The Pelosian people are a civilized people, in theory. Like many of the races of man the laws of the Pelosians are dictated by their gods -- in fact many races of the Known World follow the laws of their gods. The Pelosians, however, can be a bit more zealous with their church than some of the other religions. While the Pelosians are not monotheistic, and they acknowledge other religions, they are of the belief that their gods are the only "correct" gods.
It is not uncommon for cleric missionaries to travel to distant lands to spread the word of Pelor and seek converts to their cause. Because of this it is not uncommon to find worshipers of the Pelosian pantheon, particularly Pelor himself, among the other races of the Known World. Dwarves and hobbits are the most numerous of the non-human races, as well as half-elves that have left Tengoku no Niwa. The loving, welcoming words of Pelor are very comforting to a half-elf that has been cast out of his own society.
Pelor
The Shining One
Greater Deity
Symbol: A face in the sun
Home Plane: The Seven Heavens
Alignment: Lawful Good
Portfolio: Sun, light, strength, healing, creation
Worshipers: The Pelosians and converts to the Pelosian religion
Cleric Alignments: LG, NG, CG
Domains: Community, Glory, Good, Healing, Strength, Sun
Favored Weapon: Mace
Turn or Rebuke Undead: Turn
Pelosian myth insists that Pelor created the Known World from the nothingness that existed before creation. He rose high in the heavens and shone his light down upon the nothing and in his warmth he created the Known World and with his love he created all life.
Pelosians acknowledge the existence of other deities, even those not of their faith, but they believe that Pelor rises above them all, often acquainting more power to him that what he actually has. Pelosian's look a Pelor more as an over-deity. Pelor has never claimed such a standing, but he has not done much to dissuade this belief either.
Pelor dwells at the peak of the Seven Heavens, in the domain of Chronias. There he spends much of his time in a great palace among the clouds called Light's Blessing. Here he is attended by his heavenly host of angels; devas, archerons, planetars, and solars all bend knee to Pelor. At any time one visits Light's Blessing the peak of Mount Celestia is constantly circled by the flying host of heaven, all at Pelor's whim.
The Shining One is also father to twin sons as well, Heironeous and Hextor. How Pelor gave birth to twin sons is a point of much theological debate among the Pelosians, with different scriptures attributing it to different theories, or gospel. In one story, Pelor took on the form of man and laid with a woman, meaning that a mortal birthed the twin sons of a god. Other scriptures state that Pelor simply created them from his divine energies when he created the Known World. Still another belief, and probably closest to the truth, is that Pelor elevated his two strongest and most loyal solars to the status of godhood.
For a long time the three of them ruled the Heavens. Eventually though, Hextor grew jealous of Heironeous's favor with their father and a battle erupted between the two sons of Pelor. Their battle shook the Heavens and resulted in the death of hundreds of angels as they knocked each other down the side of Mount Celestia. When the duo hit the ground, their quarrel caused great quakes through the earth. So intense and so destructive their battle grew that Pelor himself had to step in and bring an end to it. In one of the few times that Pelor grew angry he cast his son Hextor out of the Heavens and threw him down into the lowest level of Hell. This move broke Pelor's heart, and many believe that though his forgiveness is eternal, he has never forgiven himself for this act.
In his true form Pelor appears as an elder, though not weak, man with a wizened and kindly face. His hair is white but seems to glow softly with the rays of the sun, and as does his long white beard. He wears golden robes and carries a staff with his own holy symbol adorning the head. As the god of the sun and creation he is a natural enemy of the undead, and Pelosian scripture insists that maces of disruption are all created by Pelor's blessing.
Dogma
The central tenant to the teachings of Pelor is that there is strength in faith and strength in the community. That when a people stand together as one, they are unbeatable. Pelor also preaches that forgiveness is divine and that if one truly repents for his sins, they the divine will forgive him his transgressions. Pelor understands that no mortal is perfect, everyone will make mistakes, but only those who repent for their mistakes will be able to join him in the Seven Heavens.
Pelosian clergy takes the first tenant of Pelor's teaching to extreme levels and believes it is their holy mission to unite the people, all the people, of the Known World under Pelor's glory. The clerics of Pelor are known to send missions into foreign lands, seeking converts to the "true" religion of Pelor. There are even Pelosian missions in the elven empire of Tengoku no Niwa. Though few of them would openly admit it, many of the elves among the samurai caste find the teachings of the Pelosian's appealing, especially those concerning St Cuthbert. The belief that they would be repaid kindly in the afterlife of Heaven for honorable service, as opposed to a bleak eternity in the Land of Darkness, is very appealing to them.
Clergy and Temples
Clerics of Pelor are called friars (male) or sister (female), and most are men, though there is no provision against women becoming clergy. Clerics of Pelor are titled either "father" or "mother." There is a strict hierarchy among them, almost like a military. Each church has a pastor, that is the head of the church. Each geographical region tends to have a bishop, that is a religious equivalent to a duke or baron. The bishop is typically stationed in a major city. And then finally, above the bishop is the pope; this is a singular station and is the head of the entire Pelosian order.
