No single religion or philosophy unites the Ark. Beliefs and practices vary from region to region, culture to culture, over time, and over different races and individuals.
The exiles tend to follow whatever gods they did before they arrived. Because of the timeless nature of Skinside, no young people grow up in any faith. Typically, each individual dwelling holds a shrine (ranging from a niche in a wall to an entire room) dedicated to whatever gods or powers the inhabitants hold dear. Dozens if not hundreds of deities, major and minor, have followers on the Ark. Most people keep their faith a private matter. A number are "atheists", in the sense that they do not believe in worshipping those that other people call "gods". Few doubt that such beings as "gods" exist, as there is too much evidence to the contrary. Some people maintain miniature shrines in the Throat, where offerings are left anonymously.
In Face, the three dominant temples are the ones devoted to the worship of Armaz, Daka, and the Ancient (who does not claim to be a god). Clerics of these three temples do hold services, though the ones of Daka are held secretly. They preach and proselytize and try to raise money and power for their respective faiths. Most people just ignore them, except when they need help or healing. The priests of Armaz will not knowingly aid any evil creature (unless s/he repents and atones), but will help anyone else in return for an appropriate donation and a day spent listening to a lecture on Armaz. The priests of Daka will help anyone for a price, but the price is often worse than the original problem. The priests of the Ancient will help loyal citizens of the Ark, for a fair price. ("Help" in this context usually means magic, though sometimes it means finding a home, or shelter from enemies, etc.)
The temples are called upon to dispose of the dead. Those who wish cremation usually go to the temple of Armaz. The Sworn (followers of the Ancient) usually get buried in crypts on the Underside, funerary rites overseen by a priest of the Ancient. The greater of the Sworn get raised from the dead if possible. The lesser may get raised as undead. Those who wish to be revived as undead creatures go to the temple of Daka.
Akadazia (the Interior, a.k.a. Dirtside)
Pelor (locally often called "Father Sun")
is probably the single most popular and influential god in Akadazia.
Other gods are also honored, but lack the organized temples of the priests
of Pelor.
Pelor worship
Priests of Pelor see their role as to improve the lives of Akadazians by unifying them all under the faith of Pelor. Most surface-dwellers give Pelor some honor for the Miracle of the New Sun, but only the urban Lakelanders tend to worship him as their sole deity. All followers of Pelor, no matter what race or tribe they come from, are enjoined to treat each other as kinfolk. In practice, siblings fight each other fairly viciously at times, but the priests of Pelor hope for better, eventually.
Generally, the priests hold services (songs, sermons, social gatherings/ charity work) at their temples on a regular basis, as well as doing "community outreach" work. They have schools for children, where they include a good dose of moral/religious education along with basic literacy, arithmetic, and history. They maintain hospitals and food kitchens at their temples.
A fairly ecletic bunch. They do not have a centralized authority, but each dragon shrine or temple or cleric generally recognizes the others and treats them as allies. (Even if their alignments are opposed, or their patron deities are opposed, the clerics treat each other as colleagues.)
The ones at Goosetown have a special interest in the descendents of Eskrai, the silver dragon who was Lord Protector of Lakeland for a long time. Many of the nobility of Lakeland honor the dragon gods. Some join the dragon cults.
Others are scattered throughout Akadazia. They tend to believe that dragons are the highest forms of life, and that others can be reborn or become dragons if they work at it. Some hold that all sentient lifeforms were once dragons. (Shapechanging dragons cross-bred with all sorts of races to produce the ones we know today.)
Those who live and work on or by the lakes sometimes worship the dragon gods as weather gods, praying and making sacrifices to them for safety in storms, and for good weather.
