarely initiate combat, although it is getting increasingly common as time goes by. The major exception is raids against undead-held territory, where they actively initate combat alongside Sondite and Garguthian allies. Typical garb for a Fieran Knight is steel plate or chainmail with red, orange or yellow tabards. White and black tabards are somewhat common, but these will have flames embroidered into them. Many further decorate their armor with stylized flames, etching or laquering their armor with fire effects. Like their goddess, followers of Fiera tend towards a more martial worship, leaning more towards battlefield ceremonies, prayers and fasting before combat and asking her to judge the fallen. Extensive litanies are sung before the day of a major battle, and it is not uncommon for the devout to spend several hours praying together for strength, wisdom and courage before entering combat. Prayer vigils are often held in full armor, although wearing a helm or holding weapons (sheathed is acceptable) is frowned upon during a ceremony. Fierans rarely pray for assistance, knowing that their goddess wants them to be self-reliant, although it is not uncommon for a knight to be given a blessing before entering the field. Among the Thordoth Fiera is the most common goddess worshipped - the heat provides vital life sustaining energy for their people. The traditional Fieran hostility towards followers of Isikil is all but gone among the Thordoth, with both sides seeing each other as a necessary parts of the greater whole. Garguth Despite Garguth being a neutral god and also despite the anti-undead dogma of his followers, followers of Garguth tend to be more understated about their faith than most. Most people are afraid of death, and so anyone that worships death directly is also feared. Contrary to the belief of many, the clerics of Garguth have no desire to see mortals killed before their time - but once dead they need to stay dead. In their view, death is simply a stage in the circle of life. Worshippers of Garguth are uncommon outside of the Nibelung, and their ceremonies are almost completely fixated on passing souls into the afterlife. Only larger cities have any concentration of Garguthians, other towns have small groups if any. Most ceremonies occur underground because the earth is sacred to Garguth, although many mistakenly associate it with the dark ceremonies of the evil gods. Like many of the other dieties, Garguth has a militant arm. The Knights of Garguth are more subdued than those of the other faiths, often weaing black laquered platemail with grey tabards. Because the followers of Garguth are aware that people are uncomfortable with them and emphasize this by adorning their armor with skulls, bones and other symbols of death. Despite their appearance, very rarely are they interested in killing mortals - as long as a person isn't working with Undead the Knights of Garguth are rarely interested in them. Occasionally they combat other threats as well, particularly the mongrels. Since some (although few) Dark Elves worship Garguth they tend not to draw the attention off the Garguth Knights. Many Thordoth also worship Garguth, but fixate on his role as the god of the earth. These Thordoth are usually much less removed from society than their counterparts in other races, and generally only have problems with the Silveenites amongst their people - even then it's more rivalry than outright hostility. Isikil Since Isikil tends to have mostly female worshippers, most of their clerics are as well. Like the Fierans, most Isikilites are extremely militant and most have at least rudimentary training in warfare. The most common worshippers of Isikil are the so-called "Dark Paladins". They wear dark (typically black or grey) laquered armor with blue detailing. They are predominately female, which leads many commanders to mistakenly underestimate them. This typically only happens once and is generally a painful learning experience that is not again repeated - typically because the former commander is killed by the Dark Paladins. The Dark Paladins rarely engage in battle as a whole unless it has some kind of significance to Isikil. Individuals often champion causes however, and it is not uncommon to see a Dark Paladin avenging some wrong set upon another. Because Isikil is the goddess of Vengeance, most of her followers avoid bringing harm to each other or engaging in acts of betrayal. On the whole, especially among the Dark Paladins, Isikilites show a high degree of respect towards each other and are very honorable when dealing with their own kind. The major weakness in evil is its tendency to fold in on itself, the Dark Paladins seek to further their cause and put it before the individual. Although the populace at large fears an assualt by the forces of Rend, the truly experienced military minds fear the order and tactical superiority of Isikil far more. There are also many worshippers of Isikil among the Thordoth, although they revere her as the goddess of Ice rather than the goddess of Vengeance. Typically only at odds with the Fierans, Isikilites among the Thordoth are generally decent people but they have a tendency to react even more violently than a normal Thordoth to acts of betrayal and treason. Mordekai The religious zealots of Mordekai rarely engage in what would be considered "organized" religion. Most worship of Mordekai is done either solitary or in small covens, hiding their practice behind a pretense of worshipping another while spreading fear through the local populace. High Priests of Mordekai tend to be less overt than the clerics of other dieties. Shunning the traditional, they typically only wear the trappings of their diety during rituals. While performing a ritual they generally wear heavy hooded robes with black stoles, while other worshippers wear robes with a black sash. The robes are less for ambience than secrecy - many followers of Mordekai hide their faith even from other practitioners. The only major exception to this is amongst the dark elves or undead, where the robes are still common but the hoods are typically lowered. Orn The Clerics of Orn are commonly also practitioners of magic, and tend to worship their books almost as much as the god himself. They are more often found in great libraries than churches although they still do all the tasks normally associated with the clergy. The clerics of Orn are also the reason the civilizations of the Humans and Elves are so well educated - countless schools, colleges and universities are found across the domains of these two races and almost all are led by the worshippers of Orn. Followers of Orn rarely take to the outside world unless it's a research trip or they are asked to provide support to someone else. They make excellent tour guides and are frequently knowlegeable about a variety of subjects. Many are also skilled in combat, although they tend towards magic and support rather than front-line fighting. Clerics of Orn tend towards plain woolen robes for practicality more than anything else. Most don't like wearing armor