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| Religion of the Qurshan, the desert elves of Qaroo . . |
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 Creation mythBefore time, before place… there was the eternal struggle between Light and Dark. Forever bound together, dependent on each other for existence, their hatred was immeasurable. For one to be strong, the other would weaken, and neither could allow such concession… so war was waged in the absolute that was Existence. Kadar, who was Light, was bound in brotherhood to Ghaaz, his dark twin. As their battles raged on, shreds of their essence were flung in all directions. These threads combined, congealed, into a boiling, seething mass of gray. The grayness grew, solidified, as Kadar and Ghaaz wreaked their hatred for one another. In a universe borne of violence, the grayness spun into solid mass. A creation both of the light and the dark, this new world was beautiful, and her name was Nahid. This newfound sense of light and darkness in one form gave the warring brothers pause, and both desired her. Just as they were bound in hatred, each now shifted purpose to reach and possess Nahid, thus tipping the immutable scales of balance in their favor. Ghaaz was the first to reach her. He surrounded her, absorbed her, and with his insatiable appetites, devoured her, ravenously, cruelly, until nothing was left. Nahid disappeared into the belly of Darkness. Enraged by his brother’s thoughtless greed, Kadar fought with renewed power. Transforming himself into a blinding blade of light, he tore through the belly of darkness, pulling Nahid with him as he fled into the far reaches of Existence. In his enraged passion, he thrust himself upon her, and seeded Nahid with his life-giving essence. Thus spent, Light dimmed for a time, and Darkness reined in Existence while Nahid curled in upon herself, and the life that grew within her for a millennium. During this eon of Darkness, as Ghaaz tore through Existence, searching, Nahid gave birth to three daughters, the moons of the world. Born of Kadar and Nahid, the full-grown women-daughters named themselves Mekare, Sehret and Khamaat. The daughters were radiant, glowing into the far reaches of Existence, their beauty bringing Kadar from his sleep, glowing with pride at the loveliness Light had sown. With the daughters’ arrival, Nahid’s beauty had increased threefold, and she could hide no longer from Ghaaz. Still furious at Kadar’s theft, Darkness cloaked himself in shadow and stole the daughters away. Hidden away in cages of dark essence, he held them captive, making them his consorts. Forever after, the only time the three daughters’ beauty was allowed to shine was in Ghaaz’s black embrace. Mekare, Sehret, and Khamaat grieved for the light, trapped in their prisons of night, but each slowly grew tainted with Ghaaz’s malevolence. Like her Lord Darkness, Sehret became ravishing and hungry. Reveling in her dark power, she began manipulating the drives and ambitions of her sisters. She schemed her way into Ghaaz’s favor, and twisted all creation with her insatiable appetites. Khamaat withered with each touch of Ghaaz. Each caress of Darkness sent her folding in upon herself more tightly, seeking solace, and losing her senses in the realms of delusion and dreams. Mekare, the most beautiful of the daughters, beseeched her lord to set her free. She complained bitterly of boredom and loneliness, even in the presence of Darkness. As lovely as she was, no matter how sweet her supplications, Ghaaz grew wroth with her incessant dissatisfaction. To assuage her, as he was both cruel, and cruelly giving, Darkness turned his full attention on Mekare. Tightening her prison of darkness so she could not escape his reach, Darkness plunged a hand deep into her throat and then her chest, tearing free both her voice and her heart. Weaving a form out of her beautiful essence, he placed both voice and heart within it, breathing life into this new body. Mekare was left a mute, passionless, cold feminine force, but Ghaaz turned to her bitter gaze with a dark smile, offering up his gift... a son... Yushua. A dark irony, Yushua was given as amusement to pacify the sisters, gifted with his mother’s sweet voice, her romantic notions, and passionate emotions. His role was to sit with his mother and aunts, to sing to them, to ease their pains and despair and offer what comfort could be had through music, storytelling, and poetry. Despite his dark family, Yushua remained a bright joyful force in the cosmos, unquelled by Darkness. When Nahid saw her beloved daughters stolen away and lost from her, she wept. Her grief flowed over her, eating away at her, forming rivers and oceans of mourning. Born of neither light nor darkness, only of a mother’s love and grief, came Azzah, the gift of tears. Azzah, a radiant, innocent child, stayed close to her mother, never leaving her side. Kadar, ever vigilant after the loss of his daughters, transformed himself into the Sun, and from that moment forth, stayed close to Nahid and Azzah, protecting and guarding them from Darkness. To balance Light with Darkness further, Kadar and Nahid conceived Sadaqat, a son filled with wonder