Other Gods, Other Celebrations

Whilst there is no doubt that Merida is the Patron Goddess of Sharoban, other gods are worshipped here, to lesser or greater extents. Of the Luminal Pantheon, only one, Dywz, goes unmarked because his domain, the sea, sits several hundred leagues from the city in just about every direction. Veneration of the other gods often breaks down into small, focused groups that dedicate their worship to the deity through work, knowledge or celebration. Some receive small, but constant worship; for example Naia, the Goddess of Health and Clarity, has no major festivals within the city but her priests receive almost daily visits from the elderly, the ill, the lame and the guardians of people afflicted with madness. They maintain a small asylum on the main trade route, a few leagues west of the city, and it is here that their main temple stands, welcoming pilgrims.

Perhaps the most contentious part of Naia's worship is the way it is often conflated with the small rituals dedicated to the water spirit Liandra, who is said to have been instrumental in the city's creation. The spring Liandra guards bubbles up near Naia's temple and the cult is keen to attribute any healing from the waters to the Goddess rather than the undine. Within the city, Liandra has two days of worship; one at high summer and the other in the depths of winter. Both are water related and quite open. In high summer, people pray that there will be no drought, whilst in the winter they pray for the snow to melt and spring to come.

By contrast to both Goddess and undine, Korvin, the Artisan God, has a shrine in every craft hall and shop. The guilds take their worship of him very seriously and, in addition to a monthly offering, the most promising students are given the task of making 'tithe pieces' which will be offered up at a grand ceremony in the guild halls across the city at New Year. This is a great honour and a mark of both trust and respect in both the students' character and skill, which softens the blow of the ritual destruction the pieces undergo as part of the offering. Whilst the city may turn out for the festivities, the rites and practices surrounding the god's worship are kept secret and are often bound up in guild traditions. These are kept secret and safe from prying eyes, often even between rival artisans.

Equally secretive is the cult of Adol. Sequestered in the House of Fools for the most part, but with shrines wherever knowledge is gathered and maintained, the Knowledge God's worshippers are dedicated to keeping their discoveries secret. Another Guardian God, Adol's life was so secretive that nobody knows what he did to be granted his dominion. The tenets of his worship involve stockpiling information and knowledge to use against the Shadow until the most opportune moment to strike. In practice, this seems to have created a situation where his black-robed priests spy out every piece of gossip, tittle-tattle and rumour and lock it away 'just in case.' Whether anything they hide is of any use, only time will tell, but their reputation is as meddlers and spies; not even the city's leaders like to be around them too long. Like Korvin, their rites are secretive and lore hidden. The fear is that this is for reasons quite unlike the Artisan God's and hides something far more sinister.

Mycra's worship takes place out in the open, often literally. The Lady of Light, Beacon Lighter, Spear of the Sun and other accolades; Mycra is the leader of the Luminal Pantheon, a position legend says she assumed in the days of the Eclipse War. Unlike Alchnor she is not a ruler, but a leader; she gives no orders but pushes others to do their best. Within Sharoban's walls her worship is very much related to fire, with beacons burning through the night to keep the Shadow at bay and her holy days being marked by large bonfires. The tradition of fire leaping came to Sharoban from somewhere in the east and has been incorporated into Mycra's customs. Her largest festival is The Triumph, when the days become noticeably longer after the winter solstice. A large part of this festival now comprises the Wind Strikers and others leaping the flames, whilst bellowing challenges to the Shadow.

Lastly, we turn our attention to the Unnamed God, the Jailer of the Shadow. He is not officially worshipped in any guise, but a small group from all walks of life meet in the midnight hours to maintain the Vigil, a small ceremony that involves specific prayers to drive away evil. Much like Mycra's worship, this is the main focus of his ceremonies and it seems a wonder that the larger cult has not absorbed the smaller. However whilst Mycra is focused on keeping the dark away, the Unnamed God is dedicated to stamping it out. Linked with the moon in many places, including, the Unnamed God's worship is always nocturnal. Each phase has a different meaning to his followers and they are at their most vigilant during the new moon, fearing the Shadow gods will take advantage of the near total darkness to escape and bring ruin on the world. In other places, there are stories of the sun disappearing for the entire winter; here the small cult's vigils last the entire season and it is both an honour and a curse to be invited to participate.

Next time we return to life in Sharoban in general, with a discussion of food, clothing and the traditions that fill the city's life.