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The Temple of the All-Mother; A thread to discuss Whitespire's dominant religion
Topic Started: May 3 2014, 12:36 PM (168 Views)
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I've been doing a lot of work on the religion practiced by people in our setting. The dominant faith is a polytheistic religion centered around the worship of the "All-Mother" sun goddess and her children and companions. It is generally organized and considered a single faith; it would be strange for a person to strongly favor one deity to the exclusion of others and all members of the faith are expected to pay homage to the All-Mother.

We will add more mythology in time. I'm writing up some creation myths but I'll need help coming up with all the stuff that takes place after that. I'll add more on the various deities, doctrines and practices of this faith after people have responded to this post :) There are a lot of blanks we need your help to fill in! Other major religions will get their own threads, and you can even come up with your own. But to start us off, here is a description of the various forms of the All-Mother religion, as written in-character by a scholar:

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The current Temple has quite a storied history. Many of the deities worshiped in it are similar or identical to those in the High Elven pantheon. That religion was not heavily organized, with each deity having an independent cult with its own scriptures and much information being passed down orally or restricted to the priesthood. It also has a different creation myth.

When the Empire was expanding and taking Elven citadels it learned more about their religion and it was realized that the Elven and Rozettan religions were quite similar. The Emperor decided to create a new temple which would be organized and have a single holy book. Some old folk gods were effectively discarded and some uniquely elven and dwarven gods were incorporated into the new faith to draw in members of those races. Prophets from all the different races were recognized in this faith, as opposed to the Elven version where only Elven prophets were recognized. The dwarven concept of sainthood was also incorporated.

In time, what we now know as the Imperial Orthodox Temple started to incorporate worship of the Emperor as divine. This did not have a scriptural basis but did have some traditional one. It helped to ensure political unity and stability but with the fall of the Empire it became a problem: there was no single person to be the head of this Imperial Cult. As a compromise a High Priest position was created, said to be a person touched by the divine. This did little to prevent the coming schism and in fact exacerbated doctrinal disputes.

The last straw was when the Orthodox Temple refused to recognize any prophets from after the fall of the Empire. Over this, many temples outside of the Empire split off into what we now call the Reformed Temple of the All-Mother. The differences in rituals and doctrines are not particularly extreme, but it differs in rejecting all claims of divinity by mortals and recognizing prophets who have arisen since the Empire's fall, which has also caused scriptural differences. The structure of the religion is also different with each nation or country being led by a semi-autonomous High Priests, and the most senior or respected of these seen as the leader of the faith, the Patriarch or Matriarch, a “first among equals”.

Outside of the successor states in the South, the Orthodox ways are typically only followed by some catfolk, though they are seldom formally part of an Orthodox congregation.

There is also the New Elven Temple, which is a post-Imperial attempt by elves to reconcile the organized doctrines of the Orthodox and Reformed Temples with old Elven religion. They do not recognize any saints and do not have a religious leader, instead having independent cults with the leader of the All-Mother cult being the highest authority but having no formal power. They do recognize some new prophets but not the same ones as the Reformed Temple, though they do share the view that no mortal may be divine. They place little value on scripture and prefer more esoteric oral transmission. This temple is seen as heretical by the Orthodox one but the Reformed Temple simply does not recognize it and treats its members as heterodox members of its own faith, but not heretics.

With the expansion of the Faith of the Way and Gnomish animism as faiths, some syncretic faiths have appeared which mix these together. This is especially common among halflings, gnomes and catfolk. A few cultures even combine demon worship with that of the recognized deities, an unthinkable concept for a pious member of the temple.


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Here is the second draft of the Temple's creation myth, which is similar to that of several religions within this setting;

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All energy of the divine flows from the Great Nexus. This is where the mightiest of gods are born, but when they wish to create something of their own they must leave it and find a place to create. Here, the All-Mother and the All-Father met and fell in love, and they chose to find a new place to start a family. The two lovers left the Nexus for the darkness of Oblivion, tying themselves to the Nexus with divine energy and then pulling more of it into the empty firmament to craft their new realm.

With this energy they could create a fertile environment to begin their plans. Surrounded now by this unformed Aether, they made love. Soon the All-Mother birthed the stars and the seed of the world, but it was only a seed. Then they had their children; the many deities we worship today. These children nurtured the world-seed but it would not sprout without its roots in the divine. To give it such life All-Father sacrificed himself and now we see the remains of his corpse each night as the moon moves through the sky. His lover threw herself to the other end of the sky in grief and now we see her as the sun.