Temples of Pelor are called churches, and the worship of both Pelor and St Cuthbert can be conducted there. There are numerous churches found throughout the Pelosian lands, sometimes a city even has more than one church depending on the city's size. Churches found in foreign lands are called missions, where the clergy tries to bring others into the fold, turning them into converts.
Converts can be of any race, making the Pelosian church (both the worship of Pelor and St Cuthbert) one of the few non-pagan religions to have worshipers of various races, including among their clergy.
St Cuthbert
Saint Cuthbert of the Cudgel
Intermediate Deity
Symbol: The Cross of St Cuthbert
Home Plane: The Seven Heavens
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Portfolio: Retribution, common sense, wisdom, zeal, honesty, truth, discipline, valor, chivalry, honor
Worshipers: The Pelosian people and converts, templars
Cleric Alignments: LN, LG
Domains: Destruction, Knowledge, Law, Nobility, Protection, War
Favored Weapon: Mace
Turn or Rebuke Undead: Turn
Once the right hand of Heironeous and the demi-god of retribution, St Cuthbert has seen his divine status elevated and has taken on the portfolio of Heironeous as well. When Heironeous was killed, Pelor elevated St Cuthbert and made him guardian of Heaven and patron saint of the templars.
St Cuthbert was a templar himself once, he was a mortal man that walked the Known World and a monk of Heironeous. It is even written in scripture that in life St Cuthbert, at the time known as Cuthbert of the Cudgel, went to Thunder Rift to assist the people of the valley when they were threatened by a great and terrible flood. He commanded a chapter house of templars and was a stalwart defender of law and justice in the Known World. So great, so heroic were his actions that he garnered the attention of Heironeous himself, and the god son transformed Cuthbert into the divine, and he became St Cuthbert.
St Cuthbert became the right hand of Heironeous and the patron saint of the knights templar. When Heironeous fell, St Chuthbert took up his mantel and became the Pelosian deity of valor and honor. In addition he took on the mantel of retribution -- Pelosian scripture tells that St Cuthbert seeks retribution for the death of his lord and master, Heironeous.
When Heironeous fell, St Cuthbert took up residence in his castle on the Fields of Glory in Venya of the Seven Heavens. It is now called the Basilica of St Cuthbert, a fortification that is manned by paladin that are hand-picked by St Cuthbert himself. In his true form he appears as a white haired and mustached man wearing plate armor and a templar's tunic. With him he always carries his mace from which he took his name as a man.
Dogma
The worship of St Cuthbert is an offshoot of the worship of Pelor and the Pelosian teachings. The words of St Cuthbert are wise, practical, and sensible. He also insists his followers use sound and fair judgement, especially from his templars. Often monks and templars of St Cuthbert are called upon to act as judges in Pelosian courts.
In accepting the duties of his fallen mentor, Heironeous, St Cuthbert also insists in courage in his followers, valor pleases him greatly.
Clergy and Temple
Clerics of St Cuthbert are called monks whether they are male or female. It should be noted that there are more paladins and templars in service to St Cuthbert than there are monks. In a civilized society the monks of St Cuthbert often hold positions of authority in law enforcement or they act as judges. In Melinir it is a monk of St Cuthbert, Valum of the Cudgel, that is mayor of the city, but also the head of the templars.
Monks rarely ascend to the ranks of bishop or pope. Rarely, but it has happened. In fact Mayor Valum has been offered the position of bishop of Thunder Rift on more than one occasion, but he has declined the honor numerous times.
Temples of St Cuthbert are the same churches that Pelosian's use to worship Pelor, since the two are considered of the same faith. However, in lieu of separate churches or temples, St Cuthbert has chapter houses. Chapter houses are satellite bases for the templar knights, allowing them to operate independently from the church and local politics. Chapter houses rarely operate within the boundaries of a city, often times being built just outside the city walls. They are small fortresses in their own rights, complete with a courtyard, stables, barracks, a dungeon, and towers that house the chambers for the chapter house commander, and the second one is set aside for either a friar or sister of Pelor to properly attend to their spiritual needs.
Hextor
Champion of Evil, Tyrant of Hell, Scourge of Battle
Intermediate Deity
Symbol: A bundle of six arrows pointed tips down
Home Plane: The Nine Hells
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Portfolio: Evil, tyranny, war, massacres, and conflict
Worshipers: The Pelosians who worship evil
Cleric Alignments: LE, NE, CE
Domains: Charm, Destruction, Evil, Law, Trickery, War
Favored Weapon: Flail
Turn or Rebuke Undead: Rebuke
Hextor is the second son of Pelor (though he and Heironeous are considered twin brothers, scripture states that Heironeous was born/created/elevated first). For this reason, Hextor always had a jealous streak running through him when it came to his brother. For years the jealousy built up in him and soon that jealousy turned to envy. And as more time passed, and Hextor perceived what he deemed to be favoritism for Heironeous by their father Pelor, that envy turned to hate. And then one fateful day, Hextor attacked his twin brother.
Sword and flail clashed, both of them used their full powers against one another, turned the elements against each other, struck out at each other with fire and lightning. Hundreds upon hundreds of angels and celestial beings fell in the wake of their battle. Their battle raged across the Seven Heavens and caused destruction that to this day has never been fully repaired.
