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Weird Mystaras

by Miladoon

Acolyte
Slightly Edited Faith Overview by Havard

Antalian Faith (Aasatru)
Pantheon: Antalian Pantheon
Immortals:


Church: Antalian Church (Clan based)
Roots: Unknown. Possibly Blackmoor Era Skandaharian Faith.
Countries: Ostland, Vestland, Soderfjord

Eternal Truth
Pantheon: None (Doctrine as taught by the Immortal, Al-Kalim)
Churches: Church if the Eternal Truth
Roots: Thyatian Faith, Ylari Tradition, Nithian Faith
Known World Countries: Ylaruam, Darokin (Selenica), Ierendi, Thyatis (Biazzan)

Thyatian Faith
Pantheon: Thyatian Pantheon
Immortals:


Churches: Church of Thyatis, Church of Karameikos, Church of Darokin
Roots: Nithian and Old Traladaran Faiths
Known World Countries: Thyatis, Karameikos, Darokin, Minrothad, Ierendi

Traladaran Faith
Pantheon: The Traladaran Three, Hero Spirits
Immortals:


Churches: Church of Traladara
Roots: Old Traldar Faith and Tradition, Nithian Faith
Known World Countries: Karameikos, Darokin, Thyatis, Glantri (Boldavia).

Demihuman Church Traditions
Dwarven and Gnomish Faith
Pantheon: Dwarven Pantheon
Immortals:


Churches: Dwarven Church (Clan Based)
Roots: Dwarven Tradition
Countries: Rockhome, Karameikos, Thyatis, Darokin, Soderfjord, Vestland, Ostland, Ierendi, Minrothad, Alphatia (Denwarf-Hurgon)

Elven Faith
Pantheon: Elven Pantheon
Immortals:


Churches: Elven Church (Clan based)
Roots: Elven Tradition
Countries: Alfheim, Karameikos, Minrothad, Darokin, Thyatis, Minrothad, Glantri (Erewan, Belcadiz), Alphatia (Shiye Lawr)

Hin (Halfling) Faith
Pantheon: High Heroes
Immortals:


Churches: Hin Church
Roots: Hin Tradition
Countries: Five Shires, Karameikos, Darokin, Thyatis

Human Mystical Traditions
Atruaghin Mysticism
Pantheon: Atruaghin Pantheon, Spirits
Immortals:


Churches: None (Atruaghin Shamanic Tradition)
Roots: Oltec Tradition
Countries: Atruaghin lands, Darokin

Ethengar Mysticism
Pantheon: Ethengar Pantheon, Spirits
Immortals:


Churches: None (Ethengar Shamanic Tradition)
Roots: Blackmoor Era Peshwah Tradition and Beliefs
Country: Ethengar

Glantrian Mysticism
Pantheon: Rad
Immortals:


Church: Shepherds of Rad
Roots: Ethengar Mysticism, Arcane Philosophy
Country: Glantri

Tenets of the Church of Karameikos
(1)The acts of assault, abuse, murder, theft, lying, adultery, and living together without the sanctity of matrimony are sins
these sins require acts or ceremonies of purification (of severity appropriate to the sin) to cleanse from the spirit
(2) That an unwillingness on the part of a sinner to purify himself of a sin is itself a sin, punishable by separation from the Church, the eventual result of which is the sinner's spirit becoming too stained ever to be redeemed
(3) That the individual's role in the afterlife will be determined by the amount of stain his spirit bears at the time of his death
(4) That it is the responsibility of members of the Church to bring the benefits of Church philosophy to the unbeliever, and to remain present even in hostile lands, so that the benefits of the Church be denied to no one who desires them
(5) That magic ritual with no confirmed basis in formal magic use or clerical ritual constitutes ignorant superstition, and therefore the use of lucky charms, tea-readings, palmreadings, card-readings, and so forth are all valueless wastes of time and effort

Most of those of Thyatian descent in Karameikos are members of the Church of Karameikos; approximately half those of mixed descent are; and many of Traladaran descent have been converted by the church's new compelling philosophy of the "unrestained spirit." The Church now fully supports faith in all its forms. In all, about 25% of the population of Karameikos now belongs to the Church of Karameikos, and this segment of the population includes most of the landed nobles and many other powerful political figures.