and wanderlust. With Sun and Moon, Light and Darkness, the World became the fulcrum between the two... the hinge of the scales of balance. To ease his son’s restless spirit, Kadar created all the creatures and people of the World. Nahid took all the life entrusted to her and nurtured it, with Azzah, Sadaqat, and Kadar assisting in the proliferation and guarding of life. But Ghaaz also infused the World with the touch of Darkness. He and his consorts gave war, pestilence, and greed as but a few of their gifts to the balance. The battles never-ending, Ghaaz and Kadar wrestle with each cycle. With the coming of Night and its moons, Ghaaz allows his consorts to travel with him in the sky, giving them a brief moment of freedom to exert their twisted wills onto the creations of the World. As the sun shatters the grip of Darkness, Kadar and Nahid seek to repair the damage the dark brother has wrought, Azzah and Sadaqat resolute at their parents’ sides. And Yushua, the glittering Light on a cloak of Darkness, sings praises to both. Deity Heirarchy and Associated Cleric information |
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 Kadar- sun god, god of light, heat, strength, virility, warriors and fathers. The Protector. Color: gold or yellow Symbol: gold disk, fiery disk Alignment: good Appearance: Kadar appears as a mighty warrior of light, with glowing golden skin and dark hair. His eyes are shining golden orbs, and his face is set in a serious, non-smiling expression. His body is the epitome of musculature and strength, and he wears golden greaves on his forearms and shins. He girds himself in a simple white linen cloth, and wears leather lace-up boots. Upon his head sits an extravagant helm/headdress of gold, with a fist-sized sunstone in the center, shining with a blinding radiance. Relations: twin brother to Ghaaz, husband to Nahid, father to moon goddesses and to Sadaqat Cleric duties: sing songs of praise at each sunrise, sing songs of lamentation each sunset, perform blessings before battles, bless warriors, oversee all ceremonies involving light beating back darkness or evil, pray for fathers to beget sons, but primary role in Qurshan culture is to advise the Overlord. Kadar’s clerics bless and sanctify new rulers of lesser status, but the Overlord reserves the entire sect of Kadar for his purposes. Clerics: All of Kadar’s clerics are male. Each one wears a yellow wrap from hip to ankles, and an elaborate headdress. All clerics wear a sun disk amulet around their necks. All clerics must endure a variety of trials, all tests of strength and courage. For example, at different times during their training, clerics walk on fiery coals, handle burning coals, trek across the desert in bare feet, swallow fire, handle fire, burn their skin with red-hot irons, etc. All of these trials tests their commitment to their god, and their acceptance by Kadar in return, as long as they do not die. If they die, then obviously, they were not worthy to be a cleric of Kadar. Clerics of Kadar are the most arrogant, though scrupulously honorable. Kadar’s main celebration is on Midsummer’s day and night, when the sun is at its strongest and closest to Oheia. |
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| Nahid- goddess of the earth, embodiment of Oheia, fertility, nurturing, mothers, wives, harvests, animal husbandry, plants and growing and living things. Motherhood. Healing. Color: orange, brown Symbol: a straight horizontal line Alignment: good Appearance: Nahid appears as a beautiful mature woman with black hair, and rich, dark brown skin. She is depicted as having a voluptuous figure, representing the wide hips and full breasts of the overly feminine. She is often shown in robes that leave one breast bare, signifying Nahid’s nurturing of all life. Relations: daughter of Kadar and Ghaaz, wife of Kadar, mother to moon goddesses, Azzah and Sadaqat. Clerical duties: bless fields, bless the harvests, attend birthing mothers and offer solace to pregnant women, bless the herds and beasts, perform healing services, attend the sick, bless meals, feed the hungry, and oversee harvest celebrations. Female clerics offer guidance to wives and mothers, and prayers for fertility. Clerics: Both men and women can be clerics to Nahid, though only females ever rise to any position of power or favor with the goddess. Male clerics wear robes of brown, with brown belts, and earth-toned jewel accents. Female clerics wear orange sleeveless gowns, belted in brown or gold. All clerics wear an amber pendant around their necks with the goddess’s symbol etched on it. Nahid is celebrated each weekly cycle, and during many various special occasions. Holy times for Nahid are during spring planting and fall harvests. Offerings to Nahid are made in the form of herbs, grains and foods. |
