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World Religions There are many varied and unique religions in the Great Underground Empire. Some of these are ancient and obscure, while others are simply strange and confusing. The following is a description of the known systems of faith, followed by various rituals of unknown origin. Brogmoidism The followers of the tenets of Brogmoidism believe that "Thou shalt worship the Great Brogmoid to thine utmost, for upon his shoulder rests the world -- thus he saveth us from plunging into the Great Void." Having originated sometime in the fourth century, the belief had lost most of its adherents by the ninth century, when an adventurer was able to visit the underside of the world, and actually witnessed the existence of the Great Brogmoid. Apparently, a similar Brogmoid stands on this world, supposedly supporting a world above us. Unfortunately for Brogmoid faithful, the last known worship site, in Flatheadia, was destroyed in 883. Like many religions, Brogmoidism was exposed to much ridicule, particularly by Zorbius Blattus. For more details, please see the entry on Brogmoids. The Accardi Town Temple In the tenth century certain temples were used for prayer and certain other religious ceremonies. All that is known about these temples and the beliefs of the worshippers within is that those who intruded in a sacriligious violation of the ceremonies would be killed by priests bearing dangerous sacred ornaments. Demonism The followers of the evil Krill who assumed control of Lar- goneth castle held religious ceremonies in a huge primitive temple. Krill was known to use the altar in the temple as a site for human sacrifice to a hideous statue that represents some unknown demon. Implementors A loyal cult has built up surrounding the ancient legends telling of the creation of the world by these Implementors, who supposedly created this world and others like it as a test for others of their kind. The Implementors, known to reside on the Ethereal Plane of Atrii, do not discourage these rumors that the world was created by them as a plaything, but they do not seem to the overly creative types. On the contrary, these minor deities spend all of their ample free time on costly luncheons where gossip and sweet nectars flow freely. For more information, please see the entry on the Implementors. The Land of the Dead This very strict religious sect centered near the former location of Flatheadia possibly has its origins in a local reli- gion already in existence before Duncanthrax's invasion of the Eastlands. The major tenets of this faith have been written down in a large black book, a sort of Bible, and engraved in the walls of the underground caverns where worship took place. Followers of this religion seem to have been very restricted in what they were free to do. For instance, Commandment #12,592 strictly forbids merely speaking the words, "Hello Sailor." (Interestingly enough, that phrase is the motto of Antharia. Some historians believe that Eastland natives, fearing Duncanthrax's Antharian-based invasion, wrote that particular commandment to prevent the natives from contacting the invaders.) Punishment for this offense, and for trespassing in the temple, the place of worship, was to be sent to the Land of the Dead for eternity. Conveniently enough, the Land of the Dead, also known as Hades, was actually quite close to the temple itself, deep underground. A horrible desolation filled with mangled bodies, Hades was once guarded by evil spirits and wraithes. A daring adventurer was able to perform a powerful ceremony involving certain noises, lights, and prayers called upon an unearthly power to exorcise the spirits. Other tenets of this cult include the belief that praying would get rid of small insects, absent-mindedness and the picking up and dropping of small objects. For more information, please see the entry on Hades. Heaven, Saints, and Angels If we look at several seemingly unrelated sites around the world, it seems that the last few centuries of the Age of Magic might have seen the development of a monotheistic belief system. The first indication of the existence of this religion is a fresco found in the Fenshire summer castle of the Flatheads. This fresco depicts the death of Duncanthrax in an optimistic light: the first king of the Flathead Dynasty is shown rising to heaven accompanied by a host of angels. This theme is repeated in engravings that mark the tomb of the Twelve Flatheads. Another aspect of this specific religion is that particularly holy men were elevated to the status of Saint. Known examples are Saints Balhu, Foobus, Honko, Quakko, Bovus, and Wiskus, all patron saints of various aspects of daily life. (See individual entries) Some of these saints were greatly admired by the popu- lace. Saint Foobus for instance had a beautiful shrine in his honor built deep underground. Complete with a stone statue of the saint, this shrine was probably more than Foobus deserved. Shrines like this were not the only site of worship for the believers of this faith. At least two churches existed in the last century of the Age of Magic. However, the church in Fes- teron, Antharia, did