Revision 23 as of 2019-03-26 12:31:30

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Local Animism

In the provinces, the local spirits are often placated by offerings at shrines built outside the walls of the palisade. There are some individuals supernaturally gifted in the way of natural things, and they are considered the tenders of these shrines, infrequently seen but always felt in the care they provide. Wood witch is a name given to them by people of the Old City, but the folk whose crops and fauna these benefactors aid speak of them only obliquely, and in gentle terms.

Circles

Little is known of the wandering souls who visit the shrines in the provinces, but one familiar with lore of the woods knows that each is unlike any other. It is said, though only through second hand accounts, that from time to time they meet at hallowed places in the deep dark of the Blood Wood.

The Three

The settlers of Vindulan brought many gods with them, but the dominant religion is represented by those who worship the Three. Many claim to feel the influence of the gods in their lives, but those who worship some aspect of the Three can back their words up with the evidence of the gods' power. The Church of the Three has a strong following both in Vindulan and in the freeholds, and its clergy perform many public ritual functions and ceremonies. They are the chief agent of humanity's salvation, some say, for the Mother, Father, and Child chose a blessed few to heal them and make them whole in their darkest hour, when the Fartheen threatened the very existence of the much smaller and younger settlement.

There is very little hierarchy--administrative offices exist, but there is no formal rank or seniority. Clergyfolk are, instead, called by an aspect of the Three, and upon manifestation of the gods' blessing, a cleric customarily undergoes ordination and takes up a five-year tour of service throughout Vindulan and outside the wall, after which they conduct various services as their calling, situation, and station demand. Clerics know one another by their cloaks of office, and typically regard other as fellow travelers on the path. Not all, however, enter the clergy; those who are called among the freeholds, particularly, have been known to explore their faith in less formal ways. Clerics of the Three do not look down upon them as subordinates strictly speaking, but certainly take a patronizing attitude in practice.

Note: clerics of the Three choose one aspect of the Three, and select their domains from the list. The domains and gods (and their aspects) are listed below. The list of domains is drawn from the Players Handbook, but others are available to be chosen or created with DM guidance.

Domains

The Three and their Aspects

* The practice and study of magic is highly regulated in Vindulan, and unsanctioned use of magic is punishable by exile with extreme prejudice.

** Study of the Dark One, and even belief in the unity of the Dark One with the other aspects of the gods, is considered heresy.