Shadows in the Dark (Inactive)

Game Master Edeldhur

In ancient times the land of Traldar was home to a heroic civilisation of barbarian-like people. About two thousand years ago, a massive army of beast-men attacked the Traldar people. The war raged for years and spawned countless legends (chief among them the stories of Halav, Petra, and Zirchev, the later patron Immortals of Traladara); but eventually, the gnolls were driven out, leaving the glory of the Traldar heroes in ruins. The people, now calling themselves the Traladarans, then founded a nation of loosely allied, small communities in the deep woods.

About a century ago, the Thyatians, on one of their periodic conquest sweeps, moved an army into Traladara, conquering the coastal regions and some inland communities and declaring the nation to be a protectorate of the Empire.

Some thirty years ago, a Thyatian Duke named Stefan Karameikos traded his vast family fortune and homeland, the prosperous Duchy of Machetos, to Emperor Thincol I for clear, autonomous title to what was considered the uncivilised lands of Traladara. He moved in with his own army and followers, taking over where Thyatian governors had ruled, and began an aggressive program of road building, citadel construction, and other fortification.

The People

There are several distinct cultures present in Karameikos. The Traladarans, a pale, dark-haired people, have lived here for thousands of years. Energetic, romantic, artistic and superstitious; they are descendants of the Traldar. The Traladarans are ruled by a conquering class of Thyatians brought here about thirty years ago by Duke Stefan Karameikos.

There are also two elven clans here: the vigorous Callarii in the central parts and the Vyalia in the northern parts of the eastern forests. In the north is a community of dwarves and gnomes called Highforge.

There are many frictions between the Thyatians and Traladarans, but increasingly they are coming to think of themselves as a single nation. Despite the exploitative nature of many Thyatian nobles, who see the Traladarans as a work resource to be used for maximum profit, Stefan has enforced many laws to ensure Traladaran equality.

Government and Religion

Karameikos is officially a Grand Duchy for political reasons, but is effectively a monarchy. Stefan Karameikos, the ruler, chose to be only (Grand) Duke as a political signal to other nations that his nation has retained its ties to the Thyatian Empire, and that to invade Karameikos would therefore be to invade Thyatis. The nation also has several semi-autonomous baronies.

In the western part of Karameikos, on the Gulf of Halag facing the Five Shires, is one of several semi-autonomous baronies, the Black Eagle Barony. Duke Stefan’s black sheep cousin, Baron Ludwig von Hendriks, rules it. Von Hendriks’ minions have raided into Karameikos, Darokin, Ierendi, Minrothad and, especially, the Five Shires, wherever they could slaughter and rob for the greatest profit. Nominally protected by Duke Stefan’s inability to believe such horrid stories of one of his own relatives, Baron Ludwig acts with impunity in this part of the world.

The patron Immortals of the Traladarans are Zirchev, Petra and Halav, the heroic leaders of the Traldar war against the “beast-men”. The so-called Church of Traladara worships them. Thyatians for the most follow the Church of Karameikos, founded by Thyatian priests about thirty years ago.

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The Church of Traladara is a Lawful religion whose beliefs are based on the Song of Halav, a legend in verse handed down for generations by those who observed the heroic deeds of the triad Halav–Petra–Zirchev during the Traladaran golden age. The church’s main objective is to return Traladara to this age via the worship of the three Immortals and the morals within the Song of Halav. It tries to grant security to its followers and combat the malignant forces that plot the fall of the Traladarans and their protectors.

The malignant forces are especially associated with the Immortals that protect the humanoids that have threatened or invaded Traladara. The main two are Ranivorus (patron of the gnolls that caused the end of the golden age), and the Goat (Orcus) – a sinister being responsible for acts of brutality and violence and the protector of all the monsters that hide in the shadows (like undead and lycanthropes). Sects and nations that seek to weaken or destroy the Traladaran people and the faithful of Halav, Petra and Zirchev are treated with suspicion and hatred.

According to Traladaran doctrine, these are the definitive beliefs that must be respected by the faithful to attain salvation and divine favor:

1. The events described in the Song of Halav are true. King Halav, Queen Petra and Zirchev are now Immortals who guide the righteous and punish evil within the Traladaran lands.
2. Harming, cruelty, killing and lying are sins, committed out of weakness or because of the interference of evil or animal spirits.
3. Sins have a punishment appropriate to their seriousness, including both corporal and spiritual punishment. Only death redeems the most serious sins like murder or demon worship.
4. All those who plot either to destroy the Traladarans or to hinder or offend the faiths of Halav, Petra and Zirchev are evil.
5. All humanoids are evil, as testified in the Song of Halav, and their Immortals are responsible for all the evil and pain in the world. Therefore, humanoids and their protectors must be annihilated wherever they are found for peace and humanity’s good.
6. The use of ritual magic (like the reading of tea leaves, palms, cards or animal entrails, the use of charms or philtres) is an expression of human curiosity towards the world and is tolerated only when it is directed by the will of those who guard against evil or to improve the human condition. The Immortals sometimes reward the use of such methods with glimpses of the future or of the world’s nature, but only when the heart of either the practitioner or his patron isn’t stained by evil or immoral desires.
7. An individual’s role in the afterlife is determined by his wisdom, faith, and goodness upon his death.
8. Traladara’s golden age will only return if the belief in Halav, Petra, and Zirchev remains unfaltering and when all the believers respect the Church’s doctrine.