The grief of the All-Mother is no small thing, and from it the Outsiders emerged, looking upon her creations with covetous eyes. Now she must remain ever-vigilant to prevent their encroachment in her realm, so more responsibility was given to her children. They had to continue caring for the world-seed. Soon it sprouted and grew into the world, but it was empty and bare. Together they had to create the air, the sea and the land and form them into shape so that they could put the life they created somewhere.

In time, the children learned new skills under the watchful eye of their mother and each took on certain responsibilities. Others outside of their family also were drawn to the grandeur of our world and some were invited to stay. Today we recognize them as the companions, and though they are not born to the All-Mother they are worthy of worship as her friends. They are allies; and allies are needed because the Outsiders still seek to take advantage of creation, often posing as gods themselves to gain favor from mortals!

All peoples are a part of this creation and can help in the struggle against the Outsiders by showing piety and faith to the All-Mother and her children and friends. Though we may not all agree on the proper ways to do this it is important that we make our best efforts to do so, lest demons take all we have.


In my next post I will describe some ideas for the doctrine, rituals and ethics of this religion. In the meantime please feel free to discuss, critique and make suggestions about what I've already posted!
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Some people have asked about making cleric characters so it seems it's time to elaborate on more than just the doctrines of this religion. I will start by talking about the actual gods worshiped. The Temple of the All-Mother is a dominant force in the world of Whitespire, much as the Catholic Church long was in Europe. Most characters who are religious will likely follow some form of the All-Mother faith and the Reformed Temple is the most common in the region. So let's talk a little about how this will affect characters, both religious and otherwise.

First, let's clarify what the All-Mother is. To the people of this world she is inextricably linked with the sun. Most would hold that they are one and the same; the power and radiance of the sun is a result of it being the form which she takes. She is an incredibly powerful deity able to bend reality through will alone, but she is neither omnipotent or omniscient though she is as close to these as any known being. Her thought processes are sufficiently above mortals as to be incomprehensible; even to another deity she would be awe-inspiring. This is part of the reason she rarely intercedes on behalf of individual mortals, though they may pray to her often. She thinks on a large scale and acts on a large scale. The other reason is that even with all her power, stopping encroachments on her creation by Outsiders is a difficult job that requires most of her efforts and attention. It's also an activity for which mortals revere her and the Temple holds that the Cleansing was only possible with her intercession. Most prophets and oracles are attributed directly to her and not to other deities.

Most clergy within the temple are considered to have her as their patron rather than her children; they are trained in the rites and rituals of all the deities and as far as game mechanics go they can choose any domain and favored weapon that one of the "Children" has. Once this choice is made it is permanent. They are less specialized than clergy devoted to a particular cult but often find it easier to rise in the ranks of the Temple.

It is the All-Mother's children who are believed to exert more direct and smaller-scale influence on everyday life. Here is a list of them.


