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Lileth Havok Rein Vice Captain
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 Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:37 pm
Garrion Religion
Quick Over View
Name: There are many names for the garrion religion, with each tribe or group having a different title for their individual and unqieu beliefs.
Key God(s): Zazzar (the Creator), Mah'Paralo (The War Lord and Dream Giver), Holo (The Queen Jinx and Vengeful Wife), Tuberculosis (Pestilence and the Breath), Shrow (The Winter Witch), Mystic (The Child Bringer).
Minor Gods/Key Spirits: Blied (The son of Shrow and Guardian of Lost Children), Plague (The lost soul and innocent thief), Carrion Crow (The Walking Hunger), Veen (The Keeper of Whores). There are hundreds of minor gods and spirits in the Garrion Religion. Each tribe (or even each family group) has it's own spirits, and not all have names.
Place(s) of Worship: There are main temples in most Garrion cities dedicated to each god, as well as a larger 'Grand' temple belonging to the Main God of that particular city. Smaller cities and villages would worship as a group in a town/village centre, as well as in the homes of Witch Doctors, Shamans and Travelling Priests. There are also smaller groups, or 'Cults', scattered throughout Kannavahmen that build hidden temples. These cults usually worship in a slightly different way then the "main stream' temples.
Shrines are also erected in homes and in scared spots (caves, forests, swamps, ect)
Holy Text(s): There are hundreds of holy texts belonging to the Garrion religion, as well as spoken word education and art (cave paintings, statues, home decorations, body art)
Origins: The origins of the Garrion religion are very, very hazy. It is generally thought that just before the time of Zazzar's Reformation all the 'Old World Gods' disappeared or died out (some versions say Zazzar murdered them), leaving the world a spiritually empty place. During his reformation, Zazzar gathered all the spirits together and set them to form a new set of Gods for the people of his world to worship. Chaos followed, and after a combination of bloody conflicts and attempts at democracy, a set of key Gods were decided.
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Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:38 pm
Garrion Religion
The religion of the Garrion is very hard to pin point as to what exactly it is. This difficulty in defining their beliefs stems from the wide distribution of the population and the age of the race. With this said, there are several constant features within Garrion beliefs. To begin with, these common points will be listed in dot point. Following this list you will find more in depth information on several aspects of their beliefs.
Continuous Aspects Within Garrion Religion
• It is generally an accumulation of Old World Religions, borrowing elements from everything, ranging from tribal beliefs, Voodoo, roman myths and practices to several elements of Egyptian mythology.
• All Garrion groups centre around a Witch Doctor, Shaman or Priest of some kind. This individual is the respected and considered holy. They live on the out skirts of communities, but are still counted as one of the most important members of tribes or villages.
• Priests/Shamans/ Witch Doctors often keep concubines as both company and religious aids. It is not a constant aspect, but extremely common within a large number of Garrion communities. It often depends on the individual holy man, but the concubine is usually used as a medium between the real world and the spirit ream.
• Use of dreams and a concentration towards a spirit world is found in almost all Garrion beliefs. Rarely is there a ‘Heaven or Hell’. Only a realm where a person goes after death, and a level of pleasure an individual may experience while there.
Gods and Goddesses within Garrion Religion (this is just a list of figures that occur within Garrion religion. Each tribe/island/ village group may have it’s own special interpretation of the god/goddess)
Zarrar: A Creation God who disappeared soon after the resurrection of the New World and creation of the Celph. It is believed that he went insane not long after the Common came to power and Communion began to be heavily worshiped. He is traditional represented by winged mirrored octopus tentacles (similar to the image in the welcome banner of the main thread).
Mah’Paralo: A god of War, Prophecy and several hallucinogenic drgus (opium in particular). He is generally feared by most. He is traditional represented by a blind folded face or opium poppy
Shrow: A god of Winter and the Forest. Shrow is traditionally viewed as a Witch or Sorcerer who walks the world bringing winter. He is generally represented by a pair of crossed antlers.
Mystic: A god of Autumn and Gold. He is considered good luck and a sign of fertility. Some interpretations view him as women, while others assign him no gender. He is represented by a string of golden pears.
Holo: A goddess of the betrayed and bad luck, but also that of women seeking luck or protection in marriage, particularly from adulterous husbands. She is represented by a pair of exposed breasts or a women with a reduced waist. (her priestesses practice heavy waist training).
Tuberculosis: A goddess of lung or breathing based sicknesses, insects and decay. She is worshiped generally by those seeking protection from that which she represents. She is traditionally represented by a Sickle or Bee.
More to Come. Feel free to suggest/submit/ contribute your own.
Case Studies: A more detailed view of several religious beliefs and priest hoods to give you idea of what things may entail
The Mah’Paralo Priests
Mah’Paralo priests are respected and feared throughout all of the Garrion nations. They are generally chosen as toddlers or young children by a high priest who sees potential in the child. Potential Mah’Paralo priests almost always have a disability effecting their sense, particularly heaing and sight. The child is taught the ways of a Mah’Paralo preist until around the age of 11 (sometimes younger), at which stage they under go a spirit jouney where they encounter the God himself. It is during this time that their future is determined. If the god accepts them, they complete their training, receive what are generally referred to as ‘God give Powers’ and take several vowels of service to the god. If they fail, the child is typically returned to its family, or failing that, given duties as a servant of the Priest.
The God Given Powers referred to above are generally a kind of Empathy which compensates for their physical impairment. The child will also eventually have an extended life span, as well as the ability to move between the spirit world and real world freely. The priests also take vowels of silence and celibacy which are maintained during their entire life, unless permission is given by the god or they are relieved of their position as a priest.
