Setting Information

Playtest/campaign of a fantasy-themed conversion of Spirit of the Century, run by devlin1
Post Reply
User avatar
SpaceMonkey
Killer Robot
Posts: 1265
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 7:01 pm
Location: San Marcos
Contact:

Setting Information

Post by SpaceMonkey »

What's the religious terrain look like here? Are there standard gods or religions? I'm considering some sort of holy warrior or cleric archetype, so that would be a good thing to know.
User avatar
devlin1
Adroit Pirate
Posts: 5910
Joined: Mon Mar 01, 2004 12:00 pm
Location: 612 Wharf Avenue
Contact:

Post by devlin1 »


[quote="dnd3eplayer"]What's the religious terrain look like here? Are there standard gods or religions? I'm considering some sort of holy warrior or cleric archetype, so that would be a good thing to know.[/quote]
I've yet to get to that on the campaign site, but in a nutshell: Most of the religions of the world focus on the sun and moon. I'll try to sum this up briefly.



For the Mallorans, the sun is the symbol of The Maiden, the goddess of their monotheistic religion, and the moon represents her enemy, The Deceiver, who chases her from the sky every night. The one-shot at Gateway that took place in Mallora should give you an idea of how religion is in Mallora.



In Brightmar, the sun is Elidya, goddess of warmth, the hearth, knowledge, and truth, while the moon is Hurn, her consort -- the keeper of secrets, the seducer, the trickster, the magician. The two lovers forever chase each other through the sky; once a month, when the moon disappears, one catches the other, though who catches whom depends on the season.



These are the two main human territories with organized governments.



It's a free-for-all in the Free Cities -- there's no standardized religion. Mallora sends missionaries here. The Bright who emigrate here bring their own religious beliefs, as do those from other parts of the world, and some just make something up and see how it goes. The real god here is profit.



The jungle elves of Atu-Hiva and Atu-Raa worship massive animals in the jungle. Think [i]Princess Mononoke[/i].



The satyrs of the Long Plains hold the earth itself to be sacred, with the sun and moon as its two servants. They're animists in the extreme -- everything has a soul and is connected.



Vredevka, the homeland of the trolls, shares the same religion as the Mallorans, but tweaked a bit, analogous to Russian Orthodoxy compared to Catholicism.



A minority of the fae share the Malloran religion, but most don't practice any religion at all.



The less said about what the mountain dwarves worship, the better.



So the most likely origins for a holy warrior-type would probably be Mallora, if you're thinking, like, crusader, or paladin -- a zealot of some kind. He'd most likely be human. In fact, being anything else would be pretty remarkable. Brightmar has your plate-armored knights and your holy orders, but isn't as fanatical as Mallora. Priests/clerics can come from just about anywhere, but most are going to be adherents of one of these two religions.



However -- and this is important to note if you're thinking of one of these guys -- there's no divine magic. People worship because they believe (usually), not because it'll grant them phenomenal cosmic power. I hope that doesn't piss in your Cheerios.

Mike Olson
‎"In this economy, it's not easy to feed a growing family. So we eat Haunkkah gelt for dinner and look at a picture of broccoli." --Paul F. Tompkins
Spirit of the Blank: A blog.
Roll Some Dice: Another blog.
User avatar
jimmy corrigan
Posts: 4900
Joined: Mon Aug 11, 2003 11:00 am
Location: 1313 mockingbird lane

Post by jimmy corrigan »

hey mike, have you seen that st:tng episode where an ancient archive floating in space takes possession of the enterprise's computer system and data? data plays the part of all these neat characters. it's a great episode about the mythos/religion of a long dead race of sun and moon worshippers. i'll bring it by a game if you haven't seen it. if you have seen it, then... good. just thought i'd mention it, even if it's only tangentially related.

carry on.
User avatar
SpaceMonkey
Killer Robot
Posts: 1265
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 7:01 pm
Location: San Marcos
Contact:

Post by SpaceMonkey »


[quote="jimmy corrigan"]hey mike, have you seen that st:tng episode where an ancient archive floating in space takes possession of the enterprise's computer system and data? data plays the part of all these neat characters. it's a great episode about the mythos/religion of a long dead race of sun and moon worshippers. i'll bring it by a game if you haven't seen it. if you have seen it, then... good. just thought i'd mention it, even if it's only tangentially related.



carry on.[/quote]


that was a good episode. little ram-horn moon dude to the rescue!

