...and These Are Our Churches

1. ...and These Are Our Churches

   #1

   This thread is related to two thread
   
   "These are our Gods"
   http://www.rpgcitadel.com/guild/index.php?topic=627.0
   
   and
   
   "One Deity Fantasy"
   http://www.rpgcitadel.com/guild/index.php?topic=2004.0
   
   We have your gods, but only the merest mention of worship, priests, and temples. This thread is the correction for that oversight. I want you to list your priestly orders. How to the clerics or priests of your gods interact with each other, their deities, and other faiths. (i.e. make a group/ organization/ society listing for your religion).
   
   And at no extra charge, you can add other religious posts here. I want you describe your temples, holy places, or cathedrals. I want you to list your holy holidays. Bring it on.

2. The roles and duties of the Eshal priesthood

   #2

   The siblings of the Emperor:The High Priests and their roles
   
   The High Priests are next only to the Emperor himself in importance. Spawn of the Matriach,just like him,they are seen as being of almost divine orgin and are entrusted with the sacred task of appeasing the Gods of water.Once every 2 years,a great sacrifce is held,to thank the Gods for the divine favour they have blessed their daughter and her son,the Matriach and Emperor repsectively,with. There is no fixed date and the priests rely on dreams and visons to tell them when the Gods wish the sacrifice to be held and what they wish to be done by the Emperor.
   
   These arcane and confusing dreams are interpreted by the mysterious Cuada mystics that train the Priests in the ways of the Gods.The sacrifice is held in the courtyard of the vast temple known as the Abode of The Divine Ones and is presided over by the Emperor himself. Produce and precious objects collected from every part of the empire is offered before the massive statues that represent the Gods of Water,by the Emperor and the High Priests.A line of wretched slaves are then led to a massive granite enclosure housing massive Red sharks,so named for their dark red hides. The High Priests believe them to be the holy messengers of the Gods of Water. Thus,feeding the unfortunate slaves to these ravenous carnivores acknowledges the gifts the Gods have shown the Brave people.Carrying out this ritual of gratitude without fail ensures that the Eshal continue to prosper. Crops and livestock will be healthy and abundant and the War Chiefs will continue to smite the savages.
   
   But their duty does not end there. In addition to their religous and ceremonious functions,they also head the massive bureacracy that is responsible for governing and collecting tribute from the various lands of the empire.Each High Priest is in charge of his own domain. In ruling it,he is assisted by lesser priests that are the children of his many consorts and a War Chief,who with the aid of his warriors,puts down any native uprisings. The lesser priests in turn are responsible for overseeing the indidvidual Eshal colonies and villages.In this they are helped by the scribes,whom they recruit from among the brighter peasants. Thus,the High Priest is the Eshal equivalant of a duke.In addition to his lesser priests and scribes,he also has a large army of retainers and servants who have the task of taking care of his own personal holdings and a Cuada advisor,who in a non-official position,offers him advice on how to deal with some of the more complicated problems he may face. The presence of the Cuada appointment however,is resented by the warriors who see the Cuada as meddling salamanders.This has sometimes led to disagreements and differences of oppinion,between the High Priest and the War Chief.The only time the various High Priests congregate together,is during the great sacrifces.
   _________________

3. Church of The One

   #3

   The Priests of The One are shaman scholars, showing the way of The Spirit, The One to the people. They do not like being called a church, as history has shown that all churches eventually become organizations and dominant ones.
   
   The Priests and followers of The One - The Speakers - do not congregate in churches and temples. They meet where ever the Priest lives, usually in their garden or a barn (in inclement weather). Some Speakers live in places away from the clutter of daily existance. There they cultivate a peaceful ans asthetic atmosphere. Every speaker holds gatherings at convient times for their neighbors (early in the morning before they go to work, at noon after their central meal, after work... or once a week at a specific time). They ring a bell to call the followers. No one has to show up, but most do. Those that don't show up, the local speaker checks on them sometime later... just to make sure nothing is wrong.
   
   Speakers live a very simple life, with a minimum of distraction. They wear simple clothes and pull their hairback into a single braided tail. They are often supported by their community, but if that is the case, they do some work around the village to earn their keep.
   
   Many priests waunder, trying to divorce themselves of the material. These priests live off the charity of others or the occasional intinerate work.
   
