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The Councils of the Small and the Silly - the religious practices of Halfings and Gnomes
100 Geek Cred points if you get the reference.
I should start by saying that my halflings are a mixture of the Tolkien extended-metaphor-for-the-innocence-of-Britain and the rather odd turn D&D took in making the official halflings sort of pseudo-Romany nomads. In Europe, there is a large colony of halflings living where Switzerland is today. They farm for the dwarf clans of the mountains, and get protection in exchange. Being surrounded by natural barriers and fierce warriors sworn to defend them allow these halflings to enjoy the bucolic, Shire-like existence we associate with hairy-footed short people. Outside of this idyllic agrarian paradise, other halflings do travel about in groups of wagons and carts. I'm seeing these as more recent arrivals in Europe, pushed out of their homes by barbarian migrations or warfare. These halfling do fill the traditional roles of wandering circuses, complete with pickpockets. The two groups of halflings have a strong dislike for each other. The Shireland halflings see the wanderers as disreputable thieves, while the While the wanderers see the other side as fat, complacent gits with no clue about the real world.
But anyway, onto the religious beliefs. Like the other civilized races, halflings venerate the trinity of Law, Good, and Chaos. Shireland halflings use either human of dwarf names for the deities, depending on which tongue they are more at ease with. The Putovanje Ljudi (Traveling People) call these deities Vodsa, Záhradnic, and Matka. Worship in the Shirelands tends to be more focused on the god of life, especially in his aspect as the god of agriculture. Shire temples tend to be humble affairs, built by the community out of donated materials. There is no formal "halfling church." Those called by the gods train at human monasteries of the Holy Church, and there are a handful of orders established by the church for the halflings. Most halfling clerics are called to the Order of the Lady of Summer, an order that provides basic clerical services to their communities.
Services are held weekly, and are as much a social event as religious rite. It is expected that everyone attending bring food and drink for the inevitable after-sermon picnic, causing some human critics to complain that the halflings have raised gluttony to the level of a sacrament. The priesthood also is responsible for educating the young. In the prosperous and safe Shirelands, literacy is quite high. In many of the scattered communities of the Shirelands, clerics are also called on to serve as civic officials since, the reasoning goes, they don't have a farm to run and are theoretically honest. So it's not uncommon to find that the local halfling priest is also the mayor, works inspector, captain of the militia, and any other titles his congregation decides to burden him with.
It is rare to see an adventuring halfling cleric from the Shirelands.
The Putovanje Ljudi have a quite different faith. Their religion is a mystery cult, following a demi-goddess known as Margali od Beskrajnih Cesta (Margali of Endless Roads). Thought to be an aspect of Matka, the cult teaches that the Traveling People are cursed to forever move on, and that should they ever attempt to settle they will be destroyed. The cult teaches that at the end of time they will be the first to travel to the new creation, where they will finally rest.
As a mystery faith, Traveler clerics don't advertise their status. They don't discuss the faith with outsiders. One has to be formally adopted into a clan to even learn the basics of the faith. What is known is the clerics, along with providing the usual spiritual services, serve as a sort of cultural enforcement squad, making sure the Putovanje Ljudi stay true to their ways. Priests, known as Krčilac, or Pathfinders, will occasionally leave their clan caravan for obscure religious reasons or because they have been charged with a specific mission.
My gnomes are also a mash-up of different influences. I've always liked the "mad mechanics" aspect given to them in RPGs, so I've stuck with that. My gnomes are a bit like Moties crossed with the Adeptus Mechanicus from WH40K. They see the universe as a machine, and the God of Law as the perfect controlling machine.
One of the great mysteries about the gnomes is where they came from. Unlike the other races, who can trace their origins to the beginning of life, the gnomes just appeared in some dwarven mines a thousand years ago. It is suspected that a dwarf enchanter may have created the race to serve as assistants, but this can not be confirmed. But all dwarf communities know that leaving a deep burrow of gnomes unwatched is dangerous. Because they will start improving things. Then building new things. Lots of new things.
Almost nothing is known about their actual religion. One of the problems is the gnomish tongue is completely unintelligible to outsiders. It is extremely high-pitched and is described by many as a series of chirps and whistles. Another barrier is the fact that gnomes carve tunnels to their comfort level. Very few humans can fit through an opening designed for a being standing two feet tall. What is known is that the gnomes see the universe as a machine that has been knocked out of alignment by the existence of both Good and Evil. Shockingly to many, the gnomes seem to believe that only when both these deities are destroyed will paradise be achieved. Beyond that, nothing is known about the rituals or clerical orders of the gnomes. Even those gnomes who venture forth into world are extremely reluctant to discuss matters of faith.
Next up, I make my wizards into Medieval Jews! Whee!
Comments?
