The influence of religion has waxed and waned with considerable ado throughout the ages, but for the most part it has remained a personal pursuit, an individual worship which is characterized by occasional festivals and gatherings in honor of a particular deity.
Today we see numerous cults developing, each one purporting to worship a ‘new’ deity. Who or what these entities are is a mystery, but from historical evidence we can see that often enough they have been groups organized around the worship of powerful mortals who command much in the way of magic.
What are the deities? Another mystery. Priests and priestesses will tell you that they are true, individual entities, complete with personalities and the power to manifest in the form of humans or animals. Most of us suppose them to dwell in the realm of Kaelum, watching over the affairs of humans with keen interest, and using their powers to keep the world in a state of equilibrium.
All cultures have their own deities, as well as their own religions. Some Jeddan religions do not even recognize deities, but think of the world as taking care of itself, without the necessity of guiding hands.
This, then, is a look at our Old World Deities.
A Listing-
Adrian, God of Beauty, Art and Music
Sorcha, Goddess of War and Kinship
Lorcan, God of the Forge and Fine Metals
Nadia, Goddess of Sorcery
Sebastian, God of Magic
Ursula, Goddess of Death and Life
Tynan, God of the Seas, Lakes, and Weather
Ita, Goddess of Adventuring
Edana, Goddess of Hearth and Harvest
Kalahn, God of Luck
Maya, Goddess of the Elements
Morgan, God of Wisdom and Secrets
Adrian, God of Beauty, Art, and Music
Statues portray Adrian as tall and beautiful, with long, flowing black hair. He is a Masallan deity, brought to the Old World during the Masallan Expansion. He rules over all aspects of art, love, romance, and beauty, and is typically worshipped by bards, courtiers and courtesans, and artists of all types. He is prayed to often by those lost in the thralls of forlorn love, those wishing to seduce another, or those in search of creative inspiration.
His temples are typically built in High Masallan style, with tall spires, richly decorated balconies, and arched corridors. ***
Sorcha, Goddess of War and Kinship
A Tirané deity, Sorcha was brought with Tirané immigrants about two hundred years past. She has long, wildly curled fire-red hair, a lithe and sinuous build, and not only rules over war and the art of fighting, but the kinship and brotherhood felt by those who engage in life-threatening risks together.
She is prayed to by warriors and soldiers, swordsmasters and martial artists, and is invoked in a special ceremony which gives two people a unique, psychic connection.
Her temples range in style, but often are spacious and fitted with practice halls. ***
Lorcan, God of the Forge and Fine Metals
Portrayed in his sculptures as broad and powerfully built, with long brown curly hair and a full beard and mustache. The famous saying, "Lorcan’s Scar!" indicates a horrified amazement, and refers to the long scar said to travel from the left side of his face to the right lower side of his belly. He is the deity of smithwork, of weaponmaking, of mining and of working gemstones. Miners pray to him for safety in the tunnels, and weaponsmiths invoke his name to give their steel a fine, keen edge and flexible strength. He is an old deity of Masalla, and although he has a small and specialized following, he is well loved among those who work with the metals of the earth. His temples are often low stone buildings, well decorated with wrought iron, complete with smithies and forges. ***
With long chestnut hair and alluring violet eyes looking out from exquisite features that hint of seduction, Nadia makes a good subject for countless paintings.
Her temples are few, but are beautiful and Gothic Masallan in style. She rules over all of the darker magics, as well as illusion, seduction, and deceit. She gathers followers seeking power, and her priests and priestesses are usually accomplished mages or majae. She is an old Masallan deity, brought over during the Masallan Expansion. Those who hold her in esteem often conduct the worship of Nadia in secrecy, and what transpires in the inner circles of worship is little known.
Masallan history gives numerous instances when worship of Nadia was outlawed, and the same was true during the Goddard times here in the Old World. Queen Lillian, however, has permitted a temple to be raised in Aranor, and respects the wishes of those who prefer to worship the dark goddess. ***
Sebastian is an immensely popular deity, as he seems to project a charisma that reaches even to our own world. With brown hair and sparkling sea-green eyes, he makes for a dashing painting or statue, and with the new rise of magical practice, his name is often invoked.
All aspects of benign magic, from simple conjurations to powerful ritualistic magic, fall under his reign. The simple invocation of his name is said to aid in spell casting, and priests and priestesses are often sought for magical aid when all else fails. His temples are usually of white stone, bright and open, and it is not unusual for demonstrations of magic to be shown from the balconies. We also trace his origins back to Masalla. ***
Ursula, Goddess of Death and Life
Perhaps the darkest and most feared of all deities, Ursula is an old Masallan deity who rules over the cycle of life and death. Most utter her name only in the context of death, and it is well known that her kiss takes a person from this world.
But though not often recalled, it is true that she rules over the giving of life, as well, and controls not only diseases, but also healing and cures as well. Thus, many healers and necromancers worship her, and her name is often invoked near the time of death in a plead to stave it off.
Her statues and paintings portray a pale-skinned, raven-haired beauty with dark eyes and full crimson lips, and her temples are of various styles.