because it decreases their mobility and because they generally don't fight from the front lines. Robes tend to be simple undyed cloth or wool depending on the climate - since they spend more time inside than out they rarely need to dress to any particular weather. Rend Clerics of Rend are among the most feared in the world. Most Rendites desire to leave a path of devastation in their wake, and they rarely fail to achieve their goal. It is easy to mistake Clerics of Rend and Garguth - both typically wear blackened plate and adorn their armor with skulls and bones, although Rendites tend towards red tabards rather than grey. The place where they are easier to tell apart is their form of worship. While the followers of Garguth are stoic and avoid harming innocents, followers of Rend tend to be flamboyant and openly destructive. They also wield Necromancy as one of their primary weapons, corrupting the soul at the same time as their blades destroy the body. The Rendites frequently take to the battlefield, both in the attempt for conquest and for wanton destruction. When entering the field, they commonly also bring a legion of mindless and sentient undead, supplementing their forces with zombies created from their fallen opponents. Among the Mongrels this level of organization is less common - typically tribal shamans will lead a legion of Mongrels into combat wearing whatever materials they've managed to horde in previous battles. As with other followers of Rend the mongrels also bring forth undead, although they tend to have fewer sentient undead amongst their number. Many Dark Elves also worship Rend, these tend to form somewhat organized (if barbaric) cells which either train other cells or engage in attacks on other places. These groups usually include followers of other evil gods, particularly Isikil. Followers of Mordekai and Veil are considered too untrustworthy to use on missions. Risirr Although not explicitly illegal, worship of Risirr is considered evil by most "common, decent folk". As a result of this, the followers of Risirr have no organized religious organizations and usually claim to be agnostic rather than admitting who they follow. While not a religious organization in the traditional sense, the thieves' guilds in most major cities are often run by followers of Risirr. Other institutions, including gambling dens, brothels and many othere 'disreputable' businesses are also frequently run by followers of Risirr. Disciples of Risirr are frequently incredibly devout, praying over everything from the cut of the cards to the roll of the dice. Most attribute their luck to divine intervention, so when they're called upon to do something for Risirr most complete the task assigned with minimal questioning. Because they people they associate with know things about them, followers of Risirr will rarely betray confidences. This has less to do with honor than self-preservation. Silveen Although Silveen is among the most commonly worshipped goddesses, she is also one of the ones with the least organized following. Most of her clerics fall into the category of "Priest", spreading the word of her divine love throughout the world. Many of these Priests have some form of combat ability whether it be combat prayers, magic or melee combat skills in order to protect themselves while on the road, but fighting is always the last resort. Those who don't travel usually reside in large temples dedicated to Silveen, where beauty, love and understanding are the main qualities preached. Dozens of Priests hold countless ceremonies, most more resembling an elaborate party than religious observance. Some Thordoth also worship Silveen, although her disposition doesn't fit the harsh and pragmatic dogma the Throdoth live by. This is especially pronounced amongst those who worship Garguth, who frequently see her as an annoyance. Sond Among the Elves and Humans Sond is the most commonly worshipped. Temples and shrines exist to him in virtually every city, and most cities have a standing body of clerics who watch over the temples and the people who worship in them. Outside the normal orders of the churches lies a vast system of Holy Knights and Paladins. Dozens of Knightly Orders exist who claim Sond as their patron god, and the Paladins of Sond are one of the most recognizable forces in the known world. In the Knightly Orders, honor, compassion and valor are considered the primary traits desired in all people. The militant among the followers of Sond are usually deployed in many related occupations, most town guard, military leaders (even outside holy orders) and police are followers of Sond. Outside the larger cities, smaller bands of Sondites also act as wandering bands who right wrongs wherever they come across them. Many gather a following of others in their travels - people they've rescued, support personnel and families - and many Sondite-led bands grow to sizes that rival the armies of even many larger cities. Holy Knights also frequently engage in Crusades, attempting to push back the ranks of Mongrels, Undead and Dark Elves from "civilized" territories. These conflicts often become bloody wars and the Sondites are frequently joined by the forces of Fiera and Garguth. Typical uniform for a Knight of Sond is well-polished steel platemail with a white tabard emblazoned with a red, gold, orange or yellow sunburst. Many also have sunbursts etched into their armor, frequently inlaid with gold or bronze. Paladins typically wear gold tabards with a black or red sunburst. Veil Followers of Veil are even more secretive than those of Risirr. Although they have no official religious order, they frequently work with other followers of Veil in pulling off elaborate intrigues and plots. Very seldom will they meet in person, preferring to work through intermediaries, written communications and magic. Many are masters of disguise in addition to being able to hide their faith, and few know they are dealing with a cleric of Veil until they reveal themself. It is widely hypothesized that many key figures across the world are in reality followers of Veil, including several Torodan guild leaders, Thordoth tribal leaders and even Elven generals. Among the Dark Elves it is known that many important figures in the City of Night are disciples of Veil, although it is not known exactly why they have chosen to reveal themselves. The main salvation for the followers of good seems to be that for the moment at least, the followers of Veil plot against each other as much as anyone else. Conclusion Further investigation is required before any solid judgements can be made. Obviously, identifying agents of evil needs to be made a priority, especially if members of our own number are actually evil agents. It is widely thought the library of the City of Night is run by a worshipper of Veil, if this is true then the disciples of evil already have a huge advantage in extensive knowledge. Additional research is also needed in combating the Undead and Mongrel hordes, who present the most ready threat to us at this time. Respectfully Submitted, Ulthir Malik |