Servants of the blood gods

A religion of the Nagataru.

Religion as a government:

Servants of the blood gods not only acts as a religion, but also takes the place of the government, gaining full control over it´s people, while prohibiting other religions. Servants of the blood gods officials of the rank of Voice of gods and higher can vote on, and make laws that might be introduced into the system. While this takes away the freedom to vote for regular people, they can live with that those decisions will be done by people chosen by the gods.

• Where the religion rules, other religions are banned and atheists suffer disadvantages.
  
  

Center of the religion:

The religion revolves around the four sibling deities, also called The Four Blood Gods. They are: Garamuth the warrior, Sarus the Deathbringer., Valeria the torture mistress and Vaross the blood lord. People give them offerings gifts in form of sacrifices of people captured during raids, to appease them and gain their blessings.

Religious structures:

Religious structures include places of worship or gathering, housing for the religion´s officials, non goverment structures owned by the religion, etc.

• They are: Sacrifical site, Tower of the grand voice,
  
  

Officials of the religion:

Officials of the religion run everything religion related, enforce the religion's laws and act as moral and religious guides.

• They are: Servant of gods, Voice of ---, Voice of gods, The grand voice
  
  

Enemies of the blood gods:

While the deities don´t really have an enemy, Children of Myths that aren't Teraany are considered betrayers.

Laws:

Laws are enforced and offenders judged by the religion's officials of the rank of Voice of gods or higher. Only 5 witnesses or 1 witness that is the religion's official is needed to find someone guilty. Children and mentally ill are exempt from most laws, but in some cases their parents/family members are responsible for their actions. (more about punishments for breaking the law here:Punishments). Laws don't apply to officials of the religion of the rank of The grand voice.

True worshipers:

Only Teraany can become the religion's officials, as they are the only ones truly devoted to the blood gods.

• Sometimes an exception is made, when the person proves their devotion and repents for their ancestor's betrayal by enduring an hour of torture.
  
  

Slavery:

Slavery is completely legal. A slave can be anyone who doesn't worship the blood gods. Number of slaves is limited to 5 per family, with additional if a family member has a high rank in the religion or military, gaining 1, 3, 6, and 10 additional slaves accordingly.

• Some of the religion´s officials lie and say someone is a nonbeliever to enslave them, as a revenge or something. What slaves say isn't taken seriously.
• The punishment of owning more that the allowed number of slaves is getting whipped 25-50 times and the slave is taken away.
  
  

Non-believer enslavement:

Those who don't worship the blood gods are not only considered betrayers, but also lesser. The law allows anyone to capture a nonbeliever and turn them into their slave.

• Sometimes hated individuals are marked as nonbelievers, so they can be legally enslaved.
  
  

Offering to the gods:

People pay offerings to their gods, which also count as taxes, by donating to the temple, or making a sacrifice. The offering depends on the deity or deities they want to please. All deities accept bones Currencies . The rich can afford an offering to multiple or all gods, gaining an advantage in the eyes of others.

• Sarus the Deathbringer.: Sacrificing someone in any way

• Vaross the blood lord: Donating blood, or sacrificing someone by bloodletting

• Valeria the torture mistress: Donating torture devices and tools, or sacrificing someone by torture

• Garamuth the warrior: Donating a weapon or sacrificing someone by a duel
  
  

Tax debt:

Those who fail to pay tax in a form of an offering or sacrifice can be sacrificed themselves against their will.

• Since taxes are checked by the religion´s officials, they can lie and say the person failed to pay the tax
• Another option is to sacrifice their slave or family member instead
  
  

Family betrayal:

Betraying your family is considered one of the worst thing to do.

• The offender will be exiled and disowned by his family. He may never return to his home settlement, help or even approach his family members
• This law is easily exploitable by an abusive family
• If another family member meets with the disowned one, it's considered as family betrayal.
  
  

Prostitution:

Prostitution is only illegal in public (standing on the street, offering services/ doing it in public). It can be offered to someone privately, then done in the house of one of the people.

• Prostitute who offers their services in public will be punished by getting whipped 10 times
  
  

Hunting:

Only certain officials of the religion can hunt animals, mainly those of the rank of Voice of --- or higher.

• The offender will be punished by being hunted for a certain amount of time, usually 1-3hours. If he survives, he gets to live.
  
  

False sacrifice:

Sacrifices must be made under supervision of an official of the religion. Unofficial sacrifices not only don´t count, but also are punishable.

• The offender will be tortured by tools and amount of time dictated by an official of the religion.
  
  

Rape:

Rape is seen as horrible and looked down upon.

• The offender will have his genitals cut off, or get sacrificed.
  
  

Theft:

Theft, as in most places, is illegal. Thieves are seen as lowest of lows, for taking things from others who worked hard to obtain them.

• The offender will be forced to return the stolen thing back and pay a compensation and his hand will be cut off. If the offender can´t pay up, he will be sacrificed.
  
  

Murder:

Murder of enemies is fine, but murder of your own people is one of the worst thing someone can do.

• The offender will be sacrificed or executed.
  
  

Events:

Mass:

On Sundays, at 8:00 everyone gathers in places of worship for an hour of prayers and reading of religious texts. It´s time of thanking the blood gods for all their blessings.

Red night:

4 times a year, after each season, each settlement gathers at their temple, where they celebrate, pray and do a large sacrifice. They bring up to 20 people to sacrifice, usually by slitting their throats. The blood spills everywhere, covering the ground.

• Some people drink and bathe in blood on this day, most commonly officials of the religion
  
  

Night of the blood moon:

At least once year, mostly less often, the moon turns red. It is seen as the sign of the blood gods being displeased. Officials of the religion organize an appeasement to the gods. To appease them a special sacrifice is made. A beautiful virgin is bathed in oil mixed with herbs, at the Bloodmoon altar, often a volunteer. The sacrifice will be tortured and poisoned, then his veins are cut open as he fights with someone until death.

• The sacrifice must be a Teraany, as other Children of Myths are too unpure.
• The torture is often whipping and poison is to dull the pain and/or block blood cloth. It ends with a decapitation.
• People tend to panic after the sacrifice,a s the blood moon doesn't go away, but officials of the religion reassure them that it just takes time to end.
• The blood moon occurs maybe once a few years near where they live

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Servants of the blood gods

-25

Masked of Dantea

-100

Masked of Dantea hate Servants of the blood gods for their constant raids that include murder and pillaging. Servants of the blood gods on the other hand hate Masked of Dantea as they believe in a false deity.