Grayson Islands

Beliefs

According to the prevailing theory in the field of magic and internal energy, all influence exerted by so-called gods and similar beings is reduced to the people themselves, whose beliefs are strong enough and whose faith is sincere enough that their hidden magical abilities, even insignificant ones, somehow and to some extent affect reality. Put simply, people create what they believe in. Recent experiments only confirm this theory. Using the art of manipulation, mage-scientists forced same subjects to believe that small birds lived in their noses; soon, these birds actually appeared. And they were capable of interacting with the real world. However, after a reverse process of persuasion, the birds disappeared, and the subject became extremely weakened and depressed. This field is little studied; it is too early to draw definitive conclusions about the mechanisms of this phenomenon, its strength, potential, and prevalence among the population. Experiments continue, however, some mages express bold hypotheses that the sincere faith of a large number of people is capable of giving rise to so-called gods or someone similar to them.

Also known as the Maker and the One. A religion that originated about a thousand years ago on the western continent, in the Kratian Empire. It is based on the teachings of seven sages. Followers of the Church of the Creator believe in a single, all-good and all-seeing god who fights against evil and injustice, punishing people for sinful acts and blessing them for good ones. They deny the need for violence and coercion, condemn excessive luxury and wealth, and welcome moderation and modesty. In the sacred scripture of the Church of the Creator: "Truths and Instructions of the Seven, sent by the One," strict moral and ethical norms are prescribed, regulating the life of a believer (the text also contains many instructions and prohibitions regarding the daily life of believers). Among the main prohibitions, the following can be highlighted: it is forbidden to worship other gods, lie, insult and humiliate other people, become excessively wealthy, engage in sexual relations before marriage, commit adultery, steal, and kill. Deviation from the commandments is strictly punished by the Inquisition—the body controlling the fulfillment of the covenants, persecuting free-thinkers and heretics, and distinguishing truly believing people from those merely covering themselves with faith. In turn, good deeds and kind acts are blessed, and sometimes even materially rewarded. However, quite often the Inquisition punishes and rewards selectively.
Believer's Bonus: +10 to Will; immunity to paralysis and critical hits | +5 to Strength; every second attack by the character deals double damage to followers of other religions; immunity to same-stealth attacks.

Maister Silachemius was a religious figure of the distant past. Disputes still rage among the theologians of the official church regarding his only written work. Some believe it contains abhorrent heretical views, others that it is an important part of religious culture with philosophical ideas essential for understanding life. The number of Silachemius's followers is unknown to anyone. Passive contemplation and waiting for the moment of return to the Creator—this is how the essence of the Maister's teaching can be briefly characterized. But despite this, it is known that adepts of the teaching are unpredictable in their actions and may at any moment perform an action completely illogical and incomprehensible to others. From mass murder to saving the residents of a settlement from an epidemic. This is why this sect is considered destructive and is banned throughout the Setranomicon Federation. Followers of this religion are extremely rare. They can be found high in the mountains or deep in caves. The Inquisition and believers in the Creator treat these hermits with particular hatred, as they believe they crudely distort the teaching of the One god. Sectarians do not recognize the influence of any actions on the subsequent afterlife, which in their opinion does not actually exist. At least not as presented by churchmen. There will be no punishments or rewards after death. A merger of the deceased's soul with the Creator will occur—a return to the One.
Believer's Bonus: while idle, the character takes no damage; health regeneration outside of combat; the following do not affect the character: poisons, various substances, mind-affecting drugs and drinks, health potions. The character cannot use, nor are they affected by: magic of the Desolators, spells from one school (of choice), and Healing magic.

*No more than one character.

An ancient religion widely spread in Madinia before the appearance of the Church of the Creator. It is from this religion that the country received its name. Followers of this religion believe that two opposite forces exist in the world—good and evil, eternally fighting each other. Personifications of these forces are two gods—Madi-Latu and Trad-Latu.
Madi-Latu is the creator of all living things, a merciful and good god of light, life, and knowledge, the creator of the laws by which the world develops, the patron of the righteous person and all forces of good fighting against evil, lies, and destruction. He supports all mortals in their strive to do good and live for the benefit of themselves and others. It is believed that he is especially favorable to those who chose the path of a fighter against evil. The path of the Madi warriors, of whom there were once enough to maintain order and justice in society. Madi warriors bravely fought invaders, protected ordinary people, caught and punished criminals, and returned those lost in darkness to the path of light.
Trad-Latu is the god of darkness, chaos, and destruction. The spirit of evil, lord of death and gloom. The complete opposite of Madi-Latu. According to ancient texts, everything created by Madi-Latu was initially perfect. But the evil envious destroyer Trad-Latu, unable to create, began to plant seeds of destruction in all created things. Since then, the world has been in a constant struggle between the forces of destruction and creation. There existed a cult of Madi-Latu, which long ago was an organization of assassins who considered themselves successors to the work of the dark god, his representatives in this world. They engaged in both contract killings and murders in the name of their patron.
Very few followers of Madiism remain. In its time, this religion was displaced by faith in the Creator, and shortly thereafter, spreading godlessness left no chance for revival. Small communities of Madians live in the south and southeast of Madinia. There are also rumors of a surviving cult of Trad-Latu somewhere in the north.
Believer's Bonus: +5 to Intelligence, 3 additional skill points, 1 talent point | +5 to Strength, healing spells cast on the character do not consume magical energy, followers of other religions take double damage | the character gains a chance (Will) to completely destroy the opponent's armor or weapon; probability of dealing critical damage is increased by one and a half times.

