Religion & Gods
Practical Polytheism
If you were raised in the modern era, chances are religion isn’t very important in your life. Gods are held privately in the hearts of men who dare not speak of it publicly, and all matters are secular. This is a very recent state of affairs, and it is essentially reliant on an absentee deity. Few atheists would deny the presence of a god who demonstrated its presence through the smiting of any who disputed his existence.
In theology, there’s a split between the concept of orthodoxy (right thought) & orthopraxy (right practice). Orthodoxy is the more modern of the two & is much more well-known today; you have probably heard the word even if you are not religious. It means thinking according to the religious structure’s beliefs. This is the heart of most Abrahamic religions such as Christianity & Islam; it is also found in Buddhism amongst others. In simple terms, you believe what you must because it is what your god says is good.
Orthopraxy is an older system. Orthopraxy is the matter of performing ritual and custom as it has been prescribed. It, too, is found in every religion; if you have ever heard of the orthodox man who does not act as his faith decrees, then you have found someone who ignores orthopraxy. However, in polytheistic religions, it is almost universally the case that orthopraxy far exceeds the importance of orthodoxy. The gods are real, very busy, and they do not care about your personal lives or what other gods you placate or how you conduct yourself so long as you don’t offend them.
Ritual as Maintenance
Rituals are not practiced because someone chose to “believe” in their associated god. They are practiced for the same reason you maintain your car & your house, and for the same reason you pay your taxes: because if you don’t, things break down. The exact qualities or nature of the god(s) is actually one of the least important parts here. The most important part is what you have to do to keep them happy.
This is the case in Aia as well. Gods do not dictate moral or ethical systems. There are no “good” or “bad” gods. You worship all of them when necessary regardless of the case. Metaphorically, you are a small landlocked nation trapped between several enormous neighbors. You must placate those who pose a risk to you, and may only ignore those who are too distant to do you harm. If one nation has its diplomats dance & sing songs before speaking to the king? You’d better learn to do that. And if the neighboring one prefers you lick their boots? Do that too, and don’t dare try the songs.
In this context, the practice of devoting yourself to a single god is ridiculous if not outright deadly. The merchant sacrifices to the gods of fortune, travel, wind, road, and health as he requires. Each sacrifice is not an act of faith, but an exchange; the merchant gives his finest horse, and the god of health gives swift recovery. Even priests dedicated to one god will associate with as many spirits as they need to, and may simultaneously serve as a priest for several — as the qualification for priesthood is largely a matter of knowing the rituals & how the god thinks.
Magic is Normal is Magic
In English, the root of the term “magician” is rooted in the magi, the Zoroastrian priests. In Aia & on Glass, spells are gods too; they are just as much a spirit as anything else. Magicians are the priests of many little gods. There is no distinction between the magical & mundane. The system doesn’t distinguish “magical” or “divine” as a category.
As a consequence, there is no distinction between a “god” & a man, other than for the power differential between them. An especially powerful magician is a god, if he so chose to frame himself that way. A god can grow old & die. Most of those worshiped do not. Agelessness & immortality are strongly associated with demigod treatment.
There are ways of becoming “immortal.”
In Essence
- Polytheism is a matter of practicality, not belief.
- You perform rituals & sacrifices to please the gods, not to conform to their moral standards, and not as an act of devotion.
- If the gods are placated, it worked. If it didn’t, you must have performed the ritual wrong.
- This is not a matter for priests & nobody else — the gods concern everyone on Aia, especially the Party.
- If you please the gods, you receive fortune & a quiet life; if you do not, your crops fail, your city loses the war, and you fail your death Save.
An Ecosystem of Gods
Aia is home to an ecosystem of gods. Everyone maintains a basic relationship to the gods that matter most to them — rice, water, war, threshold, ancestral spirits. There’s no need to give a +1 for it.
A god is an actual creature with creature-like powers, constrained by their physical nature. They are often not worshiped outside of their center of activity. Every fifth or tenth settlement has a petty local demigod or two. Many demigods are humans that have acquired a lot of features over time. Most are in some way integrated into the power structures of the world. Some are warlords-in-the-making, fighting for their own chunk of Glass.
Kain’s Cult
Some commoners worship Kain, who now resides in the Oropolis, the temple-mountain at the heart of Glass near Theomni. He has never encouraged this cult, but equally did little to suppress it.
Solar Cult
There is a twintail-worshiping cult that was originally encouraged & fostered by Kain. Yes, the hairstyle. They have a dedicated art to the twintail spirits they foster & manage. They insist on the existence of a deity they call Solar, who may or may not be real.
Least Gods
Every spell & beast is a minor spirit, which is in a sense a deity. If you can capture a fairy, that’s as good as having a spell.