  • Kaela is eldest of the Children. She rules as her mother is too busy. She is fair and just but if she loses her patience her wrath can be terrible and destructive. Caela has an amicable relationship with her siblings but demands respect. Most everyone pays her homage. The Mistress of the Heavens, she is considered the deity of the sky, the weather, archery, storms, seasons and also of rulership and wisdom. She teaches that mortals ought to respect their elders and superiors, offer proper homage to the gods, and give praise to the sun each day, as well as to be reasonable in their dealings with others. Her domains are Air, Nobility, Sun, Weather and Void. Favored weapon is the longbow. Her holy symbol is a pair of stylized lightning bolts.
  • Silvan is the second oldest and much more reserved and reclusive than his elder sister. He is calm and even-keeled, but often indifferent to people. Worshiped by those who feel a close connection to nature. He loathes the undead. He teaches: "Protect nature from those who would abuse it, be kind to living things and protect them, do not take more than you need, and appreciate the natural world. Exercise humility before the grandeur of creation." His domains are Animal, Earth, Glory and Plant. His favored weapon is a Greatclub and his symbol is an acorn.
  • Amora was the next born. She is the goddess of love, fertility, sex, childbirth and children. As such she is fun-loving and hedonistic but she can also be capricious and demanding. She teaches kindness and charity and sacrifices are often made to her when one is troubled by matters of love or family. Her domains are Charm, Community, Liberation and Protection and her favored weapon is a Longsword. Her holy symbol may be either a stylized representation of a pregnant woman or a flower in bloom.
  • Thane is Amora's twin brother but his domain is quite the opposite. As the Keeper of Souls, Judge of the Dead and master of the Underworld where the Temple faithful believe all souls go after death he is quite an important deity. He may be worshiped out of fear or to ask that he show mercy to the souls of loved ones, as is traditionally done at funerals. Of course some also ask him to give them a little more time before they meet him but it's not clear if he ever does. Thane himself is a very serious sort as his job can be a rather nasty business. He is harsh but fair. His teachings? Treat death with due respect and do not disturb the dead. Never make a mockery of it. Live well so you can die well. Be pious to Thane's brothers and sisters. Necromancy should be performed only with the blessing of Thane. Humility is of paramount importance to him. His domains are Darkness, Death, Luck and Repose, his favored weapon is a Greataxe and his symbol is a skeletal arm wrapped in chains though a skull is sometimes used instead.
  • Undan was the next to be born. He was not worshiped by elves or by many dwarves until the Temple formally included him in the pantheon but is much more popular now, being a deity of life as well as of seas, rivers, storms, sailing and fishing. As his temper can be terrible sacrifices are regularly given to him. He teaches that mortals should take good care of themselves by being clean and hygienic, and that they should not waste water or the bounty of the sea, nor should they harm his sacred creatures, the most prominent of which is the dolphin. His domains are Destruction, Luck, Water and Weather, his favored weapon is the Trident and his holy symbol is a pair of fishes on a line.
  • Messina was born next, but she was not sure what to do with herself at first. She is a kind deity and protective of her faithful but at first was indifferent to them until Fabis (see below) advised her and she chose to take agriculture, life, healing and charity as her portfolio. She teaches "Help the sick and injured however you can, and never deliberately harm or them or allow them to be harmed. Be kind to your fellow living beings. Be respectful of the earth that sustains you. Work hard, for idleness is a sin. Do not abuse your fields. Help the sick and needy whenever you can and be charitable whenever you can afford to do so. Work together with your neighbors to build a strong community, be patient and kind". Her domains are Community, Earth, Healing and Plant, her favored weapon is the Flail and her symbol is a bushel of wheat.
  • Milo noticed that when his older sister started to help the people with their crops, they also began to fight over them. As a brash and bold god who believes in violence and conflict as a means to solve one's problems he decided to become the god of war. He sometimes even goes into mortal battles incognito, wielding his legendary spear. His siblings do not approve of this behavior. Milo teaches that we should always be brave in the face of danger and never be afraid to fight for what we believe in. His militaristic impulse is kept in check by other deities but he would favor combat as the solution to many problems. Cowardice is a grave sin to him. He believes in protecting one's comrades, dominating one's rivals and destroying one's enemies, and one who is not doing so is not living life to the fullest. There is a way to these things however and one should act with honor. He is disdainful of those who do not take good care of their body and thus values temperance. His domains are Destruction, Glory, Protection, Strength and War, his favored weapon is a Spear and his simple a mighty eagle clutching a spear in its talons.
  • Lyra is the Eternal Admirer: goddess of art, beauty, inspiration and all the things that come from them. originally she was worshipped primarily by elves but with the formation of the Temple was recognized as one of the Children. She is playful and pleasant if a bit excitable, but like all the gods she does desire sacrifices be made in her name. It is said she can make the saddest man happy and the happiest man sad. She teaches: "Be creative and let inspiration flow through you. Do not destroy art, but rather share it with the whole world. Struggle against any who would suppress your creativity. Remember to laugh and to enjoy life... sit down and relax now and then. Be kind to your fellow mortals. Beauty and art are gifts from the gods and creating such things honors them." Her symbol is usually a lyre but in other places may be a disc upon which a laughing and a frowning mask are encircled by flowers. Her domains are Artifice, Chaos, Charm, Luck and Trickery and her favored weapon is the Shortspear.
  • Mercas is the Divine Merchant; the god of commerce, enterprise, trade, exploration and travel. Any businessperson or merchant would do well to make frequent sacrifices to him. He teaches: "Be prompt and dependable. Buy and sell wisely, for commerce is the life's blood of a nation. There is a whole world out there and you would do well to see it. Keep an open mind but be wary of those who would trick you." His holy symbol is a disc depicting one hand dropping a spherical object into another, his domains are Artifice, Community, Fire, Luck and Travel and his favored weapon is the Quarterstaff.
  • Phila is the Divine Scholar; who loves to learn and to teach and to see people do the same. She is of course a very scholarly being as far as deities go. Magic, philosophy, language, writing and scholarship all are of interest to her. She teaches: "Never give up, never stop learning! You can always learn more and get better. Treat knowledge and magic alike with respect. Preserve knowledge, never destroy it. Anti-intellectualism is a sin. Patience is a virtue. Writing and literacy are a gift and should be spread. Knowledge must be preserved and ignoance must be fought." Her domains are Knowledge, Magic, Rune and Travel, her symbol is an open eye and her favored weapon is a light crossbow.
  • Fabis: When the people of the world struggled to build their civilizations, the Pantheon was not sure what to do. They knew how to craft worlds, but teaching mortals how to make things without divine power was more difficult. However the youngest of the children spent much time disguised among mortals as he tried to find his place in the universe and seemed to have a natural talent for it, and so this became his sphere of influence. His favored weapon is the Warhammer, his domains are Artifice, Fire, Earth and Knowledge and his holy symbol is a hammer and anvil. [needs more details!]


