Consider yourself warned this will be long ! Very long.
As i wrote before this is why i think it is completely unrealistic setup.
Your enthusiasm eventually provoked me
As modus operandi for those less controversial religions (i mean those not definded by any Holy Book) i'd stick to their real world interpretations and as a general remark i want to lay down a foundation (in points). Rules are important, style will come in time...
I am not that familiar with celtic, gaulls and germanic tribes' beliefs but i would concentrate on those less wicked forms of religious practices (as you pointed out). If this is about to inspire anybody from Devt team to even touch such a sensitive topic as religion and its implementation - it just has to be "soft" or at least "mild" to be even considered. You are very good in pointing out details but i need to see it as a whole first.. to jump into those time little shananigans later
So all in all... let me present you the religion structure i came up with:
Celts, Gaulls and Germanic Tribes cross-over in Calradia better known as Battanians
1. Religion doctrine: Politheism, set on man/woman equality and their affilation to the land, ancestral ghosts and nature
2. Pantheon main dieties: Strong Man Character prefereably a Warrior or Hunter and his Female companion full of pity and mercy but fully capable for revange. Lesser gods - their children and siblings depicted as half human half animal
3. Soul's final destinatiosn: Not really defined pleace in terms of afterlife
Return to mother earth's (mother Calradia's) true womb. Let us technically call it: Mother's Womb
, everything goes in circles, no hell but spirits can be damned and find themselves lost / tied to their previous life.
4. Source of gods: Nature (trees -
Battania = trees,
this is were i would emphasise the trees, not in Sturgian believes), elements (sun & fire), dark and light (life and dead)..
5. Holy places: Forest shrines, Open air sites, Stonehenge like monolithic circles
6. Priests: Woman and Man, Equal Druids and Druidees
7. Symbol: Celtic Triskelion already a part of Battanian's Coat of arms...
8. In game presence: For me it can be a town background (
@Sparticulous nice job defining festivals and seasons colors etc.) without controversial interactions so: Shrines (that can provide certain bonuses for cities and castles so you can feel it lives), Random priests wondering on the streets.
9: Quests: Fetch me a 10 sacrificial lambs, and so on..., Wood needed charcoal for ceremonial / burial stake...
10. Traits: Piety (same for all)
11. Perks: Fits into social. Charm - "Favoured by the Goods" +2 to relation with people following same religion. (same for all)
12. Special units: Druidic guards
Slavic and Norse Tribes cross-over in Calradia better known as Sturgians
1. Religion doctrine: Politheism, set on man/woman equality and their affilation to the land and
sea (possibly in the future), ancestral ghosts and nature. (
@Sparticulous i'd rather choose Norse mythology rather than slavic as the latter is heavilly influenced by the vikings conquests.)
2. Pantheon main dieties: Strong Main Man's Characters capable of wielding the powers of the elements (e.g. Thunder
), Female Main God(s) are as blunt and strong as man, not really merciful but always happy to avenge. More family/saga centered, pragmatic as the living condition on the north are hard = protectors of the household. Lesser gods - their children and siblings depicted as fauns, fearies, elves, valkyires...
3. Soul's final destinations: Haeven Like: Hall of the Warriors
Neverending feast for man and woman, all people will have their place by the table.. or by the fire. Hell: White Abyss where souls wonder aroung in constant blizzard.
4. Source of gods: Nature, especially Sea (
Sturgians = Sea) and snow mountains, elements (water & earth), dark and light (life and dead)..
5. Holy places: Forest shrines with skulls of animals, Wooden triangle shaped churches, Huge carved rocks with runes
6. Priests: Woman and Man, Equals, called Sorcerers.
7. Symbol: Rune writing symbol, ...
8. In game presence: Same as before for battanians + Shrines (that can provide certain bonuses for cities and castles so you can feel it lives), Random priests wondering on the streets.
9: Quests: Fetch me a 10 sacrificial lambs, cows and so on..., Wood or charcoal needed for ceremonial / burial stake...
10. Traits: Piety (same for all)
11. Perks: Fits into social. Charm - "Favoured by the Goods" +2 to relation with people following same religion. (same for all)
12. Special units: Berserkers
Magyars, Huns, Tartars, Mongols, Turks of Rum, Dothraki in different words Steppe Horse lords mix in Calradia better known as Khuzaits
1. Religion doctrine: Politheism, Animism, Totemism and Shamanism favoring man or at least manly activities as great life purpose. Affilating nature attributes: vast plains, steppes and sky, ancestral ghosts are very important
2. Pantheon main dieties: The Great God Spirit of Sky, The Pure Horse and Mother Plain (giving the life to horses which are in the center of all Khuzaits activities). Lesser deities: Spirits (ancestral, animal, having different characters and traits both good and darkness involved).