I should start by saying that my halflings are a mixture of the Tolkien extended-metaphor-for-the-innocence-of-Britain and the rather odd turn D&D took in making the official halflings sort of pseudo-Romany nomads. In Europe, there is a large colony of halflings living where Switzerland is today. They farm for the dwarf clans of the mountains, and get protection in exchange. Being surrounded by natural barriers and fierce warriors sworn to defend them allow these halflings to enjoy the bucolic, Shire-like existence we associate with hairy-footed short people. Outside of this idyllic agrarian paradise, other halflings do travel about in groups of wagons and carts. I'm seeing these as more recent arrivals in Europe, pushed out of their homes by barbarian migrations or warfare. These halfling do fill the traditional roles of wandering circuses, complete with pickpockets. The two groups of halflings have a strong dislike for each other. The Shireland halflings see the wanderers as disreputable thieves, while the While the wanderers see the other side as fat, complacent gits with no clue about the real world.
But anyway, onto the religious beliefs. Like the other civilized races, halflings venerate the trinity of Law, Good, and Chaos. Shireland halflings use either human of dwarf names for the deities, depending on which tongue they are more at ease with. The Putovanje Ljudi (Traveling People) call these deities Vodsa, Záhradnic, and Matka. Worship in the Shirelands tends to be more focused on the god of life, especially in his aspect as the god of agriculture. Shire temples tend to be humble affairs, built by the community out of donated materials. There is no formal "halfling church." Those called by the gods train at human monasteries of the Holy Church, and there are a handful of orders established by the church for the halflings. Most halfling clerics are called to the Order of the Lady of Summer, an order that provides basic clerical services to their communities.
Services are held weekly, and are as much a social event as religious rite. It is expected that everyone attending bring food and drink for the inevitable after-sermon picnic, causing some human critics to complain that the halflings have raised gluttony to the level of a sacrament. The priesthood also is responsible for educating the young. In the prosperous and safe Shirelands, literacy is quite high. In many of the scattered communities of the Shirelands, clerics are also called on to serve as civic officials since, the reasoning goes, they don't have a farm to run and are theoretically honest. So it's not uncommon to find that the local halfling priest is also the mayor, works inspector, captain of the militia, and any other titles his congregation decides to burden him with.
It is rare to see an adventuring halfling cleric from the Shirelands.
The Putovanje Ljudi have a quite different faith. Their religion is a mystery cult, following a demi-goddess known as Margali od Beskrajnih Cesta (Margali of Endless Roads). Thought to be an aspect of Matka, the cult teaches that the Traveling People are cursed to forever move on, and that should they ever attempt to settle they will be destroyed. The cult teaches that at the end of time they will be the first to travel to the new creation, where they will finally rest.
As a mystery faith, Traveler clerics don't advertise their status. They don't discuss the faith with outsiders. One has to be formally adopted into a clan to even learn the basics of the faith. What is known is the clerics, along with providing the usual spiritual services, serve as a sort of cultural enforcement squad, making sure the Putovanje Ljudi stay true to their ways. Priests, known as Krčilac, or Pathfinders, will occasionally leave their clan caravan for obscure religious reasons or because they have been charged with a specific mission.
My gnomes are also a mash-up of different influences. I've always liked the "mad mechanics" aspect given to them in RPGs, so I've stuck with that. My gnomes are a bit like Moties crossed with the Adeptus Mechanicus from WH40K. They see the universe as a machine, and the God of Law as the perfect controlling machine.
One of the great mysteries about the gnomes is where they came from. Unlike the other races, who can trace their origins to the beginning of life, the gnomes just appeared in some dwarven mines a thousand years ago. It is suspected that a dwarf enchanter may have created the race to serve as assistants, but this can not be confirmed. But all dwarf communities know that leaving a deep burrow of gnomes unwatched is dangerous. Because they will start improving things. Then building new things. Lots of new things.
Almost nothing is known about their actual religion. One of the problems is the gnomish tongue is completely unintelligible to outsiders. It is extremely high-pitched and is described by many as a series of chirps and whistles. Another barrier is the fact that gnomes carve tunnels to their comfort level. Very few humans can fit through an opening designed for a being standing two feet tall. What is known is that the gnomes see the universe as a machine that has been knocked out of alignment by the existence of both Good and Evil. Shockingly to many, the gnomes seem to believe that only when both these deities are destroyed will paradise be achieved. Beyond that, nothing is known about the rituals or clerical orders of the gnomes. Even those gnomes who venture forth into world are extremely reluctant to discuss matters of faith.
Next up, I make my wizards into Medieval Jews! Whee!
Comments?
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Some Protestant churches I've attended have a similar ceremony, called a "potluck".
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Hm... dwarf Swiss Guard? Swiss army polearms?