There are also three "Companions" who are not children of the All-Mother but have been invited into her family. Their worship is sanctioned but less common:


  • Euris is older than the Children, and knew the All-mother before she created our world, having met him in the Nexus where deities from different realms meet. When her children began to argue over what to do with the world she created she invited her old friend to join the pantheon as a mediator. Seeing the potential of her creation and her children he agreed to stay and help. Though he is not as mighty as the Children in sheer divine power he is deeply respected by all of them and they are quick to go to him for advice. Euris is the deity of law, justice, marriage and authority. He teaches mortals to obey and uphold the law, be respectful and faithful to one's spouse and to keep one's word and practice moderation and temperance. His domains are Community, Law, Nobility and Protection, his favored weapon is a heavy mace. [holy symbol]?
  • [Dreamgoddess] is a mysterious figure. Formerly an itinerant deity of intermediate power, Dreamgoddess wandered into our world out of curiosity. At first the Pantheon did not know what to do with her, but when they confronted her she told them all things even they did not know, of the past and of the future. Even the All-mother was impressed and allowed her a place in the Pantheon as an adviser and seer. When she speaks, only a fool does not listen. She is one of the least worshiped but most respected deities. Sometimes people will worship her out of fear if they do not understand something, so she became much more popular after the Cleansing. The Oracle of Oracles is the goddess of prophecy, time, and omens but also of madness and dreams. Her domains are Darkness, Madness, Magic, Rune and Void, her favored weapon is one's bare hands and her holy symbol is a stylized Raven, for they are her heralds.
  • Trico is a bit of a difficult character to pin down. This trickster god noticed there was no god for all the deceit and intrigue that is a part of mortal life and took on this role without asking permission. For ages the Children tried to catch him but he foiled them so many times that they decided to allow him to stay on the condition that he prevent mortals from turning to Outsiders to learn of the things that so interested him. He thus became the god of intrigue, vengeance and ambition. He is a cunning trickster, but he represents ambition without which any endeavor is doomed and is associated with change. He teaches: "You have to look out for number one! The world is a cruel and dangerous place so you must also be cruel and dangerous. Honor is a facade and law is a tool of oppression. When you see weakness, you should strike! Be cautious, but also be bold! Give out trust sparingly but value what allies you can gather. Loyalty is priceless. Never let a blow or insult go unanswered... but remember to be patient and wait for the right moment to strike. Cunning is a great virtue." His domains are Chaos, Darkness, Liberation and Trickery, his favored weapon is a dagger and his symbol is a fist clutching a downturned knife.


There are also saints and less important deities recognized by the temple but we'll get into those later. This is probably plenty of info to absorb right now and I'd like to give some time to allow people to help flesh these ones out and offer input. :D

Next time: The doctrines and ethics of the Temple. What do the faithful believe happens when they die? What is virtuous and what is sinful? Which beliefs are considered dogma and which are heretical, and how does the Temple deal with heretics? Stay tuned!
Edited by Loremaster, Jul 29 2014, 01:17 PM.
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Ok boys and girls, time for more of my rambling about this totally fictional religion in this totally fictional world! I'm going to put down what's in my notes. Feel free to comment on it and suggest changes. Nothing here is set in stone, it's just ideas I had. I have lots of ideas all the time. Sometimes it can be annoying, really. :P

First, a clarification I was asked for:

The Temple is all one faith. The deities mentioned above are considered a unified pantheon and a person generally would believe in all of them and in the course of life probably pay homage to all of them at some point. Some may be more popular than others and may be more important to people in different walks of life. However, even a person who for instance feels very close to Lyra would still pay homage to Kaela regularly, would still turn to Amora when faced with a matter of romance, and would offer sacrifice to Thane when a loved one died. The All-Mother is revered above all, and the Temple would view it as heresy to claim any deity is greater than her. Even clerics with a specific patron deity would be careful to note that their chosen deity is a personal favorite... it would be blasphemous for them to say that deity is better than her. This is one of the things that unifies the faith.

