Although I've tried to focus only on making content, not on fleshing out the game word yet I have had to make some decisions about fluff and flavor.
For one thing, priests need some kind of allegiance, until now I had just been using an ankh as a kind of universal holy symbol as many early graphical RPGs did. The Ankh is instantly recognizable as a holy symbol, but old enough to not be part of a current world religion. No one is going to accuse you of blasphemy or anything like that for using it.
However, I am trying to add a lot of items to the game right now and I'd rather not have to come back later and add more stuff bit by bit. So I added 5 basic religions.
Hokke is a god of smithing, travel and animal husbandry. According to his followers he created mankind in the fire of his forge. Hokkists are mostly rural folk. It is a dying religion, fading away as more folk move to the cities. It's worth noting that the horse shoe is always upside down, showering the blessings of Hokke on all. Hokkist rituals revolve around bonfires, iron amulets and festivals and feasting. The word of Hokke is passed on orally, there is no book of Hokke.
Kornos was one of the many gods of the old empires. The first adventurers to visit the caverns of the ancients brought back a book of Kornos made from gold. The adventuring party was split on what to do with it though, and some of the leaves of the book were melted down for cash, while the rest was partly translated by the first prophet of Kornos. Little is know about the followers of Kornos as it is something of an underground cult. Mystery, magic and the hidden knowledge of the ancients are what are on offer.
The One God is part of a legend passed on from father to son since the first humans emerged from their sleep in the caverns of antiquity. Before the big sleep many humans had worshiped One God, but most of the teachings of this god had been lost or became muddled, what remained was often self contradicting or confusing. Many claimed to know the teachings of the True God, and before the time of the Great Empires religious wars between factions of the one God were endemic. The Great Empires rejected the One God, though he was still worshiped among the slaves of the Northern Empire. When the Great Empires destroyed themselves, the slaves were set free and carried their religion, muddled and mixed as it is, with them in to the temperate lands. The One God offers protection and good luck. The One God is a symbol of freedom and love.
Mithradates was prophet, a sailor and priest of a long vanished religion who traveled the known lands exploring and sharing his wisdom. Many times his ship was sunk by storms but he always survived to carry on his preaching. One day he was caught up in a terrible storm. His crew mates, knowing the fate of his previous ships and their crews, decided he was cursed. Rather than struggle, Mithradates was calm and smiling as the crew tied him to an anchor and cast him in to the deep to appease the spirits of the sea. He told them he forgave them, and wished them a safe voyage. The storm quickly abated and the crew members went on to become the first acolytes of the martyr of storms. Mithradates' teachings included the idea that travel broadens the mind, as well as the importance of self sacrifice, and understanding of the spirits of the sea and all kinds of weather.
For one thing, priests need some kind of allegiance, until now I had just been using an ankh as a kind of universal holy symbol as many early graphical RPGs did. The Ankh is instantly recognizable as a holy symbol, but old enough to not be part of a current world religion. No one is going to accuse you of blasphemy or anything like that for using it.
However, I am trying to add a lot of items to the game right now and I'd rather not have to come back later and add more stuff bit by bit. So I added 5 basic religions.
The Ankh of Shishi.
The first religious item is the Ankh of the goddess Shishi. It is the key of life, and priests which follow this religion are devoted to life, healing, farming and the Sun. Shishi is widely worshiped in the hot regions of the south and east, but little followed until recently in the temperate north. Acolytes of Shishi have been spreading north, picking up followers mostly in the large cities, where their large and expensive temples attract many with their exotic and beautiful rituals.
The horse shoe of Hokke.
Hokke is a god of smithing, travel and animal husbandry. According to his followers he created mankind in the fire of his forge. Hokkists are mostly rural folk. It is a dying religion, fading away as more folk move to the cities. It's worth noting that the horse shoe is always upside down, showering the blessings of Hokke on all. Hokkist rituals revolve around bonfires, iron amulets and festivals and feasting. The word of Hokke is passed on orally, there is no book of Hokke.
The key of Kornos.
Kornos was one of the many gods of the old empires. The first adventurers to visit the caverns of the ancients brought back a book of Kornos made from gold. The adventuring party was split on what to do with it though, and some of the leaves of the book were melted down for cash, while the rest was partly translated by the first prophet of Kornos. Little is know about the followers of Kornos as it is something of an underground cult. Mystery, magic and the hidden knowledge of the ancients are what are on offer.
The Palm of the One God.
The One God is part of a legend passed on from father to son since the first humans emerged from their sleep in the caverns of antiquity. Before the big sleep many humans had worshiped One God, but most of the teachings of this god had been lost or became muddled, what remained was often self contradicting or confusing. Many claimed to know the teachings of the True God, and before the time of the Great Empires religious wars between factions of the one God were endemic. The Great Empires rejected the One God, though he was still worshiped among the slaves of the Northern Empire. When the Great Empires destroyed themselves, the slaves were set free and carried their religion, muddled and mixed as it is, with them in to the temperate lands. The One God offers protection and good luck. The One God is a symbol of freedom and love.
The Anchor of Mithradates.
Mithradates was prophet, a sailor and priest of a long vanished religion who traveled the known lands exploring and sharing his wisdom. Many times his ship was sunk by storms but he always survived to carry on his preaching. One day he was caught up in a terrible storm. His crew mates, knowing the fate of his previous ships and their crews, decided he was cursed. Rather than struggle, Mithradates was calm and smiling as the crew tied him to an anchor and cast him in to the deep to appease the spirits of the sea. He told them he forgave them, and wished them a safe voyage. The storm quickly abated and the crew members went on to become the first acolytes of the martyr of storms. Mithradates' teachings included the idea that travel broadens the mind, as well as the importance of self sacrifice, and understanding of the spirits of the sea and all kinds of weather.
I've tried to choose symbols of good luck which are well known but not too obviously religious. I don't want to use a cross, or a Star of David or anything. There's room for other religions to be added later along the same principles, perhaps the hammer of Thor, or Yin and Yang... A lightning bolt would be a good one, or a four-leafed clover. There are 4 holy symbol icons for each religion in the game. For now they will act as treasure, you'll be rewarded for recovering them all.
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