Kara-Tur Religions

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Kara-Tur Religions

• Kara-Tur Regional Lore, Religion In:
  
  • Shou Lung
    
  • Tabot
    
  • The Plain of Horses
    
  • The Jungle Lands
    
  • The Island Kingdoms
    
  • Kozakura
    
  • Wa
  
  
• Kara-Tur Major Religions
  
  • Path of Enlightenment
    
  • The Way
    
  • The Nine Travelers
    
  • Eight Million Gods
  
  
  

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Religion in Shou Lung

The Celestial Empire

It is written that the Earth is the Mirror of Heaven in all things. It is therefore correct that if we Shou have an Emperor, court and officials, it must be this way in the Celestial Empire as well. And so it is. The Empire of Heaven includes both all of the Sky and all of the Land, organized under the government of the all powerful and wise Celestial One. Even the Emperors of the Earth below are merely his subjects, while all the myriad immortals, demigods, spirits, dragons and powers of the Earth serve as his officials.

Each Officer of the Empire of Heaven is responsible to the will of the Celestial One. They receive and carry out his orders, punish the wicked, reward the good, and file reports yearly of their activities. As Heaven is a mirror of Earth, these officials are usually loyal and trustworthy, but it is not unheard of for a corrupt, disobedient or incompetent official to turn up now and again. But with the all-seeing eye of the Celestial One upon them, even these rogues can be stripped of their power and position and sent packing off to the Underworld.

The Celestial Emperor

Ruling from his throne in the Center of All Heaven, the Celestial One charts the path of What Has Been and Will Be. There is only one Celestial Emperor, and he has ruled since the beginning of the Great Cycle. His appearance is that of a tall, aristocratic lord, dressed in shimmering robes of many colors, and wearing the high crown of the Emperors of Shou Lung. His eyes glow white with the Inner fires of Karma, and his visage is stern, yet compassionate. In his right hand, he holds a mighty rod of intricately worked silver, called Kun P'ing Shen p'an, the word for justice. In his left, he holds a golden chalice, filled with the Essence of Life, and known as Lien Min, or Compassion.

The Celestial Emperor is the architect of the Path, and it is his will that both Heaven and Earth mirror each other in achieving perfection. For this reason, he sent the Nine Immortals among men to teach by example. It is also why he caused red lightning to inscribe his will in the granite of the Hungtse, so that men would be reminded throughout time.

At the start of each New Year, the Celestial One calls his Great Court of Heaven before the Jade Throne, to hear the reports of each of his subjects. Whether great or low, each of his Million Officials tells of his deeds and duties of the year before. Misdeeds are also reported, for the all seeing eyes of the Celestial Emperor know even the hidden things. Upon each report, the Center of Heaven passes his judgement, rewarding the good and punishing the wicked as he deems fit. As it is written in the Book of Heaven: "If a land is ruled with justice, righteousness becomes the shield of the ruler. Appeal your case then to Heaven, for this is the font of all justice"

The Nine Immortals

At the beginning of the world, the Celestial Emperor decided to make the Will of Heaven clear to all by sending emissaries to the lands below, each to teach one aspect of the True Path. These emissaries were the first emperors of Shou Lung, and are known by legend as the Nine Immortals. While there are many, many lesser immortals throughout the lands of Shou Lung, these are the ones most often meant when the immortals are called upon. The Nine Immortals stand at the side of the Celestial One's throne, ready at all times to do his bidding. They have been there throughout the Great Cycle, and will still be there when the worlds end and pass into fire.

In the Celestial Bureaucracy, the Immortals are the agents of the Celestial Emperor's will. At his command, they administer and direct all other of the lesser immortals in their appointed tasks. Each of the Nine Immortals is responsible for one aspect of the Path, as reflected in his or her title. According to their responsibilities, they can be called upon to reward the just and punish the wicked. The Nine Immortals represent the nine cardinal virtues of the Path; Scholarship, Respect for Tradition, Honor, Compassion, Love, Fidelity, Karma, Artistry, and Courage. As immortals, they may take any form they wish, but are commonly seen in two aspects' that of men or women as given in each's description, and that of Nine Great Dragons which hold up the world and move all things by their thoughts. As the Celestial One sent these Nine Immortals into the lands of men, this is why the lands they went into are known as Shou Lung, or Receiver of the Dragon.

