Keldorian Pantheon - Priests - Gods
General Description - The Keldorian religion is mostly worshiped in the Island Kingdoms, with the headquarters for the Church in Seagate.
This pantheon has a smaller number of Gods that are worshiped then other more popular religions. The name for this religion comes from Keldour; the area in the Twin Paradises where most of the Gods reside. Most of the Greater Gods have a certain randomness to their nature because so many of them are associated with wind, waves and weather. Many of the Priests of this Pantheon receive the Travelers sphere of spells because of the wandering nature of life at sea. All priests of the Keldorian faith can turn undead as it is a proven way to prove if someone deserved to come back from the dead. If you can be turned, then you are not worthy.
Marriage and Divorce - Performing members of the church are expected to be both chaste and celibate until they reach the third circle. Those restrictions are removed once the priest reaches the third circle and they can choose for themselves how they feel compelled to use their physical bodies. Divorce is accepted as a choice only if made by both willing participants.
Death of a Character - When a member of the faith dies their body is accepted back into the cycle of the elements while their spirit lives on in Keldour. For those with a strong spirit who feel they have a purpose still to fulfill in nature there are priests who will confer with the spirit on if and how they would like to return. Performing members of the priesthood rarely choose to return as the rewards of Keldour are not something one wants to relinquish.
Ceremonies -
Interactions with other Religions - There are few other Human religions that interact in the areas where the Keldorian pantheon hold sway. There are some small pockets of Greek and Norse priests scattered about the islands, primarily concentrating on their Gods of water. Those two religions are lumped in with the other 'heathen' religions of Manetho and Kapirimtiya as things that should be tolerated but no properly civilized person would worship such things. The Gods of the Demi humans are treated similarly to those of the Humanoids - barbarian, crass, evil until proven a bit less than that. The only exception to this has been the Hin and their holy warriors.
Gods
Name | Religion | Ranking |
Addmere | Keldorian | Lesser Goddess |
Bran | Keldorian | Intermediate God |
Saint Delila? | Keldorian | Saint |
Deltan | Keldorian | Lesser God |
Dimere | Keldorian | Lesser Goddess |
Drows | Keldorian | Greater God |
Gorby | Keldorian | Intermediate God |
Klindon | Keldorian | N/A |
Locrin | Keldorian | Greater God |
Lorin | Keldorian | Greater Goddess |
Mernia? | Keldorian | Demi-Goddess |
Retaw | Keldorian | Lesser Goddess |
Trask | Keldorian | Greater God |
Wheen | Keldorian | Greater Goddess |
Name | Religion | Ranking |
Rankings
- Greater God/Goddess
- Intermediate God/Goddess
- Lesser God/Goddess (up to 6th level spells)
- Demi-God/Demi-Goddess (up to 5th level spells)
- Saints (up to 3rd level spells, essentially Minor Access only)
- Heroes (imbue with spell ability only)
For the churches in Keldorian sphere of influence there are two types of titles. There is a profession title referring to how the person falls in the Church hierarchy. These fall into both generic task: Investigator, Healer, Guardian, Messenger, etc. and the specific: Mentor to the acolytes of the Church of the Conch, Investigator for the Grand Cathedreal, etc. Then there is the personal title or ranking.
Ranking in the Keldorian religion is based on two criteria. The level of the worshiper determines which circle they are placed in. There are 8 circles, with the same numbered circle applying to both acting members (those who are not priests) and performing members (those who are priests). Acting members are expected to tithe to their local Church what they see as an appropriate amount based on the value of the Church to them. Performing members have a different style of tithing based on their Circle. Performing members are expected to tithe the percentage of their income or adventuring finds that equals their Circle. An adventuring Second Circle priestess would give 20% of her treasures found, while a senior Eighth Circle priest would tithe 80% of his income to the Church.
Circle | Acting Members Level | Performing Members Level |
1 | 0 | No spell casting ability |
2 | 1 | 1st level Priest Spells |
3 | 3 | 2nd level Priest Spells |
4 | 5 | 3rd level Priest Spells |
5 | 7 | 4th level Priest Spells |
6 | 9 | 5th level Priest Spells |
7 | 11 | 6th level Priest Spells |
8 | 14 | 7th level Priest Spells |
When a priest is able to cast the appropriate level spell of a circle they must do so in front of someone of a higher circle than the one they wish to enter. This can lead to some priests who are more powerful in a lower circle than those in an upper circle if they do not wish to prove themselves, or have not had the opportunity to find someone to perform the test.
The other part of a worshipers title is a Depth. This depth title can be one of dozens of possibilities. This title can stay the same or change with each level. They are given out by members of the same or higher circle. They are not always complimentary, and they are cumulative. Some of the titles refer to Heights rather than Depths because that particular priest has been associated with activities related to aerial things.
The following lists are not comprehensive and are given to illustrate some of the known titles.
Depth of the...
- Manta Ray
- Barracuda
- Flounder
- Shrimp
- Pearl Diver
- Wreck of the Gallot
- Triton
- Purple Kelp
- Sailfish
- Laocath
- Dolphin
- Kua Toa
- Sirens
- Dragon Turtle
- Angel Fish
- Kraken
- Shark
- Eel
- Silver Urchin
- Inky Blackness
Depth of the (insulting)...
- Barnacle
- Moray Eel
- Parrot Fish
- Catfish
- Jelly Fish
- Plankton
- Sea Lice
- Landlubber
- Perpetual Twilight
Height of the....
- Seagull
- Albatross
- Parrot
- Canaries
- Fish Hawk
- Sand Piper
- Fruit Bat
Valpork of Hiltorn Priest of Lorin Initiate of the 5th Circle, Depths of the Manta Ray, Octopi and Perpetual Twilight. So named for his ability to handle multiple problems at once and glide through calm waters easily, but is afraid to test the full depth of his abilities.
The Church is organized into several groupings. There are a handful of grand cathedrals with smaller but still impressive large cathedrals located around the islands where the population can support them. The primary source of income for the church other than tithings is the production and sale of rum and some other spirits.
Each cathedral has a designated area of control and a sphere of control. The area of control the physical area or district that a particular church watches over. The sphere of control is a tertiary point of interest for that church. For some it might be fishing, others providing for the less fortunate, etc.
For those that work with or for the Church in other capacities than the priesthood there can be different titles. One example are the Investigators. These are those trained in physical skills such as slight of hand, opening locks, and detecting forgeries. There are Investigators, Senior Investigators, Chief Investigators, and Master Investigators.