Religions of the Dragon's Domain
There is always a higher power
Being in a self-contained world, Arda and the Dragon's Domain is also home to powerful extraplanar beings or spirits that are or are worshiped as deities. These deities are widely worshiped throughout Arda and beyond for salvation, healing, power or simple succor in times of need. In many cases, devotion to these divine or natural powers in turn empower its chosen, such as clerics, druids, or paladins. These chosen go on to use this power to aid their followers, and act as their emissary for so long as they maintain their benefactor's blessing.
A druid performs a candle-lit ritual deep in the woods.
In the Arda setting, there are numerous powerful extraplanar beings that have existed since the dawn of time. While many are powerful, not all of them take or enlist followers - of those beings who do, they are deities or are on the way to becoming a deity. They represent one or aspects of the multiverse from which they belong, such as fire, magic, or protection. These aspects of these deities are known as domains. In other words, why one would worship them. For example, a sick man would seek out a cleric of a deity of healing, while a spurned man might seek out a cleric of a deity of vengeance. It is worth noting that not all religions of the world are to a specific being, but could be to any powerful source of divine or natural magic that can give life to their prayers. Notable examples include druidism and ancestor worship. Druidism in Arda is about devotion to the earth, the spirits of life and nature. Ancestor worship is entreating the spirits of your ancestors, family, or clans, etc., to empower you or grant your prayers. As the spirits of nature or of fallen kin can hear your prayers and vest in followers their power, they too are valid choices of worship outside of being a deity. The list of deities and other powers are listed below, along with their domains.
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Faith on Arda
In the Arda setting, there are numerous powerful extraplanar beings that have existed since the dawn of time. While many are powerful, not all of them take or enlist followers - of those beings who do, they are deities or are on the way to becoming a deity. They represent one or aspects of the multiverse from which they belong, such as fire, magic, or protection. These aspects of these deities are known as domains. In other words, why one would worship them. For example, a sick man would seek out a cleric of a deity of healing, while a spurned man might seek out a cleric of a deity of vengeance. It is worth noting that not all religions of the world are to a specific being, but could be to any powerful source of divine or natural magic that can give life to their prayers. Notable examples include druidism and ancestor worship. Druidism in Arda is about devotion to the earth, the spirits of life and nature. Ancestor worship is entreating the spirits of your ancestors, family, or clans, etc., to empower you or grant your prayers. As the spirits of nature or of fallen kin can hear your prayers and vest in followers their power, they too are valid choices of worship outside of being a deity. The list of deities and other powers are listed below, along with their domains.
Table: Faiths of the Dragon's Domain
| Deity or Power | Description | Domains |
|---|---|---|
| Heavens Worship | Numerous powerful deities who act as a single harmonious being, creators of life on Arda. | Animal, Community, Glory, Good, Healing, Knowledge, Law, Magic, Nobility, Protection, Repose, Sun |
| Primordial Worship | Four powerful deities who represent the four main elements. Together they created the land, sea, sky, and sun of Arda. | |
| Primordial Air | Also known as the "Mistress of Winds", she represents the dual nature of air to soothe and lighten, but also bring storm and destruction. | Air, Charm, Liberation, Luck, Scalykind, Travel, Weather |
| Primordial Earth | Also known as the "Stone Father", he represents the dual nature of earth to bring protection and shelter but also to remain static and unforgiving. | Artifice, Earth, Knowledge, Law, Protection, Rune, Strength |
| Primordial Fire | Known popularly as the "Firelord", he represents the dual nature of fire of warmth and light as well its ability to burn and incinerate. | Fire, Glory, Healing, Repose, Strength, Sun, War |
| Primordial Water | Also known as the "Our Goddess of Waves", she represents the dual nature of water to relieve and adapt, but also reflects its mercurial nature. | Artifice, Healing, Knowledge, Liberation, Magic, Water, Weather |
| Other Religions | Other forces that empower the peoples of Arda and beyond | |
| Shadow Worship | Known as the "Gilded Dragon" to its followers, the Shadow is a powerful and malicious being which often takes the form of a massive and blinding golden dragon. It seeks to become more powerful by consuming the multiverse, while its followers seek mutual destruction or oblivion. | Chaos, Death, Destruction, Evil, Madness, Scalykind, Void, War |
| Ancestor Worship | Also known as "animism", it is the worship of spirits who chose to gift their power. More often than not, they are the friendly spirits of the worshipers departed friends, families, or kinsmen. | Death, Glory, Knowledge, Liberation, Luck, Protection, Repose |
| Druidism | Druidism is the worship of the either the earth as a single being, or the powerful spirits of nature that seek to being balance or harmony to the world. | Animal, Earth, Healing, Plant, Strength, Sun, Weather |
| The Depths | An enigmatic religion, the Depths are said to be the inverse of the Heavens, and generally hostile to life. Most theologians believe it is a myth, or an aspect of the Shadow. | Darkness, Death, Destruction, Evil, Fire, Madness, Law, Ruin, Trickery |
Atheism
In a world of powerful deities and even extraplanar creatures as powerful as gods, atheism is by and large considered a fool's errand. On Arda, the Heavens, the Primordial Lords, and the Shadow have even been present in physical form during the Last of the Primordial Wars, and documented by a number of sources. In addition, the divine presence of Primordial spirits and the messengers of the Heavens challenge the notion of atheism. Similarly so, clerics, druids, paladins, and numerous others are directly empowered by their divine blessings and prayers. As a result, it takes considerable mental gymnastics to try to deny the existence of higher powers on Arda. Those who are "unironically" atheist on Arda are those who do not deny the existence of these higher powers, but rather willfully reject their blessings and do not pray to them. For some, they seek the blessings of the souls of their ancestors (see Ancestor Worship) or others seek to create their destiny truly independent from the whims and grand designs of the higher powers of Arda. On Arda, at the time of death of the faithful, their souls are claimed by the divine agents of their faiths to be repatriated with the divine essence of their respective deities. Sadly, for those who do not follow a deity, their soul becomes lost and trapped between the plane they died and the Transitive Plane. Such lost souls will often lead long lives of loneliness or frustration unless they are called upon (such as ancestor worship) or seek reconciliation. This afterlife is rarely safe for lost souls, as Shadow creatures prowl the Transitive Plane in search of souls to feed to its master.See Also
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