Submitted for your approval...some priestly orders of Ysgarth. I still need to flesh out the descriptions some, but those of you who follow Ysgarth might find them to be of interest.
Ysgarth 6th Edition: Playtest v21- 1
Volgarian Aescetics
-1 on 1 Empowering or Priestly Skill
-1 on 1 Casting or Priestly Skill
-1 on 1 Persuasion Skill or 1 Aeromancer Spell
-1 on 1 Aeromancer or Pyromancer Spell
-1 on Prayer or Will Enhancement
Spell Lists: Aeromancer, Pyromancer
Home Temple: Basilica of Daios Volgar in Bergamnios, Evaria
Area of Worship: Evaria & Aetruvia
High Priest: Naizos Aliator
The Volgarian Aescetics are priests of Daios in his incarnation as a
sky god and a deity of wind, storm, lightning and fire. They maintain
various secret mysteries, including some spells restricted only to
certain members of the sect. They prefer to recruit their membership
from the upper classes or at least the upper middle class and
membership is entirely restricted to men. They are particularly
characterized and differentiated from other priests of Daios by their
zealous efforts to oppose and restrict the spread of the Cult of
Sabazios. Rituals include vows of silence, scourging, ceremonial
exposure and fire handling.
Sabazian Ecstatics
-1 on 1 Empowering or Priestly Skill
-1 on 1 Casting or Divination Skill
-1 on 1 Persuasion Skill or 1 Mystic Spell
-1 on 1 Beastmaster or Enchanter Spell
-1 on 1 Rustic Skill or Durability
Spell Lists: Beastmaster, Enchanter or Mystic
Home Temple: None
Area of Worship: Evaria, Aetruvia & Gottia
High Priest: None
The Sabazian Ecstatics are a widespread but very disorganized cult.
Sabazios is a the god of summer, and in general a god of the arts and
magic, as well as being closely associated with nature and with
prophecy. He is married to Daios' wayward daughter Sarplyna, and the
two cults are closely linked. There is great secrecy over the central
mysteris of the cult which include a number of relics, supposedly with
the actual mummified phallus of the god among them. Membership is open
to both men and women. Cult membership is large, but they are broken
down into small regionally separated groups. There is no church
heirarchy or structure outside of local groups, but many of these have
intricate systems of status and heirarchy.within their local group.
Common practices include festivals, mock sacrifice, drug and alcohol
use, prophetic divination during fits of ecstacy, speaking in tongues,
dramatic performances and magic. There are rumors of human sacrifice in
some regional cults, but the suspicions are generally unsubstantiated.
Priests of Vayu
-1 on 1 Empowering or Priestly Skill
-1 on 1 Casting or Weapon Skill
-1 on 1 Atheletic Skill or 1 Military Skill
-1 on 1 Pyromancer Spell or Priest Spell
-1 on 1 Pyromancer Spell or Special Combat Skill
Spell Lists: Pyromancer, Priest
Home Temple: Great Temple of Vayu at Catopatis, Aetruvia
Area of Worship: Evaria, Aetruvia, Gottia, Auscia, Cumbria, Tolemeias,
Marmaria, Orvadia
High Priest: Chadomanthis of Kileria
The Cult of Vayu is enormous. It is a militant cult devoted to a god of
light and fire. It originated in Ilchania, but has taken hold all over
Ysgarth. It's home temple is in the hills west of Tibrum, but there are
large temples in many cities. Temples are often located in caverns or
have their inner temples underground. The cult is open only to men,
preferably those in military service or professions. There are seven
levels of initiation based on knowledge of ritual and on achievement in
the outside world. Reincarnation is a central concept of the faith,
with deeds in this life earning better status in the next incarnation
until one ultimately is pure enough to reside as pure spirit with Vayu.
Regular rituals include various sporting activities, particularly
wrestling and fire leaping. Taurobolium (ritual bull fighting) is also
practiced at major festivals. The cult is very popular in the Saesan
army and has zealous adherents as far north as Cumbria. It is a
religion heavily populated by converts, but it is very tolerant of
other faiths.
Masters of Zehuti
-1 on 1 Empowering or Priestly Skill
-1 on 1 Casting Skill or 1 Mystic Spell
-1 on Research or Intrigue
-1 on 1 Mystic Spell or Enchanter Spell
-1 on 1 Mystic Spell or Will Enhancement
Spell Lists: Mystic, Enchanter
Home Temple: Probably in Tibrum
Area of Worship: Urban areas from Tolemeias southward
The Masters of Zehuti are the priesthood of Zehuti, generally called
Masters of Magisters, and they are generally those members of the cult
who have reached the highest level of attainment with their skills and
spells. Zehuti is a god of magic and secret knowledge and everything
about the cult is secretive, from the membership to the rituals to the
actual beliefs. Basically it is a gnostic religion which preaches
cleansing of the self and gathering of mystical power so that the
spirit can ascend to higher levels of consciousness, both before and
after death. Supposedly achieving the ultimate level of initiation
allows one to transcend the flesh, achieve immortality, or even
godhood. The cult guards its nature and its magical secrets jealously.
Members attend meetings masked and robed. Most of the temples are
blinds to fool the uninitated and services are actually held in secret
shrines. To even mention involvement will bring quick and gruesome
death. There are secret recognition signals and members give special
assistance to each other in business and politics.
Priests of Kernunos
-1 on 1 Empowering, Shaman or Priestly Skill
-1 on 1 Casting or Combat Skill
-1 on 1 Woodland Skill or Riding
-1 on 1 Beastmaster or Shaman Spell
-1 on 1 Shaman Spell or Animal Affinity
Spell Lists: Beastmaster, Shaman
Home Temple: Baelnoc, Morianoc
Area of Worship: Kyvenia, Kaelia, Auscia and Kernioc
Kernunos is enormously popular in the central and northern regions of
Ysgarth. His faith is widespread and enjoys official recognition and
favored status in a number of kingdoms. Kernunos or Guyon (depending on
region) is the great horned god of the woodlands and mountains. He is
generally represented as a huge horned man, usually riding a horse and
accompanied by yellow-eyed hunting dogs. He is a god of warfare and of
battle-madness, but also associated with the moon and with violent
weather. There is a certain mysterious aspect to the sect, with secret
knowledge reserved only for the initiates. The priesthood is entirely
restricted to men, and members often function as mystical advisors or
healers among armies and in the courts of the northern kingdoms. The
most common rituals involve exposure of initiates and supplicants on
mountain tops and ceremonies in which animal sacrifices are made and a
special ceremony at Sauin in which wine and blood are offered to the
god and then drunk in a wild orgy.
Priests of Lodens
-1 on 1 Empowering or Priestly Skill
-1 on 1 Casting or Medical Skill
-1 on 1 Nautical or Combat Skill
-1 on 2 Aeromancer or Hydromancer Spells
Spell Lists: Aeromancer, Hydromancer
Home Temple: Baelnoc, Morianoc
Area of Worship: Kyvenia, Kaelia, Auscia and Kernioc
Lodens or Lugon is the father of Kernunos. He is a father-deity, a god
of the air, the winds and storms of the sea and coastline. He is the
protector of navigators and sea-port towns. He is generally depicted as
an old man striding across the waves accompanied by tritons or mer- men
of some sort. His cult is well-established and quite popular,
particularly with seamen. The priesthood is all male and lower order
priests often hire aboard seagoing vessels to earn their living taming
the weather. Ceremonies are highly ritualized and include the sacrifice
of small animals, as well as a ceremony which involves mock burial at
sea. The church is closely associated with their martial order, the
