Religion In Glantri

The world of Glantri is full of gods. Cities are packed with temples, while even the smallest village has one or more shrines. Some puissant deities concern themselves with grand concepts, while others are little gods devoted to narrow circumstances or individual locales. All have the potential to empower priests to serve their interests.

Foremost among these gods is the Great Builder, whose worship is so common in the southern kingdoms. But the cosmopolitan streets of Glantri City are home to shrines of many other gods of Law and a handful of gods of the Balance. The Church of the Great Builder portrays the other gods as lesser entities — "saints", if you will — in His service; the priests of those gods often dispute such claims, claiming a coequal status within a broader pantheon.

The peoples of Glantri have an interesting relationship to religion. While most forms of religion may be practiced freely, the Princes have banned the use of priestly magics within Glantri's borders. In the absence of the obvious miracles such magics provide, religion is more a matter of faith than it might be elsewhere in the world.

A few shrines to the gods of Chaos can also be found in Glantri. Wizards have always sought power from Chaos, and wizardry is Glantri's national pastime. Moreover, in the wake of the civil war, Glantri's people have more cause than ever to appease the Chaos powers. And as the darker Chaos cults are illegal to begin with, their clerics have no cause to stint on their use of unholy magic, making it all the easier for them to win converts.

Not all gods are clearly and unequivocally associated with either Law or Chaos. Some appear to have multiple aspects, while others stand aside from the Law/Chaos axis. These mysteries are a matter for scholars rather than ordinary men, who care only for what they have to gain from the gods in the mortal world — and, perhaps, which gods they may expect to stand with at the turning of the Age.

Listed below are some of the more noteworthy deities propitiated in Glantri:

Gods of Law

The Builder

As per "Religion in the Black Peaks" below. The Builder is a major god in Darokin to the south, where Builder-worship has continued through the millennia since his priests aided the Thyatian Empire in overthrowing the power of the priest-kings of the Chaos gods.

Seff

A longtime lieutenant to Trianoma, Seff was there when the Thrice-Named hewed Glantri out of chaos, but has remained a wilful, foreign presence, her Spearmaidens not always seeing eye-to-eye with the established clergy. Seff has no congregations of her own, her followers called instead individually in visions. Her recruits can recite the litanies of her greatest servants, for example the Saint of Touraine, who had herself impaled by eleven spears in order to consecrate them. Five have been recovered and serve in the great Temple of Trianoma in Glantri City.

Theia of the Many Names

A goddess once worshipped in Glantri, but of dwindling repute due to the wizard-aristocracy's rejection of divine meddling within the lands under their rule.

Trianoma

Called "the Thrice-Named", Trianoma is the goddess of human law, the aristocracy and magic. She is generally worshiped by upper-class citizens, particularly magic-users. Many of the Princes provide special dispensation to their household priests allowing them to call upon Trianoma for priestly miracles.

Gods of Chaos

Balo the Jester

A minor, little-known figure in the Chaos pantheon. Balo is said to be the jester to the courts of Chaos, and to travel where he will through the multiverse without respect for the boundaries between Chaos and Law.

Hooded One, the

One of countless minor deities worshiped by Chaos cults. The Company of Crossed Swords was betrayed by Havelock, priest of the Hooded One, in the swamps south of Eastkeep. Hamish survived the ambush and took Havelock's magical relics for his own.

Old Ones, the

Even masters of the black arts shudder to speak of the Old Ones. Believed to predate even the forces of Chaos, the Old Ones — also called the Elder Things, the Outer Gods or the Other Gods — are eldritch beings of nameless dread, lurking beyond the veil of eternity until the stars are right to return. It is whispered that the family d'Ambreville made pacts with these terrible entities long ago.

Sword Princes, the

These strangely alluring deities are associated with blades. It is said that the prevalence of magical swords in the world, and the particular puissance of magical swords when compared to other enchanted weapons, can be laid at their feet. The best-known of the Sword Princes is the god Arioch.

Trickster, the

As per "Religion in the Black Peaks" below. Worship of the Trickster is generally considered to be less malign than the cults of the Old Ones, and it's said that some nobles worship this deity in semi-secret orgiastic rites. Others point to this as a sign of the Trickster-cult's subtlety and its insidious nature.

Tzeentch

A god of forbidden knowledge, to whom a shrine exists on the second dungeon level beneath the Chateau d'Ambreville.

Other Gods

Apromor

Known as "the Black God," Apromor holds power over destruction, death and decay. He is not inherently associated with Chaos, however, and in his benevolent aspect he aids in destroying those things which threaten humanity.

Boss, the

The entity known as "The Boss" was a mortal adventurer until Rainier d'Ivernesse turned him to stone. Since then a small cult has grown around him. The principles of the cult vary widely depending on who one asks, though they generally revolve around the concepts of self-aggrandizement and daredevil deeds.

Ha' Pacrapis

Some strange foreign god of medicine. Ha' Pacrapis doesn't have any sizable or noteworthy following in Glantri, and his temple in Corunglain is very small.

Myanar

A fertility god worshiped by Glantrian farmers since ancient times. He is propitiated both in two aspects: as the patron of agriculture and animal husbandry, and as the guardian of the wilderness and its savage denizens.

Pralix

Said to be the daughter of a forbidden Chaos deity, Pralix is a goddess of war, deception, and victory against overwhelming odds.

Sertraline

The goddess of spreading commerce, Sertraline is backed mostly by expensive commercial interests in the larger cities. Her symbol is a powerful horse bounding over a burning barrier.

Ululaya

Ululaya, the Scarlet Moon, is said to be a former Lady of Chaos who severed her ties with her kin and abandoned her place of power among the Chaos Planes to rule in the mortal world. Records indicate that she sent forth an avatar or champion to conquer the Isles of the Pearl during the Age of Chaos, establishing a realm that endured until the end of the Age of Chaos and the rise of Thyatis.

Wenta

An ancient goddess of agriculture worshipped in rural parts throughout the realm. She is considered a compatriot, less so a consort, to Myanar.

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