When the dust settled around the two brothers, they found themselves in Lunia. Hextor was on his back with Heironeous standing over him, his sword at his brother's throat. The moment lasted an eternity, but as they stood there staring hard into each other's eyes, Heironeous could not deliver the final blow, he could not kill his own brother. So he ordered his brother banished and turned to walk away. That was Hextor lashed out and struck Heironeous, catching him off guard and sending him to the ground. Heironeous's sword fell from his grip and now it was Hextor's turn to stand over his brother in triumph, his flail held high.
Pelor knew that Heironeous would not destroy Hextor. He knew that no matter their conflict, the god of Valor would not slay his twin. He made no such gamble with Hextor though, he did not doubt that he would slay Heironeous once he had the upper hand. So it was now that Pelor stepped in and put an end to their destructive conflict. He ripped Heironeous's sword from Hextor's hand and then, though it broke his heart, cast him from Heaven and threw him down into the Pit. When Hextor's descent came to a halt, he found himself in Nessus, the deepest of the Nine Hells.
Hextor accepted his fate and built his throne upon the skulls of those who contested his claim as Hell's tyrant. He rules over his domain in Hell from a black fortress known as Scourgehold. Armies of devils bow their knee to his orders and he has a cadre of 6 Pit Fiends that serve has his generals. His time in the Nine Hells has changed him, both in body and mind. He has become more cruel and violent during his time in the Pit, and he no longer resembles the beautiful angel that he was when cast down. His facial characteristics resemble those more of a Pit Fiend than a Solar as they once did. The largest change has been to his size; his body is thick muscles and he has grown two extra sets of arms, giving him six total. He is often depicted wielding a different weapon in each hand, though his favorite has been, and will always be, his mighty flail, Executioner.
Dogma
Hextor teaches that the world is a dark and bloody place where the strong rule the weak because they are the only ones fit to rule. Power is it's own reward and you must endure hardship to prevail. Kindness and mercy can only get in the way of victory, which is the most important thing, though achieving it can have harsh consequences It is the duty of the faith to forge order out of chaos and law out of anarchy. Dissension will lead to destruction, thus you must obey tyranny in order to survive. The end does justify the means.
Clergy and Temples
Clerics of Hextor are known as priors, and they have a limited hierarchy between them. Worship of Hextor tends to be more cult-like rather being an organized religion like worship of Pelor or St Cuthbert. The only hierarchy they have among their kind is "the strongest rule."
Temples or churches of Hextor are few and far between and are often constructed in isolation, not because the priors are ashamed of their religion, nor because they conduct their work in the shadows. They build their churches in isolation to avoid persecution from those in power, and so they can conduct their business away from prying eyes. Typically a church to Hextor is built outside the walls of a city where they are also free to operate separate from their laws.
Heironeous
Heironeous is dead. After Pelor cast Hextor down into the Pit, Heironeous died in battle with a great evil. As with the details of his birth, the details of how he met his end are shrouded in mystery. All that is known is that he was locked in battle with a great force of evil, fighting in the defense of mankind. Many believe that he fell to the weapons of his twin brother, Hextor. Others think he died while battling a Pit Fiend or a Balor or some other great extra-planar evil like them.
In truth, Heironeous met his end at the hands of the only thing that can kill a god. Another god. The god remains unknown, but Heironeous's defeat was a tragedy that made the Heavens weep.
Heironeous was the god of courage and honor and valor, as well as being the patron of those who helped the less fortunate. Many -- if not all -- of the Pelosian paladins, as well as the Order of the Templars, followed the words and teachings of Heironeous. St Cuthbert took on those responsibilities when the god who ironically was known as The Invincible was brought down.
Religious Hierarchy of Thunder Rift
Though Thunder Rift is not a heavily populated area, there are enough settlements around the valley to necessitate a hierarchy among the clergy. Although the worship of St Cuthbert is the predominant religion of the Rift, there is still a Pelosian bishop that presides over them. With a church in Melinir, Kleine, and Torlynn, the bishop oversees the operations of all three of them, as well as any other operations within the Rift, such as if a mission should spring up in locations such as the Silvercrest lands or Hearth-Home.
Mayor Valum has been offered the position of bishop many times, but he has turned it down each time. Instead he remains a monk of St Cuthbert and mayor of Melinir. The bishop of Thunder Rift is a friar of Pelor named Bishop Cadmiss
Hextor and the Death of Heironeous
Despite their history of conflict with one another, and the belief that Hextor once almost killed his twin brother, the Tyrant of Hell did not take the death of Heironeous well. Despite their blood feud, when an unknown evil brought Heironeous down, Hextor saw the murder as an assault on his own family and has sworn that he will find the killer of his brother and gain revenge for him and his kin.
No one realizes that after Heironeous was brought down, Hextor returned to the Seven Heavens before his brother's body was cast out. Undercover of night he slipped into Heironeous's tomb vessel and stole his sword, Justicebringer. Hextor wields is now, along with Executioner, and means to use it on his brother's murderer.
