Chapter VIII: Religion & Belief
An elder Priest in the temple is an oracle and has a vision just as the characters enter the temple. They must heed this vision or perish!
A distant temple to this God has sent a message that it is under the assault of the forces of Chaos. The PCs must swiftly go to the remote temple and protect it.
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T hroughout the Empire it is considered right to honour all the Gods. Showing proper respect for the Gods is a mark of good manners, high morals, and intelligence. Neglect of the Gods, disrespect, or openly expressed disregard of such things is seen as a mark of low breeding and ignorance: furthermore, it is just plain unlucky. Even the Priests of a particular God show proper respect to other Gods and spirits in appropriate situations. The average Old Worlder invokes the Gods when one of them is needed. A sailor would make offerings to Manann when heading into the open sea, whilst a Farmer may make offerings throughout the year to Taal, Rhya and Sigmar. Rich merchants often make donations to Shallya, for the sake of propriety, whilst the Imperial Army calls upon Sigmar to guide their swords and lead them to victory. The Gods are not just an emergency service, however. Their influence can be felt throughout life, and not just via the Religious Orders. Many personal names, for example, include the names of Gods and mean things like “for Taal” and “beloved of Ulric.” Similarly, there are numerous figures of speech in use that have their origins the Heavens. Many folk include the symbols of the Gods within their family crest, or upon the clothes they wear. Protective charms also use the images of the Gods to guard against all manner of foulness. Many ask the Gods to look kindly upon them when it comes to the important rites of passage that are scattered throughout their lives. Together with this comes the yearly cycle of celebration and feast that all look forward to. p layer C haraCTers and The g ods For their part, all characters are expected to show respect for the Gods of the Old World, praying and offering sacrifices when they desire the favour of a particular God. Priests, and some more devout characters, may follow one God in particular. In such cases, the characters must adhere to the strictures of the God. Note, however, that even devout characters are not excused from the normal obligations that all characters have toward the pantheon: a Priest of Taal, for example, must still treat Verena and her temples with respect and make offerings on her holy days. There are many small ways that the Religion of the Empire can affect the players, from the way they dress and the rites they practice to the politics surrounding them. The GM should reward players
for consistently roleplaying their religious leanings, or coming up with particularly appropriate offerings and the like. Table 8-2 gives examples of the favoured offerings and sacrifices that each God is said to prefer. Generally speaking, the more attention a player wants, the more valuable and irreplaceable the offering needs to be. If the PCs have offended the God, or have an extreme favour to ask, they will need to take the much more serious step of making a sacrifice. r ITes of p assage Throughout their life in the Empire, the PCs will encounter a number of small celebrations and milestones. Birth At the birth of a child it is customary to offer a prayer and small food offering to Shallya, in thanks for a safe delivery. Amongst the poorer folk of the Empire, it is traditional for the father to bury a shilling or other highly valued coin underneath the doorstep to the house, in preparation for the child’s coming of age. These coins are highly praised by necromancers, particularly if the infant passes away before reclaiming their coin. It is considered highly unlucky to spend your Every year, on your day of birth, it is traditional to offer a small sacrifice up to Shallya, in thanks for safe passage into the world and continuing good health. Friends and family are sometimes expected to contribute to these offerings. These may be as humble as a spray of flowers placed in a Shallyan shrine, or as grandiose as an extension to a temple. Dooming Should a person survive to their tenth birthday, it is considered traditional to offer a sacrifice to Morr. Meat, blood and sometimes milk are thrown upon a sacred brazier, whilst special candles are burnt. The dense black smoke from these candles supposedly hides the child from Morr’s sight, whilst the meat and blood reputedly takes the child’s place in Morr’s realm, serving the Death God until the child’s true time comes. On this day, most folk receive a foretelling of what it is that will end their life—their “dooming.” Marriage Marriage is an informal affair presided over by whichever Priest the couple feels appropriate. Some folk attempt to match the temperament of the couple to the God involved—a fiery bride might necessitate a Priest of Manann to “cool the blood” and create a calm marriage. Generally speaking, most folk are happy to be married by a Priest of Sigmar in a straightforward hand fasting affair. Both are asked to swear to the bonds of marriage, jump over a jug, and to make a contribution to the church. Divorce is a relatively simple inversion of this ceremony, but of course, is much more expensive. Healer’s Blessing Those that have survived a serious illness or operation observe this feast day. Once a year, on the day the person was declared healthy once more, the celebrant holds a huge feast. Friends, family and the physician involved are all invited to eat, drink and be merry. The birth coin. Birthday
T able 8-2: o fferIngs and s aCrIfICes God Favoured Offerings Favoured Sacrifices Manann Fish, Gems, Nets/Hooks Sailors, Boats Morr Incense, Candles Blood, Tears Myrmidia Weaponry, Music Oath of Self Sacrifice Ranald Gold, Dice, Cards Fingers, Toes Rhya Vegetables, Fruit, Milk Blood Upon the Earth Shallya Food/Medicine for the Poor Tithe to an Orphanage Sigmar Gold, Wine, Ale Gold, Death in Battle Taal Fresh Game, Holly Bough First Kill Each Hunt Ulric Weapons, Banners, Ale Weaponless Wolf Hunt Verena Written Prayer, Candles Execution of the Guilty
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