The Shou people constantly call upon the immortals, not really expecting them to appear but mostly for the good “luck” such calling brings to an endeavour But it is ill fortune indeed to call upon the immortals' aid when evil or mischief is planned, for that is when they will most certainly come to mete out their stern justice!

Here then, are the names and aspects of the Nine Immortal Ones.

Kwan Ying
(pronounced: koo-wann ying)
Compassionate Kwan Ying
Goddess of Compassion, Mercy and Joy

Chan Cheng
(pronounced: chan ching)
Mighty Lord of Heroes
God of war, the martial arts, combat and bravery

Ch'en Hsiang
(pronounced: chee-enn hoo-sang)
Inspiration of Poets, God of poetry, music and literature

Chih Shih
(pronounced: chee shee)
Lord of the Sages, God of History, Lore and Tradition

Nung Chiang
(pronounced: nung chee-ang)
Teacher of the Plow; Master of the Red Earth; God of
Agriculture and Fertility

Ai Ch'ing
(pronounced: eye chee-ing)
Mistress of Love and Fidelity, Goddess of Love and
Marriage

Fa Kuan
(pronounced: faah koo-wann)
One Who Walks in Righteousness; The Lawgiver; God
of Justice

Hsing Yong
(pronounced: hiss-ing yoong)
The Lucky One; Most Fortunate One; God of Fortune
and Prosperity

Shu Chia
(pronounced: shoo chi-ah)

Hands of Shu Chia; Hands of the Master; God of Artificers and the Arts

The Lesser Immortals

The servants and assistants of the Nine Immortals, the Lesser Immortals are descended from sages who have been particularly holy in their lives. As a reward, the Celestial One has granted them the boon of immortality and limited godlike powers. The Lesser Immortals each have specific tasks that they perform in Heaven and upon the Red Earth, and are directed in these by the appropriate Greater Immortals

Faiths of Shou Lung

In the lands of the realms, there are separate religions, each organized around the worship of a particular god. Elminster has spoken of such as Lathander and Azuth and the temples and clericies that surround them. Here in Shou Lung there are fewer gods, as such, and many more forces, spirits and entities. In addition, we are also ruled by a faith which has no god; that of custom. We honor things that have gone before even as much as we worship the gods, and this has done more to shape our faiths than any proclamation or creed

The man of Shou Lung worships not just one faith, but all faiths, as well as some things closer to superstition than religion. He is a supreme generalist; who recognizes that survival in the spiritual world depends on knowing what god controls what thing, and which spirit to appease when. He will rise in the morning to burn incense to Kwan Ying, the Shou-ling Immortal of Compassion, invoke the name of the great Chung-Tao sages when he is frightened or amazed, and pray to the nature spirits of air and water for a good catch when he is fishing in his boat. He is not entirely cavalier to his gods-he believes fervently in them, and well he should. But he has a tendency to be more familiar with them than seems respectful, calling to them with nicknames even! He is not above bribing his gods either, making them rich offerings of sandalwood incense, gold, silver, or tall red candles, if they will only “do this one thing” for him. Sing-song girls burn incense to Ai Ch’ing for good husbands, then “hedge their bets” with candles to Kwan Ying, so that the husbands will be handsome too.

And so it goes

The Shou prays to no one god, because he knows that in his infinite wisdom, the Celestial One has given every deity in Heaven a job to do, and you must, of course, talk to the right Immortal for the right task! And woe upon the one who directly calls upon the Celestial Emperor himself. Such impudence will surely be rewarded with lightning and thunder, for if the Master of Heaven wanted to talk to men, he would not have appointed his Celestial Court to deal with such trivial matters.

Where the Shou is more devoted are in things of the Earth, which is fitting, as Heaven has called upon him to attend to these things. It is important for him to show proper respect for his ancestors, living or dead, because this is written in the edicts of the Path. He calls upon the spirits of field and stream for good harvests and fortune, using all the proper rituals as proscribed by the monks and wu jen. On festival days, he burns paper money, paper clothing and offerings of food at his ancestor’s graves so that they might enjoy these in the spirit world.