Tenets of the Church of Traladara
(1) That the acts of assault, abuse, murder, theft and lying are sins, brought on by weakness or the intrusion of bad-will from evil or animal spirits
(2) That the sins described above should be punished, in the manner that parents punish children: Physical punishment, imprisonment, and the witholding of rights (even death, in the case of extreme sinners who endanger others)
(3) That the role of the individual in the afterlife will be determined by the individual's state of wisdom, strength of character, and good-will at the time of his death
(4) That the relationship of man to woman is a personal matter, not involving the philosophies of the Church unless one of the above sins is involved
(5) That common magic ritual such as the use of lucky charms, tea-reading, palmreadings, card-readings and so forth are all declarations of man's curiosity about the world and determination to preserve himself from evil, and are often rewarded by the Immortals with the gleaning of facts about the future or nature of the world
(6) That the events of "The Song of Halav" are absolutely true; that King Halav, Queen Petra and Zirchev are now Immortals guiding the righteous and punishing the wicked in Traladara/Karameikos; and that the Golden Age of the Traladara will one day return to this land.

The basic philosophy of the Church of Traladara is that people should not harm one another, and that when they do the community should punish the wrongdoer in proportion to the degree of the sin. There isn't much more to their philosophy than that, and so the Church is ideally suited to the cheerful and whimsical Traladarans. The role of the Traladaran cleric is to provide advice for younger people, based on his own experiences and the examples of behavior given in "The Song of Halav." Traladaran clerics advise the young, perform marriages and officiate at other ceremonies, preach the church philosophies, and promote goodwill. They also fight—to save lives or to defeat evils.
Approximately 70% of the population of Karameikos belongs to the Church of Traladara.

Tenets of the Church of Thyatis
1) Act with fairness – Thyatians believe that the Immortals note every mortal action and, upon death, mortals are judged according to their actions and sent to a heavenly kingdom based on their own conduct.

2) Improve the world – As the Thyatian culture is the best in the world, it should be extended to every other culture by any means possible.

3) Honour the feast days – It is right to cease work for at least a day on the days consecrated to an Immortal or to the ancestors, to pray to the patron of the day and make him an offering in exchange for protection.

4) Listen to the Haruspices – Every month a group of clerics specialised in interpreting the signs of the Immortals proposes a prophecy or an augury that pertains to the Empire. Every follower is invited to meditate on the augury to discover if he has an important part to play in fulfilling it.

The Church of Thyatis is led by the Assembly of Elders and the Pontifex Magnus (the High Patriarch), which has the power to direct the policies of the church, crown the Emperor, promote new missions, and initiate the process of the Evocatio – necessary for expanding the pantheon of the Immortals and saints honoured by the Church.

Tenets of the Cult of Halav
(1) That King Halav, dead on the field of the Final Battle Between Men and Beast-Men, was taken up by the Immortals, returned to life, healed, and placed in the deepest sleep
(2) That the goal of the Immortals was to return King Halav to Traladara when it was time to restore the nation to the glory it held in its Golden Age
(3) That the Immortals have decided that this is that time, and that they sent the spirit of King Halav into the newborn Stefan Karameikos, that he would grow up to be the next King Halav

The Cult is dedicated to the idea that Stefan Karameikos will make Traladara into a mighty nation once more, will arm it and send its numberless legions out to conquer the world for the glory of Traladara. However, the first goal of the Cult is to persuade everyone (including Duke Stefan) of their cause, and this hasn't been easy to do. This tends to frustrate them, but they're determined. Despite the fact that most people consider the Halavists to be insane, it's a fact that their clerics do work magic. This means they must be receiving aid and inspiration from some Immortal. So, though most common folk think they're crazy, clerics tend to be very interested in the doings of the Cult.

Only a fraction of the people on Karameikos belong to the Cult.

Other Acolytes
Not all people belong to one of the formal religions of Karameikos. Adventurers, especially, tend to develop their own ideas about the nature of the world and about the relationship of religion to real-life, and so some refuse to align themselves with one church or the other. The number of persons in Karameikos who do not belong to either the Church of Karameikos or the Church of Traladara constitutes about 5% of the population.

Other Immortals:
Minroth - Minrothad, patriotism, hope, prosperity, wealth, trade
Twelve Watchers - Arts and crafts
Calitha Starbrow - Oceans, lakes and rivers, travel, fertility, good luck, aquatic races, sea elves (Meditor)
Ruaidhri Hawkbane - Extermination of lycanthropes, courage, hunters, safeguarding the demihumans
Saturnius - Liberty, independence, pirates, adventurers
Protius - Oceans and marine creatures, water, capriciousness, travel
Corona (Zugzul) - Power, conquest, necromancy, fire, fire magic
Maat - Justice, honour, virtue, integrity, honesty, order, loyalty, redemption, fight chaos and evil
Chardastes - Healing, purification, health, medicine, life cycle, eternal life
Tarastia - Law, order, truth, justice and just revenge
Mother Nature (Djaea) - Survival of the world and living races, natural balance, respect of life, druidism
Nyx - Night, darkness and shadow, necromancy, magic, secrets
Kythria - Passion, sensuality, lust, beauty, Ierendi
Turmis - Bravery, arrogance, cleverness, epic deeds, adventurers and boastful thieves
Noumena - Knowledge, mysteries, enigmas, guile, tactics, strategy, logic

Charlatan, Criminal, and Urchin
Criminal Organizations
The Kingdom of the Thieves demands 15 % of the character's income. However, that 15% pays for a cheap, reliable "fence"—most goods the character steals can be sold through the fence with no likelihood of being traced back to him. The Kingdom also provides work for its members at crucial times; whenever the Thief-King has planned a mission, he chooses the
members of the Kingdom most appropriate to carry it out, and this means that the character will occasionally help execute high-paying jobs.

