Definitions

Belief: holding a proposition or premise to be true (The followers of Drand believe that overal order must be preserved even if individuals suffer for it.)

Faith: loyalty or allegiance to a cause or a person (those with faith in the Hemphan teachings believe as Hemopha does that living things are an abomination.)

Church: an association of people with a common belief system in a speciffic area (the church of Gohdas in Fort Praxter is a small congregation.)

Relgion: an institution to express belief in a divine power (e.g. the religion of Vilhan encompases all churches and worshipers of Vilhan.)

Worship/Praise: an impassioned exaltation, an expression of approval and commendation (Faelan worshipers praise the goddess for a good harvest of grapes.)

Temple: A building that serves as a center of worship for a church. May have one or more shrines within.

Shrine: A place of worship hallowed by association with some sacred thing or person. May or may not be within a temple.

Ranks in the Priesthood

• Archcanon - The head of the church of a deity, referred to as the mouth of that god upon Heroshi.
• Canon/High Priest - The head of the church within a region.
• Vicar - The head of a chuch within a particular settlement.
• Curate - Servants of a church who work below the Vicar.

Western Religion

The people of the west generally have a high regard for the gods. Even the smallest villiages has at least a humble shrine to the local patron deity. Larger settlements may have have many shrines and a number of temples. The head of an individual temple is a vicar, who is led by the region's canon (high priest). The archcanon is considered the elected "mouth" of the deity on Heroshi and imparts doctrine to the canons of the deity the world over. Curates are the lowest level of clergy that operate in the church.

Eastern Religion

The people of the east do not worship the gods. The only deity they revere is Venari, but do not practice religion centered on her (no temples). Easterners honor ancestors and spirits. The great spirits are the Azure Dragon of the East, Meng Zhang; the Vermilion Bird of the North is Ling Guang; White Tiger of the West, Jian Bing; and the Black Tortoise of the South, Zhi Ming.