Introduction
Oft forgotten and overshadowed by its geographic neighbors, the Karst Archipelago is a crossroads and melting pot of beliefs, one whose subtle influence feeds back into the cultures of the great nations that surround it. A remote and diverse chain of islands, the Archipelago has always attracted those with disparate and dissadent beliefs, providing them shelter and room to grow. As such, it is important that we study the Religions, beiefs, superstions, and cults of Karst, so that we may better understand the threats, challenges, and opportunities they may pose.
To this end, the University of Gresterecht, by appointment of the Union's Society for Research, chartered their two most renowned scholars, Hammerton and myself, to conduct a formal Inquiry into the Beliefs and Superstions of the Karst Archipelago.
-- Beaumont van Hetzel
Lead Reseacher, Professorius Importantus, University of Grestercht
History of Religion in the Archipelago
The modern recorded history of the Karst Archipelago only stretches back a few hundred years, to the establishment of outposts in the Archipelago as trade between the nations of the Mirror Sea grew. Included in this recorded history are bits and fragments of the oral tradtions of the early Lagartos and Veldling inhabitants of the Archipelago, who's cultures were incorporated into those of the modern arrivals. From here we draw many of our sources.
Looking further back, there is ample evidence among the oldest records of the First Serpos Empire and from a number of recent archeolgical studies that the Archipelago was inhabited by at least one ancient culture. Though records and artifacts from these times are incredibly rare and so we can only describe the practices of these cultures in the broadest of brushstrokes, it is clear from evidence that powerful magics were once practiced in the Archipelago eons ago. This has been further confirmed by multiple inteviews with local priests, spiritists, and sorcerers who report experiencing the reverberations these rituals have cast upon the region.
Ancient history
A rough picture can be painted of the practices of those who inhabited the Archipelago before recorded times. Evidence points to there being not just one, but as many as four civilizations that have occupied the Archipelago in thee historic eras. Each of these civilizations had one thing in common, the use of powerful magics to control the world around them.
While magic of this nature is known to us in the modern era as the Art and Science of Thaumaturgy, the artifacts recovered from excavations and the writings of the First Serpos Empire point to a Spirit or Diety-based source for the powers harnessed by these forgotten civilizations. Futhermore, these magics appear to have been far more powerful than any sorcery known today, or even in the First Serpos Empire, if tales are to be believed.
Legends speak of civilizations with the power to control the weather and shape the very earth around them with the ease that a farmer tends to their field. The records of the Serpos describe an oceanic power with the ability to crush coastal cities beneath the waves or rain salt water upon fields many leagues inland. Even today certain "natural" phenomenon in the Archipelago can only be explained as being magical in origin. And finally, those with the gift of spirit speech often report strange interactions with ancient and powerful beings during their journies in the Archipelago.
Early lagartos settlers
The first difinitive settlers of Karst in the modern era were small groups of Lagartos who migrated from the Southern Swamps shortly after the rise of the Floating Cities. Though the Lagartos are not typically known as being the most religious of folk, these offshoot groups included those who were driven out due to their dissident beliefs. From these early settlers came many of the practices still followed in the Archipelago.
The early Lagratos settlers were primarily concerned with staying in the good graces of the Spirits Below. It is said in the oral traditions of these people that the first Practioners of Spiritism to reach Karst quickly discovered that the Archipelago was home to many ancient and foreign spirits. Some tried to banish these native spirits and were driven mad as a result. Those Practitioners who embraced and incorporated the native spirits into their rituals and tributes alongside their own spirits thrived and were rewarded.
Today most spiritists are from the mainlands and what remains of the old practices are mostly just the trappings and not the substance. Still, the old spiritism can occasionally be found in the heart of some of the native lagartos communities, where, most unfortunately, it often takes on a more sinister, and rebellious, shade.
Veldling diaspora influences
While some of the Lagartos settlers may have been distancing themselves from what they felt was an oppressive societly in the Floating Cities, the second wave of settlers were quite literally fleeing for their lives and the beliefs they brought with them refect this. When the First Serpos Empire drove the Veldlings out of the Western Sands, a nation's worth of refugees were forced to take to the seas. Most fled to the Western Woods but those who longed for more solitude or who could not endure the full voyage found the Archipelago to be a suitable destination.
Many of these Veldling refugees found solace and hope in the Will of the Gods Above. There is a strong belief among these folks and their descendents that anything in life must be earned and that favor will look upon those who follow the Will of the Gods. As the founders of much of the Archipelago's merchant houses, this confidence in the value of hard work is still seen today among many of the Archipelago's most practical and least superstitious merchant captains, Veldling or otherwise.
Modern Additions
As trade across the Mirror Sea has grown, so has the population and diversity of Karst. The nations of the Mirror Sea established a number of outposts in the Archipelago in the early days of renewed trade, many of which have grown into respectable settlements in the ensuing centuries.
While each of these settlements varies widely, an overall pattern can be described. Typically, a settlement consists of three (or more) groups, the natives, the members of the nation that established the settlement, and members of other nations who came to conduct trade or avoid the law. Hence, one may find shrines and temples to dietes from every corner of the Mirror Sea within almost every settlement of note in the Archipelago.
The second half of the work examines one such settlement in detail.
Gods and Spirits in Graña
A mid-sized outpost of the Southern nation-state of Thark, the port of Graña represents a typical Karstian settlement, complete with a mix of foreign beliefs and local superstitions. Due to its relative safety and ease of access, Graña was chosen as one of the primary research locations for our Inquiry. Interviews were conducted with local religious figures and commoners and many documents within Graña' library were consulted and referenced.
No less than a half-dozen temples can be found within Graña and its surrounding countryside. All but one of these temples has been raised to gods that are worshipped in the Floating Cities and the Union. Among the dieties worshiped in these temples are Bovrik, god of voice and rocks, Woggles, the goddess of transformation and toadstools, Ishosh the wind, Soondaga, the goddess of craftsfolk and sunlight, and Silence, the Wandering Soul.
Editors' Note: The sixth temple, located a half day's journey outside of Graña, was built in honor of a forgotten Serpos god and is inhabited by a decidely unfriendly and solitary group of "true believers".
Beyond these major temples, a number of other dieties are worshipped here, both formally and informally. As with any city of a certain size, Graña has a thriving underworld and within it, the inevitable cults of Eku. Fortunately, these cults and the theives they employ are kept to the corners of society by the tireless work of local authorities.
In the countryside and poorer parts of the city, Spirits are frequently worshipped with small cults and similar organizations often forming around charismatic individuals or community interests. Research into the nature of these groups proved to be far more challenging than anticipated, and only little can be said of them as a result. It is spoken among the natives that powerful spirits from ancient times still reside below the surface of the land. In some corners, it is murmured that it is these spirits acting through the seemingly endless parade of so-called holy men and women who are the source of and power behind the city's cults.
About the Authors
Beaumont van Hetzel is a Lead Reseacher and Professorius Importantus at the University of Grestercht. Of Noble birth, he is the Third Count of Traalf and member of one of the Union's most illustrious Grevling Families, the van Hetzels.
Hammerton is a Religious and Historical Scholar at the University of Grestercht and an expert in his field. An orphan child found in the Grand Library, he was raised as a ward of the University. Upon coming of age, he traveled to the Western Sands and spent a decade studying the culture and religions of his people, the Serpos, before returning to profess at the University.