Commoners and the Light

*"The Goddess loves you. She believes in you, and you are a gift to the world and to her protector. Hard work. Humility. Self sacrifice. These are the ways of the Goddess, and to you, the common people of Arkland, the Goddess smiles upon because you embody her will more than any other."* - **Fourth Light of Arkland.**

The Priests of Light operate a populous religion, meaning that its direct appeal is to the wide base of common people rather than to the rich and powerful nobility. The dogma of the priests and the ethics of the Goddess appeal directly to the mindset of the commoner. The ideals of hard work, humility, and sacrifice, especially, appeal to a people who themselves live their lives at work, never often to become rich, but always in service of the Kingdom. With such teachings, it is easy for the commoner to come into the fold of the Light as the religion seems to speak directly to them.

Thus, the Priests of Light have been able to gain a substantial foothold over the hearts and minds of the common people of Arkland over the past century and a half. The devotion of any particular commoner varies widely. Some commoners are true believers, even of the celestial dogma. Other commoners find themselves more drawn to the teachings of the priesthood rather then the mythological aspects of it. Still other commoners find themselves apart of the religion simply because all of their neighbors are. In short, however, different regions of Arkland have been penetrated more deeply by the religion than others. This is especially true of the more rural areas such as the Barony of Alissenon where the agricultural populace there has more in common with the teachings of the religion than do the city dwellers who are more apt to worship the proverbial god of gold.

## Temples

Priests of Light come to an area and establish a temple. Such temples, especially in rural areas, can be little more than a barn. However, in cities, especially where gold is easier to come by, temples can become quite elaborate and even in some cases, monolithic in architecture. A temple collects gold from its flock. The Priest of Light will ask for tithes on a regular basis, and that provides the basis for its funding. Devout individuals will attend services at the temple generally once or twice a week. The less devout may show up much more irregularly. Attendance at temple is highly encouraged, and for the devout, failure to attend services on a regular basis can be seen as sacrilege.

Temples represent the power of the priesthood in an area. The bigger the temple, the more likely it is that more commoners are attending services there. Likewise, the priest or priests who are in charge of that temple gain more and more political power over the region the more commoners that follow them. Since belief in the Light is completely separated from the normal political interactions in Arkland, commoners from all walks, including from different lands controlled by different nobles, can come together to worship as well as interact. Such a joining of hands creates a powerful bond, and the priests can often leverage these bonds as power cards when dealing with appointees of government or even nobility directly.

 Return to Arkland Back Story

--Neil (talk) 19:03, 18 October 2016 (AST)