Religion and Pantheon

The Faith of the AllFather is dominant within the Kingdom,
and the Church itself has power and influence to rival most political entities.
Temples and churches to **Aurin** the **AllFather** are present in all population
centers and are concentrated where cities are the largest. The rituals and
practices of the Faith are formal and, to a degree, rigid: though the services
performed by a country cleric in a rustic church lack the pomp and circumstance
of the Cathedral, a devotee of the Faith would be familiar with each of the
ritual’s steps and responses. Though worship and devotion to Aurin is central
to the Faith, the myths and practices also include within the Pantheon as
lesser deities the AllFather’s children: graceful **Elloren**, Lady of the silver lamp; fierce **Kior**, the blade of the storm; and elusive **Ferris**, of the spinning coin.

Most clerics and priests are dedicated to Aurin (close to 80%),
though clerics of Elloren are well-represented in the Order of the Silver Dawn,
a Sect within the Faith that concerns itself with healing and matters of purity
and integrity of the church. Clerics and Paladins of Kior are generally
relegated to the Order of the Blade, which represents the church’s military arm.
Clerics of Ferris are quite uncommon and rarely rise to positions of influence
within the Faith. All of the Faith’s clergy and lay members are subject to many
internal rules and laws, and advancement in power – both temporal and spiritual
– is closely guarded, and requires strict adherence to the beliefs and values
of the AllFather.

The Faith has weekly ceremonies for the faithful and in
large cities you can watch as the streets get quieter and empty out at midday
when the sun is brightest and the congregations gather in the cool stone
sanctuaries of Aurin’s temples. The AllFather is the center point of the
liturgy, though there are yearly festivals to celebrate Kior and Elloren as
well. Ferris is not often included in formal ceremonies though he is often
invoked by thieves, merchants, gamblers, and scholars alike when favor is desired.

In towns and cities, the Faith is omnipresent and even those
who do not consider themselves spiritual generally participate in the public
festivals and rituals. In smaller villages and places closer to the unruly edges
of civilization, there is a tacit understanding that the Old Ways also have
power, and it is not uncommon to know a wise woman who can make some sort of
potion or a boy who can talk to livestock: such things are accepted but often
not publicized, lest it draw the attention of the Order of the Silver Dawn who
root out fiercely any hint of Fey or Fiendish taint. Actual druids tend to be
solitary and deeply connected to their protected lands, and as such pose no
organized challenge to the Faith, and the Church of the AllFather is quick to
take action if a particular druid seems to be gathering too much of a
following.

Though for some the Faith seems a bit controlling and
omnipresent, the charity of the church and the generosity with which it shares
its healing and helpful magics with the common folk of Errien mean that most
citizens regard it tolerantly and give lip service to the rites and rituals.
Church temples, schools, and hospitals employ lay people of all sorts and the
Faith is also a significant investor in many financial ventures.