Religion in Adylheim

Religion doesn’t know boundaries in Adylheim: it interacts with daily life at every level. The fiefdoms all worship the same gods, but religious structures are not necessarily the same from fiefdom to fiefdom. There is no single dogma or cult that defines religion throughout the realm. Religion is a series of disparate gods being followed by different people.

For the most part, religion works on a tit-for-tat principle. In return for prayer and sacrifices in their honour, the Gods are often willing to grant their followers aid in small ways. It may not amount to anything more than a stroke of luck or a subtle nudge in the right direction. In truth, the Gods rarely reveal themselves to their followers except in the form of visions and dreams.

Without a doubt the most worshipped God in Adylheim is Gaern, as he is the one who secures the harvest. However, there is no follower of a god who does not occasionally ask for help from other gods. After all, why would one ask for the help of Gaern while trying to sell one’s grain? In such a situation most would ask Elron, the god of commerce, for help.

Priests are the main users of the Low Magic called Mantra; Their spells will vary somewhat from temple to temple, depending on the god being worshipped and the traditions of the temple itself, but all of them are impressive.

The Creation of the World

Main article: Creation Mythos

The corpses of the Chaos Giants, killed during the great rebellion of the Gods, were used to fashion such a thing as had never been seen before. Bones became great mountain ranges, their blood was the ocean, their skin the earth, and their hair the wild forests of old. Even Primus noticed that in the midst of Chaos they had created Order and he had never seen such a thing before. Only too late did he realize his error: creation was not a bauble but a prison. At its heart, trapped in eternal sleep was Primus himself. The first and the last of the Chaos Giants had been imprisoned, and his awesome chaos energies were used to create the order which became creation itself.

Gods of Adylheim

Main article: Gods of Adylheim

Luxor is the chief deity and the ruler of the gods, worshipped highly in the fiefdom of Arameia, which is ruled by the Prelate of Luxor. Gaern, however, as the god of the harvest, is the most widely worshipped of all the gods. Elron, the god of commerce, is greatly esteemed in marketplaces and shops throughout the realm. Libraries and universities, however, are usually dedicated to Eirwin, the god of knowledge. Travelers may pay respect to Adienna, the goddess of mysteries and doors, for protection and safe travel.

Religious Factions

Main article: Factions

The Priesthood of Luxor is perhaps the most well-known of religious factions: the High Priest of Luxor rules over Arameia in the position once occupied by the Emperor. By comparison, the Monks of Eirwin are a quiet sort, dedicated to books and language. And then there are groups such as the Paladins of Il'unno, sometimes called the Sleepwalkers, who have traded their own eyesight for glimpses of the future.

Mantra

Main article: Mantra

Mantra is the art of asking for divine intervention from the gods, usually through prayer or chanting. A spell of Mantra may take days to glean a response from the chosen deity, but sometimes the result is powerful indeed.