Ursula is one of the Great Deities of the peasants, who were thought to be the shapers of the world (this religious view contrasts with the sage’s conviction that the world was shaped by Great Wyrms). ***
Tynan, God of Seas, Lakes, and Weather
With high-towered temples often built on promontories, Tynan is a visible and well-known deity who has Lantrielle roots. He is portrayed in various guises, but is most often envisioned as a merman with a powerful build and sparkling blond curls. He rules over all to do with the sea, the winds, the storms, and the moving and still waters.
As one of the four Great Deities of the peasants, he is a familiar name to all, and is worshipped not only by the peasants, who pray to him for good weather, but by sailors, shipwrights, and fishermen as well. ***
The Cult of Ita emerged nearly two hundred years past in the New World, and was built up of people who were rejecting the established comfort of civilization and wished to live life to the fullest. Since her rise, adventuring has become a semi-respected profession, akin to being an explorer without the outside funding and set goals.
Considered a minor goddess, she is nevertheless popular, and her symbol is worn by those who make it a daily point to challenge themselves and suck the juices out of life. Her temples are often simply old buildings, outfitted with climbing walls, mazes, obstacle courses, and other setups for developing skills of agility and strength. In Aranor, her temples often give seminars and hold gatherings to teach people skills necessary for adventuring. ***
Edana, Goddess of Hearth and Harvest
Perhaps the most popular of all the deities, Edana is a familiar figure to all, with her cascading red curls and full, voluptuous figure. She is the most important of the peasant deities, and rules over the autumn harvest, the well-being of crops, the fertility of women and the safety of children, and the security of the home. Benign in nature, she is prayed to by a varied manner of folk for general goodness and abundance, and thus enjoys the worship of people of all means and positions.
Her temples are usually of rough-hewn stone, often with old-fashioned thatch roofs which are well kept by her priests and priestesses. She is of Tirané origin, but now enjoys worship on nearly all the known provinces. ***
For many years there were two Gods worshipped who ruled over luck. Jasper, now a lost god, kept his influence mostly upon gambling, while Kalahn spread his influence over all types of mundane matters. While still considered a minor deity, he is nevertheless quite popular, and is prayed to by folk of all walks – anyone who desires luck, in any matters from love to war to sailing.
His temples are beautiful pieces of architecture said to mimic the style of his ancestry, which is of a province unknown to us today. He was worshipped in Moraithe before he was brought to the Old World perhaps a hundred and fifty years ago.
With dark, beautiful skin and long, silken black hair, he makes for striking paintings or sculptures, and his temples are often filled with beautiful men and women who worship his passion for high living. ***
With her creamy chocolate skin, alluring dark eyes, and wild black braids, Maya could only be of Shavay origin. Originally worshipped by various of the tribes on the isle of Shavay, Maya was brought to Masalla by a number of Shavay people that traveled back with the explorers. She has been with us since those times, nearly five hundred years ago, and has become one of the most revered deities of all.
Maya rules over the lands, the creatures, the elements- some believe she is even the creator of Carador and all that lies within its realms. Maya encompasses the entire natural realm- stones and fire, wind, rain, and earth, forests and fields. It is because of her pure and wild influence that her temples are almost always outside in sacred places- a grove of ancient oaks, a circle of stones, a peninsula of coral reaching down to the curl of ocean waves. Maya’s presence can be felt almost anywhere and therefore those that follow her ways are numerous and widespread. ***
Morgan, God of Wisdom and Secrets
Those entwined in arcane researches, in quests to uncover the cure for lycanthropy, and in explorations of the forgotten and unknown -- people such as these pray to Morgan for guidance and clues to the knowledge they seek. Dark and mysterious, this old Masallan deity keeps the keys to all that is lost to antiquity and difficult to comprehend. Scholars and sages alike worship Morgan for his ability to lead the devout to the secrets behind the world's most elusive mysteries.
Morgan’s temples are places of vast information, some rivaling the most fantastic of public libraries in the sheer number of books they contain. They are also places that protect old and ancient secrets and rituals, tomes of magic and legendary lore. It is for such reasons that few are allowed past the common worship rooms. The priests and priestesses of Morgan are oft skilled in the arts of divination and are also highly learned individuals. Those who seek answers none can seem to provide are best directed to seek Morgan’s aid. ***
Religion is at a low point in its history, with a lesser degree of worship found throughout the population. Much of this may be due to the political upheaval of late, and there does seem to be a recent upsurgence of interest. True, temples still stand in all major cities, and sometimes in out-of-the-way places, and there are those who choose to devote their lives to a deity by becoming a priest or priestess. Celebrations are held, festivities abound – but minds seem, at least for the moment, to be fixed on more tangible aspects of the world.
In truth, the deities ask little of us – only for consideration in thought and speech, and perhaps the wearing of a symbol of faith. And there is little doubt that they grant boons to their worshippers, for prayers often come true, and priests and priestesses can create effects impossible even for mages or majae. My wager is that we will see religion grow in power and influence over the coming years, especially in a culture which rewards those who excel. And it is said, as well, that those who worship with great faith will find a place for themselves in the hall of their chosen deity after the arrival of death.
Rewards worth reaping, especially when so little must be sown.
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