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Old 09-12-2016, 02:15 PM   #1
Anders
 
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Default Adding Divine Favor to Banestorm

As has been pointed out in another thread, Banestorm clerics don't really have access to "Holy Powers". Their power is more of a social nature.

So... what if actual Divine powers began manifesting among religious professionals? Let's say that after the year 2 000, people began having their prayers answered in more literal fashion.

Among Christians this could be explained as the world entering the Seventh Day (one day is a thousand years, and the world was created 4 000 BC.) So the six days of creation are now over, and we are entering the Lord's Day. I'm sure someone sufficiently versed in Islamic lore can cook up some similar goobledy**** to explain things. Of course, it doesn't have to be true.

What effects would this have on the churches and realms of Yrth?
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Old 09-12-2016, 02:34 PM   #2
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Default Re: Adding Divine Favor to Banestorm

Well, I'm not a member of the faith (any faith, not just abrahamic ones), nor a sociologist or anthropologist, but if I ran this, here's some of the things I would do
  • The established church hierarchies (specially where they're deeply entwined in the state) would condemn the new miracle-workers as heretics, and probably accuse them of making deals with the devil
  • Less organized religious groups (isolated communities, both secular and monastic) would probably treat the new miracle workers as either new saints, or look down at them in a way that mirrors the organized church
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Old 09-12-2016, 02:40 PM   #3
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Default Re: Adding Divine Favor to Banestorm

are the powers manifesting among the professionals or the laity? Who gets more: the village priests, the monasteries, or the high ranking bishops? if it manifests among the laity as well, does outward piety or inward sincerity make a difference? These all make BIG differences in the reaction of the church.
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Old 09-12-2016, 03:11 PM   #4
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Default Re: Adding Divine Favor to Banestorm

I'm thinking it scales with inward sincerity. This may be very unnerving to the hierarchy.
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Old 09-12-2016, 04:31 PM   #5
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Default Re: Adding Divine Favor to Banestorm

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anders View Post
As has been pointed out in another thread, Banestorm clerics don't really have access to "Holy Powers". Their power is more of a social nature.

So... what if actual Divine powers began manifesting among religious professionals? Let's say that after the year 2 000, people began having their prayers answered in more literal fashion.

Among Christians this could be explained as the world entering the Seventh Day (one day is a thousand years, and the world was created 4 000 BC.) So the six days of creation are now over, and we are entering the Lord's Day. I'm sure someone sufficiently versed in Islamic lore can cook up some similar goobledy**** to explain things. Of course, it doesn't have to be true.

What effects would this have on the churches and realms of Yrth?
In Christian mythology, major miraculous powers are almost never manifested by members of the church bureaucracy. ("Major" meaning more than True Faith.). Instead they show up in holy hermits, cloistered monastics, self-appointed prophets, and a few particularly virtuous knights.
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Old 09-12-2016, 04:52 PM   #6
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Default Re: Adding Divine Favor to Banestorm

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anders View Post
I'm thinking it scales with inward sincerity. This may be very unnerving to the hierarchy.
The hierarchy is unlikely to accept the divine providence of powers that manifest strongly in nobodies and rarely in high church functionaries, especially when they manifest for various folks from other religions.

Be very very careful inserting explicit divine intervention into a setting using real world religions. It is ... fraught, even if your players claim to be cool with it.
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Old 09-13-2016, 09:31 AM   #7
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Default Re: Adding Divine Favor to Banestorm

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kuroshima View Post
  • The established church hierarchies (specially where they're deeply entwined in the state) would condemn the new miracle-workers as heretics, and probably accuse them of making deals with the devil
  • Less organized religious groups (isolated communities, both secular and monastic) would probably treat the new miracle workers as either new saints, or look down at them in a way that mirrors the organized church
Unless those powers also began showing up in higher ranking (even bishop or church father levels).

Or they thought they could control those with the touch of divinity within them. Never underestimate the power-hungry.
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Old 09-13-2016, 09:33 AM   #8
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Default Re: Adding Divine Favor to Banestorm

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Originally Posted by martinl View Post
Be very very careful inserting explicit divine intervention into a setting using real world religions. It is ... fraught, even if your players claim to be cool with it.
Challenge accepted.
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Old 09-13-2016, 09:44 AM   #9
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Default Re: Adding Divine Favor to Banestorm

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Challenge accepted.
I suspect that is less of a problem in Nordic countries than here.
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Old 09-13-2016, 09:47 AM   #10
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Default Re: Adding Divine Favor to Banestorm

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I suspect that is less of a problem in Nordic countries than here.
Yeah, I'm fairly certain that no one in my group would have a problem with it. I don't know that they are all atheists, but I strongly suspect it.
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