Cult of Halav
by Marco Dalmonte English translation by Gary DaviesWorshipped in: Karameikos
Halav - Traladara, war, strategy and tactics, strength and determination, sacrifice, fighting humanoids.
The Cult of Halav is a church that was founded by Sergyev, a member of the Church of Traladara, following a vision in which he saw Halav come down to earth and revealed as being returned to life in the person of Stefan Karameikos III, in order to bring back his favourite Traladarans from the Golden Age. After having revealed his vision to a superior and having been mocked, Sergyev decided to leave the order and to found his own cult dedicated to the worship of Halav in his embodiment as Stefan Karameikos, and thanks to his fervent sermons and to his magnetic personality, succeeded to gather around himself a small number of faithful and other clergymen, indoctrinated with the three beliefs of this faith:
- King Halav, died on the field of battle in the final clash with the king of the beastmen, has been taken by the Immortals, to be resuscitated, healed and put asleep.
- The aim of the Immortals is to return Halav to Traladara when the moment is right to return the nation to its ancient glory.
- The Immortals have decided that the moment has been reached and they have sent the spirit of King Halav into the baby Stefan Karameikos III, so as to make him the new King of Traladara.
Actually the cult is dedicated to the idea that the Duke transforms Traladara from new into a powerful nation and will equip the armies to conquer the entire world. The prime objective of the Cult however is still to convince all, including Duke Karameikos, on the truth of this prophecy, this has yet to happen. But in spite of the frustrating position in which they have been relegated, accused of being visionaries and lunatics by the majority of Karameikans, its members are very determined and well indoctrinated by Sergyev, and wont give up. In particular, even if they can seem at first sight excited and crazy, these clergymen are, however, able to cast divine spells, a clear sign that they enjoy the favour of the Immortals (and of Halav), this gives them strength and makes them sure of the truthfulness of their own theories. Only a small part of the Traladarans of Karameikos (about 1%) belongs to this cult. The clerics of the Cult of Halav do not have a formal robe that unites them, and can be recognised by their scruffy and humble aspect, by the long beard and by the fervour with which they preach, as well as by the holy symbol of Halav (a sword plunged into an anvil) represented in a medallion that is always carried around the neck.