Thursday, April 16, 2020

Priests of Monvesia

In Monvesia, the two priestly classes cover all spiritual traditions.  While each tradition is rooted with a particular race, you do not need to be a member of that race to follow that tradition--you simply must train in that race's tradition.  There may be some restrictions on how far a character can progress in ecclesiastical hierarchy if your character follows another race's traditions, however.

Enhancements to the class features of both these classes can be found in Unearthed Arcana.

Cleric

Clerics gain their magical ability from their devotion to one of the Six Spheres.  Often, particularly among humans and dwarves, this takes the form of veneration for various saints who have ascended to immortality.  Though in some cases, such as among goliaths (and in early human history), religious traditions are centered on the ideals of a Sphere.
By Any Other Name.  While Pracians speak of saints and archsaints (including paragons and wise ones), other races use their own terms.  To the races of Raviq, these are akhu ("shining ones") and netjeru ("gods"); in Fuhon they are kami ("spirits") and ōkami ("great spirits"); while in Henjal, they are asuras ("powerful ones") and asurendras ("powerful lords").
Clerics should pick a religious tradition first, which will include one or more Spheres; a domain should be selected from the Spheres available to that tradition.  If a dungeon master is using only the Player's Handbook (and Dungeons Master's Guide), then only one or two domains are available to each Sphere; otherwise, two or three domains are available.  Alternately, a character may choose the domain they want, and then choose a religious tradition to match.

All traditions of Movnesia--from Raviq to Prace--make use of these Spheres.  Outside of human culture, the Spheres themselves take a less important role and are rarely spoken of; however, this acknowledgement does not affect the Spheres' influence on a cleric's power.

Pracian Saints

  • Human Saints of the Temperamental Orders
    • Any Sphere (by individual order, as appropriate)
  • Dwarf-Kin Paragons of the Guild of Keepers (or Keeperate)
    • Aerosphere, Lithosphere, Pyrosphere
  • * Faerie Courtiers of Elfish Mysticism
  • * Goliath Messengers (ascended Kings, Prophets, & Patriarchs)
  • Halfling Wise Ones of the Houses of Wisdom
    • Wisdom of the Two - Hydrosphere
    • Wisdom of the Five - Pyrosphere
  • * Great Ancestral Spirits of Rakasta Shamanism
* These traditions are typically "athiest," though members of these races can ascend to immortality.  As immortals, these can then be worshiped or venerated by independent mortals outside of the common faith.  Often, immortals of these races are venerated by the "theistic" traditions of other races (such as the Temperamental Orders).  Native cults of these immortal saints do exists, however.

"Atheist" Traditions of Prace

    Fuhonese Kami
    • Fuhongo Kami of the Enshrined Groves
      • Any Sphere (by elemental association of the Kami)
    • Mikado Cult
    • Shugendo

    Henjali Asuras


    Raviqi Nejeru

    • Raviqi Netjeru
      • Any Sphere (by individual Netjer or temple)
    • Pharaoh Cult
    A full index of Monvesian saints (inc. asuras, kami, netjeru, etc.) and other higher beings is available.


    Druid

    Priests who draw their power from Orbimond itself (the "seventh sphere" or "sphere of the world") are commonly called druids--though each tradition that makes use of these rules uses its own nomenclature.

    Elvish Mysticism - Oracles

    Elves follow an ancient, fatalist tradition led by wandering priests called oracles.  Each of the five elfish nations embraces a different druidic circle:

    • Nymphs and Knuckers follow the Circle of the Fountain (DMs Guild), which nymphs identify as the mythic source of the Monvesien and knuckers as the Ocean Sea surrounding Dragon Island.
    • Fauns and Sprights follow the Circle of the Land (from the Player's Handbook), fauns drawing energy from the uncanny places of the world and sprights from the canny.
    • Drow follow the Circle of Spores (Guide to Ravnica), celebrating death and decay as part of the great cycle of life.
    • In addition to the traditions of their parent nations, Haltias and Hulders may also follow the Circle of Dreams (Xanathar's Guide).  Druids of this tradition are called judges (not oracles).  It is the judges who administer the Crossing ceremony, and who are most often called upon to settle disputes between the nations.
    Elvish warlocks and eldritch knights, though included in the umbrella concept of "Elvish Mysticism," exist independently of the oracular tradition.  Oracles are wandering mystics who commune with the land, not with the energies of the fey as warlocks and eldritch knights do.

    Rakasta Shamanism

    Rakasta tradition is animistic, led by shamans.  These shamans interact with different classes of spiritual beings; the shamans of each class represent a different Circle:

    • Shamans of the Spirits of Light and Sky (sun, moon, stars, fire, weather, and the tricksters) follow the Circle of the Stars (Unearthed Arcana). 
    • Shamans of the Spirits of the Land (animals, plants, geological formations, bodies of water) follow the Circle of the Land.
    • Shamans of the Spirits of the Dead (including ancestors and psychopomps) follow the Circle of Twilight (Unearthed Arcana).


    Galtic Druidry

    In the totemic traditions of the Galts, priests properly called druids.  As a whole, these traditions are centered on the veneration and emulation of animal spirits.  While two Circles are included in the tradition, their is no systematic division between them as there is among elves and rakasta.  Instead, priests of either Circle can be found training and administering to believers alongside one another.

    • Druids of the Circle of the Moon (Player's Handbook) perfect their own ability to assume totemic qualities and abilities.  
    • Druids of the Circle of the Shepherd (Xanathar's Guide) prefer attract totemic companions instead.

    Druids Beyond Prace

    Though not as common in other parts of Orbimond, druids are not unknown beyond Prace.  One tradition can be found among the lizardfolk in Henjal--though the lizardfolk who were swept up in the human exodus have all but abandoned that heritage in favor of the Cult of Perseverance.  Another is shared by the spirit folk and hengeyokai of Fuhon, and is an inegral part of the kami clerical tradition hinted at above.  In Raviq, druidry arose among the minotaurs, who lived furthest from the influence of the Pharaoh; this tradition shows many striking parallels to that of the rakasta (see above).


    Major Revision Mar 2020.

    Edited April 23/4/5, 2020.

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