The deity worshipped by the Heliotrians. According to research by mages in the field of religious history, this cult appeared almost simultaneously with the appearance of Madiism. This provides grounds to believe that the Lord of Shadow is a modified image of Trad-Latu, who under the influence of the original polytheistic worldview of the dark elves transformed into the patron and sole god of the Heliotrians.
Some say the Lord of Shadow has no face, body, or any form at all. Others say he is many-faced but often appears as a wanderer dressed entirely in black. According to beliefs, he spends most of his time in the world of eternal shadow, from which all shadows existing in the real world originate. These shadows are part of the Lord, his countless children. They are all connected. This is why Heliotrians are able to move using shadow; the Lord gave them his consent for this in exchange for worship and veneration.
The cult of the Lord of Shadow is widespread in Heliotria and on all its islands where dark elves reside.
Believer's Bonus: +5 to Agility and Perception; free Assassin/Thief skill or free Art of Manipulation talent; the character's attacks cannot be parried.

One of the gods of the dark elf pantheon before the appearance of the Lord. The only surviving cult after the widespread establishment of faith in the Lord of Shadow. It survived thanks to some particularly cruel Heliotrian clans and vampires.
The Blood God is ruthless and insatiable. He is constantly hungry and always demands that his thirst for blood be quenched. Everyone is customarily sacrificed, from small animals to humans. Every follower must bring a sacrifice to the Blood God at least once every eleven days. The classic ritual consists of killing a creature with a specially designed knife. The victim must be conscious and understand that their death is inevitable, provided the victim is a sentient being. During the ritual, the believer fills some vessel with the victim's blood, drinks it, and asks the lord to sate himself through them by cutting themselves, letting blood flow until it stops on its own. When the bleeding stops, it is believed that the Blood God has been sated. After this, one should ask him for blessings or help if necessary. Under no circumstances should the blood be stopped manually. This is considered blasphemy and a terrible insult to the Blood God. The consequences of such an act can be truly own-horrific.
Killed enemies are also considered sacrifices to the Blood God, although performing the ritual is not mandatory.
Believer's Bonus: each kill in combat restores 30% of the character's health; sacrificing sentient beings, if successful, gives a permanent bonus to health; the character can drink the blood of their enemies or allies, thereby restoring their own health.

A religion that underwent many changes during different periods of the Halehid civilization's development. Initially, it was a belief that the surrounding world itself is a god existing eternally, and people are part of this god. Information about the events that led to a fundamental change in the paradigm of this religion has not survived. It is only known that at some point, the Halehids came to the idea that their god had died. They never decided whether he was still alive when they already existed or if he died before their appearance. The god died and his death gives life to the world. All temples dedicated to this deity were abandoned. For a dead god no longer needs worship and prayers. Tens of thousands of Halehids committed ritual suicide. Many did not want to live in a decaying corpse, others considered the death of the god a signal that their own lives must also end, some did not want to be parasites living off death.
After these tragic events, once-great culture that conquered all continents declined. Over time, Halehid priests managed to change their people's perception of the Dead God. He became for them a symbol that the death of some is the life of others. The Dead God sacrificed himself so that they could live. But the former greatness of the Halehid culture cannot be returned.
Believer's Bonus: Will effect is doubled; damage dealt by undead is halved; undead do not attack the character if they are idle.

