Theology 101

Introduction

Here is a brief survey of the well known answers to some of the big questions in life.  They are handed down to us from the gods by way of the clerics, who teach these ideas to everyone. 

How are the gods organized?

The Gods of Carsis exist as a pantheon, with sub-groups and factions.

The Ellemethar; are the elder beings who personify the four elements. The Assenen; are the gods of time, personifying the seasons. Avinis & Breneir; are the mother and father gods. They have eight children, four sets of twins, each pair being the embodiment of a concept and it’s opposite. The Occara; are a group of ten gods, who embody the crafts and professions vital to mortal life.

There is no conflict of good and evil sides that constantly struggle. The gods have their own relationships with each other, often forming factions depending on the subject. These agreeable clicks are entirely situational and have seen gods with very different personalities co-operating on a task, then turning to argue over another matter.

Why do the gods take an interest in the world of mortals?

For their own reasons, the gods created mortals, first the Giants then much later the Elves, Dwarves, Goblins, Trolls and finally Humans. The gods see themselves in a role similar to a parent or elder relative. They have a sense of duty towards their creations. Thus the gods gave mortals laws and taught skills. 

A general sense of stability is what the gods want for the world. As a pantheon, they are only interested in dealing with problems that may cause serious upset to the balance of things. The development of forbidden magic and the undead are examples.

As individuals the gods have their pet-projects. They work to promote the philosophy which they think will provide the “good life”. This leads to rivalry and competition, which is held in check by divine law. No god wants chaotic warfare and irreconcilable rifts, thus there is no tradition of holy wars.

Limits to Divine Intervention

The gods are not all seeing and all powerful. They are limited in time, very much like a mortal. They can not travel back to the past or see into the future. However their wisdom does let them predict events with great accuracy. As temporal beings they can not be in two places or do two actions at the same time. Should a god need some obscure information, he can usually find it out quickly, but not instantaneously.

Because of divine law the gods must consider carefully the outcome of any prayer they grant. Most often, a god will miraculously provide the tools for a follower to solve his own problem. Divine Law also forbids the use of mind control, the free will of a mortal must be respected. This does not mean that a god can not bribe or pressure one into taking a course of action.

Gods not bound by the Divine Laws.

The Ellementhar, are not personalities in any understandable sense of the word. They are elemental powers, unconcerned with mortals. They act on a grand scale, if they act at all. The living creatures that crawl on the world’s face hold no value for them. They do not hear prayers, or acknowledge so called followers.

The Holy Laws

The rules given to mortals by the gods are guide lines, that provide good results if followed and bad consequences if broken. They do not differ from one culture to another, but are preserved in their singular form. However the gods do allow a great deal of interpretation in how the rules are put into social practice. The gods do not consider taking corrective action until a group has bent the rules into a strange dogma and threatens to upset the balance of things.