Faith in an Age of Fire
Hello Friends,
When the world is burning, faith might be the last refuge for the fearful heart- a safe harbor in a turbulent sea. This is certainly the case for the majority of Verdians, who look to the divine for safety and deliverance in a time where each new day might bring disaster. Whether in the towering cathedrals of the west, the woodland shrines of the east, or just the quiet of one’s home, rites of faith are performed across the land to calm the anxious heart and stoke the fires of righteousness. Without this solace, the grim reality of everyday life would simply be too much for some people.
Religion is a topic that has often received mixed treatment in fantasy. In some settings, it serves a largely mechanical role- existing to provide abilities or magic to characters. In others, religious institutions have significant societal influence- serving the public good, or the ambitions of high-ranking officials. In this post, I wanted to talk broadly about religion in the Verdian Tales Setting, and what role it serves in a world where humanity rests on the edge of annihilation.
But before I get into that, a sacrifice to the gods of administration. Here's an outline of what I am planning to upload in July:
July 6th: Southern Duskvolk Realm Guide- This will be the first realm guide set in the Osternrealm (the eastern land which once was the base of the Demor Kam Empire)! This has been an exciting one to write, since it’s just so different- barbarian tribes instead of kingdoms, polytheistic cults instead of a powerful monotheistic church, etc. Keep an eye out!
July 13th: Legend of Emerlane's Folly, “Sami’s War”- War has come to the town of Emerlane, and as the town prepares its defenses the heroes must help deal with a series of paranormal events. A plague of snakes, ghosts dealing with meddlesome necromancers- even the forest seems to have turned against the frontier town!
July 20th: Anabosis Chapter 4: Project TARSU- In this chapter, Emma kicks off her stay on the hermit world by reviewing Project TARSU. As the project concerns the teleportation of matter across great distances (at least as far as she understands), Emma is eager to interview the scientists responsible for what most would consider magic. But will she be able to get any information out of the project lead, who she discovers to be both condescending and dismissive? Read to find out!
July 27th: Blog Post- For next month’s blog post, I am thinking of discussing the Cryptstorm that hangs over Verd, depositing daemons all across the realm with bolts of destructive energy. This of course could change, but I think such a pivotal and setting-defining feature such as the Cryptstorm should have a dedicated post.
In discussing religion, I guess a good place to start would be to say that in the Verdian Tales Universe, the existence of deities or spiritual entities is ‘semi-confirmed’. This is to say that while no pantheon or deity is confirmed to exist (though many would certainly disagree with that statement), SOME divine or supernatural intelligence or power DOES exist. Unexplainable events, seemingly of a paranormal or spiritual nature, happen with enough frequency to discount any notion saying otherwise.
This relative vagueness concerning the true nature of the divine is intentional, because I have found that being firmer often either becomes too binding from a setting sense, or too mechanical and gamey.
For example, in cases where one faith/pantheon/belief system is confirmed true in a setting or system, the full implications of what that would do to society is pretty tremendous. Think about it- if a god or spirit showed up one day and demonstrated that it was indeed all-powerful or all knowing, that would change the very foundations of civilization. Life would change to revolve around the will of this entity and whatever it wanted (sacrifices? temples? coffee?), and pretty much everything else would fall to the wayside.
On the other end of the spectrum, some settings/systems take a different approach, wherein the pantheon of deities that govern reality are ‘dulled’ to become less than omnipotent. In these cases (think standard D&D gods, etc.), deities are essentially reduced to very high-powered monsters (sometimes they are even given stat blocks). While this take is sometimes extended to say that there is some higher, unknowable entity that is above the gods, I’ve never really found it a very inspiring approach. Religion at that point is reduced to a game mechanic.
Furthermore, in these cases, religion becomes transactional. You want divine spells? Pray to your god and they will give them to you (unless they’re mad). If it worked like that, faith becomes a question of utility (should I follow X god to get Y power, or Q goddess to get R power?). At the end of the day, this kind of treatment seems to make one’s faith a hollow topic.
That being the case, I’ve decided to take the approach of ‘Something is out there, but we don’t know exactly what’. One might follow a specific creed or attend a certain church, but there is nothing definitively pointing to whether or not it is the right one. Some might claim that Event X or Miracle Y proves their faith to be the right one, but in reality, the question on the divine is, at present, left undefined.
So, what faiths are practiced on Verd in 316 CR?
The predominant religion in the west is the so-called “Universal'' Faith, which holds that the universe was created and is governed by a single deity, manifested in two aspects. Aspect number one is Erus, which embodies creativity. The second aspect is known as Mal. Mal is pride, and considered the source of suffering in the world. The Universal Faith holds that Erus and Mal seldomly interact directly with Verd or Verdians, however, instead allowing twelve intercessory Saints (and three ‘Tyrannies’) to shepherd humanity.
Within the Universal Faith, there is a sect (branded heretical by the overarching organization) called the Gallentine Church, whose adherents follow the teachings of one Frederick Gallent. Gallent, who was born and died before the Cataclysm, taught that both aspects, Erus and Mal, should be revered in equal measure, being two parts of one whole. Along with the Twelve Saints of Man, the Gallentines pay homage to the three 'Tyrannies’ (as they are called by the greater church) of Mal, which are Death, Plague, and Sorrow. As they are considered heretics, the Gallentines are secretive, scattered, and few in number.
In the Ostenrelm, the duskvolk follow what is called the Oaken Way. Descended from the pantheon worshiped by the Demor Kam, the Oaken Way holds that the world is populated by spirits who make their homes in natural places (streams, mountains, trees, etc.). Above these are the old gods of Demor Kam, who govern and have providence over major elements of the world (the seasons, weather, and the like).
Beyond this, it is hard to describe the Oaken Way in concrete terms, as each tribe has their own syncretic take on the faith. Superstitions are blended and change over time, and as a result the faith of one tribe might be nearly unrecognizable when compared to that of another. As a rule, however, the southern duskvolk who live in the Vaterwald tend to be more homogeneous in their religion (and are more true the old Demor Kam faith) than their nomadic cousins to the north.
Let me know what you think about this take on faith in a fantasy setting, and if you’ve come across any other systems setting that handle religion particularly well or in an interesting way. I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Best,
Eric
