Chapter VIII: Religion & Belief
The Templar Knights of the Order of the Righteous Spear form the second group. This order has knights in lands across the Old World, oftentimes operating under different names, like the Knights of the Starry Shield or the Knights of the Merciless Titan. These smaller orders of knights, all of whom are devoted worshippers of Myrmidia, pay homage to the central Templar order and may be called to battle by the Glorious Leader, as they were when the Magrittan temple called for the war with Araby. In that war, the Order of the Righteous Spear led the charges and fought the most ferociously. Church Skills and Talents Initiates of Myrmidia start with the Strike to Injure talent in addition to their normal career skills. Priests of Myrmidia can, at their option, learn the following skills and talents as part of their careers: Command and Specialist Weapon Group (any three). Prominent Figures The chief Priest of Myrmidia is called La Aguila Ultima (or L’ultima Aquila in Tilea) and is currently a raven-haired woman named Isabella Giovanni. She is from Tilea, but has sworn faith to the temple in Estalia, causing no small amount of controversy. She is currently seeking to calm the constant fighting between the faithful over the birthplace of Myrmidia. The leader of the Order of the Righteous Spear is called the Glorious Leader. At this time, the Glorious Leader is an Estalian named Juan Franco. He is said to have a firm grip on the order and is thought to be eying Araby once more. Holy Days There are no fixed holy days sacred to Myrmidia, although it is common for her followers to worship and make sacrifices at the beginning and end of campaigns, and before and after a battle. r anald ’ s C ulT Ranald has no formal temple organization. Small shrines are located in thieves’ hideouts or in the corners of obscure hovels. There are small public shrines to Ranald in the lower-class areas of many cities, tended either by the populace at large or by small, loosely-organized “shrine clubs”, which operate as social as well as religious bodies. There will normally be no more than one shrine per city ward, generally located in a back street or other out-of-the-way location. Should authorities who condemn the worship of Ranald happen upon such a shrine, the people in the neighbourhood will make a show of being disgusted by its discovery and tearing it down, only to rebuild it that night in another hard-to-find corner. The most impressive shrines to Ranald are found in gambling houses and some Merchant Guild Halls. Shrines to Ranald are never elaborate, and are constructed so that they can be taken apart and concealed quickly. They usually take the form of a simple bench with a cover decorated with an “X” symbol or with a sculpture of a cat or a crow. There are a few temples to Ranald in the Old World. One is in the great mercantile city of Marienburg—an impressive house of worship with vaulted ceilings and gold statuary. Because of Marienburg’s independence from the Empire and its perpetual status as an underdog, Ranald is something of a favourite among her people. Holy Orders There are no formal holy orders of Ranald, just as there is no temple structure. There are Initiates and Priests of Ranald, but they have no
Church Skills and Talents Initiates of Morr start with the Intimidate skill in addition to their normal career skills. Priests of Morr can, at their option, learn the following skills and talents as part of their careers: Academic Knowledge (Necromancy), Menacing, and Trade (Embalmer). Prominent Figures In Talabheim, a notable figure within the cult is Paul van Soleck. A member of the Augurs, Paul is the order’s greatest living seer—at the young age of fifteen. Few are comfortable in his presence. Without blinking, he fixes his sapphire eyes on anyone who speaks to him, and his face has a beauty that disconcerts more than it attracts, for it is cold like a statue. Paul is known throughout the city not only for his visions but also for his eccentricities. Many nights, he sleeps among gravestones. He claims the dead whisper the future to him, a claim few are willing to dismiss, given the accuracy of his foretellings. The Count of Talabheim has taken a liking to Paul and frequently invites him to private audiences to be counselled by the youth’s visions. Holy Days The cult has two holy nights, when the world’s two moons are full. The first is Hexensnacht (Witching Night), the eve of the new year. The second is Geheimnisnacht (Night of Mystery), a few weeks before the beginning of autumn. T he m yrmIdIan o rders The chief temples to Myrmidia are in the Estalian city of Magritta and the Tilean city of Remas. Estalians believe Myrmidia was raised in Magritta, just as Tileans believe Remas was her home. The Magrittan temple, which was in the forefront of the Arabian Wars, is in ascendance and is widely considered the spiritual centre of the cult. At this time, all Myrmidia’s temples in the Old World are subject to Magritta, but the last time it used its prerogative was when it sent out a rallying-call at the beginning of the wars with Araby. There is a temple to Myrmidia in the citadel of every town and city in Estalia and Tilea and in most cities of any substance there are multiple temples. Temples are also found in the southern parts of Bretonnia and the Empire, as well as in other places where southern mercenaries are commonly employed. Her temples tend to follow the architectural styles of Tilea and Estalia, with elaborately domed and spired roofs covering square or rectangular halls. The exteriors of the temples are often covered with shallow bas-reliefs of outsize weapons and shields, seemingly hung on the outside of the building. Shrines may take the form of miniature temples or freestanding sculptures of stacked weapons, shields and armour. The most common forms of shrines, though, are statues of the Goddess herself, which can be found on street corners throughout the southlands. Holy Orders The major orders of Myrmidia are both centered in the temple of Magritta. Her Initiates and Priests belong to the Order of the Eagle, named after the form Myrmidia was sometimes known to take before battle to scout out her foes. The clergy of this order minister to soldiers, be they the national forces of Tilea and Estalia or the mercenary companies of the southlands that fight across the Old World. Members of the order consider it a great honour and their sacred duty to fight alongside soldiers and to counsel commanders on matters both martial and spiritual.
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