Thus, the people of Shou do not actually worship any one god, but a pantheon of many. Each god has a certain sphere which is his territory, and a smart man knows which Immortal is which. He may even try to play several Immortals off of each other, appealing to Chih Shih, lord of sages, for the answer to an examination question, and then to Kwan Ying for mercy if Chih Shih does not hear him. The Shou think anyone who belives that all the work of Heaven can be done by one god is an idiot.

Religions

There are two religions in the land of Shou Lung; the Path of Enlightenment, and the Way. In addition, there is a “faith” of custom; a philosophy of the Nine Travelers, which, through the years, has become the guiding principle behind the mandarinate scholars

More lore on Shou Lung religion can be found in the Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms boxed set.

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Religion in Tabot

The true flowering of our culture is in the 15 gompas. The religious holidays and festivals rival Shou Lung's in size and spectacular artistry commended to the gods. Our parades seem to continue every day of the year, with pomp and glory, bringing joy to the dull lives of the peasants.

Tabot is known for its wisemen of the mountains, but many are charlatans, and only five are considered to be true oracles by the brotherhoods. Those five are: Smirnk of the Willows of Hokla Mountain; the Forgotten One, whose name is lost, living on Pojah Mountain; Morka Fooztang from Noko-Ji (the "blow high over Ji") Peak; Tzu Wan, the Entrusted, who sits above the Marnu Cliffs where the source of Nam Tso Lake issues; and old Ti Horr of Mount Wiz'tcu Tan. These five have foretold events and raised dead heroes in answer to just pleas. They are the hermits of Tabot, and there is a legend that when a true hermit dies, all the bells at Lii Monastery ring themselves nine times to aid his soul's passing into the Celestial Heavens. These wisemen have mighty visions and reveal the future of mankind, and some guard precious relics of arcane origin.

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Religion in The Plain of Horses

No single religion dominates the Plain of Horses. The more primitive tribes, such as the Igidujin, favor animism while the more sophisticated tribes, such as the Fankiang, favor the Path of Enlightenment. Regional variations of these and dozens of other tribal faiths abound.

The T'aghurs tribe, for instance, has a faith based on animism and ancestor worship. The main god of the T'aghurs is the sun. All of the tent openings of the T'aghurs face east to honor the sun. Their most significant holy day is the first day of summer. Once every year, all members of the tribe are required to make a pilgrimage to their ancestral home for a day of prayer.

Most nomads believe that every piece of land has its own god who watches over it. These gods are called the gajar-un ejin. Lush oases, mountain passes, and other sacred places are marked with obos. Especially sacred places have a number of smaller obos leading to the main obo. All temples are marked with obos, as are the principal government buildings in villages and cities.

Most temples are for the Path of Enlightenment. These commonly have small booths near the entrance. These booths contain prayer wheels which can be used for personal worship. The wheels are about six feet in diameter and are inscribed with scriptures around the circumference. Men and women often wait for hours to take their turn to spin the wheel and recite their prayers.

Inside a temple there may be as many as a hundred idols on the floor and several hundred scripture scrolls hanging on the walls. A temple typically contains a variety of religious items, including huge log drums, heavy bronze cymbals, and detailed mural paintings for contemplation.

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Religion in The Jungle Lands

Religion

There are three distinct religions found in the Malatra region. Each one is followed mainly by the people of a single civilization, but there is overlap in these beliefs and practices throughout the jungle territory.

The Path of Enlightenment

This philosophy, adopted from Shou Lung, is most popular with the Seng, who live in the northernmost area of the Malatra jungles and who have the most contact with outlanders who adhere to this philosophy.

The dominant school of the Path of Enlightenment among the Seng is Ku Nien. In addition to chanting meditations and ritual religious practices, this system provides guidelines for personal behavior, social formalities, and obligations of duty. The school of Ku Nien offers enlightenment to those who closely follow its strictures. Ku Nien is represented throughout the Seng region by an interrelated system of temples dedicated to that school.

The Elemental Tribes

The Purang hillmen recognize a wide number of nature spirits and deities, whom they have grouped into tribes based on each spirit’s relationship to the elements. River, rain, and monsoon deities are members of the water element tribe; those of plant, field and stone are of the earth element tribe, and so on. The specific deities honored varies considerably from place to place. Although there is no strict organization or affiliation between shrines, those in any one area are usually dedicated to a particular elemental tribe. The magical abilities gained by followers of these sects often feature spells in harmony with the element of the individual's favored deity.

