isles-of-maga/religion.md

Religion

Unlike many other settings there is no problem with Clerics, regardless of whether they serve Gora or a Demon Lord, to use non-blunt weapons like swords, axes, and spears. In fact, Clerics can even serve no deity if they choose, and can still cast magic through a belief in a higher power. However, the extent of this faith must be that of religious conviction, hence the religious role of Clerics. Therefore there are very few unaffiliated Clerics at all, most serving either Gora or a Demon Lord. Instead, unaffiliated Clerics tend to go one of two paths: choosing an interpretation of Goraism that defines him as a very abstract being, hence removing a great deal of the dogmatism involved in Goraism; or otherwise become faithless and instead learn magic as Magic-Users, attempting to learn the secrets of magic directly.

Clerics are protected from the dangers of magic by their faithfulness, which limits their capability in terms of both power and kinds of spells. Magic-Users, on the other hand, directly deal with the reality of magic through learning esoteric knowledge. The problem with this is that Magic-Users are not obligated to use this power in accordance with a moral code, leading to the possibility of corruption of the Magic-User in terms of body, mind, and spirit alike. This is why the Mages Guild was established; to limit the amount of knowledge that a single Magic-User can possess, while still allowing for continued research into the arcane in a controlled fashion.

Religion is one of the ways people are tied together. Often times those who come from conflicting political backgrounds, such as Orcs and citizens of the Republic, will not fight each other if they are loyal to the same deity.

Gora

The "good" religion in Maga is monotheistic, worshipping the deity called Gora. However, Gora does not actively perform miracles, and the power of Clerics, like Magic-Users, comes from their life energy rather than a blessing from Gora. In fact, there is no apparent physical evidence that Gora exists, although many Clerics may dispute this point.

Goraism traces back to Honstrad, where most people worshipped some version of Gora localized for their culture. Clerics of Gora are forbidden from necrosmithing and dealing with Demon Lords.

Demon Lords

However, there are a large number of "evil" religions in Maga, each serving a Demon Lord. Unlike Gora, the existence of Demon Lords is undeniable and apparent. Although the worship of the Demon Lords is forbidden culturally and legally, they all have their own share of worshippers. Demon Lords are considered evil compared to Gora, and while they generally tend to be misanthropic, some actually follow a more complex grey morality. Furthermore, all the beast races traditionally worship a patron Demon Lord rather than Gora (although some do worship Gora), and have a much more positive perception of the Demon Lord they follow.

A Cleric, then, is permitted to serve a Demon Lord as a patron deity, but they cannot do so openly. The effects of such a relationship between a Cleric and a Demon Lord are not defined here. As stated earlier, the power of Clerics does not come from a blessing, but from their life-energy. It is possible that knowledge from a Demon Lord gives access to new powers, however.

Demon Lords all have their own region in the land of Demonia. Demonia is located deep underground, far deeper than any mortal could possibly go. The different regions are called Baronies of Demonia. Each Lord also has their own kind of demons that fit their nature.

These are some of the major Demon Lords (feel free to make new ones):