These tend to be "country clerics", or "barefoot priests". They are not necessarily of the "cleric" class. They open themselves for signs and messages from the gods, all the gods, or some of them (each priest may have different gods they believe in.) Some focus on one aspect of life, and devote themselves to understanding the divine forces that work on that aspect. Some specialize in weather, for example, or smithcraft. Some try to placate the evil gods, to keep bad things from happening to the people. Among the tribal peoples of the Storm Plains and the jungles, they are often called "shamans", and are also responsible for propitiating any powerful non-divine supernatural creatures that inhabit the area.
The country clerics associated with specific towns or villages are usually responsible for educating the children in the ways of their people (including basic literacy and arithmetic). They are often also the healer, and sometimes the midwife, depending on how small the village is. They bless births, marriages, deaths, hunts, crops, herds, openings and closings (of shops, businesses, buildings, etc.), avert curses, read omens, and so on.
"Barefoot priest" usually refers to a solitary priest, a hermit or a nomad,
usually a mendicant. Some are welcomed, some are feared. Many are considered
insane. They come from any of the intelligent races found on Akadazia.
Most are not associated with any temple or organization, though a few are.
Odd temples and monasteries may be tucked away in obscure corners of
Akadazia. Some were founded by Exiles seeking religious freedom in a new
land.
Other gods
Individual clerics of other gods also exist. Often they are trying to start up their own cults, but so far, none has had much success. Many people pray, at one time or another, to the other gods.
Olidammara approves of "recycling", so there are second-hand shops/pawn shops/fences here and there (and Skinside, too) operated in his name. Olidammara is said to live partly in the future, and have a special knowledge of time, so clockmakers often use representations of him. Vinyards often have a small shrine/niche dedicated to him, for luck with the grapes. Illicit lovers pledge their love with gifts wrapped in silk cord tied in "the Mara's knot".
"The voice of the voiceless."
Druids in Akadazia generally promote diversity of life. Balance. They favor the living over the undead or constructs. They tend not to worship the gods. The gods have too many desires, which interferes with the natural process. Even "nature gods" are unnatural. They are a danger to mortal life, which can be fragile. Some do hold Obad-Hai as an ally, or even as a patron deity, but they are in the minority. Worshippers of Ehlonna are even rarer.
Druids are for hope. Druids are for possibility. Even evil druids hope that the cruelty of life can produce something of beauty. Cruelty shapes the speed of the gazelle. Cruelty sharpens the eye of the eagle. Death drives the flowering of life. Morality only restricts diversity. Why force "human" (or any other race's) values upon what is not human?
Country druids are common in Lakeland. They bless the crops and the animals, and work with farmers for solutions that do not involve the blind extermination of all "pests" and "varmints". They aim for "humane" conditions for both sentients and non-sentients (farm animals, and so on.) They warn about unintended consequences. It is the druid's duty to see the bigger picture, to extrapolate from small to large, from one farmer doing something to a hundred thousand farmers doing the same thing, from the present situation to the future. They explain about natural selection, and how using poison leads to poison-resistant rats and beetles. They explain the role of overcrowding in the spread of disease, and the dangers of cannibalism.
Another faction of druids (based near Godsdoor) is devoted to keeping the Interior free of the manipulation of Skinside. Not always successfully, but so far they have managed to keep the Skinsiders from enslaving Akadazia and stripping it of resources.
Some druids live in the remotest areas, learning the pathways of life that develop there. Others live in the tribal/forested areas, acting much like country druids, except for non-humans and non-halflings.
Cleric (and other "priest" type characters)
If you play a "foreign" cleric (i.e., one not native to the Ark), this file does not apply to you.
Actually, most "priests" are of the "expert" NPC class. "Monks" are often of the "expert" class, too. Priests vary widely in what roles they take and what duties they assume. This section lists some of the possibilities.
Roles of a priest:
Priests use all sorts of methods to fulfill their chosen duties. These include: sermons, entertainment (songs, dances, dramas, etc.), teaching the young, healing or feeding people, missionary work, earning money/fund raising, making sacrifices, advising those in power, seeking temporal power, fighting, etc.
