Imperial Cult
The Imperial Cult is the state sponsored religion of the Pax, an extension of the Empress' will, as well as a practical conduit between the gods and the day-to day needs of the citizens of the Pax. Adopting the Imperial Cult is one of the universal demands of Imperial citizenship. While the cult doesn't expect you to truly believe, it does expect occasional worship and sacrifice. Particularly wealthy provinces may even be able to petition the Ctezibond Synod for their local religions to be added to their temple, and to the broader imperial pantheon, which, once sufficient sacrifices and haggling have taken place, are typically accepted. While the exact contents of any imperial temple are fairly varied, the Ogdoad, or 8 state deities are always observed.
The Imperial Cult allows for henotheism, and, unless for political reasons, usually doesn't demand the end of local religious tradition unless it places their god above Gwen in their ordning, or is considered by the local pontifex to be too dangerous to the citizenry to be allowed open worship. Some cultures, such as the Apaslaka, even publicly profess antitheism, although they perform worship as proscribed purely as
The Ogdoad are as follows;
Gwen: Worshipped as the mother of the empire, and the head of the house that is the pact, Gwen is considered to be responsible for overseeing matters of state, and transfers of imperial power, as well as an example of how the women of the pax should lead their homes. As Gwen for the empire, so too for the mother of the household, goes the saying. Gwen's feast days are during the summer equinox, where for a month, the imperial authorities sponsor public feasting and revelry, as well as public military exercises, local competitions and bloodsport dedicated in her name.
Tarir: The Lion-headed Tarir is worshipped as a goddess of the imperial peace, as well as of order. Tarir and Gwen are sometimes syncretized into a single figure, frequently called Gwentir, or Tarir-Ge, represented as a Dragonne. Tarir has minor feasts at the beginning of each month, in which many labourers and all slaves are typically given the day off in which to celebrate the magnanimity of the Pax, and to honor the peace brought by the empire.
Neliquinn: Depicted usually as a beautiful, strong featured, muscular woman, Neliquinn, often called Eurynomis, is revered widely across the broadly maritime Pax. Eurynomis is a brooding goddess, infamous for her capricious temperment, but the Cult teaches that vast wealth comes to those who earn her favor, as her longtime status as patron of the Bloodfin Loacatha, who petitioned for her inclusion in the cult in 1078. A yearling goat is typically sacrificed by drowning at the beginning of every sea voyage, and on the third day of the dry season, a weeklong festival involving cheap drinks and, typically, the consumption of fried fish.
Wrinnsting: Called Aphea in the Pax, Wrinnsting is one of the most commonly worshipped gods in the Pax, due entirely to her popularity among the working class. Aphea is worshipped informally almost constantly, and is typically invoked in most cultures coming of age ceremonies and marriages (indeed, on every imperial marriage certificate, Gwen and Aphea are listed in that order as the witnesses). Her feasts are at the beginning and end of the harvest season, celebrating both the beginning and endings of the agricultural cycle with a communal feast, which typically takes on a lusty tone as the evening goes on, especially in the second of her festivals, in which all of the previous year's alcohol likely to go bad is usually consumed. The harvest festival is typically followed by a handful of hasty marriages not long after as people find themselves receiving 'Aphea's Blessings' or unplanned children.
Dym: The god of Imperial Law, Dym's order is less prominent in the Pax than it typically is in other places he is worshiped. A small fraction of the Imperial Tax is tithed to the Dym's order. Of all the gods which Gwen brought into the Cult, Dym's faith is by far the least changed. After all, he and Gwen share common cause: obey the law, lest you be made to obey it.
Polertos: Polertos is worshipped as a god of military victory, of soldiers and war. He is typrically depicted as an imperial legionaire, in full battle dress. Much of the more bloodthirsty aspect of his character is erased in the Pax, where he is honored as the ideal of a legio infantryman - loyal to the empress, the pax, and exemplifying military strength though unity. It is customary to sacrifice a bull to him on the eve before a battle.
Batill: It's said that the empress conceded a spot on the pantheon to Batil more than that he was given it. After all, it was better to give him a seat and a stake than let him worm his way in on his own. Batil, god of lies and deceit, is strongly associated with politics and trade, and receives homage mainly from the patriari and the merchant class. He has a festival midway through the dry season, in which traditional societal roles are inverted- the slave gives orders to the master, and the aspis merchant ceremonially does a turn in the fields. This doesn't traditionally go too far, though, society returns to normal the next day, and no one wants to seriously anger their benefactors.
Fellres : The king of the underworld and judge of the dead is also worshipped in the Pax as the god of wealth, who brings gold and silver to those who sacrifice frequently to him. The worship of Fellres in his aspect as a death god, rather than his cthonic associations, is also common, although that is conducted under the auspices of The House of Waking and Sleeping, who acknowledge him in their triad of gods.
The Harthlight Problem:
Usually when a god tries to rule by fiat somewhere in Na'Eandreth, they tend to try to establish themselves a monotheistic temple, consolidating power and souls. Indeed, previous to the second Godswar, Gwen maintained a similar level of theological and political control over wider Praes that the Harthlight maintained over Jorduunum. In the modern era, that sort of behavior tends to both attract titanic attention, but also beckons another godswar. By granting power and worshippers to her divine allies, both among the Zerai and the Yanki, Gwen is able to maintain a better position in divine politics than her sister.
The Harthlight, of course, still maintains a strong hold over the rump empire of the Njortans, but lacks the ability to truly consolidate the political power the Imperial Cult allows Gwen to maintain.
Type
Religious, Organised Religion
Deities
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