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| Yushua- god of romantic love, music, song, entertainments, poetry, storytelling, dance, acting, all performance artistry, patron of performers Color: green Symbol: lute Alignment: Neutral Appearance: Yushua appears as a handsome young man with golden skin and shoulder length dark brown hair. His appearance is made to melt the hearts of his mother and his aunts, who cannot appreciate it, but it does manage to flutter the hearts of his mortal followers. Yushua has an easy smile, but a great sadness in the depths of his eyes. He laughs, but it covers up a wretched heart. Relations: son to Mekare Yushua is perpetually falling for emotionally unavailable women. First, there is his mother, the Queen of Undead. Then, as he grew into a man, he noticed Azzah bubbling around her waters. He fell madly in love, made her his muse, and went to woo her. Unfortunately for Yushua, Azzah is the virgin goddess, and has no use for a paramour. She also appears as a young girl of about ten years old. Yushua continues to write music and poetry in her honor, and laments his inability to be loved by those he loves. Yushua later teamed up with his uncle Sadaqat, and roamed the earth spreading heartbreak among mortal women and getting into general mischief. Ghaaz was so infuriated when he realized Yushua was out playing, that he ordered Khamaat to send a plague of black boils across the land of Qaroo to punish Kadar and Nahid, since mortals were their creation, and to chastise Yushua and make him return to his place at his mother’s side, where he would continue to sing for the pleasure of the moon goddesses. Cleric duties: bless performers and performances, lead celebratory gatherings (weddings, etc), and bless celebrations. Clerics of Yushua are the finest orators in Qaroo, and are the Keepers of the History by oral tradition. They are great record keepers, and can tell stories from even before the Great Sundering. Clerics: Clerics can be male or female, and are the most social of all clergy. They wear robes, or overlong tunics of green. It is considered a good omen to have a priest or priestess of this order attend your social function. Offerings to Yushua are in the form of songs, or music, or performances of exquisite quality and passion. |
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| Sadaqat- Lord of Travelers and Trade, finances, adventurers, wanderers, journeys, banking Color: Purple Symbol: triangle (like the currency) Alignment: good Appearance: Sadaqat appears as a physically fit man with bronze skin and black hair. He dresses in well-made traveling clothes, and is usually depicted with a rich purple cloak and a walking staff. He looks rather unassuming, and often dims his “godly aura” to walk among mortals anonymously. Relations: son of Kadar and Nahid, half-brother to Azzah Sadaqat’s favorite activities revolve around taking on a mortal form and walking amongst the Qurshan. He often joins caravans or other traveling expeditions, as he finds great joy in journeying from one place to another, experiencing all the diversity that Kadar has made for him. Any caravan with Sadaqat in it reaches its destination safely, and undoubtedly makes twice the normal profit from any trading activities. Sadaqat is a generous god, and often rewards people he meets along his route who strike him as good-hearted, sincere and modest people. Folks showing kindness to Sadaqat while he is disguised usually find a small bag of coins, pile of gems, or other treasure, on the pillow where Sadaqat was invited to take his rest (not that gods need to sleep, which is why Sadaqat likes to stay up at night after others have gone to sleep, fashioning coins or gems for his benevolent hosts). Cleric duties: Clerics of Sadaqat are smart bankers and give advice to those in financial professions. They bless financial ventures, and are often used as witnesses to large business deals, since they never lie, and have no vested interest in the outcomes. They make ideal witnesses, like notaries. Clerics of Sadaqat are also often impeached to join caravans or trading trips, as their presence is considered an extra protection against evil. Families or individuals in dire financial straits go to the Temples of Sadaqat and pray for him to gift them with prosperity. During certain holy days, the clerics of Sadaqat hand out sheks to the poor and indigent. The Temples of Sadaqat tend to be rather well-to-do, since they get many offerings in the form of currency or gems. The Clerics of Sadaqat take it upon themselves to spread the extra wealth around to those less fortunate. Clerics: Clerics of Sadaqat are male only, and are required to maintain a certain level of physical fitness so as to be ready to travel at a moments notice with any travelers or caravans. Clerics of Sadaqat receive an extensive education in their temples, and learn how to read, write, and keep figures. When in their Temples, or when performing financial duties within a town or city, the clerics typically wear long robes edged in purple. Only the Arch-Priest of Sadaqat wears more than purple trim to his robes, as purple is considered sacred. When traveling or wandering the lands, clerics wear traveling clothes, with a talisman to Sadaqat hanging around their necks, or a purple sash tied across their bodies or upon their staves. Once a month, the Temple of Sadaqat observes its holiest day. During this day, clerics may not travel or perform any business witnessing. It is a day of prayer and generosity. This is the day that the indigent crowd into the Temple for the services, and receive handouts of coin. The Temples of Sadaqat are very rich, as many of their patrons and followers are successful businessmen, traders, and the very wealthy. |