Lords of Creation

The Lords of Creation are worshipped by the people and rulers of the theocratic Kuong Kingdom. Adopted from a southwestern culture beyond the bounds of Kara-Tur the lords are a close-knit family of powerful deities; each one responsible for a different aspect of earthly existence. Followers of this religion may worship a single Lord of Creation, or many at once, but shukenja, sohei, and monks of this order are always dedicated to a single deity.

Lavish temples dedicated to one or more, of the Lords of Creation are very common in the Kuong Kingdom. They serve almost exclusively as places of worship and celebration, while an elaborate system of monasteries serves as administrative centers and training grounds for clergy.

Worshipers of the Lords of Creation have little of the philosophical perspective offered by the Path of Enlightenment, nor the respect for nature spirits found in those who follow the Elemental Tribes. These believers are among the most arbitrary and authoritarian to be found in the Malatra jungles.

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Religion in The Island Kingdoms

Spirits abound in the island kingdoms, and the prospective visitor may be well advised to familiarize himself with native teachings and customs related to the topic. The Bavanese have five categories for spirits: memedis (frightening spirits), lelembuts (possessing spirits), tujuls (familiar spirits), demits (place spirits, associated with holy locales such as temple ruins), and danjangs (guardian spirits, similar to demits).

These categories are not so much types of spirits as descriptions of the context and content of supernatural encounters. Any particular spirit might be considered a memedi or a lelembut, for example, depending on the situation.

In practice the concepts are also used as colorful metaphors. For example, rather than say a man has suddenly become wealthy, one is able to say that he has acquired a tujul; this implies that he now has a spirit to steal money or rice for him. (Whether this is actually the case might require the services of a witch and is not usually regarded as being worth the effort; it's easier to explain the matter by assuming there's a tujul.) Perhaps this casual usage exaggerates the presence of spirits on the island (particularly among schoolchildren, who are known to excuse the absence of their daily work by protesting, "A memedi frightened me on the way and I dropped it!" or "A lelembut possessed my dog to eat it!").

Be quite assured, however, that spirits do exist. Most danjangs and demits are unique creatures, befitting their unique, particular locale. There is, of course, a great proliferation of the non-unique varieties of memedis.

Most encounters with memedis are not fatal; all the same, it is always best to treat any spirit with utmost caution.

To placate the many spirits that dwell on the islands, the natives have a special ceremonial feast, called a slametan. This important ritual feast is performed on every important occasion, even if one has no reason to fear spirits; it has evolved into the common denominator of religious tradition on the islands.

Religion in Bawa and the other island kingdoms is as muddled and varied as elsewhere in Kara-Tur. Besides native cults, almost every major. faith of Kara-Tur has been imported to some island, at least to make some impact even if it isn't generally accepted. Accompanying mainland religion are monks, shukenja and sohei, while native sects usually have-their own peculiar shamans and witch doctors. As foreign religions gain popularity, these figures have tended to become less involved in specifically religious rites and more in activities such as healing, making potions, and dealing with spirits.

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Religion in Kozakura

Korobokuru

According to legend, one of the animal spirits—probably Rear God or the Eagle Goddess—created the world and the islands of Kozakura. The korobokuru were undoubtedly the first settlers of the islands, which they say were given to them by Poinpeyuan, a great hero of their race, as a gift from the gods. They were allowed to keep the islands so long as they paid proper reverence to the gods and obeyed special taboos. Later stories tell how the korobokuru folk broke these taboos and humans then came to take the islands away.

The deities of any pantheon used in Kozakura should be considered to be the offspring of Heavenly Brother and Heavenly Sister. Fierce Wind Son and Fire Bright, mentioned in the mythology above, may be treated as wind and fire deities of the pantheon, or may be considered to live in retirement as does Heavenly Brother, no longer concerned with the affairs of the world.

Korobukuru deities are all animal spirits. Many of their heros have been elevated to the level of half-animalistic demigods.

Religion

There are two major religions in Kozakura: that of the Eight Million Gods, the most ancient belief system of Kozakurans, and the Way of Enlightenment, brought to Shinkoku by Shou Lung priests.

