The church of Naimer has declared that the wisdom god Var is not to be trusted. Wisdom leads to curiosity and curiosity leads to doubt which the law god Naimer cannot abide. The Harbingers of the Crow know the greater truth. They know that Naimer seeks worship through fear, fear Var’s wisdom would dispel. To free Erans from Naimer’s grip, the Harbingers of the Crow operate in secret, running scrolls and smuggling books. By their very thoughts they break the bishop’s laws.
Five Faiths for RPGs
Beliefs and religions to encounter or follow.
The Harbingers of the Crow value wisdom and knowledge above all else. It was Var in the form of a crow who first taught the nomads about fire and tools. Without wisdom there would be no civilization. Mediation and mental martial arts form their daily worship routine to train and sharpen the mind.
A single crow’s feather is all the altar a Harbinger needs. It is laid on the ground as the believer chants the precepts of Var and mutters their self validations. Such a simple portable temple means that Harbingers of the Crow can say mobile and pray wherever they need to, be it a cellar, a rooftop or an alleyway. Possession of a crow’s feather is an imprisonable offence under the Bishop’s Law and the birds themselves are attacked on sight by the cathedral guard.
Inquiring young minds make the best recruits. The Harbingers of the Crow must be careful who in Erans they let know their secrets, for the bishops have many spies. A potential recruit must be judged wise enough before they will be approached. Initiation is a complex series of intellectual and philosophical puzzles designed to test the morale character of the intiatate and to train them in the ways of the crow.
Plot hooks
- Smuggle crow feathers into Erans
- Set up a new school to teach forbidden knowledge.
Image Credit – Crow by Brad Smith – CC-BY-NC-2.0