Religions and Cults
There’s no conspiracy to hide the presence of Gods or the persistence of “pagan” ways, but pantheons promote a certain attitude to faith that, in most cases, puts them in the background of modern society. For centuries, this wasn’t the case, and Scion-theocrats with shining crowns spoke thunder and spit lightning at each other over ordinary territory. You know the examples: dishonored bodies in Troy, 18 apocalyptic days in Kuru, the red and white dragons that were nations. Not all Gods meddled so openly, and some abstained from intervention, reasoning that if the ways they taught were to have any value, they should stay strong when practiced by mortals alone.
It’s hard to pin down when it changed, and it would be ethnocentric and deceptive to point to a specific historical event, but gradually, the Gods abandoned direct rule and the most public manifestations. Even so, they never left their people. Many allowed new religions and ideologies to flower and serve civic society, but bade followers to honor their original faiths privately, or in cults outside of state control. In 1000 A.D., Iceland’s Althing voted to convert the country to Christianity, but they honored Odin the very next day, though they would never again invoke him in matters of state.
This pattern repeated itself in different times and places throughout The World. In some cases, the Gods didn’t call for a change in public religion, but in people’s attitude to faith, urging them to take responsibility for affairs that had previously been left to divine intervention.
That’s a general ideal. The specifics get a bit messier. Truth be told, the leaders of the great monotheistic religions would rather you didn’t sacrifice doves to Aphrodite after attending their services, but there’s not much they can do about it. This is how their faiths have always coexisted with the Gods, doctrine be damned. Of course, some people have nothing to do with civic religion or politics, and just serve the Gods, and others are pure monotheists and even atheists. That might seem hard to believe, but power isn’t necessarily the same as divinity.
Scion uses the term “cult” to denote Scion-focused religions, not as a pejorative. Cults are no more or less likely to produce murderous fanatics, bigots, people who distrust science, or xenophobes than mainstream religions. However, because cults are often private affairs and exist in multitudes, cults don’t tend to be “big tent” religions full of diverse points of view. If a bunch of people get together to believe in something harmful, no higher authority will excommunicate them, save for the Scions they revere. When cults turn bad, it’s usually because the patron Scions are less than admirable people, or the organization hasn’t had a divine visit to correct its course in a long time. Then again, a few cults have an adversarial relationship with specific Gods or entire pantheons. It’s not common, but it happens.
Then of course, there’s the possibility that the cult serves a Titan. In fact, Titan cults are not necessarily even malevolent. Some Titans aren’t destructive, and some cults propitiate the Titans they worship. The fact that most Titans don’t care about anyone begging not to be destroyed generally doesn’t figure in their cults’ theology. The most dangerous groups are the ones asking to be spared, or destroyed last, because this demonstrates members’ ruthlessness, and the Titans themselves are more receptive to that line of belief.
After patronage, the most important influence on a cult is its purpose. Some cults care more about what they do than for whom they do it, and this doesn’t necessarily offend the Gods. They’re worshipped all the same, and if the cult’s purpose is virtuous, it’s worth supporting. With that in mind, consider the following types of cults, and note that this list is neither complete nor exact — cults embrace variety.
Covens: Rare and distrusted, covens don’t form to worship, but to exploit the Gods, usually through some sort of time-honored transaction, or by using a mythic loophole that gives adherents influence over a Scion or pantheon. Some pantheons embrace the idea of bribing the Gods, or holding them to certain oaths, and others are forced to tolerate it. Members are either self-deluded, or know certain secrets that give the cult its advantages.
Guilds: Guilds are professional associations that honor a specific God or pantheon. Some guilds have long maintained their ancient professions, while others evolved under the influence of technology (from horses and carts to trucks, for instance). A few canny Gods have taken new trades under their wings, so software developers, jazz musicians, and marketers honor them. Some guilds virtually control their trades, while others serve a minority, but in all cases, banding together is usually a professional advantage.
Family Traditions: In new immigrant communities, places with low population densities, and other areas where families are isolated, they tend to develop their own practices, which they pass on to the next generation. Some family traditions are quite large, having grown through centuries of descendants, but others are limited to a handful of relatives. In rare cases, the Gods demand family cults, when one lineage or another has sworn service, or is marked by Fate. Some family traditions are all descendants of their divine patrons.
Historians: Some cults exist to follow their patrons as they would have been worshipped in some classic period: ancient Mycenae, or eighth-century Denmark. The most extreme groups live as if they were natives of the period almost all the time (and certain Gods have set aside realms to help them do so) but most of them simply wish to revive the “old ways.” Cults have always existed, and change with the times, so historic groups attract a minority of followers interested in performing the research.
Mystery Societies: Some cults reveal their full theology and purpose in stages, initiating an adherent into a new rank when she proves herself loyal and spiritually prepared. This form of organization is popular when worshipping Gods of knowledge, Gods who have bad reputations (for example, one Set cult presents itself as a social club for drunken jackasses, but it’s really a warrior society) and, of course, Titans, whose followers understand that it takes a long time to convince followers of their masters’ merits.
Reliquarians: Reliquarians focus their worship around one or more sacred objects: weapons, body parts, items of clothing, ritual tools, and more. The central relics need not possess any supernatural powers, but many of these cults do possess powerful Relics, and though they might lend them to Scions related to those they worship, they almost always expect the items back. The lending process and return is a sacred rite, not to be taken trivially.
Social Clubs: In a social club, worship is almost secondary. Members gather to do something they enjoy, and dedicate their efforts to the relevant Gods. Some Gods don’t find this especially flattering, but those deeply interested in the activity accept recreation as worship. Some of these cults are like guilds, except that social clubs accept casual practitioners, where guilds are normally restricted to professionals.