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 Ghaaz- Lord of Darkness, Master of the Night, Lord of the Khahl, god of magic, cruelty, malignancy, Lord of DemonsColor: black Symbol: black spiral Alignment: evil Appearance: Ghaaz is as black as his brother is golden. Ghaaz has ebony skin, and stands taller than his twin. Ghaaz is prickly, with short black spikes growing from his joints, especially on the shoulders, elbows and wrists. He finds great satisfaction in squeezing his lovers to death in his ecstatic embrace. His eyes are golden fire, though his soul is dark. His features are exaggerated and large, and his hair is thick and unruly. Ghaaz radiates power, and can twist his features into any visage he desires. Ghaaz does not always deign to wear clothing, which is enough to cast fear in any mortal, but when he does, it is usually black lacquer scale armor across his hips and thighs. Relations: twin brother to Kadar, father of Nahid Ghaaz has a taste for mortal females, and lures them or overpowers them for his amusements. When he is finished with them, he often transforms them into undead and gives them to his consort, Mekare. Ghaaz uses a twisted form of mental control and magical strength to keep his consorts in check, and is engaged in a continuous struggle for supremacy with his twin brother, Kadar, the god of light. Cleric Duties: To fight against the clerics and followers of the lord of light, to thwart mages and magic users into using black magic over good magic, to spread horror and darkness and celebrate death. The clerics are required to look after the priestesses of the three moon goddesses, much the way Ghaaz has control over the goddesses themselves. Clerics are responsible for consorting with demons, and facilitate the opening of demonic doorways into the world. If someone speaks out against Ghaaz, it is the clerics’ duty to cut out the tongue of that individual. Clerics: Clerics are male only. They wear black, and darken their skin with black paint or tattoos. Clerics of Ghaaz hold enormous power within their own circles, by virtue of their station over the Priestesses, and their affiliation with demons and their ilk. Ghaaz requires blood sacrifices, and hearts are preferred. All clerics and followers are required to observe the midnight obeisance, chanting during night’s darkest hour, when the god’s strength is at its greatest. During those nights when all the moons are hidden, Ghaaz’s clerics hold their most profane ceremonies |
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| Sehret- goddess of the red moon (Bemos), sex, carnality, violent passions, deviousness, ruthless ambition, revenge, blood, hungers, “mother” of all creatures that use seduction to kill, also rules over addictions, obsession and fanaticism Color: red Symbol: horns Alignment: evil Appearance: Sehret appears as a ripe young woman with dark brown skin and flaming red hair. She wears very little in the way of clothing, using her hair as an immodest cover, and a few strands of jewels across the rest of her. Her eyes are black as night, and her teeth pointed and cruel. Until she smiles, she appears as any fresh, young woman, but when she opens her mouth, the beast within shows itself. Relations: sister to Mekare and Khamaat, consort of Ghaaz, daughter of Kadar and Nahid Sehret is the most favored consort of Ghaaz. She uses her skillful machinations to assure her place in his favor. She stops at nothing to attain her desires and goals, and the end always justifies the means. Sehret was the one who was most disgusted by Mekare’s mood after they were abducted from their parents. Mekare’s moroseness and longing for a return to the light left Sehret nervous that all the sisters would pay the price of Ghaaz’s wrath if Mekare did not stop being so prissy. Sehret went to Ghaaz, and fanned the flames of his irritation with Mekare, and whispered in his ear how best to deal with her sister. It was Sehret’s idea to give Mekare a son to dote on, but to make the son out of her sister’s heart and voice. Sehret is cruel; never forget it. In this way, she gained favor with Ghaaz while destroying Mekare and creating unending torment for her son. Cleric Duties: Clerics of Sehret are rarely called upon for any service not related to revenge or sex. They create “love potions” which really are not about love at all. The clerics are responsible for running the temples, which make a goodly income despite Sehret’s obvious evil affiliations. Clerics sanctify a person’s desire for revenge, and pray to the goddess on the person’s behalf that the revenge be successful. Priestesses of Sehret also often give the person whatever tools, potions, or substances are necessary to fulfill the revenge. People suffering impotency or frigidity come to the Temples of Sehret to seek alleviation of their problems. Eunuchs have been known to become followers (not clerics) of Sehret in a vain attempt to recapture what was lost. Priestesses of Sehret often use toxic substances and