The number of worshipers dedicated to the practice of a single religion is rather small, and consists of priests, monks, shukenja, sohei, and devout worshipers of the sect. These people do not entertain or practice the beliefs of other schools or shrines. Most worshipers, however, practice the rituals of more than one school or shrine. This group includes the majority of the common people, and far outnumbers those devoted to a single religious pursuit.

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Religion in Wa

Although Wa has no official state religion, only the Path of Enlightenment is formally sanctioned. Other religions are tolerated at best, actively suppressed at worst. There are over 75,000 shrines and temples in Wa, the vast majority of them dedicated to the Path.

There are a number of sects who openly worship the Eight Million Gods. While not openly encouraged, it is accepted as a non-corrupting religion. The Nine Travelers, the oldest faith of Wa and practiced by many of the lower classes, is also tolerated, though the Nine Travelers precept that any man can rise to become emperor is considered offensive by the upper class.

Worship of Chauntea is strictly prohibited and punishable by death. Originally introduced by a strange race from the west, the Chauntea faith was officially eradicated after the Juzimura rebellion of 1755. However, it is suspected that Chauntea worshippers still practice the forbidden faith in isolated areas of the country.

Four spirits are believed to guard the land. Jikoku is the Guardian of the east. Zocho, the Watch of the Lands, guards the south. Komoku the Wide Gazing guards the west, and Bishamon the Wide Hearing guards the north. Of all, Bishamon is the most beloved. All appear as mighty warriors dressed in golden armor. They carry swords and spears and ride demonic steeds

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The Path of Enlightenment

The Path of Enlightenment is the officially recognized "state" religion, primarily due to a well organized temple militia and strong influence at court.

The teachings of the Path are said to have been revealed first in the Hungtse River provinces, blasted by red lightning into the sheer granite of the Cliffs of Tanghai. We know this is true, for the inscriptions stand there even today. They admonish us to: Honor that which has gone before you. For the past is eternal.

Honor and respect your Elders and the Ancestors.
Show honor in word, thought, action and deed.
Speak not false words, nor engage in false deeds, for these are not li (the term for rightness under heaven).
Do honor to he who rules you, for the Earth is the Mirror of Heaven, and the Son of Heaven is the mirror of the Celestial One. Be obedient to your lord.
Engage in no base thing, nor commit murder, for to strike another in the name of anger is not li.
Do honor to those you must rule, for under the eye of Heaven, they are your equals. Be fair to those you rule.
Know that all things are One under Heaven, even the lowliest of creatures.

The Path of Enlightenment is conveniently oriented to serve the wishes of the Imperial Family. It encourages fealty and obedience to one's lord, veneration of the past (including past emperors), and those who teach and guard the path. It's very nature deifies the person of the Emperor, elevating him to the very side of the Celestial One in importance, and conferring upon him a secret animal name upon his death.

As the Celestial One's mirror upon the Earth, the Emperor has the right to speak directly to the Immortals as an equal, as well as to call upon the spirits of the Ancestral Emperors, whether in his direct family line or not. He does this in the Heart of the Place Most Secret, a shrine located in the very center of the Forbidden City, and known only to him and his most trusted wu jen. He must also perform all the proper rites, such as plowing the first fields with a silver plow at the start of the New Year (to ensure good harvest), and traveling to the Mountains of the Immortals to make the yearly rituals and sacrifices.

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The Way

The followers of the Way are known as Chung Tao, or Guides of the Way. The Way is much more of a philosophy than a religion, because its adherents believe that the true nature of the Way is unknowable. It's shrines are more like hermitages, and its very few temples organized as monasteries or schools, teaching a wide variety of subjects. The Way states that all things in the Celestial Universe affect and are affected by all others. There is no Good, Evil, Law or Chaos--only the forces of the Universe, which may be manipulated as desired. The proper student of the Way thus recognizes this and strives to know the proper way in which to use these forces.

A Chung Tao priest is actually something more of a wizard than a monk or scholar, and both dang-ki (shukenja) and wu jen may be followers of the Way. Powerful positions within the faith are occupied by mages or sorcerers more often than priests, and indeed, many of the great wu jen of history have been Chung Tao priests as well.