Another thing that holds the Temple together is organization. The Imperial Orthodox temple (which a character could certainly belong to but which holds far less sway in Whitespire) has a figure very much like what the Pope is to Catholics in real life. The Reformed Temple believes this is wrong, at least bordering on blasphemy. Instead, they have an organization more like the real life Eastern Orthodox churches: there are several powerful religious leaders (patriarchs or matriarchs) who are the highest authority over a large area. While the most senior among them (the one who has been in the clergy the longest) is considered the head of the whole faith, he or she does not have the authority to overrule specific actions of the other patriarchs/matriarchs. This senior patriarch could declare that another patriarch's behavior is incorrect but could typically not punish them for it except by telling everyone so. He is a "first among equals". To take greater action the patriarchs and matriarchs would need to meet in the Temple Council do decide the correct thing to do according to their faith.

Underneath the Council are something like bishops, who are appointed by Patriarchs and Matriarchs as sort of a go-between between them and everyone else. They're likely to be the highest religious authority in a given area. Whitespire would certainly have one for each city, large town or for whole provinces in more rural areas. Underneath these bishops would be high priests who run each temple, and they'd have priests of varying ranks under them. For gameplay purposes this is useful because it allows characters who play clerics to climb these ranks!

There are also probably a few mystery cults. These are societies that act out myths about the gods in private or perform special rituals and do not share these secret rites with outsiders. These would be sort of "in-groups" that would serve the RP purpose of affecting interactions with NPCs on adventures and possibly one's standing in the temple. Think of the effect of being in a fraternity or sorority in real life; it can be an "in" with people who are/were also part of that group.

Now, onto ethics!
What do the faithful temple-goers of Whitespire believe is right and wrong? As in real life there would probably be disagreement on these matters and people would probably have trouble avoiding "sinful" behaviors and being "good" all the time, but there's some agreements, certain things that they believe the gods want from them. A lot of those are pretty much outlined above. Since this is a unified faith, the ethics of one of the deities still apply to those who favor others. From this we get a few things:


  • Honor your family, elders and those of greater rank.
  • Honor and respect nature and practice humility before it. Don't waste stuff.
  • Do not be cowardly or craven.
  • Help your community; aid your neighbors and be charitable.
  • Exercise patience.
  • Perform charity; help the poor where you can and do not take advantage of the sick, disabled or infirm.
  • Work hard. Sitting around on your lazy butt is sinful.
  • Keep clean! Or try. It may be hard in a dark age sort of place.
  • Practice temperance (e.g. don't get shitfaced on a regular basis or shovel food into your face all day)
  • Respect the dead.
  • Protect and preserve knowledge.
  • Try to be nice to people...
  • ... but if they just can't seem to be nice back, maybe you should kick their ass.
  • Don't be a sucker.


Of course plenty of people ignore these rules, only pay lips service to them, or are hypocrites about them. That does happen. But these are the expectations of the faith. They may not be what people actually do but they're what the Temple says they are supposed to.

Another expectation is that people make sacrifices. People who never do so are probably be viewed negatively for it (which could be a good source of character conflict), because the gods are said to get upset if people do not make sacrifices to them. These could be something big and flashy... for a festival or something really important the people might kill a whole cow and burn part of it as an offering (they'd eat the rest since as mentioned above, wasting stuff is not cool according to the Temple). For an individual offering something much smaller would do. It could be specific to the deity; maybe someone would make a little doodle or sketch to offer to Lyra or they might offer some arrows to Kaela or the War God. It could also be specific to the person. A child who offered their favorite toy would expect to be heard by the gods. Obviously, the better off a person is the more they are expected to sacrifice. A homeless beggar could sacrifice literally anything and this would be considered a good offering while a rich merchant would have to give something really nice or it would be kind of an insult to the gods.

People may also go on pilgrimages to places significant to the faith, which I'll elaborate on at a later time.

