Cults of G.. - Index of - Free
Cults of G.. - Index of - Free
Cults of G.. - Index of - Free
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Magic and Religion<br />
4<br />
Theism<br />
Theists worship the divine gods and goddesses who<br />
created Glorantha. Deities are immortal, eternal and<br />
provide their followers with powerful magic in exchange<br />
for sacrifice and participation in their rites. Deities are<br />
grouped into pantheons, sharing a common history and<br />
goals. Initiates gain access to divine spells but acolytes,<br />
Runepriests and Runelords gain even greater powers from<br />
their worship and understanding <strong>of</strong> their chosen deity.<br />
To a theist, life is impossible without divine support.<br />
Divine spells provide magical abilities that ease<br />
worshippers’ difficulties, especially when pursuing<br />
livelihoods in keeping with the deity’s powers. Crop<br />
goddesses bless the farmer’s fields, war gods empower<br />
and protect warriors in battle, and the kings among the<br />
gods allow rulers to secure their authority with justice<br />
and divine favour. Theists regularly conduct sacrifices<br />
to the gods, empowering them with the things they love<br />
most. Great ceremonies to celebrate and support the gods<br />
serve to strengthen community ties.<br />
Sacrifices require a worshipper to give away, transform or<br />
destroy something valuable or living in return for magic.<br />
These sacrifices are <strong>of</strong>ten burned, buried or broken but<br />
sometimes the item or creature is simply transported to<br />
the deity’s home on the God Plane.<br />
The Divine <strong>Cults</strong> chapter is a general overview <strong>of</strong><br />
Gloranthan pantheons. These come chiefly from the<br />
Genertela continent, which is home <strong>of</strong> most theists.<br />
Pantheon<br />
A theist religion is made up <strong>of</strong> a collection <strong>of</strong> gods<br />
forming a pantheon. These deities may take many<br />
forms and roles. Most are friendly and worshipped<br />
by men and women in exchange for support. Many<br />
pantheons have deities extremely similar to each<br />
other, such as hunter gods (see Odayla) and crop<br />
goddesses (see Ralia). The greater gods <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
appear in the myths <strong>of</strong> other pantheons, <strong>of</strong>ten as<br />
enemies. God Learner experimentation has proven<br />
that many <strong>of</strong> these gods are actually the same deity<br />
worshipped under a variety <strong>of</strong> names while others<br />
are so similar that there are no differences, even<br />
when transposed between cultures.<br />
Most worshippers in a culture are lay worshippers <strong>of</strong><br />
many deities in their pantheon and do not progress<br />
further. However, depending on the culture, many<br />
also choose to become initiates <strong>of</strong> a deity to gain access<br />
to greater abilities and divine favour.<br />
Deity Ranks<br />
The deities in a pantheon range in power, importance<br />
and worship. The most powerful <strong>of</strong> these are Great Gods.<br />
These are usually the leaders <strong>of</strong> pantheons, gods and<br />
goddesses who are so immense that no mortal worshipper<br />
can comprehend their nature and must instead worship<br />
smaller aspects or facets <strong>of</strong> the whole. These smaller cults<br />
are treated as if they were separate deities though each is<br />
only part <strong>of</strong> the greater whole. Yelm, Solar Emperor, has<br />
numerous subcults and holds sway over a vast pantheon<br />
<strong>of</strong> subordinate deities. These gods have great influence<br />
over the worshipper’s society, defining cultural roles,<br />
behaviour and relationships with outsiders. Great Gods<br />
are <strong>of</strong> cosmic importance, without which the world<br />
would perish.<br />
More common are gods and goddesses <strong>of</strong> the various<br />
cults. These have many worshippers and temples<br />
throughout the land where their pantheon holds sway.<br />
Each fulfils an important role in society such as trade god,<br />
crop goddess or war god – there are many <strong>of</strong> these! Those<br />
deities with relatively few worshippers fill important<br />
niches in the magical ecology or receive large amounts <strong>of</strong><br />
collateral worship from lay worshippers or as associated<br />
deities. Flamal, beloved by all earth goddesses, has few<br />
worshippers but all grain and plant goddesses support his<br />
cult in their rituals.