not have as faithful a congregation as the church in Thriff. For example, when Thriff was threatened by Christmas Tree Monsters in 966 GUE, the church was filled day and night by believers engaged in silent prayer to their god. Services at this church were performed at an altar and led by Cardinal Toolbox. The nature of the rank Cardinal suggests that this religion was governed by an extensive hierarchy, with Car- dinal being at or close to the top of a pyramid of people dedi- cated to serving their god. It should be noted that the nature of this god is still not understood. The Oracle of Bargth Previous editions of this publication have described the Oracle of Bargth as a silly little legend. It is now known that deep underground, near the former site of Flatheadia, lies an enormous serpent's head, with a huge mouth hanging open in an expression of insatiable hungerh. The Oracle has four glowing eyes, and an enormous ruby in the center of its forehead. In earlier days this Oracle offered bits of wisdom to believers, and even today those who command the power of Bargth can be transported to either Fublio Valley, Antharia, the Frigid River Delta, or the Gray Mountains. The Inquisition The Inquisition was a crackpot religious sect that briefly flourished and died in 883 GUE. Centered in Port Foozle and several other sites around the world, the followers of this sect believed that the impending doom of the Curse of Megaboz was caused by widespread sinning, and the only way to appease the gods was to execute every person in the Empire. For obvious rea- sons, the Inquisition never enjoyed a widespread popularity. To this day it is not known how many people lost their lives to this horrible cult. Oddly enough, the vicious executioners in Foozle did allow the victims one final wish. If the wish could not be granted, the person was beheaded. If the wish could be granted, it was, and the person was subsequently hanged. Rodent/Serpent Worship The ruins of an age-old castle in the Eastlands are home to one of the strangest discoveries of our time. Deep inside this castle lies a ruined temple to a forgotten god. Black basalt pil- lars line the way to a tall basalt idol in the form of a huge rodent. This idol, about twenty feet tall, has sharp fangs and one staring opalescent eye. Chroniclers of magic have noted that this crudely carved idol was the hiding place for one of the Cubes of Foundation. This idol might have also been the object of animal sacri- fices fed to a temple snake. An interesting facet of this reli- gion is that the temple snake was too well fed. Its pride grew, and in declaring itself the greatest of snakes, it was forced to swallow its own tail in mimicry of the true master of serpents. Unrelated Fragments There are many random relics and assorted historical notes that hint at the existence of complete religions that remain unknown to us. What follows is a list of these fragments. 1) The 883 GUE edition of this Encyclopedia, in the entry on the Four Fantastic Flies of Famathria, mentions a flyswatter as a ceremonial object from circa 671 GUE. 2) Fublio Valley, home to dozens of enchanters, is the site of a cairn, or rock pile, of mysterious magical or religious significance. 3) Lord Nimbus is the unsympathetic God of Rain described in the platypus Legend of Wishbringer. 4) Idolism: The Miznia Jungle in the Westlands is the loca- tion of a stone idol, carved in the likeness of a giant croco- dile. This monstrous idol is approximately the size and shape of a subway train, not counting the limbs and tail. The maw hangs wide open, its lower jaw touching the ground to form an inclined walkway lined with rows of stone teeth. Attempting to traverse this walkway will cause the mouth to close, leaving the victim inside the idol, without an exit. There are two possible expla- nations for the existence of the idol. It could have been a sacrificial tool to an ancient god, or, according to an old legend, it could have been built by the evil Y'Syska as a trap to guard the Crocodile's Tear, which rested on the idol until 966 GUE. 5) Flatheadia: None of the Flatheads were particularly reli- gious, but that did not stop Dimwit from building the largest chapel in all of Quendor. Our researchers have not yet been able to discover exactly what the faithful at this chapel were sup- posed to be worshipping. ENGRAVINGS - The peoples of the world tend to be illustrative by nature, and seem to prefer the use of art rather than writing to express ideas. This art takes the form of statues, frescoes, and particularly engravings. These engravings can be found almost everywhere one chooses to look. The most famous example of wall carvings is located underground in the Eastlands. It is there that members of the cult of the Land of the Dead expressed the major tenets of the cult via cave engravings. Engravings were also used to tell tales, such as the carvings depicting the Dun- geon Master, found near his underground realm. The noted scholar I. Q. Roundhead wrote ten volumes discussing these and other cave engravings of the Great Underground Empire, and concluded only that the ancient inhabitants of those caverns were very strange people. |
