Religion

Novaria is a land of diverse faiths. Novaria’s dwarven, elven and halfling populations have their own deities, the Clasbron, Latinians and Futhark humans each worship different families of gods while the various humanoid races have their own pantheons as well. Add to this mix the Fellowship of the Rose and their monotheistic “Elder” and Novaria becomes a boiling cauldron waiting to blow its lid. Though their Clerics may have good intentions, sometimes the gods will refuse to allow their Clerics to heal others of a different faith, for while the gods no longer reside upon the world, the different pantheons still wage a war of conquest, seeking to claim the world in their name(s) and using their Clerics and worshippers to fulfill this role.

Patron Deities

Most people in Novaria worship within a pantheon of deities. Latinians worship the Olympian deities, the Clasbron worship the Danaan deities, the Futhark worship the Asgardian deities. Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, etc., have their own deities whom they honor. What this means is that the average person pays homage to these deities whenever necessary. A Latinian peasant might pray to Zeus for rain or to Demeter to make the grain healthy and abundant. Many who take up the banner of adventuring, however, often honor one deity in a pantheon above the rest. This deity is considered their patron. While a character’s patron deity does not need to match their alignment, it would be pretty senseless for a character to choose a patron deity whose goals are opposed to the character’s. Characters are not required to choose a patron, but it is highly recommended that they honor a pantheon.

Out of the “Church”

Some characters, mostly chaotic ones, find little use for corporate worship. They pay homage to their deity in their own way. In chaotic sects, this sort of behavior is encouraged, as it reduces the burden on the clerics. Lawful sects discourage this sort of behavior, believing that the faithful learn best by regular attendance to worship meetings. Clerics (regardless of alignment) and Paladins are tied to the church at large and never choose this path. Clasbron Druids, whether they like it or not, are the foundation of Clasbron church and as such cannot be “independent” worshippers. Monks devoted to Neutral deities sometimes leave the monasteries and become hermits, though more often than not, they return to the monastery for further training and instruction.

Pantheists/Animists

Pantheists do not honor any specific deity or pantheon, but rather accept the divine nature of all deities. Animists honor the spirit of all things. Both Animism and Pantheism find the majority of their adherents among Adepts, Druids and, less so, Rangers. While monasteries are dedicated to specific deities, the occasional solitary monk also follows a path of Pantheism or Animism. Neither Pantheism nor Animism provides a favored weapon for use with a monk’s unarmed strike. Clerics and Paladins are never pantheists or animists.

Non-Believers

There are three major types of non-believers: heretics, blasphemers and atheists.

Heretics: Though one may believe in the existence of deities, heretics deny that they should be worshipped or honored. Heretics view deities more or less as uber-powerful mortals whose meddling in mortal affairs causes more trouble than good. Hoping to sway heretics back into the fold, deities do not deny them any blessings that a cleric might bestow upon them. Heretics who proselytize their ideas have become enemies of the deities and attempts will be made to silence them or otherwise eliminate the problem.

Blasphemers: Some in Novaria are so overcome with evil that they serve the fiends of the lower realms. While many deities are no less nefarious then the vilest devil or foulest demon, blasphemers tend to become obstacles for divine dominion over the world. In many cases, evil deities will use blasphemers to their advantage when they can but will not hesitate to remove them from the equation should they become troublesome. Most good deities do not demand their clerics give healing to blasphemers, though will not refrain them from doing so.

Atheists: In a fantasy world where deities are very active in the everyday life, the existence of atheists is very rare. Though it is difficult to deny the existence of deities in the face of miracles, atheists tend to view divine magic no differently from arcane magic. Unfortunately for the atheist, the deities take a very dim view of someone denying their very existence. Divine healing spells, as well as any other spell that would benefit the atheist, simply has no effect on them. However, atheists are not immune to the wrath of deities. Divine spells that cause injury or are otherwise harmful to the atheist do as much damage as they would any deity fearing soul. Known atheists also face social stigma as fools or madmen. Some sects even target atheists for conversion or “ecclesiastic punishment”.