• Pastorum, Patron of Ghosts. His demons are called Nonces, which are the ghosts of deceased sentient races. Upon death, a Nonce retains the memories of its life, but loses its sense of identity. His barony is called Arcadia, a land of rolling hills and meadows that are perpetually lit by moonlight. His appearance is of a human skeleton in a robe, with the skull of a bull. In one hand he holds a shepherd's crook, and in the other hand he holds a box lantern. Pastorum's main goal in Maga is to prevent the extinction of the races while also opposing immortality and necrosmithing.
• Umbrarum, Patroness of Shadows. Her demons are, likewise, called Shadows, which are incorporeal manifestations of darkness. Her barony is called The Silent Vale, and is a large grassland where it is always night, lacking even a moon and only lit by the stars. Her appearance is that of a woman with pitch black skin, wearing a garment that is equally dark and featureless. She has on her belt a dagger, and holds a longbow with a quiver of arrows on her back. Umbrarum does not have clear objectives, but rather just enjoys making things happen; she is somewhat of a trickster. She is opposed to brute strength and favors cunning and cleverness; Umbrarum delights in the suffering of the feeble-minded but well-intentioned. For this reason her greatest enemy is Solum, who is exactly opposite. She has an affinity for the Vespertines, and Vamprism is considered by many to be a gift from Umbrarum.
• Solum, Patroness of Light (worshipped by Felidines). Her demons are called Zegnas, which appear as human beings with featureless, alabaster white skin, and the wings of doves. Solum's barony is called The Sunpeaks, which are a white rocky terrain where there is always sunlight. Her appearance is simply that of a giant Zegna, dressed in a suit of steel armor and a white cape, holding a longsword in her right hand and a round shield in her left hand. Solum's main goal in Maga is to correct injustice by retribution. She seeks out acts of great injustice and calls on her servants to punish the wrongdoer. She is opposed to cunning and cleverness and favors boldness; Solum is angered by the success of those who use underhanded tricks to gain fortune. For this reason her greatest enemy is Umbrarum, who is exactly opposite.
• Vitarum, Patroness of the Woods (worshipped by Lacertines). Her demons are called Ursoths, which appear like ordinary, slightly larger than normal bears. However, Ursoths are intelligent and can speak. Vitarum's barony is called the Twilight Pines, a tremendous pine forest with trees so high the sun is always eclipsed. Her barony is home to a large number of animals we would recognize, and also many we would not. Her appearance is that of a woman wearing the attire of a priestess. She holds a tall staff that looks like a living tree branch with leaves still attached. On her belt is an apothecary satchel. Vitarum's main goal in Maga is to oppose the ongoing deforestation of the natural rainforests of Maga, which have been reduced since colonization began and shows no sign of slowing.
• Primarium, Patron of Destruction. His demons are the Elementals of Cold, Fire, and Lightning. His barony is called Tormentia, which is divided into the land of Cold Elementals, the land of Fire Elementals, and the land of Lightning Elementals. Each of these has a climate representative of their residents. His appearance does not hold constant shape, and instead he is usually represented by a boulder split open by a bolt of lightning. Primarium's purpose in Maga is to fight against the stasis of life, making the world more unpredictable. Often times Primarium is seen as the guardian of political revolutionaries, who sometimes bear his symbol (a depiction of a boulder split by lightning).
• Pestium, Patroness of Decay. Her demons are called Morbidoths, which are made of rotten flesh in a humanoid form. Her barony is called the Putrid Canyon, a giant canyon filled with dead bodies that she uses to create more Morbidoths. Her appearance is that of a woman's corpse in a mage's robe, holding a staff with a skull at the top. The legend is that Pestium was once a necrosmith who became a lich, acquiring greater and greater knowledge of magic while evading the wrath of Pastorum. Eventually, she became powerful enough to carve her own domain in Demonia and declared herself a Demon Lord. Although there were necrosmiths before Pestium, it was only after her ascension that necrosmiths began to commune and share their knowledge. Clerics of Pestium are able to use "Command Undead" instead of "Turn Undead", which gives the Cleric control of the target if successful.
• Terror, Patron of Fear. His demons are called Angstworms, which are worm-like creatures as large as an alligator and with reptilian hide. Angstworms have no head, face, or eyes, although they do have a mouth with sharp teeth. Terror's barony is called The Void Realms, and is made of large rocks floating in space. The Angstworms are able to fly and move around freely in this medium. It is possible for a human to fall off one of the rocks and into an abyss. The Clerics that serve Terror are known as Frenetics, and have very unique spells compared to Clerics of other religions. Terror's appearance is part man, part octopus, and part dragon. It is rumored that Terror is the only Demon Lord capable of opposing Ultimatum directly.
• Ultimatum, Patron of the End Times. His demons are called Doomstrucks, which take the form of human beings with horns and pits of darkness for eyes. Ultimatum's barony is a large, candle-lit room with a crystal ball in the center. From the crystal ball Ultimatum can see all the alternate timelines the world can have. Ultimatum takes the form of an elderly man, who is usually depicted sitting down, watching a giant hourglass in front of him. His motives are difficult to understand, and he gives away very little information to his followers. Ultimatum has a vision for what the world is "supposed" to look like as time progresses, and will try to influence things slightly to achieve that goal.