Religious History

The Old Imperial Pantheon

Any and All

Before the coming of the great churches the Lords and Ladies were not opposed as Law to Chaos, but rather above in the ethereal world to below in the earthly dark. The Powers were invoked rather haphazardly and superstitiously. There was a lack of serious theology but a great deal of myth. Ritual and divine hope were largely the pass time of the elite. The real power was the Empire itself. The churches changed that. The Lords and Ladies became Powers indeed, and mobilized their servants for the sake of those peoples the empire cared little for.

When the Old Imperial Pantheon was in vogue it was the brunt of much criticism from philosophers of all sorts. Her priests were often little more than hedge wizards or shamans. There were divine spells, but none of great power, and the powers of undeath could not be turned. Now that religion has resumed its ancient power in the Churches, the Old Pantheon is resigned to academic interest and a source for poetic treatment fo the Powers. Philosophers and wizards analyze the ways of the Lords and Ladies through the lens of the Imperial Pantheon to avoid running afoul of either 

Church. It is for this reason it is included here.

The Empyrean Pantheon:

• Lord Wisdom (Lord Dreams)
• Lord Truth
• Lady Justice
• Lord Fire (Lord Might)
• Lord Illusion (Lord Shadow)
• Lady Time

The Chthonic Pantheon:

• Lady Life
• Lord Death
• Lady Wealth (Lady Fortune)
• Lord Fecund
• Lord Struggle (Lord Battle)
• Lady Night

Of the Faith of Barbarians (and Orcs)

The Barbarian Religion:

Neutrality/Chaos

• King Battle
• Mother Hearth (Lady Night)
• Maid Honor (Lady Virtue)
• Sir Courage (Lady Might)
• Grandfather Oracle (Lord Dreams)

The Barbarian Religion flourishes where the tempering fruits of civilization have not yet reached. The clan chief generally is high priest and the hierarchy that exists is an extension of family ties. Shamans do pop up now and then, and they received great respect. The tenets of the faith revolve around the struggle to survive and the necessity the community maintain coherence.

Buble, Buble, Toil, & Trouble

Witchcraft

Neutrality

• Lord Murder (Lord Shadows)
• Lord Undeath (Lord Death)
• Lord Vengeance (Lord Might)
• Dame Covenant (Lady Night)

This dark faith is universally reviled, and yet, found universally. What is denominated witchcraft here is not just the quaint superstitions of the Neutral Faith, even in its darker practices (though the Church of Law has no trouble lumping the two together when it fits her agenda). This is not a fertility cult. This is the resort to those who have nowhere to resort for vengeance or justice.

The Old Faith

The Neutral Faith:

Neutrality

• Mother Harvest (Lady Life)
• Father Want (Lord Death)
• Lord Gift (Lord Fecund)
• Grandfather Mystery (Lord Dreams)
• Grandmother Change (Lady Time)

The Neutral Faith is associated with rustics and peasants from regions that were not civilized before the advent of the Church of Law. While not the religion of Fairy, it is associated with those who live in around regions strongly touched by the Fairy Realms. It is associated with wise elders, mystics, and Druids.

The Heretic Church

The Church of Chaos:

Chaos

• Lord Might
• Lady Fortune
• Master Void (Lord Death)

The Church of Chaos is not as institutionalized as the Church of Law. While it generally acknowledges a divinity above the Lords and Ladies, the church generally views that divinity as the backdrop upon which destiny must be carved. The divine is entropy. It is the vacuum that must be filled, but directs the end result by its very nature, as the vessel gives shape to the liquid within. The Church of Chaos is almost a confederation (an uneasy, competitive confederation) of three different faiths.

The Great Church

The Church of Law:

Law

The Principle Powers

• Lord Truth
• Lady Virtue (Lady Justice)
• Sister Mercy (Lady Life)

The Church of Law is a monotheistic church. The tenets and theology of Law tend to vary slightly from region to region, but generally agree that these powers reveal the true nature and way of one true Being: Law. Some teach that these powers are emanations from Law; others see them as supernatural champions of Law. Some even teach that the three great powers are merely saints of Law, albeit in a higher sense than the myriad of saints and heroes that make up the complex pantheon of the church.

The Powers that Be

The Lords and Ladies Above & Below:

• Lord Truth — Sovereign Light, Lord Knowledge, Revealer, Architect.

• Lady Justice — Queen Virtue, Lady Order, Maid Honor, Mother City, Lady Sea, Chivalrous Sister.

• Lady Life — Mother Field, Daughter Harvest, Sister Mercy, Lady Plenty, Dame Health, Marriage Blessing.

• Lord Might — Sir Courage, Lord Fire, Defiler, Lord Vengeance, Sovereign War, Mighty Authority, King Merit.

• Lady Fortune — Lady Wealth, Queen Pleasure, Dame Trade, Bargain Maker, Opulent Harlot, Sister Joy.

• Lord Death — Master Void, Father Want, Lord Undeath, Leveler, Father Fear, Mad Lord.

• Lord Fecund — Lord Gift, Brood Serpent, World Worm, Accursed.

• Lord Battle — King Storm, Lord Struggle, Guardian Custom, Strong Wind.

• Lord Dreams — Grandfather Mystery, Lord Beauty, Lord Wisdom, Starry Host, Master Craft.

• Lord Shadow — Lord Illusion, Deceiver, Lord Murder, Brother Sorrow, Lord Thief, Outlaw.

• Lady Night — Mother Hearth, Daughter Home, Deep Earth, Store Keeper, Dame Covenant.

• Lady Time — Grandmother Change, Consolation, Sorrow’s Balm.

These are the powers acknowledged or recognized in one way or another throughout the known world. To some each power on the list is a high god or goddess equal to the other eleven. To others these are the lesser powers under the true divinity. Many would contend the list contains major and minor powers.