Immortals of Ochalea

by Kit Navarro

Introduction

The Ochaleans, as a society, are very highly educated, philosophical and highly evolved in their religious and spiritual beliefs. They are not a theocracy, unlike the Nithians and Thothians, where religion (and the religious hierarchy!) interferes with every breath and movement of the people. But in Ochalea, religion and spiritual belief does permeate in all aspects of their lives.

The Ochaleans proudly claim that there is the proper understanding and perspective with regards to Immortals. As evidence of this, Ochaleans will be quick to show you their long history of peace and prosperity, free from any Immortal interference and machinations, even during the recent Wrath of the Immortals.

Ancestor Worship and Immortals

One crucial concept in Ochalean mysticism and religion is Ancestor Worship. Culturally, the Ochaleans put great import on honouring their parents and elders. Ochaleans view them as those who are wiser, more experienced in life, who have gone before, and in turn, become guides for the future generations. Understandably, this respect and honour extends even to deceased Ancestors, many of whom were local heroes, famous personages of the past, or distinguished predecessors of their family and clan. In their mortal lifetime, these Ancestors accomplished many deeds of glory, and their descendants should not only be grateful for them, but should emulate and strive to be like them. This forms the basis of Ancestor Worship.

On a grander scale, this is also how Ochaleans view Immortals. Ochaleans believe that Immortals were once mortals too, and therefore the greatest and most ancient of their Ancestors (Uh-oh! Mystara meets Birthright!). Most Ochaleans understand that this concept is more philosophical than factual, though it is not unheard of for some unscrupulous self-important fool to claim to be a direct descendant of Lan Yi-Xiong or Hua Fei-Xiang, complete with (forged) genealogical charts!

Thus, Ochaleans hold a reverential affinity to the Immortals, and the idea of a scheming, megalomaniac Immortal, manipulating mortal pawns in a cosmic chess game is totally unacceptable, even incomprehensible, for the Ochalean mind. (But then again, Ochaleans are also known to have an attitude of playing blind to unpleasant circumstances...)

The Ochalean Pantheon

The Ochaleans do not have a fixed pantheon that they worship, like the Tarsian Twelve of the Traldar or the Pantheon of the Church of Darokin. Instead, they have a constantly rotating cast of Immortals that gain or lose prominence, depending on the seasons of the year, the alignment of the stars, the amount of harvest, the necessity of the Immortal's blessing, the popularity of the Immortal in the locality, the amount of gold donated by the patrons in the name of that Immortal, and so forth. To add chaos to confusion, the Ochaleans also sometimes include their Ancestors among the number of Immortals that they worship.

It would be safe to say that all Immortals are known and worshipped, in some form, in Ochalea- and then some.

The Ochaleans have many classical texts, religious or otherwise, about the Immortals, but none give a definite listing or a prescribed pantheon. Depending on the source, the number of Immortals ranges from 1 (The Creation of the Immortals) to 8 (The Eight Immortals) to 100 (The History of the Kingdom of Pan-Du) to ten thousand (Essays on Immortals, Ancestors and Other Celestial Beings). This is because most of these Ochalean texts are more a mixture of religious legend, mythological literature, philosophical commentary and fanciful conjecture than actual historical records.

Complex as it may be, the Ochaleans do believe in a divine order among the Immortals. In fact, they believe that the Celestial Court of Pan-Du (Pandius), is not unlike their own mortal Kingdom of Ochalea. They pride themselves that their society most closely reflects that of the Immortals, and claim that this system pleases the Immortals (read: not incurred any Immortal's wrath...).

The following are the major Immortals worshipped in Ochalea (although this list is not exhaustive, by far!):


Ochalean Name Common Name Alignment Area of Concern
Koru Yi-Si Koryis LG Ochalea, Peace and Prosperity
Nü Yue-Wang Nyx N Night and Undead
Hua Fei-Xiang Alphatia LG Art, Beauty, Pacifism, Serenity
Hua Fan-Liang Alphaks CE Ochalean Pride, Separation from Alphatia
Chang Dang-Su Chardastes NG Health, Healing, Medicine
Tang Da-Si Thanatos LE Death, the Afterlife
Long Wang The Great One N All Dragonkind
Yue Long Pearl CN Chaotic Dragons
Ri Long Opal N Neutral Dragons
Xing Long Diamond LN Lawful Dragons
Lan Yi-Xiong Ixion CG The Sun, Light and Brightness
Kong Ru Khoronus N History, Time and Long Life
Rong Han Rathanos CN Fire, Energy, Male Superiority
Tao Ru-Jia Tarastia LN Justice and Equality (for Women)
Zhu Cheng-Wei Zirchev NG Forest Creatures, Hunters and Rangers
Lao Pang-Tiu Protius CN The Seas, its Bounties and Dangers
Hua Mei-Liang Valerias CN Love and Romance
Ting Lei-Xian Tiresias NG Music, Poetry and Prophecy
Shi Su-Ma Ssu-Ma LN Writing, Literacy, Scholarship
Mao Si-Wu Masauwu LE Temptation, Vices
Koru Ti-Kong Korotiku CN Trickery and Pranks
Diu Nan-Liang Diulanna NG Will, Achievements for Women
Hua Niang Vanya LN Women Warriors
Shi'Er Zhi-Gong Twelve Watchers N Craftsmen, Artisans
Tai Qi Tyche CN Fortune, Good Luck