White orcs believe in the existence of a soul and spirits, and in the animism of all nature. The soul is a particle of Mother Khsayemsku, who gave birth to this world and breathed life into it. Orcs believe in the patronage of the Mother, who protects them from diseases, hunger, failures, and other vicissitudes of life. It was the Mother who gave them thick and rough skin so they could live in the harsh conditions of the far north.
Khsayemsku is merciful and kind. She does not tolerate her creations being killed for no reason. Before killing any creature, one must ask permission from the Mother who gave life to this creature, and only then act. Of course, only if such a killing is necessary. Taking a life without the Mother's approval is unacceptable. After death, the soul of the creature returns back to the Mother.
Orcs often ask for help from souls that for some reason were unable to reunite with the mother after death and became spirits. It is believed that these are mostly evil spirits who violated the Mother's prohibitions during their life and were left to wander the world eternally as punishment. But there are also good spirits who did not wish for reunification and remained in order to help the living.
Believer's Bonus: free scouting skill; immunity to diseases and poisons; healing magic and health potions are twice as effective.

The main deity of the ancient Ryorvalian pantheon. Merciful god of fire and smithing. Revered by many Ryorvalians who still wear jewelry and amulets in the form of a flaming hammer—the symbol of Yoltir, even if they do not believe in the existence of gods.
Yoltir is the savior of people. It was thanks to him that people were able to survive in the cold northern lands. According to legends, Yoltir gave fire to mortals, stealing it from the fiery heart of Hjolrid. There he also forged for himself an eternally burning hammer. Hjolrid is a giant monster living at the edge of the world, whose icy breath reaches people from there. The monster sleeps and does not know that its cold breath harms other creatures. The arrival of the warm season means that Hjolrid inhales all the warm air of the south during this time, and the arrival of the cold means he exhales air that has passed through his icy lungs.
Yoltir is wise and cunning. His patronage is granted to those who are able to act deftly and cleverly, finding a way out of the most hopeless situations with a cool head.
Believer's Bonus: +5 to Intelligence; free first-level Inner Fire skill; fire magic spells deal three times less damage.

God of military valor, courage, and fortitude. Brother of Yoltir. Patron of all warriors protecting themselves and their lands. His cult is widespread among the warriors of Ryorvalia. The symbol of Rjortir is an axe or a sword.
Rjortir is the protector of the world. Once every thousand years, the monster Hjolrid wakes up from hunger. A thousand years of hibernation awakens an insatiable appetite in the monster. The monster's gluttony knows no bounds. It eats mountains, seas, forests, and rivers. And only brave Rjortir is capable of opposing it. He fights Hjolrid for a thousand years until he overcomes it. The defeated monster retreats, returns to the edge of the world, and falls back into hibernation for another thousand years.
Rjortir patrons bold and decisive people who are not used to hesitating but are used to acting.
Believer's Bonus: + 5 to Perception; in combat, the opponent's strength is equalized with the character's strength if it was higher, and the character's agility is doubled; cold magic spells deal half as much damage.

Cunning and calculating god of war. Cold, disciplined, and restrained. He demands the same from his worshippers. He patrons people who prefer to think everything through carefully before acting. Strategy and tactics are an important part of conducting combat operations; he devotes most of his attention to them. Those believing in Lokur's patronage always ask wisdom from their god when making difficult military decisions. For five thousand years, Lokur has remained in his halls, calculating all possible variants of events on the battlefield, recording in the Great Book of War how one should act in a certain situation to achieve victory. In this, he is helped by the wisest warriors who ever lived in the world. After long reflections lasting five thousand years, Lokur steps away to rest and lie with his wife. According to legends, shortly after the night of divine love, his wife gives birth to a child whom she sends into the mortal world in the form of an ordinary human. This person is destined to become a great warrior, conquer all lands in the world, and subdue all peoples.
Believer's Bonus: +10 to Intelligence, character always counterattacks; it is impossible to dodge the character's attacks.

Bloody goddess of war, rage, and discord. Wife of Lokur and his complete opposite. Wild, rebellious, cruel, and frantic. Most of all she loves to shed others' blood. She feeds on the energy of fear, pain, and suffering. Some old warriors claim they saw her fighting in particularly terrible battles. Warriors who once grew cowardly and fled the battlefield enter her halls after death. There they are subjected to torture by small demons, assistants of the bloody goddess. To rid oneself of suffering and leave Tekura's halls, one must fight her. But the goddess is so terrifying that none of the suffering dare engage her in battle.
Tekura patrons the most furious and fearless warriors who throw themselves into the heat of battle without hesitation. Her followers are merciless and cruel; they take no prisoners, killing all enemies to the last. The best among them enter their goddess's halls, where they indulge in eternal pleasures.
Believer's Bonus: the character's melee attacks cannot be parried; damage from ranged attacks is halved; the character is unable to flee the battlefield.

