Chapter VIII: Religion & Belief
Ulric is the God of battle and destruction, the patron of wolves and the spirit of Winter. Most scholars understand him to be the brother of Taal. Ulric is portrayed as a massive warrior alike in form and armament to the barbarians who founded the Empire: his long hair flows unbound; his thick, black beard is silvered by hoar frost; on his back is a silver-grey wolf-skin cloak. He wields a giant two-handed hammer and goes into battle without a helm to show his bravery. Ulric is also represented from time to time as a huge silver-grey wolf. He despises weakness, cowardice and trickery, and expects his followers to always take the direct approach to solving a problem. Ulric was the patron God of the Teutogens, one of the twelve great Human tribes and the people from whom Sigmar himself sprang. Like his God, Sigmar wielded a two-handed hammer and went into battle without a helm. After many adventures, Sigmar eventually unified the tribes into the Empire. Since then, the state religion of the Empire has become the cult of Sigmar, supplanting Ulric’s place of importance in the Empire. Symbol The symbol of Ulric is the wolf; wolf-head medallions are worn by many of his followers, and the design is also used as decoration on weapons and armour. Some followers of Ulric wear wolf-skins as cloaks. Priests wear black robes with white wolf-head emblems on the breast and trimmed with wolf-skin. Dedicated worshippers of Ulric usually go unshaven and do not trim their hair, so that they might be as close in likeness to Ulric as possible. Area of Worship Ulric is mainly venerated in the north of the Empire and Middenland in particular, but his cult is also found in other parts of the Old World, especially among warriors. Knightly orders, soldiers, mercenaries and most anyone who fights for a living will have a shrine dedicated to Ulric near them at all times. In Middenheim particularly, the cult of Ulric is the dominant force, both politically and spiritually. Only there is the cult highly organized, with massive temples and complexes housing thousands upon thousands of clergy and other cult members. Only there in the Empire does Ulric easily eclipse the importance of Sigmar; Ulric is the most common name for boys in Middenheim, and most men there go unshaven as a sign of devotion. While professional warriors throughout the Old World pray to Ulric, often on a daily basis, these sorts of folk rarely rely on temples or clergy to communicate with their God. While it is true, therefore, that the highly organized cult of Ulric is limited to Middenheim, let there be no mistake: Ulric is a powerful and important God, prayed to by every man or woman who has to do battle. In the Old World, sooner or later, that’s everyone. Temperament Ulric is considered to be indifferent. He is a distant, harsh and unforgiving God, who expects his followers to stand on their own two feet, putting their faith in martial prowess. Strictures Devout worshippers of Ulric abide by the following strictures. Initiates, Priests or templars who violate these strictures may lose their abilities: • Obey your betters. • Defend your honour, whenever it is challenged. • Stand honest and true. Deception and trickery is not the way of Ulric.
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Wolf-skin may only be used on clothing if you have killed the wolf yourself, using only the weapons provided by nature: hand-crafted bows, spears carved from long sticks, and the like. Gunpowder weapons, explosives, incendiaries and crossbows bring no glory to their wielder. Use them if you must, but all other types of weapons and armour are preferred. The fires in temples and shrines to Ulric must never be allowed to go out; it is said that if any do so, the next winter will last a full year.
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V erena Goddess of Learning and Justice Verena is the Goddess of Wisdom, Reason, and Justice. She is especially popular among the learned and studious. In her aspect as the Goddess of Justice she is concerned with fairness, rather than with the letter of the law; she opposes tyranny and oppression as much as crime. Verena is generally portrayed as a tall and beautiful woman, dignified and serious. In legends, she sometimes takes the form of an owl or a
venerable sage of either sex. She is said to be the wife of Morr. While he is the lord of the shadowy knowledge of dreams and the future, she is the lady of knowledge of the past and present. Symbol Verena’s symbol is the owl, a traditional symbol of wisdom. Her followers and Priests often wear medallions bearing the design of an owl or an owl’s head. The Priests’ robes are white, representing the light of knowledge and reason. A pair of scales is used to symbolize Verena in her aspect as Goddess of justice. It is sometimes combined with the owl design. A sword, with the point downwards, represents the weapon she is said to use to redress injustice in her more martial aspect. Area of Worship Verena is worshipped throughout the Old World, especially in university towns like Altdorf and Nuln, where there are great temples in her honour. She has smaller temples in most towns and cities of any size, generally in the administrative districts, and all academies and places of learning have a chapel or shrine to her. Private shrines are also commonly found in the homes of magistrates, administrators, diplomats, and academics, including many magicians. Some of her most faithful adherents are Celestial Wizards. Temperament Her greatest wishes are that mortals increase in knowledge and justice and throw off tyranny. Rather than the providing direct revelation, she inspires people to discover truth for themselves. Strictures Priests of Verena must abide by the following strictures: • Safeguard knowledge. • Preserve your judgement from fear or favour. • Arbitrate disputes whenever you can. • Do not allow yourself to become a tool of injustice or heresy. • Combat is a last resort, but do not fear to wield the sword of justice.
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