The Sovereign Host
The Sovereign Host is a group of nine deities collectively representing the entire world, but focusing on aspects of civilization—community, the protection of the weak, the slaying of wild beasts, fertility, construction, and the like. The Sovereign Host is the most widely worshipped body in Khorvaire. Nearly everyone offers prayers to the Host as a whole and to individual deities for specific actions. For example, a farmer might whisper a prayer of thanks to Arawai when his baby is born healthy, and a blacksmith might sing the songs of Onatar when working at her forge.
The Sovereign Host finds worshipers among all races and from all walks of life—peasants, kings, and adventurers. The faithful worship the pantheon as a whole, rather than devoting themselves to specific deities. Worshipers of the Sovereign Host are called Vassals.
As a group, the Host exhorts its followers to:
- Place your trust in the community. The group is stronger by far than the individual. The great light of a city is composed of the thousands of flames of its citizens. You must ensure that your flame is as bright as you can make it.
- Treat others as they deserve to be treated. If they haven’t harmed you or yours, treat them kindly.
- Bring the light of civilization to the darkness of the wilds.
| Symbol | Diety | Areas of Influence | Domains |
|---|---|---|---|
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Arawai, goddess of fertility | Agriculture, fertility, the wilderness as natural resources | Life, Nature |
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Aureon, god of law and knowledge | Knowledge, law, arcane lore and magic | Knowledge, Arcana |
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Balinor, god of beasts and the hunt | Beasts, the hunt, the cycle of life | Life, Nature |
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Boldrei, goddess of community and home | Community, home, hearth | Life |
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Dol Arrah, goddess of sunlight and honour | Light (physical and metaphorical, the goodness of the soul), honor, selflessness, military strategy, war | Light, War |
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Dol Dorn, god of strength at arms | Courage, duty, physical prowess, soldiers and warriors, war | War |
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Kol Korran, god of trade and wealth | Wealth, trade, commerce | Trickery |
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Olladra, goddess of good fortune | Fortune, luck, success | Life, Trickery |
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Onatar, god of craft | Forges, crafts, industry, fire | Knowlege, Forge |
Structure
The Sovereign Host has a looser structure than The Church of the Silver Flame. Many variations and subsects of the faith exist. Many temples are only loosely aligned—in a small village, a skilled smith might double as the priest because people believe he’s close to Onatar. A midwife might be seen as speaking for Arawai and Boldrei.
There are institutions that train and ordain priests in the ways of the Sovereign Host—and indeed, it is from these locations that most of the liturgical councils operate—but formally ordained priests are the minority of religious leaders among the Vassals. Many priests, particularly those in smaller communities, come into their posts naturally. A wise individual might wind up giving advice to neighbours more and more often until he or she becomes a de facto priest.
Tenets of Faith
- The Doctrine of Universal Sovereignty: As is the world, so are the gods. As are the gods, so is the world.
- The Doctrine of the Divine Host: The Sovereign Host is one name, and speaks with one voice. The gods are the letters of that name, and the sound of that voice.
Worship
Most rites of the Sovereign Host are quick, simple affairs that a Vassal can perform alone. Prayers and paeans are entirely verbal (anything involving gestures is considered a rite), and are offered in gratitude: as thanks for a good harvest, for pleasant weather, or even for luck in avoiding those who mean do to one harm. Prayers are not used to request favors of the gods; this is done through rites.
Rites can be basic, with simple gestures added to prayers, but they can also be more complex affairs intended to ask the blessings of the Host. Such rites might involve ceremonial litanies, colored candles, the wearing of specific garb, or the burning of minor sacrifices. (Sacrifices might include bits of food or small goods of personal importance. Animal sacrifice is limited to major rites, and the Sovereign Host does not accept the sacrifice of sentient beings.)
Only priests are permitted to conduct major rites. These include the festivals of the gods and high holidays. Priests sing paeans, perform benedictions, and offer sacrifices. These ceremonies occur at fixed times, whether or not a congregation has gathered. Priests are also responsible for ceremonies honoring births, marriages, coronations, and funerals. Even these, however, cannot be scheduled on a whim; they must take place during rites dedicated to one or more of the gods. Most marriages, for instance, take place during sacrifices to Arawai or Boldrei (although weddings during festivals of Kol Korran are not unknown). Birth celebrations and funeral observances occur during the festivals of whichever god the family reveres most strongly.
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