An example of a Mah’Paralo priest is my Character Mab’Haeven. He is a 24 year old priest who was chosen by his predecessor after being found abandoned by his family. Mab’ was almost entirely blind as a child, and by his early teens had lost his sight completely.
After completing his spirit journey to meet Mah’Paralo, Mab was gifted with the ability to ‘see’ with his mind and speak through empathic methods. In return, he took a vowel of silence (physical silence. He is still allowed to use his empathy to communicate), marked by two stiches through his lips which are only removed twice a month, as well as a vowel of celibacy.
If Mab decided to break his vowels, or accept Communion as his religion, he would loose the favour of Mah’Paralo and therefore the powers gifted to him. There have also been cases of priests breaking vowels or abandoning the religion who eventually loose their minds as punishment for their betrayal.
It should be noted that this branch of Mah’Paralo’s preists are rare. There are only around 5-10 at any time. General followers or minor priests of Mah’Paralo are similar to any other Garrion priest.
The Cult of Zazzar
Zazzar is a widely worshiped god within the Garrion’s beliefs, but the Cult of Zazzar reflects the state of its god perfectly. Many of its practices challenge even the Garrion’s sense of what is taboo, and often involves blood sacrifices and dream walks aided by dangerous hallucinogens.
The Cult of Zazzar also relies heavily on the aid of its priest’s concubines. These concubines are generally subject to a greater level of abuse and mistreatment then an average priest’s servant, with the Cult’s priests often using concubines as experiment subjects or mediums to less then savoury regions of the spirit world. This said, the Cult’s concubines are by far the most loyal, thought this may be due to the role being hereditary and no other life known by those who sever the Cult’s priests. It is rare for new blood to be bought in to the Cult’s concubine linage, with those who are introduced generally being orphans or social outcasts.
It has male priests, with women only serving as food or for sex. Female Common would be either killed on sight and dumped in the ocean, eaten, given to the Celph that live in the area as play things or used up and then eater/dumped. Male Common occasionally get taken as concubines or 'spiritual aids'. "Why don't they have much to do with women?" you ask. It's because Zazzar is misogynistic b*****d who doesn't like or respect women and really much prefers men.
A general Witch Doctors Role
The Witch Doctor’s role varies within each Garrion community, but for this example, I will use Havok’s village and the role he played.
A Witch Doctor will usually be marked at birth, as with any other Garrion child (they are assigned their fate at birth, a long with the small box in which they are intended to keep important items). Once a child is marked to become a Doctor, they will be taken to the village’s current Shaman or Witch Doctor (it will depend on what is avaible). They will then undergo training until they reach their teens. The child will be allowed some contact with his/her family, but it will be minimal until they reach the end of their training.
This training will give the individual an in depth knowledge of healing practices, the rituals surrounding birthrights and many other aspects of the religion. A Witch Doctor is considered important, but not as ‘holy’ or feared as a Shaman.
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Lileth Havok Rein Vice Captain
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Lileth Havok Rein Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:39 pm
Gods and Goddesses within Garrion Religion (expanded information)
(this is just a list of figures that occur within Garrion religion. Each tribe/island/ village group may have it’s own special interpretation of the god/goddess)
Zarrar: A Creation God who disappeared soon after the resurrection of the New World and creation of the Celph. It is believed that he went insane not long after the Common came to power and Communion began to be heavily worshiped. He is traditional represented by winged mirrored octopus tentacles (similar to the image in the welcome banner of the main thread).
Mah’Paralo: A god of War, Prophecy and several hallucinogenic drgus (opium in particular). He is generally feared by most. He is traditional represented by a blind folded face or opium poppy
Shrow: A god of Winter and the Forest. Shrow is traditionally viewed as a Witch or Sorcerer who walks the world bringing winter. He is generally represented by a pair of crossed antlers.
Mystic: A god of Autumn and Gold. He is considered good luck and a sign of fertility. Some interpretations view him as women, while others assign him no gender. He is represented by a string of golden pears.
Holo: A goddess of betray and bad luck, but also that of women seeking luck or protection in marriage, particularly from adulterous husbands. She is represented by a pair of exposed breasts or a women with a reduced waist. (her priestesses practice heavy waist training).
Tuberculosis: A goddess of lung or breathing based sicknesses, insects and decay. She is worshiped generally by those seeking protection from that which she represents. She is traditionally represented by a Sickle or Bee.
More to Come. Feel free to suggest/submit/ contribute your own.
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Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:40 pm
Religion Based Occupations and their Roles within Society (or about priests and stuff)
Temple Priests
Cult Priests
Shamans
Witch Doctors
Trainees
Concubines
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Lileth Havok Rein Vice Captain
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Lileth Havok Rein Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:41 pm
Expanded information on Various Cults and Temples
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Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:43 pm
Expanded information on Various Cults and Temples
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Lileth Havok Rein Vice Captain
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Lileth Havok Rein Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:45 pm
Expanded information on Various Cults and Temples
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Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:47 pm
Expanded information on Various Cults and Temples
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Lileth Havok Rein Vice Captain
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Lileth Havok Rein Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:49 pm
Expanded information on Various Cults and Temples
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Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:50 pm
Expanded information on Various Cults and Temples
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Lileth Havok Rein Vice Captain
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Lileth Havok Rein Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:52 pm
Expanded information on Various Cults and Temples
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Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:53 pm
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Lileth Havok Rein Vice Captain
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Lileth Havok Rein Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:54 pm
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Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:57 pm
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Lileth Havok Rein Vice Captain
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Lileth Havok Rein Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:58 pm
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