   No matter the priest, they then try to pass the mysteries of the spirit on to others, in the forms of stories and riddles. They also provide advice on how best to achieve ones purpose, to work with the flow of cosmic forces/ spiritual energies, and to achieve happiness.
   
   There is no one central school of thought. In fact one of the tenents of the The One is that there IS NO ONE WAY. Those who have the calling are those who feel the duty to relearn the spirit. Priests are taught by other peer priests the fundementals of the One's message. They are taught paths for achieving oneness. (There is no one path for any journey.) They are also taught meditation, some oratory skills, and several classic passages and riddles to serve as the foundation of their understanding.
   
   There are no central authorities, just priests with more reputation and knowledge are revered and their wisdom listened to. Many of these priests live in communities of other priests in out of the way areas where the asthetic lifestyle can be maintained.
   
   There is some structure for the priests. There are five circles. To become a priest requires one to study under five different priests of the fifth circle (or greater) and be accepted by all of them. To be admitted to each circle requires the acceptance of five members of that circle. To become a member of the fourth circle, a member of the fifth circle must study under and be accepted by five members of the fourth. There are currently 23 members of the 1th circle thoughout the land. The names of the circles are simply fifth through first, to avoid any flowery distractions from the truth.
   
   
   
   Religious Listing
   http://www.rpgcitadel.com/guild/index.php?topic=2004.0&start=15

4. ...and These Are Our Churches

   #4

   The priests of Mammon dress very well indeed.Many priests take a vow of poverty-but not the priests and priestesses of Mammon. At the bottom are the vicars and vicaresses, who wear a robe of fine red cloth and a torc of silver around their necks. Every town where Mammon is worshipped will have one or two priests. The great cities have a male or female Bishop,who wears a robe of purple silk and a golden torc.And the very top rank, and there are only about twenty of them, are the Cardinals,who wear purple and red silken clothes and golden torcs with jewels set in them.
   
   The priests and those above them help people to set up farms and bisnesses in return for a monthly tithe to the Church.They also lend money at high rates of interest to those who worship other gods and goddesses.In their eyes, whilst they must do nothing to harm their flocks and thus their God, it is fine to extract large amounts of money from non-beleviers, providing it is not through outright theft/extortion.
   
   The smaller churches are relitivly plain, to stop non-believers robbing them,but the great cathedrals are wonderful to behold,with golden altars,stained glass windows,and pico-wood benches with soft pillows for those who kneel to pray. Most of the money goes to keep the Churches running. A beliver who steals from his or her Church, and that includes embezzelment at even the highest levels, is cut off from his/her God, who lets the priests at all ranks know of this through a dream.Such a person is excommunicated, will have bad luck in life in a myriad of small ways, and, it is beleaved, will go to Hell in the afterlife and their souls will wonder starving in a plane of cold for all eternity.
   
   A good worshipper, will have their own idea of Heaven awaiting them in their afterlife.Whilst those who serve Mammon do not want to die, they do not fear death as much as others because of their thoughts of a happy afterlife.
   
   When they die they are buried with a small coin in their mouth to pay their way into Heaven.Apart from that there are no treasures in their tombs, as it would mean that sooner or later the tombs would be robbed,and anyway, buried wealth is no good to the Church.