alcohol to help satisfy impossible obsessions, and to induce a state of euphoria by which they can commune with their goddess. Clerics: Clerics of Sehret are female only. They believe that ecstasy comes from physical lust satiated by sex, blood, or revenge. Priestesses of Sehret commonly have male attendants, but these men hold no power within the Temple hierarchy, and are servants captured by the lure of sex, blood, or revenge. Sehret’s priestesses have a habit of barely dressing, or baring breasts, backs, and/or legs. Jewelry is often exquisite and beautiful, but adorns very cruel women with very cold spirits. Clerics of Sehret worship with every beginning of the red moon’s cycle (every 13 days). They have depraved services revolving around aspects of the goddess’s personality. |
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| Mekare- goddess of the blue moon (Telia), cold malevolence, deadness, goddess of the undead, the supernatural, cold, lifeless, emotionless, death and undeath, zinq (the cold, blue-gray metal of Qaroo used to strengthen weapons and armor) Color: blue-gray Symbol: crescent moon Alignment: evil Appearance: tall, emaciated, gray-skinned female, white eyes without pupils, bloodless rip in throat, hole in chest when not covered by her blue robes. Her hair is white and unruly, and her face shows no emotion at all. There is no hostility, no passion, no curiosity, no modesty, no apathy, nothing. She is the absence of all life. She does not speak. Relations: sister to Sehret and Khamaat, consort to Ghaaz, daughter of Kadar and Nahid Mekare has an insatiable need to consume life with all its passions, since her heart was removed by Ghaaz. The only time she ever feels is when she is sucking down the last remnants of an individual’s life with all the attendant emotions and memories. It lasts but a fleeting moment, and then she is cold and lifeless again. Clerical duties: Since there are very few clerics of Mekare, it is very difficult to say exactly what they do. The few clerics that can be found are usually in the employ of wealthy miners, who use the cleric’s affinity with zinq to find deposits and veins of the rare ore. It is rumored that the price miners pay for this assistance is extremely high. Some say that when a miner makes a pact with a cleric of Mekare, the miner is given access to deposits of zinq, and becomes wealthy, powerful and gains all the things he covets. The price for this is that the miner loses his soul, or rather, the cleric drains the miner of his emotions and passions, and makes an offering of them to Mekare. The miner gets rich beyond his wildest dreams, but he no longer has any spirit or desire to enjoy his wealth. Clerics are said to be allied with the undead minions that roam the lands. Supposedly, clerics of Mekare assist the undead in spreading across the world, and have, in some way, lost their own souls in the process. Clerics: Clerics can be male or female, and are really weird. Many clerics covet the undead, as if the undead have found the secret to immortality. They wear gray robes and temples to Mekare, if any can be found, are filled with bones and corpses and cold rock. Followers of Mekare tend to be those who find life overrated, those who have lost someone, lost a love, or who are depressed and seek oblivion and numbness from pain. Mekare promises an end to all pain, and grants oblivion, but her gifts are irreversible. There are no celebrations to Mekare. Clerics observe the twenty-six day cycle of the blue moon itself, with twisted rituals of their own, involving sacrifices of victims’ hearts and throats. |
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| Khamaat- goddess of the yellow moon (Miris), delusions, dreams, hallucinations, mental illness, psychosis, pestilence, disease, plague Color: sickly yellow, mottled yellow, greenish yellow Symbol: black circle within a white circle (the toxic soul, mind, body) Alignment: neutral Appearance: Khamaat appears as a gaunt, hollow woman, whose skin was once gold, but has turned a sallow, unhealthy yellow. She wears a dingy, mottled yellow robe, and goes about with bare feet. She wears no jewelry, but when she is in the presence of mortals, her symbol is burned upon their psyche. Relations: sister to Sehret and Mekare, consort to Ghaaz, daughter of Kadar and Nahid People who are deranged or crazy are said to have “gone to Khamaat” or “embraced Khamaat.” Khamaat is patron of all the socially dispossessed. Temples are often very poor, and located in leper colonies, sanitariums or prisons. Clerics to Khamaat are not in their religion for wealth, power or prestige, since Khamaat’s clerics receive none of that. Her clerics follow her for various, personal reasons, but one thing is certain: no one grows up thinking, “I want to be a cleric of Khamaat.” Clerical duties: On a positive note, they tend to the sick, the dispossessed, and outcasts. Sometimes her clerics are asked to attend a psychotic person, to see “where the mind has gone,” and if there is any cure. Sometimes clerics pray for a cure, though since they do not share their prayers with the suffering or their families, no one knows if they are really praying for a cure, or