The Iron Ring is the most cruel and evil of the three thieves' guilds. Its members include thieves of neutral or chaotic alignment, and clerics of chaotic alignment. Its members aren't allowed to thieve on a freelance basis—their only duty is to the Ring. They are spies, slavers, thieves and assassins serving the ends of the Iron Ring, and their only goals are to gain power for themselves and the Ring.

Note: Recently, The Veiled Society is now defunct, leaving in its wake a host of gangs infesting The Nest and Old Quarter

Criminal Law - The following are considered crimes under the Dukes Law:
Assault
Attacking another person with the intent to injure is a crime. Assault comes in three levels.

  1. Unarmed Assault is attacking someone with your fists or threatening someone with any sort of harm. Unarmed Assault is a Class One crime.
  2. Armed Assault – Lesser is attacking someone with improvised weapons such as benches, bottles, etc. (This is the charge often levelled in the case of a tavern brawl.) Armed Assault – Lesser is a Class Two crime.
  3. Armed Assault – Greater is attacking someone with deadly weapons (weapons of war), or with magic. Armed Assault – Greater is a Class Four crime.

Endangerment
Deliberately exposing someone to danger is a crime. This charge is only pressed when the victim was in danger of losing his life. Inciting a crowd to riot or panic is endangerment. This is a Class Four crime.
Escape/Flight
Escaping from the authorities or fleeing the authorities to escape the consequences of a crime is itself a Class Three crime.
Fraud
Cheating another person of anything of value is a crime. (Gambling is not fraud unless cheating is involved.) It is considered theft.
Murder
Taking the life of another person, or attempting to, is a crime. There are five categories:

  1. Accidental Murder is a death brought about by a person’s exceptional carelessness or stupidity. This is a Class Four crime.
  2. Attempted Murder – Spontaneous is the near death of the victim brought about by a spur of the moment action or decision on behalf of the accused. This can include the accused being goaded into action. It is a Class Five crime.
  3. Attempted Murder – Deliberate is the near death of the victim following planning by the accused. It is a Class Six crime.
  4. Murder – Spontaneous is the actual death of the victim brought about by a spur of the moment action or decision on behalf of the accused. This can include the accused being goaded into action. It is a Class Six crime.
  5. Murder – Deliberate is the actual death of the victim following planning by the accused. It is a Class Seven crime.

Slander
Deliberately spreading rumours detrimental to the reputation of a person is a crime. However, it is a difficult one to try. The prosecution must prove that the rumours are false and that they did significant damage to the reputation of the victim, causing harm to his health or fortune. This is a Class Three crime.
Tax Avoidance
Falsely reporting income in order to lessen taxes is a crime. Paying less tax than required by law is a crime. Refusing to pay required taxes is a crime. Tax avoidance is considered theft (with the noble or govern¬ment as the injured party).
Theft
Stealing money or goods from another person is a crime. The degree of the crime depends on the value of the goods stolen. If the value is less than 10 gp, it is a Class One crime. If the amount is 11 to 100 gp, it is a Class Two crime. For 101 gp to 1000 gp it is a Class Three 3 crime. An amount of 1001 to 10000 gp falls into Class Four, and anything over 10001 gp makes this theft a Class Five crime.
Treason
Betraying state secrets to a foreign power, assault against a member of the Royal Family, disobedience of a direct command from the Duke or Duchess, mutiny, and disobedience by military personnel of a direct order are Treason. Most instances of treason are Class Seven crimes. Mutiny and disobedience of orders in peacetime are Class Six crimes.

Punishment
Class One; Fine: 1d6 royal OR Jail: 1 day OR Both
Class Two; Fine: 10d6 royal OR Jail: 1d6 Weeks OR Both
Class Three; Fine: 100xd6 royal OR Jail: 1d6 months OR Both
Class Four; Fine: 1000xd6 royal OR Jail: 1Year OR Both
Class Five; Fine: 5000×1d6 royal OR Jail: 1d6Years OR Both
Class Six; Fine: 10,00ox1d6 royal OR Jail: 5×1d6 Years OR Both OR Death
Class Seven; Death