3. Soul's final destinations: Eternal horse pursuit on the "heavenly" plains, Hell: Wandering around without horse in Oblivion
4. Source of gods: Nature, Especially Air (sky) and earth (land), Horses !! (
Khuzait = Horses), other animals with their typical traits...
5. Holy places: Totems, Open air structures with plenty of colorful banners, kites and small flags, yurta shaped churches...
6. Priests: Shamans (man only),
7. Symbol: Geometrical Tengri-like shape sign... already used in some Khuzaits CoA
8. In game presence: Same as before for battanians + Shrines (that can provide certain bonuses for cities and castles so you can feel it lives), Random priests wondering on the streets.
9: Quests: Fetch me a 10 steppe warhorses for the ceremonial blessing (they would not sacrifice horses as they feel their souls are equal to human's..., Wood needed for ceremonial / burial stake...
10. Traits: Piety (same for all)
11. Perks: Fits into social. Charm - "Favoured by the Goods" +2 to relation with people following same religion. (same for all)
12. Special units: Holy Horse Breader
So far it was pretty easy.. now the fun begins.
Small Digression: And here we are ...monotheistic religions with holy books. Potentially very hard but i would like to point out that some game developers did that right, completely avoiding sensitive content. A prophet (Andraste chosen by the Maker) centered storyline in Dragon Age Origins is IMHO perfect example. So in real life we have Christianity, Orthodox or East Christianity and Islam. One may say perfect fit for Vlandia, Empire and Aserai... How to build equlibrium between those three, in many ways heavilly connected religions (One God, Book, etc) and at the same time in so many ways different (examples, really ?), from a scratch, without looking into so sensitive narrations. I think the key is to create artificial "Maker = Andraste" relation and present what each nation could digest from
"the Story" to serve their purpose. So without further ado...
-- This is the first religion i created so if anybody has already some experience in that.,..please be nice. --
So, we need a starting point ... let say: There was a Man (hold your horses there is also Woman part in that
) who heard a voice (lol i laugh to myself writing this) saying that he was chosen (as explained later: to write the wisdom which the voice was going to tell him).
The voice introduced
itself as
the Voice of Thruth (
a Word of Life, a Creator of the Worlds, as an Infinite Engineer, name it ) and told
the Man he has to travel to find the wisdom which will be later explained by the voice so he can write it down. The man who was a scholar listened to
the Voice, packed up anything he could carry and hit the road looking for some unknown encounters. And so he traveled, writing truth about nature of life (generally universal ethics, source of common sayings, and stuff). When there was the last chapter left to write (as the voice forspoken), man felt tired and lied down to rest on the desert. When he was looking at the stars, laying next to the fireplace he made, a miracle happened...
"Here comes the miracle we need to create" (Example: A wild animal speaking with
the Voice approaching from the dark dessert not afraid of fire). Voice explained that somewhere in the Desert Village lives a Woman that has to be found as she is purest thing on earth (Calradia), she is also good, merciful, beautiful, never was angry, never had a headake and she is of pure hearth as no other person in the world.
The Voice explained to
the Man that she (
The Woman) will write the last chapter. This temporarily angered and upset
the Man but eventually agreed that he will again listen to
the Voice. So he traveled some more, asking around and looking for the most generous, merciful, honest and good looking person Calradia has ever whitnessed. With no luck, eventually he found trouble instead. And so after typical religious coincidence, he will find her in time of need, after being robbed almost killed and so on.. She will heal his wounds, he will eventually fall in love with her. The Voice will explain him that she knows the Voice (as "the V" explained - they met in her head similarily as they met with
the Man ;p).
TV (The Voice) will tell him to take care about her and that they should hit the road together. So they will travel together helping people, spreading the wisdom of the Voice, and this is when she will write the last chapter about, self-sacrifice to others, piety, love, forgiveness, and so on. Things nobody else could write (not him for sure). Long story short...During one of their travels through wild regions of Calradia they will be kidnapped by some "
pre-empire calradian barbarians not associated with no known faction" and brought in front of their lord (king). He will ask for their teachings but those advices will not please him, not to mention the promise of the soul salvation after following the voice teachings. After some more disapointing talks he will decide to behead (
we can find some other fancy ways to depict here) both of them. Listening to all that and whitnessing the execution there will a person (man or woman) who will belive all this stuff and protect the holy book (first acolyte). Book will be later copied, some parts of the book will be lost, some will be edited, some will be changed
All in all some of the Book's chapters will survive and become the guidline for next generations of Calradians including Aserai, Vlandians and Empire folks.
End of the main plot here. Didn't mean to offend anybody in the process...
