Ancestor Cult

by Azgaar

The Ancestor Cult is a catch all term for a diverse set of beliefs, minor religions and sects, and faiths that all center around the worship of the dead as a collective. While some specific spirits will sometimes get called out, it is believed that, only through the collective do the ancestors have the power to influence the Middle Realm.

Basic Beliefs

The dead are must like people but without bodies

They have desires and needs

They have strong opinions

They are interested in what is happening in the Middle Realm

The dead can affect their living descedents and the world relating to them

The dead are only powerful as a whole

No individual spirit is able to perform miracles

The bones of the honored dead hold special power

Ancestors are not omipotent nor omniscient

But they do have great collected wisdom and knowledge due to pooling their memories

Holy Sites, Temples, & Rituals

The most common type of holy site are familial shrines that are kept in houses. There the bones of the dead are honored and cared for.

Some sects do have temples and organized clergy, with grove temples being very common. Those that wish to bury their dead at these sites plant a sapling by the bones, which serves as form for grave marker.

Common Motifs

The Ancestor Cult uses a lot of motifs associated with death; bones specifically, which can have special meaning based on the type and context:

The Skull - knowledge, memory, honor

The Ribcage - heart, courage

The Arms and Hands - Phyiscal health, power, divinity

The Legs - Movement, ability, skill

Hierarchy & Leadership

Leadership varies by sect but the default is that the head of the family is the head of the familial sect. They, having a closer relationship with the Ancestors, are said to be given special powers.

Ashcallers are specialized clergy; wanderers who see to the health of the dead who's families have died out or those that have been forgotten. They travel, looking to put the dead to rest. These ashcallers will often be enlisted by the heads of families for periods of time, during which they train the head of the family (and often their successor) in their art.

In places with a strong tradition of ashcalling, scions of the familiy will often undergo two apprenticeships: One for your father's family and one for your mother's family.

Common Theological Questions

What are Invasions?

If there are enough untended spirits in the world who cannot find corpses to reanimate, becoming undead, they become corrupted, becoming devils.

Get enough devils and they leak into the Middle Realm via Invasions.

What is beyond the Mountains?

The Ancestors are silent on the matter and beliefs about this are largely dictated by culture.

What are the Divines?

Many sects of Ancestor Cults do actually believe the Divines are real and would agree with the Brotherhood about what their nature is however where they diverge is that the Ancestor Cults belief that the Ancestors are more powerful than the Divines. Most also believe that the Ancestors are smarter and wiser than the Divines.

Those that believe the Divines are real but disagree about more of their nature will often chaulk Divines up to the Ancestors wearing masks and appearing in ways that are more amenable to those not ready to see the truth.

Sects