**Formerly dnd3eplayer**
Now your humble host. Let me know if you see any board issues.
User avatar
devlin1
Adroit Pirate
Posts: 5910
Joined: Mon Mar 01, 2004 12:00 pm
Location: 612 Wharf Avenue
Contact:

Post by devlin1 »


[quote="jimmy corrigan"]hey mike, have you seen that st:tng episode where an ancient archive floating in space takes possession of the enterprise's computer system and data? data plays the part of all these neat characters. it's a great episode about the mythos/religion of a long dead race of sun and moon worshippers. i'll bring it by a game if you haven't seen it. if you have seen it, then... good. just thought i'd mention it, even if it's only tangentially related.



carry on.[/quote]

I'm sure I've seen it -- I vaguely remember it, but no real specifics. Picard wore a mask, or something.

Mike Olson
‎"In this economy, it's not easy to feed a growing family. So we eat Haunkkah gelt for dinner and look at a picture of broccoli." --Paul F. Tompkins
Spirit of the Blank: A blog.
Roll Some Dice: Another blog.
User avatar
devlin1
Adroit Pirate
Posts: 5910
Joined: Mon Mar 01, 2004 12:00 pm
Location: 612 Wharf Avenue
Contact:

Post by devlin1 »

Just want to let people know that the website now has info for all the races and for Brightmar, Mallora, the Free Cities, the Satyr Tribes, and the Kurglaff. For each of these nations, there are blurbs on what the people are like, how they're structured, and how they get along with their neighbors. All of these entries also have lists of gifts to go with the Heritage boon, for those who choose to take it.

Enjoy!
Mike Olson
‎"In this economy, it's not easy to feed a growing family. So we eat Haunkkah gelt for dinner and look at a picture of broccoli." --Paul F. Tompkins
Spirit of the Blank: A blog.
Roll Some Dice: Another blog.
User avatar
devlin1
Adroit Pirate
Posts: 5910
Joined: Mon Mar 01, 2004 12:00 pm
Location: 612 Wharf Avenue
Contact:

Post by devlin1 »

There's now info on the site about the Sanctuary Archipelago, a wretched hive of scum and villainy, and two types of magic: Incantation and Alchemy.
Mike Olson
‎"In this economy, it's not easy to feed a growing family. So we eat Haunkkah gelt for dinner and look at a picture of broccoli." --Paul F. Tompkins
Spirit of the Blank: A blog.
Roll Some Dice: Another blog.
User avatar
SpaceMonkey
Killer Robot
Posts: 1265
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 7:01 pm
Location: San Marcos
Contact:

Post by SpaceMonkey »

I'm reading through the Satyr entry. Couple things:

* There's a typo in the second sentence under 'the people' header

* Perhaps the sacred circle of timber could be built only from special lightning-struck trees or those felled in windy storms or something, thus still using wood and better preserving their reverence for the trees?
**Formerly dnd3eplayer**
Now your humble host. Let me know if you see any board issues.
User avatar
devlin1
Adroit Pirate
Posts: 5910
Joined: Mon Mar 01, 2004 12:00 pm
Location: 612 Wharf Avenue
Contact:

Post by devlin1 »


[quote="dnd3eplayer"]I'm reading through the Satyr entry. Couple things:



* There's a typo in the second sentence under 'the people' header[/quote]

I'm on it!


[quote]* Perhaps the sacred circle of timber could be built only from special lightning-struck trees or those felled in windy storms or something, thus still using wood and better preserving their reverence for the trees?[/quote]
Perhaps! It was built a long time ago, so anything's possible. Hell, maybe it's just a perfect circle of big living trees.

Mike Olson
‎"In this economy, it's not easy to feed a growing family. So we eat Haunkkah gelt for dinner and look at a picture of broccoli." --Paul F. Tompkins
Spirit of the Blank: A blog.
Roll Some Dice: Another blog.
Post Reply