5. ...and These Are Our Churches

   #5

   Imperial Religion
   
   The Imperial religion is an old one, predating the founding of the Clans. It is an evolved form of the religion practiced by the ancient ancestors of the Imperials, an animistic spirituality that venerated the Earth's natural spirits. With the coming of the Emperor, the ancient proto-Imperials were introduced to the Gods of Heaven, demonstrably the most powerful spirits yet known, if they are not true gods.
   The Imperial religion is nearly as influential as the Authority itself. The priestly organizations of each god are all technically part of a semi-governmental organization called the Illustrious Heavenly Federation of the Priesthood, though it is generally simply called the Priesthood. The Priesthood meets every year to discuss matters of the faith in Assor-Hu at the Sublime Temple, the chief temple of the entire Empire. In theory, the Priesthood speaks for all of the Empire's priests. However, in practice, very few actual priests contribute to the Heavenly Meeting, as the concordance is called, and its edicts are enforced slowly, over the following months after the Meeting.
   Each god's Priesthood is autonomous, though all the gods are part of one pantheon/spiritual heirarchy/et cetera. Early in the Empire's history, the whole pantheon was worshipped as one, their reverence overseen by shaman-priests, but as the progress of society would have it, the temple societies split variously. The temples often vie for worshippers, but in the end, it is the worshipper who chooses their patron god. Generally, the common folk will offer prayers to gods and spirits that they know, and apply certain prayers for certain situations. A thief who wishes not to be seen might offer a verse to Invisible, the Fox Spirit, while a sailor may offer a prayer warding the anger of Ancient Deep. A merchant who needs speed calls to Forever Path, the God of the Road, and the soldier to the Arrows of Fire, the spirits of soldiery. Each God and Spirit has different aspects. Some of a God's aspects may also be considered Spirits on their own, while the less important ones are simply facets of a deity's personality. There is no set number of the amount of aspects that a deity may have; First Trickster, the ever-changing, has numberless aspects, and Green-Eyed Concubine, Goddess of Barbarian Women, has 107, while Ibis, the Measuring-Spirit, has but 2.
   
   The Gods of Heaven
   The Gods of Heaven are the Stars that shine in the sky, their auras blazing in the night-time roof of the Earth. Every star is a God, and every constellation, every comet and shooting star. The temples of Heaven's Gods double as observatories, with great sight-line pillars and relatively advanced telescopes; their priests are astronomers and mathmeticians, meticulously charting the wheeling of the holy Stars, constantly checking and rechecking the Star-charts for accuracy, noting each nova, naming each comet, predicting and planning for eclipses (which are days of ill luck and great religious fervor), and watching the phases of the Moon.
   
   Shining White
   The Unchallenged and Highest, The North Star
   Shining White is the sagely grandfather of all the Cosmos, who watches the grinding of the Wheel of Time with sad acceptance. He awoke the other Gods during the Time of Blinding Radiance. Shining White is sentimental and noble, and accepts Fate. He is a tall old man, and has long white hair. He wears a white robe and a jade necklace, and he carries a scepter. He often asks unanswerable questions and speaks wise aphorisms. His power is that of Time, History, Knowledge, and Stability. Shining White has 62 aspects.
   Shining White's priests wear ankle-length, pleated robes of white, with knee-length, silver surcoat, both unbelted. They wear necklaces of jade beads. They grow their hair long and tie it in a ponytail. They carry the Hwe'ja, the double-joined circle ('infinity' symbol) that is the emblem of Shining White. At holy rituals and celebrations, they wear gray skullcaps with a small jade finial on the top.
   
   The Glorious
   The Empress of Heaven, The Azure Star
   and HerTen-Million Daughters
   The Glorious is the most beautiful of all stars, the leader of a great river of milky stars, which are her Ten-Million Daughters. She is the wife of Sword Eagle. The Glorious is beautiful and voluptuous, quick and bold, but also vain and proud. She frequently gazes into her mirror, the Sea. She wears silk robes and is unshod, and adorns herself with jewels. She lines her eyes with kohl, and carries a fan. She loves herself and has a jealous heart. Her power is that of Selfish Love, Love of the Self, Beauty, Art, Female Power, and Female Sexuality. The Glorious has 84 aspects.
   Her Ten-Million Daughters are the countless stars that march behind the Glorious, and they are the only stars that the priests cannot count. They are slender and youthful. They seek to please others and each other. They have long dark hair and wear thin cotton robes and slippers. They each have missives from their lovers. The power of the Ten-Million Daughters is Selfless Love, Love of Another, Sisterhood, and Companionship.
   The Glorious and Her Ten-Million Daughters are worshipped together. All of their priesthood is female, and those specifically of The Glorious are also high-priced courtesans. Priestesses of The Glorious wear silk robes of red and violet that accentuate their curves and breasts. They decorate their eyes with kohl. They are always barefoot. In important rituals and festivals, they adorn their hair with lotus blossoms and jewels and wear circlets of silver. Priestesses of The Ten-Million Daughters retire at the age of 27. They wear only thin cotton robes and they wear slippers that muffle their footsteps. They wear bracelets of coral and anklets of jade beads. At rituals and festivals, they wear chokers of coral.
   
