Greetings,
Well, I must say that things have been very busy for me in the recent weeks; I have been in the process
of gathering my artefacts for a small exhibition that I intend to show to a select group of friends and
acquaintances. Drawing some of my most interesting and valuable pieces I certainly hope it will be a
success.
While I have been composing this little distraction it has been brought to my attention that some of you may desire to know a tad more of the religions of Fortitude. I am sure that you all have your own empire’s patron god as much as you have your own dragon marshal. It is, however, interesting to note the differences of worship that occur across the borders and boundaries of Fortitude. As I have travelled and met these different cultures I have seen the focus that people place on their respective gods, I will therefore present you a small section of a religious lexicon compiled by notable theological scholar Elin. Here she presents notes on the various guises of the earth god, Tolem.
‘Tolem (The Earth God, The King of Worms, Lord of Roots, The Sleeper, God of Death)
Tolem is one third of the pantheon of life gods (although as one of his names suggests he can be considered to be very far from ‘life’). He rules the inevitable destinies of all existence alongside The Mother (Goddess of Birth and Water) and Adlef (Goddess of Air and Life). Tolem is generally personified as a robust, elderly man forever reclining on a throne made of roots, moss, grasses and other earthly materials. He is said to be a kindly person willing to embrace any creature that comes into his domain (as indeed all creatures pass into at some time). He is a great listener and will converse for large periods of time with all of his subjects, reassuring them of all their doubts and woes that they accumulated in their lifetimes outside of his province. He embraces all from the realm of Adlef and returns all (in some doctrines of his worship) to the realm of The Mother.
Although Tolem shares many characteristics throughout the empires he is worshipped mainly within the Blackfly and Yellowback Empires who have marked their own particular versions of him.
In the Blackfly Empire he is a manifestation of the one god, a face of the eternal cycle of birth and rebirth who collects the souls of the dead so that they may be given new life through The Mother once more. As the Blackfly Empire cherishes Tolem (or at least his aspect within their trinity) he is neither above nor below his two siblings, simply one face of the same god.
To the Yellowback citizens he is a permanently transitional individual, shifting like the sands that blow across the deserts and oft-parched savannah of the empire. With many of his common characteristics present in this incarnation he is a being of empathy, kindness and understanding. He has a special friendship with Crag whom he has imparted extended life to so that he may protect the souls of those exposed to the trials of life. The humour of Yellowback citizens is representative of this, their fatalistic, accepting and tolerant natures always exposed in the presence of strangers and in times of crisis alike.
In the Empire of the Lady and the Greenwater and Redwing Empires he has less of an important role compared to their patron gods. Although he maintains a considerable presence (with many shrines dedicated to his worship) his importance is often resigned to the very thing he supervises, the protection of the newly dead.
Tolem is, however, not always seen as a benevolent figure, some believe him to be an evil god, envious of all life. Although groups of this persuasion tend to be of a minority some cults have composed considerable theological arguments to back up their beliefs. Here he is viewed as a parasite, a ghoul that saps the vitality from living, leaving only their bones as testament to their existence. He is envious of life and cruel, jealously guarding the bodies of those who die by natural means or other.’
To leave discussion of Tolem at that would be a great insult to the Earth God but as time flits so quickly I will bring you more information on him, his sisters and the other gods that populate our cosmology at a later date.
Until then,
Your Friend,
Gadsolme.