To sum up, the Church of Traladara’s philosophy is that the people should do no evil to others but live peacefully with their neighbors and the Immortals. If someone should transgress this, then the community must punish the guilty party in proportion to his sin. Therefore, the private relations between men and women or within the family are matters in which the Church does not get involved, unless the aforementioned sins occur.

The role of a Traladaran cleric is to counsel the young based on their own experiences and the morals within the Song of Halav, to use their wisdom to resolve disputes and protect the faithful from the hidden dangers of demons or of their more direct servants. Traladaran clerics therefore advise the young, officiate marriages and funerals, give moral judgments, preach the Church’s philosophy of peace and harmony, and when needed fight to save endangered life and defeat evil.

Petra is the Warden of Traladara, Patroness of Defenders, Patroness of Besieged Cities
Symbol: A round shield with a boss in its centre; some may consider it a potter's wheel viewed from above
Portfolio: Defence and safekeeping, patriotism, courage, resistance, virtue, fighting clerics, besieged settlements.

Halav is the Patron of Warfare, Patron of Weaponsmiths, Patron of Traladara, Patron of Kendach, Protector of Milenia, Bane of the Humanoids.
Symbol: A sword plunged into an anvil
Portfolio: Warfare, strategy, tactics, arms, weaponsmithing, strength, willpower, sacrifice, fighting humanoids

Zirchev is the Protector of the Sylvan Races, Patron of Hunting
Symbol: A hawk riding a wolf
Portfolio: Sylvan races, animals, survival, tolerance, magic, nature, outcasts, hunting

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The Church of Karameikos is a Lawful religion founded by Oliver Jowett, a former member of the Church of Thyatis. Leaving Thyatis to follow Duke Stefan Karameikos III, Jowett and his followers decided to form a new church that combined the doctrine of the Church of Thyatis with the needs of the Karameikian people.

In short, Jowett tried to unite the Thyatian immigrants and the Traladaran natives under one flag and one philosophy by creating a religion appropriate to the new nation (Karameikos, not Traladara or Thyatis) and give its followers a new cultural identity to its faithful: that of the modern Karameikian (a fusion of Thyatian and Traladaran). Therefore, the Church of Karameikos is similar to the Church of Thyatis, but with some distinguishing features.

Patriarch Jowett, in an attempt to acquire followers from amongst the locals while retaining the support of the Thyatian immigrants, took some traditions from the Church of Thyatis and began to build on them until he had formed a new religion based on the philosophy of the “pure soul”. The religion is not directly connected to the Thyatian Empire (still seen as oppressors by many of the Traladarans) but typical of the newly formed Grand Duchy of Karameikos. This philosophy holds that no sin is too great that it cannot be forgiven with an act of sacrifice and penance (even if many converts misinterpret this and think they can do anything and be forgiven).

The doctrines of the Church of Karameikos are as follows:

1. The acts of violence, murder, theft, adultery, lying, treason and cohabitation without being married in front of Immortals are all sins that stain the sinner’s soul.
2. The use of magic that does not have its basis in the rituals of the church is only ignorant superstition that leads the faithful astray, and it must therefore be avoided and condemned
3. The sins demand action and a ceremony of purification of varying severity depending on the sin, to purify the soul.
4. The unwillingness to wash oneself is a sin itself, punishable by removal from the church. Its ultimate result can result in eternally damning the sinner’s soul, which can no longer be purified.
5. Your role in the afterlife is governed by your accrued sins when you die.
6. It is the responsibility of the church’s members to spread the church’s philosophy to unbelievers and to carry its benefits to other peoples and nations.

The common believer fears his sins will divorce him from the church and his fellow worshippers. He fears that he will accumulate so many sins that he will be unable to be purified, and because of this, he always tries to confess his own sins to the clergy and respect the punishments and the acts of contrition that the sins earn. Therefore, the clerics have an enormous influence with the faithful, as they know all their sins and secrets. As a result, it can appear that some of the Church of Karameikos’s clergy demand large donations to purify the soul of wealthy or weaker people, or that they use the information revealed in the confessional either for their own advantage or to keep control of the country’s politics (which in effect happens regularly).

