Cults of G.. - Index of - Free

Magic and Religion
8
Nurturing one’s descendants and maintaining the ebb and
flow of the sea’s currents for a future they will never see
takes up much of their time. The myths they teach their
children tell of ancient battles against insurmountable
odds, floods that drowned entire nations and lands
rising up beneath the waters to destroy them. With the
depredations of the God Learners, many of the sea’s
treasures have been plundered, and these tales take on
new meaning.
Orlanth Pantheon
Along with his wife Ernalda, the Great God Orlanth
rules over a large pantheon of temperamental deities.
Also known as the Storm Tribe, his followers are found
throughout a region in central Genertela known as the
‘Barbarian Belt’. The relationships between the gods of
this pantheon are appropriately stormy and are governed
by three great rules:
1. No One Can Make You Do Anything
2. Violence is Always An Option
3. There Is Always Another Way
Orlanthi mythology focuses on personal responsibility,
both for heroic deeds and for tragic mistakes. The pantheon
embraces freedom and the right of an individual to make
their own way in the world. The Storm Tribe wrecked the
world with the murder of Yelm and the incessant wars
of the Storm Age but they also revitalised a stagnant
universe with their violence and freedom-loving ways.
When the world teetered on the brink of destruction,
Orlanth gathered his companions and journeyed on the
Lightbringer’s Quest to return the Sun God and undo his
mistake.
The nature of the Orlanthi culture is such that it seldom
unifies for long, staying a barbarian mixture of clans,
tribes and short-lived kingdoms. Much of the territory
formerly occupied by these is now under the sway of the
EWF and the Justreli Middle Sea Empire.
Pamalt Pantheon
This category includes the spirits of both the Doraddi and
the Artmali.
The Artmali are a relic of the Godtime. In the Golden
Age, the Artmali ruled central Pamaltela in a glorious
cold-blooded reign. Their heartless perfection could not
withstand the brute vitality of the invading gods, sorcerers
and chaos, and they disappeared from the world. Today,
only its blue-skinned descendants, the slaves of Fonrit
and the Veldang people remember them.
After the Artmali perished, the Doraddi tribes rose. Their
new spirits, united under Pamalt, defeated the enemies
that destroyed the Artmali. Under their chief they defined
a new way of life that has survived to the present day.
Most of the Pamaltelan interior is rolling grasslands
dissected by seasonal rivers that rage in the wet winter
and dry up in the summer. The Doraddi are seminomadic
horticulturists and hunters living in extended
families. Their religion mirrors their lifestyle with a lively
family of spirits whose quarrels are petty and endless
until threatened by outsiders. Mythology includes both
cosmological events and explanations of the myriad
social mores and restrictions. Most plains-dwellers
belong to the nomadic Doraddi culture. Recently, they
have been fighting against the expansion of the Elf forests
that began in recent centuries, overrunning much of the
plains.
Pentan Tradition
The nomads of Pent are animists and loyally follow a
very ancient religion. They are very conservative and
call themselves the Horse People. Pentan religion centres
on worship of the sun and of horses, both of which are
contacted through ancestors. The Majestic Horses of the
Kargzant Tradition are their protectors and guided them
through the Great Darkness. Kargzant, the Sun Horse, is
supreme and men primarily deal with fire spirits; women
with earth spirits. Ancestor spirits are propitiated and
often asked for advice. At the Dawn, they were powerful
and occupied the lands now known as Pent as well as
most of the Pelorian Valley. The nomadic rulers enslaved
the peasantry until the armies of the First Council drove
them back onto the Steppes.
Pentans are a patriarchal culture and everyone owes
obedience to their father or older brothers. In turn, men
must protect their mothers, wives and unmarried sisters
and daughters. Loosely related families gather into clans
and tribes united by shared worship, customs and kinship
bonds.