"Monks" (in the general sense) refer to those who consciously detach themselves from the world, in favor of becoming closer to the divine. They often cloister themselves away from regular society. Because they give up things of the earth, they are usually celibate. Most lead strict, simple, regimented lives. Some are "monks" (as in the character class), some are "experts" (the NPC class).
The Monastery of the Left Hand holds monks of the monk (character class) tradition. These particular monks seek to achieve transcendence through self-perfection and discipline. They practice martial arts, gardening in stone, sculpture, calligraphy, meditation, and monotonous chants to the beat of the wooden fish. They do not worship gods, as they hold that the gods were once mortals like themselves. They do honor some gods as good examples, and seek to become like them someday. Enlightenment may strike at any moment. They welcome monks of any race that has the patience and the will to join them. About half are human.
The Throat (the tunnel between Skinside and Dirtside) holds enigmatic hermits who sit in small alcoves or niches up on the walls. Some have not moved in years. They do not speak. If provoked, they may retaliate, some with surprising strength. Most folk hold that it is bad luck to disturb a hermit of the Throat.
Underskin monasteries are rumored to exist. but are secretive and often dedicated to evil gods. At least one is devoted to Daka, the evil half of the dead god.
The biggest monastic tradition is associated with the cult of Pelor. Many of their temples also have monasteries nearby or as part of the temple complex. These monks are usually of the "expert" class. Rather than martial artists, they are scholars, calligraphers, illustrators, teachers, and the like. They often keep herb gardens, bee hives, bakeries, etc. Many monks (or nuns) are older folk: retired soldiers, widows, etc. Others are cripples (from birth, from injury, etc.) who have a hard time making a living otherwise. Yet others are younger children of the noble class who have little prospect of inheriting anything.
The Order of the Azure Palm is an order of monks that investigate the mysteries of the Dead God (the Ark). Part of their mission is to assist everyone live on it more harmoniously. Their main monastery is located on the western shores of Lake Yangul, at the point which they believe is the physical center of the Interior. Small chapterhouses may be found throughout Akadazia, with one located Skinside, in Face. Many of the monks are of the "monk" character class. They are mostly good-aligned. Many of them were left as infants on the doorstep of the monastery. The central monastery keeps a vinyard and a flock of sheep. Azure Palm cloth is known for its high quality. Once in awhile, a monk rebels against the strict rules and becomes a notorious drunkard, meat-eater, and gambler. They also occasionally take in outlaws who are trying to make a fresh start on life. (The abbot has an arrangement with the High Lord of Lakeland).
Skaurock Abbey is located in a rocky valley in the foothills of the Rimtooth Range between Air and Water. They support themselves with corn, squash, beans, potatoes, fruit trees, vegetable gardens, and a flock of goats. They sometimes trade cheese, jars of preserved fruit/jellies, cloth, fruit, paper and wood products, etc. to their neighbors. The monks aspire to a vegetarian diet, but supplement it with goatsmilk products. They also get wool from the goats for their homespun robes. The monks there are mainly of the monk character class, though some are of the "expert" NPC class. They aim to achieve immortality by perfecting the body. They do not worship any gods, holding that no one should worship anyone else, as each spirit is equal in potential. They are known for their herb-lore, colorful fish, tree-craft (including bonsai), mystical archers, sweeper monks. All races are found there, from humans to elves to wild (but atypical) orcs from the Storm Plains. Most monks come from the eastern lands (including the Godsdoor area).
Other monasteries may be tucked away in hidden corners of Akadazia, but little information is available at this time.
In this setting, divine magic, like arcane magic, draws its basic power from the spellcaster. Where the ability to use this power comes from depends on the character class. As a rule, anything whose effects depend on the level of the character (or can only be used by characters of high enough level) comes from the character. Non-level dependent miracles come from the gods. In rare cases, an attempt to channel positive or negative energy may actually channel the deity's energy or intent.
Copyright © January 14, 2003, Celeste Chang --- Revised ---
January 17, 2004
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