praying for the soul to travel more quickly to Khamaat’s twisted embrace for all eternity. More commonly however, clerics of Khamaat are sought out for curses, and poxes on one’s enemies. For example, if a young woman’s lover is sailing away on a ship to adventure and fame without her, she might seek out a Khamaat cleric and give offerings of money or blood to have a bout of scurvy sweep over the boat. Clerics: Both males and females may be clerics of Khamaat, and clerics are often suffering from some mental or body deformity, or have otherwise been cast out of respectable society. Clerics wear any garment they can, but usually it consists of a plain robe of dirty yellow. Clerics always wear Khamaat’s symbol on their person somewhere, whether a talisman on a chain, or tattooed on their foreheads or the backs of their hands. There are no holy days to Khamaat, nor days of worship. Any day a person is ill is a day spent in the “embrace of Khamaat,” which is the highest form of worship an individual may undertake. Sacrifices are made freely to Khamaat, in any form: money, gems, incense, livestock, blood, slaves, free people. The more powerful the offering is, the more powerful the curse or entreaty becomes. Self-sacrifice is also practiced to reach the attention of Khamaat, and those seeking her aid or counsel fast until they hallucinate, flagellate themselves, or have themselves whipped until mad, or drink toxic potions to induce fever dreams. |
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| Death and the Afterlife Death- When a person dies, their body is prepared. Fluids drained, it is packed with herbs, and left to dry in the sun for desiccation. This makes the corpse smaller, thinner and more lightweight. The bodies are prepared in towns or tent communities by persons especially trained in corpse preparation. The body is then taken to the City of the Dead, and placed in an appropriate tomb, mausoleum, building, crypt, or grave. The City of the Dead, or Zashanabi, is a real city on Qaroo where all people are entombed when they die. There are no living people in Zashanabi. The bodies are wrapped in cloth wrappings, the same color as the god of their religious affiliation, and if they had none, they are wrapped in an undyed, unbleached, natural beige fabric. Many bodies are sent to the City of the Dead with some tokens of their life, be it weapon, charm, talisman, or favorite article of clothing. Afterlife- It is believed that Zashanabi exists on two planes, the physical one, where the corpses lie in rest, and the spiritual one, where the souls live on in eternity. It is believed that one’s station in the afterlife is directly influenced by one’s greatness in the real life, be it of fame or infamy. Ghaaz is believed to keep a great palace just outside of the spiritual Zashanabi, in the Plains of Qha. It is said that he and his consorts sometimes take to the hunt and chase the souls of the good just for the sheer sport of it. Any souls they catch, they twist into undead, and send back into the realm of the living, where the undead spirits wander in torment. Unfortunately for the good souls, Kadar and his family of light have no influence in the realm of the dead, and often, the only way to escape Ghaaz’s notice is to keep a low spiritual profile in the afterlife. It is continuously night in the spiritual realm of Zashanabi. The land is arid and absolutely dry, for Azzah has never set foot on the Plains of Qha. It is believed that if a person dies and the body has not been properly prepared, and is not taken to the City of the Dead for rest, the soul will not be able to enter into the spiritual Zashanabi, but is doomed to wander the Plains of Qha for eternity. Of course, as already stated, the Plains of Qha are the most dangerous part of the afterlife. Clergy Heirarchy Each sect of Qurshan religion handles this in its own way, but almost all sects have initiates, mahats, yasurs, priests, high priests and archpriests. For some sects, each level of the hierarchy is accompanied by trials of physically grueling tests. Religious Life The life of the clergy depends on the god that is being worshipped. Some clerics live in their respective temples, and some wander the lands. Some have very disciplined daily regimens, and some are basically chaotic and hedonistic. Some clerics observe very strict diets, some barely eat at all, and some gorge themselves. Some observe morning services (Kadar), and some observe midnight services (Ghaaz). This aspect will be discussed more as each sect of the Qurshan gods is explored in greater detail. Politics Kadar’s sect of Sun Priests are very politically active. They are the only ones with any authority to advise and counsel the Shan Overlord. The Overlord may take counsel from his warlords, but the Archpriest of Kadar speaks with the god’s voice, and therefore, his words bear much more weight. Every year, the Overlord must consult and learn the will of the god. Because of the power this sect wields, they tend to assume that most people should listen to them. They tend to meddle in politics more than any other religious group in the culture. |
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