Temples: Temples are named for the dedicated structures they keep, which house their communities of worship. A temple cult is closest to one of the monotheistic, public faiths in organization and worship, but even the largest will take a small step back from the public spotlight. Small temples rent or share spaces, but big ones have built impressive structures, or restored some of the great sites of antiquity.
It’s hard to pin down when it changed, and it would be ethnocentric and deceptive to point to a specific historical event, but gradually, the Gods abandoned direct rule and the most public manifestations. Even so, they never left their people. Many allowed new religions and ideologies to flower and serve civic society, but bade followers to honor their original faiths privately, or in cults outside of state control. In 1000 A.D., Iceland’s Althing voted to convert the country to Christianity, but they honored Odin the very next day, though they would never again invoke him in matters of state.
This pattern repeated itself in different times and places throughout The World. In some cases, the Gods didn’t call for a change in public religion, but in people’s attitude to faith, urging them to take responsibility for affairs that had previously been left to divine intervention.
That’s a general ideal. The specifics get a bit messier. Truth be told, the leaders of the great monotheistic religions would rather you didn’t sacrifice doves to Aphrodite after attending their services, but there’s not much they can do about it. This is how their faiths have always coexisted with the Gods, doctrine be damned. Of course, some people have nothing to do with civic religion or politics, and just serve the Gods, and others are pure monotheists and even atheists. That might seem hard to believe, but power isn’t necessarily the same as divinity.
TYPES OF CULTS
Scion uses the term “cult” to denote Scion-focused religions, not as a pejorative. Cults are no more or less likely to produce murderous fanatics, bigots, people who distrust science, or xenophobes than mainstream religions. However, because cults are often private affairs and exist in multitudes, cults don’t tend to be “big tent” religions full of diverse points of view. If a bunch of people get together to believe in something harmful, no higher authority will excommunicate them, save for the Scions they revere. When cults turn bad, it’s usually because the patron Scions are less than admirable people, or the organization hasn’t had a divine visit to correct its course in a long time. Then again, a few cults have an adversarial relationship with specific Gods or entire pantheons. It’s not common, but it happens.
Then of course, there’s the possibility that the cult serves a Titan. In fact, Titan cults are not necessarily even malevolent. Some Titans aren’t destructive, and some cults propitiate the Titans they worship. The fact that most Titans don’t care about anyone begging not to be destroyed generally doesn’t figure in their cults’ theology. The most dangerous groups are the ones asking to be spared, or destroyed last, because this demonstrates members’ ruthlessness, and the Titans themselves are more receptive to that line of belief.
After patronage, the most important influence on a cult is its purpose. Some cults care more about what they do than for whom they do it, and this doesn’t necessarily offend the Gods. They’re worshipped all the same, and if the cult’s purpose is virtuous, it’s worth supporting. With that in mind, consider the following types of cults, and note that this list is neither complete nor exact — cults embrace variety.
Covens: Rare and distrusted, covens don’t form to worship, but to exploit the Gods, usually through some sort of time-honored transaction, or by using a mythic loophole that gives adherents influence over a Scion or pantheon. Some pantheons embrace the idea of bribing the Gods, or holding them to certain oaths, and others are forced to tolerate it. Members are either self-deluded, or know certain secrets that give the cult its advantages.
Guilds: Guilds are professional associations that honor a specific God or pantheon. Some guilds have long maintained their ancient professions, while others evolved under the influence of technology (from horses and carts to trucks, for instance). A few canny Gods have taken new trades under their wings, so software developers, jazz musicians, and marketers honor them. Some guilds virtually control their trades, while others serve a minority, but in all cases, banding together is usually a professional advantage.
Family Traditions: In new immigrant communities, places with low population densities, and other areas where families are isolated, they tend to develop their own practices, which they pass on to the next generation. Some family traditions are quite large, having grown through centuries of descendants, but others are limited to a handful of relatives. In rare cases, the Gods demand family cults, when one lineage or another has sworn service, or is marked by Fate. Some family traditions are all descendants of their divine patrons.
Historians: Some cults exist to follow their patrons as they would have been worshipped in some classic period: ancient Mycenae, or eighth-century Denmark. The most extreme groups live as if they were natives of the period almost all the time (and certain Gods have set aside realms to help them do so) but most of them simply wish to revive the “old ways.” Cults have always existed, and change with the times, so historic groups attract a minority of followers interested in performing the research.
Mystery Societies: Some cults reveal their full theology and purpose in stages, initiating an adherent into a new rank when she proves herself loyal and spiritually prepared. This form of organization is popular when worshipping Gods of knowledge, Gods who have bad reputations (for example, one Set cult presents itself as a social club for drunken jackasses, but it’s really a warrior society) and, of course, Titans, whose followers understand that it takes a long time to convince followers of their masters’ merits.
Reliquarians: Reliquarians focus their worship around one or more sacred objects: weapons, body parts, items of clothing, ritual tools, and more. The central relics need not possess any supernatural powers, but many of these cults do possess powerful Relics, and though they might lend them to Scions related to those they worship, they almost always expect the items back. The lending process and return is a sacred rite, not to be taken trivially.
Social Clubs: In a social club, worship is almost secondary. Members gather to do something they enjoy, and dedicate their efforts to the relevant Gods. Some Gods don’t find this especially flattering, but those deeply interested in the activity accept recreation as worship. Some of these cults are like guilds, except that social clubs accept casual practitioners, where guilds are normally restricted to professionals.
Temples: Temples are named for the dedicated structures they keep, which house their communities of worship. A temple cult is closest to one of the monotheistic, public faiths in organization and worship, but even the largest will take a small step back from the public spotlight. Small temples rent or share spaces, but big ones have built impressive structures, or restored some of the great sites of antiquity.
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