Byzantine Romans or Eastern Roman Empire better known as the Empire(s)
1. Religion doctrine: Monotheism, Praise to the only God (whose name isn't known, sometimes described in the Book, as the Voice), prophets known: Man and Woman. Equally worshipped
2. Pantheon main dieties: God, He an She (Holy couple)
3. Soul's final destinations: Heaven - what else, peaceful and quiet,... and Hell as the place of worst nightmares.
4. Source of gods: The Book of the Voice, Martyrology of the couple
5. Holy places: Churches, Shrines, Monastics and Temples late roman empire / byzantine style
6. Priests: Bishop, Acolytes, or simply priests
7. Symbol: V like the Voice
, any other letter, Man and Woman holding hands (
@Sparticulous: Any ideas ?)
8. In game presence: Same as before for battanians + Shrines (that can provide certain bonuses for cities and castles so you can feel it lives), Random priests wondering on the streets.
9: Quests: Fetch me a bread and/or fish 10 each, for the ceremonial blessing, Donation needed. What if not the pure gold will pay for the new temples ? huh ?
10. Traits: Piety (same for all)
11. Perks: Fits into social. Charm - "Favoured by the Goods" +2 to relation with people following same religion. (same for all)
12. Special units: Episkopos (Bishop in Greek) Guard
Early Middle Ages feudal French, English and Holy Roman Empire / German Kingdoms better known as the Vlandia
1. Religion doctrine: Monotheism, Praise to the only God (whose name isn't known, sometimes described in the Book, as the Voice), prophets: known: the Woman (lady of the lake of some sort, some Vlandians knigth's patron, paragon of Virtues, Many Vladians knights would die and kill with her name on their lips), the Man is not considered to have
TV's spark he was rather a tool in TV's hands, a lesser character. This is what they read in their version of the book. They are very inquisitive about their faith (
@Sparticulous). Those people would are first to start crusades
2. Pantheon main dieties: God, She (Holy lady), and some man that was told to find her...
3. Soul's final destinations: Heaven - what else, peaceful and quiet, better haeven for those who fought for the God... and Hell as the place of worst nightmares and total dispair.
4. Source of gods: Voice's Book. Lady's tales.
5. Holy places: Churches, Shrines, Monastic Orders (Warrior Monks) and Temples early latin style
6. Priests: Bishops, Archbishops, Acolytes, or simply priests
7. Symbol: V like the Voice
, any other letter, the Woman's depiction (
@Sparticulous: Any ideas ?)
8. In game presence: Same as before for battanians + Shrines (that can provide certain bonuses for cities and castles so you can feel it lives), Random priests wondering on the streets.
9: Quests: Fetch me a bread and/or fish 10 each, for the ceremonial blessing, Donation needed. What if not the pure gold will pay for the new temples ? huh ? Defend from the raiders - Kill the filthy pagans ,etc.
10. Traits: Piety (same for all)
11. Perks: Fits into social. Charm - "Favoured by the Goods" +2 to relation with people following same religion. (same for all)
12. Special units: Crusader
Various Sultanates, Khaliphates, Emirates, Egyptian / Mameluke, Arabic culture inspired Tribes better known as the Aserai
1. Religion doctrine: Monotheism, Source of wisdom coming from the only God (whose name isn't known, sometimes described in the Book, as the Voice of Wisdom), prophets: known: the Man (Great Man who was Chosen by the Voice to fulfil its destiny, Aserai are fond of his wisdom and the fact he came from the dessert land close to where their realm is placed), the Man is considered main character but the Woman is tolerated as his companion but nonetheless she isn't that important in the eyes of Aserai. At least this is what they read in their version of the book. They are very tolerant for other faiths and beliefs. They value wisdom, science and logical thinking spread through the Voice's teachings.
2. Pantheon main dieties: The only God (Voice), Prophet (Holy Scholar), the Woman. Period.
3. Soul's final destinations: Heaven - what else, peaceful and quiet, in the shine of God's wisdom... and Hell as the place of worst nightmares and total dispair.
4. Source of gods: Book of the Voice. Prophets journeys.
5. Holy places: Churches (Mosq style), Shrines, Monastic Orders (Assassins) and Temples (Arabic)
6. Priests: Priests of the Voice,
help me out people, what can be said here ... ???
7. Symbol: V like the Voice
, any other letter, the Book depiction as the source of Wisdom
8. In game presence: Same as before for battanians + Shrines (that can provide certain bonuses for cities and castles so you can feel it lives), Random priests wondering on the streets.
9: Quests: Fetch me a dates and grapes 10 each, for the ceremonial blessing, Donation needed. What if not the pure gold will pay for the new temples ? huh ? Spread the word. Visit 3 settlements and invite their leaders for the festival.
10. Traits: Piety (same for all)
11. Perks: Fits into social. Charm - "Favoured by the Goods" +2 to relation with people following same religion. (same for all)
12. Special units: Assassin
Thank you for bearing with me. I hope you are still the same person as before. I hope nobody was offended in the process - that was not my intention.
I hope you find it interesting
