The Drowned God

"*Since Dawn Age, the Stern Islanders and the Sea Folk have followed the **Drowned God**, who plucked fire from the sea and made us to reave and sack, and carve our names in blood and song*." ― Jon Merci

## Information

### Location

Al-Saan, Balkan States (majority)Long Island, Sternlands (minority)

Umber Isles, Sternlands (majority)

## Description

### Clergy

Drowned Men

The **Drowned God** is a deity worshiped in the Stern Islands. Together with the North, where the worship of the Old Gods of Men remains strong, the Stern Islanders are one of the few cultures of Sternlands, Balkan States, and Pacific Isles not abiding the Religion of the main land, the **Religion of the Nine Kingdoms of the Sternlands**, the Faith of the Six.

The Drowned God is believed by the Hidden Ones to be one of the aspects of the Many-Faced God or the Lords of Order.

## Beliefs

The belief system of the Drowned God justifies the sea folk practices of piracy and raiding. Followers of the Drowned God believe that He brought fire from the sea, and that He created the sea folk to reave, raid, and pillage. Much of the religion centers around maritime skills and martial ability. It is not simply praiseworthy to kill enemies in battle, it is considered a pious act.

A youth in the Sea Folk, especially the Islanders of Al-Saan and the Long Islanders, commonly known as Iron Folk is not considered a man until he has killed his first enemy. The religion also encourages paying the "iron price" instead of the "gold price", meaning that it is better not to pay or trade for possessions, but to take them by force from the hands of the dead enemies.

To outsiders, the Drowned God religion may seem like a thinly veiled justification for pillaging and plundering, but the Iron Folk themselves take their religion very seriously, and actually have a fairly well developed cosmology and belief system surrounding it:

* Within this belief system, the Drowned God is locked in an eternal struggle against the Storm God. The Drowned God's halls are located beneath the ocean, while the **Storm God** lives in a castle in the sky with his thunderclouds. The Storm God is constantly trying to send storms to dash ironborn ships against rocks.

* **Resurrection Figures** prominently in the religion, specifically being revived after drowning. The Drowned God himself is said to have drowned in the sea, for the sake of the **Iron Folk**, but returned to life "**harder and stronger**". Drowning is also employed as a **Method of Sacrificing** captured enemies to the Drowned God.

* Due to their belief, the iron folk do not fear drowning in the sea. "**Godly**" **Iron Folk**, are those who are fearless raiders, one who's drowning is believed to be taken to the Drowned God's watery halls, where they will feast on fish and be tended by mermaids for eternity. Thus, whenever a reaver dies, the iron folk say that the Drowned God is in need of a strong oarsman.

While the Faith of the Six prohibits same-sex relationships (for both men and women), it is unclear what the attitude of the Drowned God religion is regarding male and/or female homosexuality. Leona Whent is a prominent ship captain who openly engages in sex with both men and women. None of her followers seem to find this unusual, but Leona herself is very much an exception to many norms in her culture, and it is unclear how typical such behavior is of the iron folk in general (see main article "Gender and Sexuality").

## Practices

The common prayer exchanged by followers of the **Drowned God** states "**What is dead may never die**", with the usual response being an echo of the same line. If one person begins this prayer, others are usually expected to join in. The prayer involves clutching the right hand in a fist over the heart.

**Priests of the Drowned God** are called Drowned Men. They anoint devotees using sea water, which is considered holy water in the religion. Infants are ceremonially "**drowned**" during a baptism rite by being briefly submerged in sea water, or by a priest pouring sea water over their head. Adults may also be anointed with sea water in this fashion, when receiving a blessing from one of the Drowned Men. During the blessing ceremony, the following exchange occurs as the priest pours holy sea water over the adherent's head:

**Drowned Man**: *"Let* [name] *your servant be born again from the sea, as you were. Bless him with salt, bless him with stone, bless him with steel."*
**Response**: *"What is dead may never die."*
**Drowned Man**: *"What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder and stronger."*