The use of power is often the subject of debate, and so it is among the Chung Tao priests. In the earliest days of the Empire, this caused a great rift in the unified faith, with two main temple emerging from the chaos. One group, known as the Black Chung Tao, believe that the superior man has a duty to shape the universe to his ends; directing the unenlightened of the Earth to a higher goal. The second group, known as the White Chung Tao, believe that there are no superior men, only enlightened, ones, and that the proper observance of the Way is in maintaining the natural balance of events. The two sects are distinguished by an identifying mark worn on the chest or sewn on the garments. This symbol, representing the concept of Yin and Yang, is a circle with one half black and one half white. Within the center of each area is a small dot of the opposing color, symbolizing that each half is partially composed of the other. Among Black Chung Tao, the black side is uppermost-among Whites, the white side is uppermost. In secret, these two forces have been battling for control of the Empire (and thus the material world) for the last 2,000 years. In some dynasties, the Black Chung are deposed from the favor of the court; in others, it is the White. Both use powerful sorceries and servants to win ascendancy. It is not unknown for the Black Chung Tao to employ assassination, illusion and Money and Commerce Taxation even demons to overthrow dynasties which have thwarted them.

In this, they are opposed by the White Chung Tao, who use their powers to subtly influence events and support the balance. At present, the White Chung Tao are ascendant and enjoy the favor of the Imperial Family, but it is rumored that the Black Chung Tao are already plotting a major challenge.

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Path of the Nine Travelers

The Nine Travelers is probably the oldest faith in Shou Lung; popular among the lower classes. Yet, for all of this, it is probably the weakest, having almost no temples or organized priesthood. It's power comes from the fact that it is extremely popular among the mandarinate, for its basic tenet is that even the lowliest commoner can become a ruler of men. As the mandarinate became the ruling party of the bureaucracy, this faith was promoted to establish their position of rulership, so that by the mid Kao Dynasty, a great deal of work had been written on the subject. This was opposed somewhat by the nobility, who recognized a political threat when they observed one.

The Nine Travelers faith considers the Nine to be immensely powerful beings of the Celestial Bureaucracy, and in this, they may have approached closer to the truth than any other religion. They consider Heaven to be a vast mirror of the Empire below, with a Celestial Government, Bureaucracy, and Emperor (all of which is true, actually). They err in arguing which of the Nine is the leader, but in all other things, they are quite correct.

One way in which the mandarinate has reinforced its claims upon the bureaucracy is by legitimizing the Book of Heaven. This four-volume work is heavily based upon the concepts of the Path, but refers to these within the context of the Nine Travelers' reigns. The mandarinate has made knowledge of the Book of Heaven an important part of the civil service examination.

Often, miraculous events (such as the appearances of the Chu Jen Yin, or Giants in Gray) are attributed to actions of the Nine. Because the mandarinate has a vested interest in the promotion of this faith, they immediately call out a Board of Inquiry for each event, compiling vast scrolls of information and "not proven" and "possible" verdicts. It is somewhat ironic that this "faith of clerks" may well be the most accurate depiction of the Celestial Empire man has ever devised, yet suffers from disbelief simply because it is so mundane in aspect.

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Eight Million Gods

The Eight Million Gods is an ancient faith practiced in Wa and Kozakura in Kara-Tur. It was less an organized religion and more an assemblage of beliefs and practices associated with a variety of nature deities. There is no great teacher or book for the Eight Million Gods, nor uniform rituals of worship. Observances vary from deity to deity and shrine to shrine.

Shrines dedicated to the Eight Million Gods fall into two categorieses — first shrines and normal shrines. First shrines have been officially recognized and supported by the emperor and other nobles for centuries. They are often located in the old districts of cities and provincial capitals, and are larger and more powerful than other shrines. Many establish branches in other provinces to promote their particular beliefs and acquire a larger economic base of support.

Normal shrines are often built and supported by local peasantry. They may commemorate past events, ensure good harvests, ward off evil influences, or even appease powerful evil beings. Local nobility also support shrines, particularly in towns or villages near their homes.

Regardless of the type, most shrines are independent and unrelated to others. They are usually associated with a site of natural beauty or legendary significance, and may be found on the slopes of major mountains, along river banks, by the sea, or hidden away in forests. Many important shrines are dedicated to the sun goddess and the emperor, who is believed to be of divine ancestry.

Worship at these places often consists of ritual purification, offerings of food or donations of money, and prayers. At least once a year major shrines have more elaborate festivals, involving sacred dances, bonfires, and processions through the streets.