   (This is all I have finished for Imperial religion, right now, so here you go...)

6. ...and These Are Our Churches

   #6

   Actually, what I posted for These Are Our Gods (http://www.strolen.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=29368#29368) is the churchs' descriptions. Other than Stryfe, I haven't given much thought to any of the dieties as an entity, rather than as an element of a religion. So, with him in mind, let me elaborate more.
   
   The Church of Stryfe appeared on the religious "map" less than a century ago. Were it not for the rapid growth and popularity of this faith, it would be considered yet another Demon cult. Even some of the church's own literature referrs to Stryfe as a "Demon Lord." The church favours magic use, and has no qualms against some of the more ethically-challenged magic, such as necromancy or summoning. It is whispered by Stryfe's detractors--carefully, as it is said he can always hear his name--that the religious rites, and even the very buildings of the temples, are part of an elaborate scheme to summon Stryfe to the world of men. Those wise in the ways of magic, and those followers of the church, know this to be absurd--Stryfe would be a powerful enough entity to be able to project himself anywhere he pleases, and the (non-magical) rituals of the church have purely social uses.
   
   In many ways, the Church of Stryfe operates more like an organised crime ring than a religion. One of the base tenets of faith for them is "no one gets something for nothing." A result of this is that none of the members of the clergy assume their position and duties out of a sense of holy devotion or love of their faith. Rather, each one of them does so because he or she is getting something in return. Prayers often take the form of the "deals with God" that people make, e.g. "if you do X for me, I promise to do Y (or stop doing Z)." As a result, the Church of Stryfe loans money (at interest, of course), casts spells for a fee (including those where one would be hard-pressed to find a willing caster), acts as political sanctuaries, performs exorcisms, or hires its clergy out as consultants or for specialised tasks. These may be paid tasks, or for "favours" to be discussed later... and one never refuses the church when it asks you to return the "favour."
   
   There is no single home for the Church of Stryfe. It is not native to any land (but more common in southern Formour), and has no unifying single High Priest. Leadership of the church is by a council of Cardinals. Construction is currently underway, however, for a large cathedral in the Bizzannite city of Gnopolis, in the Darkmouth Emirate.
   
   
   Ranks within the church:
   
   Abbot: These are the caretakers of places of worship. In smaller communities, these may be one-room affairs. There are also Abbots assigned to wilderness outposts, for the use of travelling members of the church. Abbots don't typically have any "spiritual" duties.
   
   Deacon: Deacons fill many of the roles termed "priest" in other religions. Their main function is to lead worship services, and to be knowledgeable in all of the local affairs of the faith.
   
   Bishop: These the clergymen in charge of large churches, such as the cathedral project in Gnopolis, or have a specialised task within the church. Most of the mystically-altered Para-Daemons are of this rank.
   
   Priests: Little is known about the mysterious Priests of Stryfe. They are completely covered in white cloth--all skin is covered and draped. They are always found in groups of two to eight. They may sometimes be armed, with some sort of polearm, if anything, but usually are not obviously carrying weapons, and do not seem to be armoured. It is extraordinarily rare to hear one speak. Even striking one with a weapon does not cause them to cry out--but their retribution against their attacker is swift. The Priests seem to hold no function in the church, other than looking creepy. They answer only to the Cardinals, and some say, not even then, but only to Stryfe himself.
   
   Cardinals: Each Cardinal is assigned to a large geographic area. There are three assigned to Norditerre, four to Suditerre, and only one to Osterre, but this may change as the church continues to grow. The Cardinals meet once every five years, but keep in contact through letters. It is at these councils that the overall direction of the church is decided.

7. Vicean Church

   #7

   http://www.strolen.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=32553#32553
   
   The Vicean Church is one that expresses the mysteries of existance and explains the process of life and death and lifebeyond. While other churchs have "aims" and "goals", the Vicean church focuses on the soul and faith of its members and all peoples. After a few religious conflicts or magical pogroms, makes the Vicean Church very popular with people and governments.
   
