Religious orders

## The Religious Orders

Mother Earth, Father Sky, Lord Sun, and Lady Moon are the four gods recognized in Karimas. Each is associated loosely with one of the primary elements, and as well is considered to reign over certain traits and times of year. Each has an order devoted to following its tenets. In most of the orders, there are Priests, who tend to the sacred duties and places of the God they serve, and Devotees, who attend the lay matters and are often called by those in need for lesser services.

### Mother Earth

Mother Earth is often portrayed as a tall, powerful, athletically-built woman, handsome of feature and strong of limb, with green eyes and brown hair. She is associated with healing, nature, and caring for the young, as well as the hearth and home. Her season is spring, and her element is the Earth. When associated with a place, it is usually Stone Regency. Earth's sacred places are usually large buildings with an enormous receiving hall, in which there is always a massive hearth, the fire in which is never allowed to go out. Earth's Priests and Priestesses tend to be a practical, straightforward lot, and practice herblore, animal husbandry, healing, and cultivation. They have little tolerance for dithering, and often have a reputation for being headstrong and rather forceful. Earth Priests always wear a copper band, usually around their upper arm, but sometimes as a torc around their neck, or around their wrists. The leader of the order, called Grandmother, wears a wide, engraved copper belt. Those Devoted to Earth generally are ranchers, farmers, healers, midwives, and other occupations of the kind. Generally, as the Devoted wear copper bands as well, it's difficult to tell an Earth Priest from one Devoted to Earth, and they like to keep it that way.

### Father Sky

Father Sky is usually portrayed as an elderly gentleman with short white hair and a close-cropped white beard, with blue eyes; his build is generally thin, but he is always straight-backed, and does not so much lean on his staff as simply carry it. He is usually depicted smiling. Associated with knowledge, luck, experience, and weather, most of the imagery surrounding him involves birds of some kind. His season is autumn, and his element is Wind. Most of the time, Sky is tied to Drakes Regency. Sky's sacred places are always open, generally built around aviaries; Sky's priests tend birds of many kinds, including ones used for messages. Sky's priests are scholars and academicians, experimenters and theorists, rarely leaving their halls of knowledge; Sky maintains massive libraries, many of the works generating from their own order. All of Sky's priests wear an earring from which depend several bird feathers; the leader of the order, called Grandfather, wears a full length cloak of chicken feathers, and this is a constant source of amusement for him when people ask why chicken feathers (he is known to give a different answer each time). Devotees of Sky are scouts, teachers, and sometimes spies; charged both with gathering and spreading knowledge, they are as passionate about teaching as they are learning, and often have many stories to tell. Devotees wear a pendant in the shape of a bird in flight. Another function of Sky that is less often recognized is that of judge; when disputes arise, often it is a Devotee that serves as mediator, and when that dispute is between members of the religous orders, Sky's authority is absolute.

### Lord Sun

Lord Sun is most often depicted as a young man in his prime, with an roguish cast and a wiry build, golden-haired and orange-eyed. He bears a sword and shield, and wears armor of gold. Associated with justice, light, ambition, and strength, he is usually depicted as sitting in judgement or defending the innocent. His season is summer, and his element is Fire. He is often linked with Oaks Regency. Sun's order maintains churches that are very nearly fortresses in their own right, and their priests are well-versed in combat arts, as well as knowing the law to its fullest extent. Sun's Priests wear a large pectoral amulet bearing a sun-in-glory, the number of rays denoting their rank within the church; the leader of the Order, called Justicar, wears a crown with the rising sun on his brow. Devotees of Sun are military men, guardsmen, and lawkeepers. Most are directly employed as the Church's militant wing; it's said that if Karimas ever mobilized for war, Sun would be the van. Devotees wear a small amulet of a golden sun.

### Lady Moon

Lady Moon is often shown as being small of stature, beautiful of face and form, with long, flowing black hair and eyes of midnight, wearing as few clothes as possible (many have her depicted nude). Her skin is white as the moon she is named for, and flawless. She carries no weapon and has no accouterments. Associated with deception, secrets, desire, and the night, her element is Water, and her season is Winter. She is most often associated with Coastal Regency. Moon's Priestesses are rarely seen, and even less rarely known when they are; they serve as spies, assassins, thieves, and courtesans. Moon's sacred places are gambling houses and docks, as well as houses of pleasure. Moon's priestesses (not all are female, but most by far are) wear a small blue or green stone on some form of jewelry somewhere about their person, set in silver and marked with a half-moon etched in the band. Moon's devotees can be literally anyone; they are marked either by a driving passion for secrets or a deep and abiding love for the waters. Sailors, cutthroats, footpads and whores all follow Moon's pull. Devotees of Moon, as difficult to mark as their priestesses, always wear a half-moon pendant or charm on some form of jewelry, often a piercing. ?