Religion

[Rhourk]

Religion is slightly different than what you are used to in D&D.

To those well versed in the lore, beings of power go by many names. Gods, Demons, Devils, Ancient Ones, Travelers and others. For most of the population religion is regionalized. Peoples of different lands worship different Gods, though some scholars speculate (discretely) that there may only be a real gods, simply given different names and perceived different by those residing in areas removed from one another. Much information can be gathered by talking to devote followers or scholars, but what is true to the cosmos and what is blind faith is something to be determined.

Zamora has few gods of worship. Chief among them is now the Spider God Zath. Zath's worshippers (the King among them) have built temples throughout the kingdom, but the High Temple and the Tower of the Spider (previously the Tower of the Elephant) resides in Yezud.

Bel, The Masked God, is seen outside of Zamora and Shem as a God of Chaos Death and Trickery, but is revered in those two places as the God of Fortune and the Patron of Thieves. Bel's Temples still thrive in all parts of Zamora. It is well known that the Thieves Guild, a mighty organization, touting the finest thieves and deadliest assassins in all the realms pays homage to Bel. this is likely why Bel's temples have remained unmolested. Their high temple is in the temple district of Shadizar.

Ishtar, goddess of the Earth, healing, fertility and seduction also maintain a good standing in Zamora. The priesthood is not active in politics, and it is believed that Ishtar will withhold her gifts from any that molest her followers. Thus they are left to practice in peace.

Nergal, god of death, destruction, war and plague is rumored to have a following in Zamora, but if so they are well hidden, and likely kill anyone that discovers them or their plans. There is a standard kill on site order for any cultist of Nergal uncovered.

Notable Gods outside of Zamora:

Crom is the lonely god in his mountain. He is the god of the Cimmerians, whom have very little use for gods. He has no known priesthood.

Mitra is the god of goodness, law, healing justice and the sun. He is the chief god of the western kingdoms, and his priesthood is mighty, far reaching and far and away the most politically ambitious and successful.

Set, the ancient serpent god of the south. God of death, magic, serpents and the weather. Set's priesthood is far spread, but mostly worshipped in the southern and black kingdoms. his tower is in Stygia where the most fear sorcerers in the world pay him homage. His priest are much more likely to be wizards and sorcerers than clerics. And he is well known to grant power to the most powerful, ambitious, evil and capricious of his devoted. these sorcerers always see one another as their chief rivals for his favor and never miss an opportunity to strike one another down. Fortunately, this alone keeps their power in check, lest they would run rampant across the world. Entire kingdoms have been laid low by their ambitions.

Asura, the gentle god of the east. A diety of healing, protection and compassion has followers streaming from all areas of the realm. They offer their services for free, seeking only to spread the word of Asura and ease the suffering of the people. For this they are shunned by most other faiths and outright hunted by others.

There are many other gods with temples throughout the lands, but those are the ones you are familiar at this point. There are other beings, some with powers as great or even dwarfing the gods, or some that are simply impressive enough to garner worship from the common folk. Many will be learned about in your travels, some are watching you right now.