   The Vicean Church structure is large and cumbersome, just like any church they wish to build. (It will be as big, domed, artistically interesting, and filled with symbolic windows and painting as possible.) While most will only see the lowly priest and his House of Diety. He will still be dressed in robes of a symbolic color based upon the time of the year, with a shaved head (or with a nearly shaved head with a peach fuzz of a holy Vicean Symbol of a X inscribed in a circle (X). Those in with larger Churches will see Bishops and their priests in their robes and such (soon to be a feature in every city or good sized town with pretenses of being important). Monestaries (holy communities) will be overseen by a Priestly-Monk overseeing laymen monks or Bishop-Monks, overseeing priestly monks and nuns. Each Dioceses will have an Arch-Bishop, each country to have two cardnials one to oversee the country's churches (seated cardinal) and one to work with the Vicean Council which discusses doctrine, new ideas, and runs the church overall. The Voice of the Diety is elected by the Cardinals Council (Cohort of Red) and is the main spiritual leader of the Church.
   
   Ritually, there are services of some degree every day of the week. Mostly are simply prayer meetings of the faithful, with the faithful talking about "right living" and their understanding of The Deity. Once a week there is a great ritual, with prayers, singing, and several lessons. Every few weeks there are Greater Rituals (required attendence to the faithful) in which greater mysteries (and astronomicaly important moments in the year) are celibrated with more prayers, about the same amount of singing, more lessons, and a church social afterwards. Remember that alms are asked for at every meeting to make sure the church can "do right" for its members and the whole church.
   
   In the Day to Day, priests assist members in "right living" which is much like being a good and lawful citizen in most places. They help people for working to be better, to do good without looking for reward, to help others who need help, and to have faith in the Diety's path of the world. For most Evil and hardship comes from not understanding the greater plan the Vicean Deity has laid out. One learns more from adversity than one does from benovolence. You just need to endure what has occured and realize that you don't need to understand things, just to endure. It is mostly a matter of attitude and acceptance of the world. You just need to have faith that you are doing "the right thing" and that the Vicean Diety will take you into the greater world. If you have done right by the world and played your part, you will exist in eternal paradise. Demons and Evil are created by not doing right actions. They will pull you away from the paradise if you have generated any and you are reborn to the world. If you were specifically bad, you may have a layover to be tortured by demons of your own creation.
   
   Note: The Vicean Diety is something of a mystery. Some say it is the primal god - the universal spark- that created all the other dieties and the rest of the universe. Some say that it is the God within all of us (with each of use being a shard of the primal god). The theology is thick with symbolism that each could be true, both could be true, and their may be more truths reachable through prayer and contemplation. There is no "personaification" of the Vicean Diety. They may call him All Father (and paint him as an elderly patriarch), but that is mostly because the Vicean Church comes from a patriarchial society. The "correct" way to do it is to paint the sun, not the sun in they sky (but that is commonly done), but the sun/ star in ones soul. Is it confusing. Yes. Of course this variability of faith allows the Viceans the most paths of good living.
   
   This is a big complex catholic-esk church without a martyed son. If one did show up they would sing his praises, incorporate his teachings into the convoluted mythology of the church, and go on to the main goal of the church... to have everyone in the world be a member, have everyone do right thinking, and make the world a better place for everyone...oh and of couse have a good Lifebeyond.

8. Mothon

   #8

   http://www.strolen.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=33225#33225
   
   This True Deity's worship is kept quiet and out of the public eye. Public Religions persacute Mothon worshipers and their strange powers.
   
   Wise Ones are simply people educated by other Wise Ones. There is no "central authority". They are taught the basic tenents of the universe, in addition to meditative techniques and how to keep their studies away from the public eyes. Once you have the basic wisdoms, members find themselves able to "alter reality" in serving Mothon's needs. This is clerical miracles rather than standard spells.
   
   New members of the church are recruited by other members of the church. After a period of "feeling out" the new member, the group decides to bring the new member in. The new member is taught the basic wisdom of Mothon. Each group collects the wisdom it can from its own member and from correspondence with other groups (usually coded).
   
   In short, they will function like a secret demon cult, hiding from the false conventional religions and the governments that are proped up by them.

9. Re: ...and These Are Our Churches

   #9

   This thread is closing. Alert, this thread is closing, please head towards the lifepods in an orderly fashion.
   
   These will be transfered as Society Posts and linked back to the appropriate Systems/ Religion post. If you have an idea for a religion, go post it up on version 2.0
   
   

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