The Pantheon and Other Minor Faiths

The Pantheon of Spirits

" ... The Zhent guide was quite insistent that we remove our shoes before entering the temple. My companion, bless his stubborn heart, had the misguided notion that he was exempt from such traditions and proudly stepped past the threshold with boots firmly in place.

Three days later, his shoes were utterly befouled by the stench of excrement: dog, bird, even human. It seemed there was nowhere he could go within this eastern Kingdom that did not have a ready pile of shit waiting for him. Our guide merely laughed when my friend complained, and recommended to him a speedy act of contrition to the Spirit of the Temple. My companion was a devout follower of the Pristine Path, but you would marvel at the speed at which he raced to deliver his penance to the Pantheon."

- From the Journal of Sanzo, Scholar

While the Empire is dominated by the Pristine Path, there are other nations and lands who follow other Faiths. These Faiths are often spurned by the brothers and sisters of the Sanctuary as heresy, and thus few within the Empire have any significant knowledge of these other so-called "minor" faiths. Of these, it is the worship of the Pantheon that has the greatest following. The Kingdom of Zhent has adopted worship of the Pantheon as their national faith in all but name, and many neighboring islands have come under the Pantheon's practices as well.

While the Sanctuary of the Pristine Path teaches that the one true deity (at least during one's mortal lifespan) is the Shepherd, followers of the Pantheon do not believe in only one god. Instead, most Zhents and other faithful give their devotions and prayers to countless Spirits, which are believed to embody all social, economic, political, and cultural aspects of life. Faithful offer prayer to the Spirit of Fertility for ripe fields and bountiful harvests, then dedicate a song to the Spirit of Passion to grant success in romance. They pray to the River Spirits to quell floods, the Fire Spirits to provide warmth for their houses, and even the Kitchen Spirits before grand festivals so that food may be especially delectable upon consumption. Politicians pray to the Spirit of Fortune, and students pray to the Spirit of Knowledge.

It is said that all Spirits are ruled by a single Overgod, otherwise referred to as the Spirit King, who is also said to be the King of Zhent's Divine form. Only the Zhentian King has ever offered verbal prayer to the Spirit King; to do so otherwise would be an affront and great offense to the mortal King, and an unwelcome annoyance to the Spirit.

Every physical object, from the lowliest pebble to the most towering of statues is said to harbor a Spirit. And while it is not necessary to offer prayer to every single Spirit one comes across, it is considered extremely ill luck to deliberately or negligently offend any Spirit. It is not uncommon for mothers to warn children never to deface a statue, lest it fall over and smash their little legs.

The worship of the Pantheon is not organized into any church or temple as the Pristine Path is. Rather, each faithful offers prayer in their own way and to those spirits they believe would be most capable of aid. Those who have studied the Spirits and dedicate their lives to them are referred to as Sages, but there is no governing body to which these priests answer to, nor are they sanctioned by the Zhent, or any other political faction. Instead, these sages hold sway based on the size of their following.

To test their strength and determine the superiority of one's faithfulness, these Sages often organize tournaments and duels to test the extent of their own powers. Such competitions are foreign and bizarre to behold, often with no clear indication of the conditions for victory. One foreign observer once happened upon two sages laughably attempting to perform handstands.

The Faithful Forsaken

So was the Foul Wolf beaten
Fleeing, back to the Abyss
And yet, the cane of gold was broken
its power to us freely given
Never to be forsaken.

- Song of the Gift, Verse I
The Sacred Hymnals (Apocrypha)

An offshoot of the Pristine Path, followers of the Faithful Forsaken (or simply the Forsaken) were once the devout of the Sanctuary. However, when the Sacred Hymnals were revealed to condemn the use and proliferation of sorcery, a large number of priests abandoned the Pristine Path and formed their own denomination, dubbing themselves the Faithful Forsaken.

The teachings of the Faithful Forsaken are essentially the same as those of the Pristine Path, to the extent that they share the first hundred or so of verses from the Sacred Hymnals. The two faiths also share a similar governing body, though the Forsaken refer to their church as the Haven. Haven similarly has its own set of Ministers, Healers, and Redeemers.

Sorcery is where the two versions begin to deviate. The Faithful Forsaken believe that sorcery is no more than a tool, no different than a spoon, axe, sword, or shield, and that any capable of wielding it should be allowed so by the Shepherd's divine providence. To that end, the Forsaken have even adopted newly proliferated verses to which they have amended the Sacred Hymnals. Officially the Sanctuary views these verses as apocrypha and its worshipers as heretics. Still, the Forsaken number few and the Sanctuary has yet to take open action against this middling faith.

The Path to Freedom

We of able body and sound mind,
We of means and ability,
The Blind lead us no longer,
Shackles bind us no more,
The Truth shall set us Free.

- From the Devotions of the Prophet (Heresy)

Another offshoot of the Sanctuary, the Path to Freedom is filled with people who have deviated from the teachings of the Sanctuary, and believe that it is the Wolf - not the Shepherd - that deserves worship. These people devote themselves to the vices: greed, lust, pride and countless others, all in the name of freedom, liberty and individual expression. The Sanctuary quashes these groups wherever they come across them, believing them to be dangerous dissidents, but some small orders have managed to elude purification.

The Path to Freedom has no governing body, instead relying on a single man dubbed "The Prophet" to spread the Faith. The Prophet is revered above all others, but is constantly on the move, for fear of persecution from the Sanctuary. He spreads his devotions through secret signals: ravens, Qi pieces, and letters shrouded in code.

I will discuss Sorcery in my next entry.