Sister of Lokur. According to the myths and legends of the Gisteos—his first wife. Being as skilled in military affairs as her husband, Grakura nevertheless was inferior to him in strength. Wishing to be equal to Lokur, she found a way to draw energy and life forces from him by learning magic from the god who patrons shamans and sorcerers. In Halehid texts, he is called Damour. His cult in the lands of the Gisteos disappeared long ago. Continuing to exhaust her husband (and not only him; the goddess did the same with mortal men, appearing in the guise of their wives and lovers), Grakura became stronger, which cannot be said of Lokur. With each new duel, he felt a strange weakness, his hands would not obey, his legs buckled, and fog clouded his eyes. This continued until small demons—servants of Tekura—tracked Grakura and learned all her secrets. When the information reached the god of war, he banished his sister from the divine halls into the mortal world, where she wanders to this day.
The Daughters of Grakura are the only clan in Gisteosia that worships this goddess. She is also worshipped by some particularly daring Gisteos women from large clans.
Believer's Bonus: when engaging in sexual relations with a male representative, the character permanently increases strength by 1 and health by (Will)% of their partner's life; +100% life.

*Female characters only.

One of the oldest deities of the Gisteos pantheon. Known since the times of primitive humans. Some religious scholars consider Hasheror the first deity whose cult appeared on the territory of Setranomicon. This deity is mainly worshipped by the Flesh Eaters clan, the very first Gisteos clan mentioned in Halehid written sources. The clan's territory and main cult structure (the Insatiable House) dedicated to Hasheror are located at the southeastern borders of the Halehids. Most Gisteos treat the Flesh Eaters with contempt, considering them savages and barbarians. In ancient texts, Hasheror is described as a bloodthirsty killer who eats his own kind. Followers of this god still adhere to all traditions preserved from ancient times. For example, such as eating defeated enemies, ritual eating of the second-born child in the family at one year of age, and eating one of their own body parts as punishment for a serious offense.
Believer's Bonus: the character gains the ability to track/detect an opponent by smell; predatory beasts do not attack the character if they are idle; eating the flesh of a killed opponent permanently increases one of the character's characteristics by 1 and restores health.

The cult of this god appeared in central Gisteosia long ago. Interestingly, the age of the oldest dragon remains found by archaeologists roughly coincides with the appearance of the White Dragon cult. The only Gisteos clan worshipping this deity bears its name and is the most powerful in Gisteosia. Clan members believe that it was the White Dragon who endowed their people with the strength they possess, and that to him alone they should be grateful for everything they have. According to legend, the White Dragon not only made the Gisteos strong and enduring but also created their alphabet, taught them how to process metal, and led them from caves into fertile lands, teaching them agriculture.
Believer's Bonus: +3 points to all characteristics; +1 talent point; damage dealt by followers of other religions is reduced by 50%.

*Only members of the White Dragon clan.

A destructive sect that originated in the Madian Empire about six hundred years ago. Members of this sect worship the Void. They believe in the necessity of total destruction of everything existing on the planet, including themselves. Many of them managed to rid themselves of their own bodies, leaving only a certain shell that interacts with the surrounding world. Setranomicon fought for a long time against fanatical members of this organization and almost completely destroyed them, but some managed to avoid the fate of their brothers in faith. The remaining Desolators went underground, but from time to time they remind others of themselves. Completely vanished settlements, traces of which remain only on maps and in the memories of people who have been there—the result of the Desolators' activities.
Believer's Bonus: spells of desolator magic do not consume mana. Spells from other schools cost twice as many skill points and consume twice as much mana. Mana regeneration outside of combat.

*No more than one character.

Order of Setranomicon (apostate)

A large military-political organization. Three hundred years ago it was created by a group of high-ranking mages with progressive views. Initially, the organization was a gathering of ordinary mercenaries, but over time it expanded significantly. With the growth of influence and opportunities, new ambitions appeared. The members of the council at that time grew too tired of constant and meaningless internecine wars, despite the fact that participation in various conflicts was their main activity. Even more unsatisfactory to them were the policy of the Madian Empire and the growing influence of the Church of the Creator. They managed to organize a coup, abolish the monarchy, and remove churchmen from power. Later, with the support of the Halehids, they overthrew or subdued the governments of all countries on the continent. Separate pockets of resistance flaring up here and there were successfully suppressed. Soon the order established control over all countries. Formally, they remained independent states, but in fact, they fully obey the supreme council of the order in matters of foreign policy and some internal issues. At present, all ruling dynasties and leaders of countries are, in one form or another, members of the order.
On the back of the left wrist of every member of the order is depicted the emblem of the order, which appears if necessary. For example, when a member of Setranomicon needs to prove their membership in the order to others or receive information from the order.
The motto of Setranomicon: "The Order beheld. Setr fulfilled." Sometimes this phrase is spoken in the ancient Halehid language: "Ordo hati. Setro hatrio."
Atheist's Bonus: +3 points to all characteristics; +2 talent points; immunity to spells affecting the mind.