Religion in Pontifex
In this post I will attempt to outline my thoughts about the main religion behind the theocracy in Pontifex. I generally dislike pantheons whose deities are in fixed, unmalleable positions, like a deity being "the goddess of corn and wheat" or whatever. I just think its a little reductionist and silly to suggest that an omnipotent being in the game world is real and can affect change on the fates of the characters, but only through the quality and quantity of their cereals. Rather, I prefer that the gods in a setting be more open to interpretation and omnipotent, such that they might figure more prominently in everyday life for the characters. I don't know. Perhaps I've been implementing agricultural harvests incorrectly in my campaigns this whole time.
The church is polytheistic in nature, but worships only 2 gods: the Silver Light and the Towering Iron. The Silver Light is, in essence, the spirit of the land. She is the goddess of the moon, harvest, charity, luck, duty, and generosity. Her scripture, often carved into iron tablets, details the necessity of all to remain faithful to their duties; farmers to farm and pay tribute to the Church, soldiers to die for the Light and the Iron. Her law also demands kindness and magnanimity, and that all should be generous with what is theirs.
The Towering Iron is more abstract. Rather than a god, It is more akin to a symbol worshipped as a god. The Iron represents the strength of faith as a tool; as iron is a tool of man, the Towering Iron wish that men use the Iron as a tool to reach towards the heavens, towards the Silver Light. The Iron is often considered to be the connection of mortals to the Light, or as the sword that cleaves through the darkness of heresy.
While I'm not entirely sure if I like it, listening to CONAN's new album really makes me want some wild shit to happen in this setting.
The church is polytheistic in nature, but worships only 2 gods: the Silver Light and the Towering Iron. The Silver Light is, in essence, the spirit of the land. She is the goddess of the moon, harvest, charity, luck, duty, and generosity. Her scripture, often carved into iron tablets, details the necessity of all to remain faithful to their duties; farmers to farm and pay tribute to the Church, soldiers to die for the Light and the Iron. Her law also demands kindness and magnanimity, and that all should be generous with what is theirs.
The Towering Iron is more abstract. Rather than a god, It is more akin to a symbol worshipped as a god. The Iron represents the strength of faith as a tool; as iron is a tool of man, the Towering Iron wish that men use the Iron as a tool to reach towards the heavens, towards the Silver Light. The Iron is often considered to be the connection of mortals to the Light, or as the sword that cleaves through the darkness of heresy.
A common icon of the church is an obelisk, half-bathed in moonlight. Common shrines include smaller obelisks or rough-hewn stone or iron rectangles stood up on end placed in open air, often near fields or empty plains. Generally, large altars are kept only within large cities with dense populations and an active temple. The altars themselves are never kept within doors; bringing a shrine to the Gods within the threshold of a house is considered sacrilege, the punishment for which is a hefty fine.
In addition to this lore, I want to be clear about the tone I intend for the Church to take on. Essentially, the Church and its enemies will hopefully be all morally gray. The Church may be authoritarian and restrictive, but it protects its subjects from harm and provides rewards for those who work for it. So while I might have given the Church a big-bad-scary-religion-is-dumb kind of feeling, I want to be clear that there is much wiggle room in terms of who is in the right and who is in the wrong in the arc of this setting. I'll just be working hard to include that sense of moral grayness in the lore of the setting, rather than having to waste space on an explanation like this.
In addition to this lore, I want to be clear about the tone I intend for the Church to take on. Essentially, the Church and its enemies will hopefully be all morally gray. The Church may be authoritarian and restrictive, but it protects its subjects from harm and provides rewards for those who work for it. So while I might have given the Church a big-bad-scary-religion-is-dumb kind of feeling, I want to be clear that there is much wiggle room in terms of who is in the right and who is in the wrong in the arc of this setting. I'll just be working hard to include that sense of moral grayness in the lore of the setting, rather than having to waste space on an explanation like this.
While I'm not entirely sure if I like it, listening to CONAN's new album really makes me want some wild shit to happen in this setting.
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