JADE - Gods of Jade
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The Three Gods of Men
Most common people of Gard worship the Three Gods. They will offer prayers (and possibly sacrifices) to Oban for luck and bountiful harvests, Mortus for protection from Undead and at Funerals and Mithras before battles or when making oaths.
One of the fundamental tenets of the Gardic religion is that Humans are really Greater Souls which dwell in the Celestial City with the Gods. They choose to be incarnated into Jade every now and then to test themselves and to learn moral lessons. They surrender all their knowledge and powers and enter the world as babes. When they die they take a number of years to digest their experiencs and gain the benefits of what they have learned. (about 1,000 years) During this time they remain linked to their mortal remains. If the body is destroyed (other than by slow natural decomposition) their time has been wasted. If the body becomes Undead, it is possessed by an evil spirit from the Shadowlands, the Greater Soul is forced into the Shadowlands in a much weakened state where it will be tormented and drained. If it ever escapes it will need many more mortal lifetimes to regain what has been lost. This goes some way to explain the Gardic pre-occupation with proper burial in well-protected crypts/graveyards.
One of the biggest threats to normal life are the Undead. There are many Necromancers and Daemon-worshippers who create Undead. Corpses not correctly buried will often become Undead even without them.
For the last 20 years the people of Gwyll have been required to offer at least lip service to the Three Gods but many continue to honour the Druids.
There are two distinct Orders of Oban Priest :-
The Fathers
Male priests, these are the common type of priest found in every Parish Church. It is the Fathers who officiate at most state ceremonies, Baptisms, Weddings, Coronations, Harvest Festivals etc.
Daughters of Mercy
Pacifist, healer nuns. Forbidden to take the life of any sentient being. Unable to refuse healing to any injured sentient being who requests it.
Their Healing Skill and Healing Spells always restore the maximum number of hit points. They are forbidden any armour and may use no sharp weapons.
Scourge of the Undead (Undeath is known as the ABOMINATION)
There are two distinct Orders of Mortus Priest but the Church of Mortus is a single administrative body. Although there are Warden Abbots in charge of large monasteries, the Inquisitors are an elite higher-ranking group with their own non-clerical troops. Priests of Mortus preside at all Funeral Services:-
The Inquisitors
Militant anti-necromancy detective/warriors. Lord Malik is the head of the Church of Mortus, Grand Inquisitor. The Inquisitors are feared by almost everyone. They are often considered to be Evil but they are fanatical in their work which is to prevent/destroy Undead. They are ever-vigilant in seeking out Necromancy and Daemon-worship as well as keeping an eye out for all forms of Heresy, Blasphemy and Deviation. Confessions are often extracted from suspects by torture.
The Wardens
Protectors of Tombs, Protectors of Knowledge. Library/Monasteries.
Priests of Mithras are split-class Paladin/Priests. They are a bit like Knights Templar (but Lawful Good). Unlike other split class characters they may split their experience any way they like. They start as either 1st Level Paladin/3rd Level Priest or 1st Level Priest/3rd Level Paladin. They do not get any spell-casting abilities for being Paladins, but they are Immune to Fear. The Mithraic Knights in Full Plate, mounted on plate-barded heavy warhorses are the most powerful troops in the world. Many (in fact most) Gardic noble families keep a shrine to Mithras and will be more than willing to offer hospitality to a Church Knight and his companions.
This is the worship of the Anima. A goddess thought to be the Mother of All. There are some differences between the Druidism of the Elves and that of the Gwyllic Humans. Elvish Druidism incorporates the need to protect and nurture the Faeries while Gwyll Druidism incorporates several beast-lords (Ideal versions of a particular species with both a beast and a humanoid form).
Dwarves all respect Durin. He represents the dwarvish virtues of Bravery, Strength, Revenge, Craftsmanhip and Honour.
See also ... Priests of Jade, Daemons of Jade
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