And so the Artoran religion took root in the foothills of the Dragonspine Mountains. It spread quickly among the multitude of tribes in the area, partly through the force of
personality shown by Abo, who carried the word from village to village, and partly through military conquest as converts swelled the size of the army of Codona. Soon all other gods in the region
had been forsaken as the Artoran Church was fully established, with its more recent adherents including the tribes that would eventually found the city of Chira.
At first the Pantheon included the Holy Trinity of Artorus, Camille and Elissa, along with Meriel and Sarasta, and with Keth and Xhenafa serving as the gods of the underworld. As the Chiran
city-state expanded its influence other gods were added, such as Mytha the war god of Anmir and Hytha the sea god, first worshipped after these landlocked peoples finally saw the coast for the
first time. Hytha was taken from many sources and can be portrayed as a great warrior male fighting Uttu, god of storms, or as female, a pacifier of the tempestuous oceans. His/her status as
Mytha’s sibling is also a later modification to the accepted canon. Lucan, god of magic, was also an amalgam of many gods, hence his many different aspects.
Finally in the year 224 (Chiran chronology), the Grand Lector Abo IX drew all the disparate theological strands of the Artoran religion together and formally codified them in the Book of Artorus
and the Grand Pantheon, which would be the standard book of prayer for the next seven centuries. Forty-seven different deities are named, each with his or her own section ranging from a mere two
pages (Otton, god of streams) to the 1,093 pages devoted to the teachings of Artorus himself (taking up fully half of the final book). The teachings of Camille, Elissa, Meriel and Lucan appear in
an abridged form, as they actually have their own books, separate from the Book of Artorus; indeed the Book of Meriel alone is over 2,000 pages long and is constantly updated with any new
developments in the art of healing. Mytha, though mentioned in the Book of Artorus, is worshipped separately; his teachings are kept secret by warrior priests whose identities are also shrouded in
mystery.
CHURCHES
Most villages have only one house of worship. These are nominally called a house of Artorus, though in reality all the gods are worshipped under the same roof. Rural churches
are staffed by one Artoran priest, possibly assisted by a sister of Meriel, there to heal the sick. The sisterly order ensures that each one of their number is based no further than ten miles from
the next. Every villager, however rustic, knows where his nearest sister of Meriel is.
As well as priests of Artorus there are two sisterly orders, those of Meriel and Camille. Camille, goddess of wisdom, is popular in Chira, but far less so in Tanaren, where Elissa has taken over
many of her roles. The Order of Camille in Tanaren City is therefore tiny. Strangely, there is no order representing Elissa, the duties of midwifery being dealt with by the sisters of Meriel.
Recruitment for this order is never a problem, for the church provides a refuge for women regularly beaten by their husbands, a refuge that becomes permanent if they join the sisterly order. Proof
of persecution (old injuries, bruises) are required before the order can accept them, though further investigation is often required as it has been found that some women deliberately injure
themselves in order to join, and live the spartan, but secure, life of a sister.
Other religious houses include houses of Hytha, present in all fishing villages, which serve as little more than places for families to leave offerings to seek protection for those at sea, and
houses of Xhenafa, where the dead are prepared for their funeral rites. In truly wild and remote places can sometimes be found houses of Jhuna, goddess of the wilderness. They are little more than
paddocks or groves enclosed by wicker fences. Who their priests are and what exactly goes inside them are secrets few city folk know about or wish to discover, though lurid supposition and fanciful
imaginings have kept many a wandering minstrel housed and fed for an evening.
MONASTERIES
Whereas churches sit at the heart of the community, monasteries are much more aloof affairs. They function as retreats, havens for quiet contemplation and study. Here the books
are produced from primitive printing presses; here are devotees of the faith educated, and here are theological arguments and theories advanced and the great church libraries maintained. In the
past these were the first ports of call for the Grand Duke if he required answers to one of life’s great imponderable questions. Nowadays, though, it is the universities to whom he usually
turns first. Walled and separate from the populace, these are communities in their own right; even the colleges of the mages are modelled loosely on such institutions.
Tanaren is ruled by a grand duke, ostensibly a king in any other parlance. The position is usually held by a member of the Mesteia family, though before the year 491 there was
a provision in law for one of the other ducal families to take the reins should there be no suitable Mesteia heir (the other dukes would elect an heir secretly). From 683 this provision was
removed, allowing the Mesteia family to rule in perpetuity no matter the age or infirmity of the heir.
Under the grand dukes are the dukes. Descended from Tanar’s generals, the position is hereditary and brings with it large armies and estates. The three ducal families are the Hartfields,
Edringtons and Marschalls. There was a fourth family, the Hartwigs, but the title was stripped from them following a treacherous uprising.
Under the dukes are the barons, originally appointed because the lands conquered were too vast to manage without help. These positions are not technically hereditary; dukes or prosecutor barons
can appoint or dismiss them at will. In practice, though, this hardly ever happens. Over the centuries many baronial families have grown to be almost as large and influential as ducal ones. Only
extreme treachery or incompetence can cause a baron’s removal at the present time.
When a baron is appointed, he adopts a name or title. Barons from newly elevated families will often take the name of the chief town or city they represent such as Eburg; those from established
families tend to keep their name such as Baron Fenchard Aarlen of Haslan Falls. Others will go so far as to rename their capital after the family name. There are numerous examples of this in the
east – Felmere, Vinoyen, etc.
To administer the smaller towns and villages under their control barons appoint magistrates who command the local guard, dispense justice and see to all those issues not deemed important enough
for the baron’s ears. These positions are not hereditary, though nepotism is frequently practised in this instance. It is common practice, if a magistrate dies, for his replacement to be
named before the approval of the baron is sought, so unlikely is it that he will object to the choice. In fact, these days it is often taken for granted that the next in line to the position would
be a suitable heir of the current incumbent, baronial interference being so rare. The situation of Sir Varen being offered and accepting the position on the death of his father is therefore a
common occurrence throughout the country.