Anyway, that seems like a good place to end this post now that I think about it. Next time we'll talk about some of the Temple's doctrines, rites and such!
Edited by Loremaster, May 28 2014, 08:18 PM.
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I have decided that once we have a site or wiki up I will go into more detail about the technical details of this faith. For now I am going to list off a few possible additions to the pantheon:

Lesser gods:


  • The God of wine, gambling and merriment. Domains are Chaos, Charm, Luck and Liberation and his favored weapon is a shortsword. He was found wandering the lands engaging in all sorts of pleasures with mortals and when the Pantheon saw how happy this made them they gave him a job.
  • The Messenger Goddess, also associated with athletics and competition. Her domains are Air, Knowledge, Liberation and Travel. Her favored weapon is the javelin. She was invited from the Nexus to quite literally be the gods' messenger.
  • The Serpent God of fire and renewal. This deity was found wandering the world, setting fire to things. When Milo and Silvan confronted him over this behavior he showed them how important change is to growth. In return they gave him a small but meaningful position in the pantheon. His domains are Chaos, Destruction, Fire and Scalykind and his favored weapon is the handmade.


Saints:


  • The founding fathers and mothers of the temple are all saints.
  • There is also a saint of obedience and slavery. She is the patron of those who live in bondage.
  • One saint went to teach an elf community about the Temple, but was shunned by them. For decades he continues his efforts and as he started to age many of the elves were moved to convert. He died in their community.
  • The first chaplain sent to the dark elven realms was taken prisoner and martyred, which spurred the war between the Empire and the dark elves. She was made a saint soon after.
  • The mages who performed the cleansing are saints as well. This is controversial with some.
  • One saint went to teach a goblin tribe about the All-Mother. When some of the tribe started to listen to her their chieftain grew angry and had her killed and eaten, but she continued to preach and proselytize right until the end. The strength of her conviction led many of the goblins to leave the tribe to learn more about the faith. One of these goblins would later become a martyr and saint himself.
  • The man who converted many Halfling communities to the Temple's faith was made a saint after his death.
  • Many who have fought to drive back the demons and the wilds in the dark times were made saints.
  • The dwarves scholar who encouraged his people to preserve knowledge after the Empire fell was made a saint.
  • St. Leo was a magic-wielding soldier who entered a planar portal and sacrificed himself to close it so demons could not sack his city. There is a knightly order dedicated to him now.
  • The dwarven inventor of block printing was made a saint.
  • St. Tacitus was the emissary killed by the High Elves, starting the Great Elven Wars


If you have more ideas for saints or lesser gods, go ahead and post them here!
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This thread is getting out of control. I am going to work on getting all these notes together into a more comprehensive write-up to be uploaded and turning this thread itself into a summary. I will update this thread when I do so!
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Since this is important I'm going to add a few more odds and ends here, in a question and answer format:

What does the Temple believe happens after death?: After one dies, Thane sends his emissaries to guide the spirit of the deceased to the underworld. There, they are judged by the God of Death who is known for his impartiality. He assesses the worthiness of the life they lived. If they lived in an ethical way he sends them to one of the more pleasant parts of his realm as their eternal reward. If they lived in an unethical way he sends them to be punished for their sins.

Sometimes a spirit refuses to leave the material plane due to strong emotions or attachments. These can become ghosts and liberating them so they can make their journey to the underworld is important to the clergy.

What if a Cleric favors one god?: That is sure to happen. While this is all one religion some clergy do feel more drawn to the things that are important to a particular member of the pantheon. These people then become specialized in that deity's particular desires and interests and learn rituals that a less specialized Cleric would probably not know as well. While these Clerics with favored deities do prefer to focus on their preferred deity they also pay homage to the All-Mother, and to the other gods when it is appropriate and they still are familiar with the basic rites and doctrines of the Temple.

How does the Temple handle heathens and heretics?: The Temple tolerates heathens who do not proselytize but still makes efforts to convert them. Gnomes and Hobgoblins have their own faiths which they mostly keep to themselves and so they are not seen as enemies of the Temple. Tribal faiths are also not persecuted by the Temple but attempts to convert these people are frequent. On the other hand, heretics are hunted down by the Temple's inquisitors, who will capture or kill them. This includes those who worship demons or whose worship is in open violation of Temple doctrine. The inquisitors may also act if Temple-going folk are attacked for their faith.

How many minor deities are part of the pantheon?: Quite a few. These are typically deities that are not worshiped widely or commonly but whose veneration is acceptable to the Temple. There is in fact some disagreement on how many exactly fall under this category and it can change from place to place. Small folk religions in a given area are often afforded this status, with their most popular deities being permitted for worship so that they will be more willing to convert in full.
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