I've been working on this for chaoticprime (cp); anyone have any take on the religions and major churches in the cities and towns in Salinmoor? I've already sent what I've worked up to him, but I'm curious to see what others have done. I won't post my work to cp unless he allows it; some of his players might be on CF. I took the Keoland and Sea Princes deities, along with suggestions from cp, and decided which deities are most common. Using the DMG, I figured that most cities would have one or two major churches, and two or three minor churches or shrines. The SB is active in the region, but in their usual subversive manner, and thus have instigated some "Dark Cults", especially using local legends. _________________ Greyhawk is dead; long live Greyahwk! It is not heresy; I will not recant!
I haven't adventured around Salinmoor, as a player or a DM. However, I do have some ideas might be of help.
1) One of the things i've always liked about Greyhawk was the dichotomy between the Old Faiths and New Faiths. I don't know what the religious makeup around Salinmoor is, but it strikes me that taking a look at the religious divide would make a difference. I know in the waning days of the Roman Empire, the 'New Religion, Christianity, took root in the cities and especially among the upper classes while the 'Old Ways' survived for quite a while in the countryside. Pagan comes from the latin word for countryside. Religious conflicts between the two traditions has been a feature i have used quite effectively in my campaigns.
2) Speaking of the 'Old Ways'. It was common in the ancient world for ethnic groups to be culturally territorial about their religious practices. The greeks were quite attached to the worship of their gods. So, knowing what ethnic group is dominate in the area i think would help to determine which pantheon would be popular. In more cosmopolitan areas this would be less true, as Isis was a popular deity in Rome despite being an Egyptian goddess.
3) In the early days of the Roman Republic everyday people worshipped small spirits called nomen. Some deities were worshipped that only had adherents for a few blocks, some were confined to just a single apartment building! Shrines were very common, most of them were administered by local laypeople rather than full-on clergy. I don't want to go too far down this road, because there are some big holes in each pantheon, i.e. there is no moon god/goddess in any of the human pantheons!. Also, every village in ancient egypt had their own deity; there were over 3,000 deities that were worshipped then and there are over 300,000 deities worshipped by Hindus. Crazy stuff, huh?
Anyways, I trust this helps. It sounds like you already have a good start! Also, if you have a copy of the deities books from 2E Forgotten Realms, you can always rename some of those and place them as you like, like I do! As you may have already guessed, Seylune (Luna) has gotten a bit of traction in my games.
Thanks for your input, Gray Mouser. I have already worked out what I think will be suitable for cp. If I were to develop more time and creativity to it, I would invent unique religions based on the mixing of cultures (seul, flan, oerid and olman), creating a sea religion based on Osprem, Xerbo and Procan as a familial trinity, a Seul-Flan-Oerid hybrid Old Faith, and the Cult of the Serpent - a secret SB sponsored cult of Syrul and Pyremius using the Serpent, Ranet, Semuanya (sp?) and such as "cover gods". But, I'm mostly interested in what other people have done here. _________________ Greyhawk is dead; long live Greyahwk! It is not heresy; I will not recant!
Well I've done some work with draconic gods for my Black Talon group. The story was meant to compliment the Red Hand adventure, so I made them both heavy dragon worshippers. Where the Red Hand worshipped mostly Tiamat, the Black hand worshipped Falzure, and their draconic patron as the Avatar of Falazure. Whether he was in fact an avatar of Falazure hasn't come up yet :)
Something should be done with the Sahuigan Devil God storywise. I always thought he should figure into any sea myths.
Also, the lizard folk's religion needs explored. They are a major component of the non-human personality in Salinmoor. The ones I have deemed as "good guys" are druidic in nature (which works perfectly for 4E - they worship a primal force of nature, not any god). The more evil ones I make either the same religion or having fallen into some evil god or devil/demon's worship. The Hopping Prophet is another no-brainer.
Two of my PCs are Flan, and worship Pelor. I had them being very rustic in upbringing (one ahd sorcerous talent and was trained in war magic, after his Lord Uncle recommended him for it). I also have an orphan who grew up in a temple of Kord. I have an earstwhile member of the Silent Ones, but that isn't germaine to the conversation :)
Also, one thing to remember - Keoland is very stingy with land grants for churches. The ones that exist serve some other civic function - Procan temples would open onto a sqaure were sea captains might conduct trade, a temple of Kord that acts as an orphanage, etc. They are never (or rarely) allowed titles, and hardly ever allowed to claim land (i.e. are rarely vassals). Its not an rule without exceptions, but it is the rule. Most towns have shrines because it's all they are allowed. So when you write up churches make sure to make them have a secondary function. Most individuals in Salinmoor are faithful to some degree, but the folk are generally too concerned with survival to worry about being Religious.
I only deal with Saltmarsh myself, so it doesn't matter as much to me beyond that, except in the most broad sense. I use a modified version of the Saltmarsh map in Dungeon master's Guide II for 3.5. I backed up the timeframe to 576, took out some stuff (mostly houses, but also anything haveing to do with the Lizardmen in a positive light), and then started running the Secret of Saltmarsh.
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