The Church of Karameikos is a religion based upon a rigid philosophical and moral doctrine (the pure soul). The Church offers its followers a pantheon of Right as an example for proper veneration – Thyatian Immortals who perfectly embody the Church’s theological virtues. This is used by Jowett as a contrast to the triad of the Church of Traladara (Vanya as an alternative to Halav, Patura as an alternative to Petra and Ilsundal as an alternative to Zirchev) and to attract the support of Karameikos’ demihuman population (hence the introduction of Kagyar and Ilsundal as generic patrons of crafts and nature). In this sense, Asterius embodies the ideals of Tolerance and Peace that prosperity provides; Kagyar those of Honesty, Talent and Work; Ilsundal symbolizes Wisdom and Purity; Vanya embodies Courage and Defence of the Valorous and Patura embodies Maternity, Fertility and Charity.

Tarastia is the Patroness of Justice and Revenge, Mistress of Truth and Order
Symbol: Black executioner’s axe
Portfolio: Law, Order, Truth, Justice, Just Vengeance

Chardastes is the Patron of Medicine and Healing
Symbol: A silver bell
Portfolio: Medicine, healing, health, purification, learning and knowledge

Asterius is the Patron of Trade and Money, Patron of Communication, Protector of Merchants and Thieves
Symbol: The moon (different cults can represent different phases of the moon) or a silver coin
Portfolio: Trade, profit, communication, travel, cleverness, merchants, thieves, healing (only in Robrenn)

Vanya is the Patroness of War and Conquerors, Patroness of the Heldannic Knights, Patroness of the Kubitts
Symbol: Two short swords crossed over a vertical spear or a black rampant lion on white field (the Heldannic Knights' standard)
Portfolio: War, conquest, victory, pride, honor, strength, feminine power, birth (only in Milenia)

Kagyar, The Artisan is the Patron of Dwarves, Patron of Craftsmen, Protector of Miners
Symbol: Hammer and chisel crossed
Portfolio: Dwarves, crafts, metallurgy, sculpture, knowledge, miners

Patura is the Patroness of Women and Motherhood, Patroness of Hearth and Family
Symbol: A blazing hearth
Portfolio: Women, family, faithfulness, children, motherhood

Ilsundal, The Wise is the Patron of Elves
Symbol: Silhouette of the Tree of Life
Portfolio: Protecting elves and nature, wisdom, scholarship, magic, traditions, serenity & peace

Therefore, the church doesn’t worship one Immortal above the others, and doesn’t impose the worship of any on its followers, but asks them to follow the virtuous model of the Just. Additionally, The Church of Karameikos does not vehemently condemn the other faiths (in order to prevent civil war within Karameikos). It prefers to direct its worshippers’ hatred towards sin and demons – particularly against the Grim Reaper (Thanatos). He is the father of all those vices that constantly tempt a faithful’s soul and which it is vital to resist to avoid damnation and the losing of his soul.

Currently about 25% of the Karameikian population follow the Church’s doctrine. The majority of these followers are Thyatians and nobles in positions of power – although a number of Traladarans have been converted over the last thirty years and have begun to spread the religion among their fellow compatriots.

ORDER OF THE GRIFFON
The Order of the Griffon is the military branch of the Church of Karameikos and clerics, fighters and paladins are able to be part of it. Belonging to this order is an act of great prestige for a Karameikan fighter; inasmuch as its members are always engaged in adventures in favor of the Church, the nation and the common people, and for this, each year many combatants seek to enter. Aspiring members are presented to Patriarch Jowett of Specularum; who assigns a supervisor of the Order to each of them. The supervisor assesses their combat ability, their knowledge of Karameikan doctrine and their character.

To become a member of the Order of the Griffon an individual must meet the following requirements:

1. Have a good combat ability (be at least 5th level).
2. Be a follower of the Church of Karameikos.
3. Make a solemn oath to fulfil the tasks of the Order and to respect his superiors.
4. The sex of the aspirant is not influential, but they do not admit humanoids or monstrous creatures, nor thieves or arcane spellcasters.

A member’s responsibilities are:

1. Donate 25% of his income to the Church of Karameikos as part of the Order of the Griffon.
2. Obey the dictates of the Church of Karameikos with regard to sins and purifications.
3. Accept missions and the duties assigned to you by the Patriarch of the church or by his superiors of the Order (these missions are often adventures or military missions in the interests of the Order, of the Church or of the nation).

A member of the Order has the following benefits:

Asylum: The possibility to ask for asylum in any consecrated temple of the Church of Karameikos or building of the Order of the Griffon.
Respect: A Knight of the Griffon should be treated by all Karameikians as if he were a noble knight (faithful to the crown of Karameikos), despite his real social rank, given the respect and admiration that the Order enjoys within the nation and he should thus be accommodated by nobles and take part in their adventures.
Brotherhood: A member of the Order enjoys the company and the friendship of his confederates, who will become his friends and do their utmost in order to help him in moments of need with spiritual, military or economic assistance.

The Order of the Griffon’s members are called Knights of the Griffon and always bear a symbol that declares their membership (a white rampant griffon on a black field). This can be anything from a simple cloak pin, to an elaborate medallion, to a worn tabard or to a picture on a shield or on the armor. A member can resign at any time, or be banished if he does not honor his own responsibilities.

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