Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 davesaunders Dec 14, 2008 0:16:44	I downloaded the Kara Tur Eastern Realms booklets over the weekend. I pretty much understand that the religions there are more like philosophies like in real China and Japan and south asia. Since in the FR you need a deity to give you your spells who is granting these people their spells? The Lord of Oceans in Tabet who gives him his spells? The shamen in Shou Lung and Tu Lung who gives them their spells? The Shujenka (I think) who gives them their spells?
#2 BadCatMan Dec 14, 2008 3:27:11	The Celestial Emperor, probably. The Celestial Bureaucracy rules over all of Kara-Tur, according to Faiths & Avatars's map of divine territory. I imagine it as a sort of divine empire, with a council of advisors (the Nine Immortals), regional governors (Lesser Immortals), subject, client and subjugated states (Lords of Creation, various tribal faiths) and lots of local rulers (Spirits and others), some loyal, some independent, others in rebellion. Then there's the articles of government (the Path Of Enlightenment), and independent ideas (the Way and Padhraism). All would be permitted by the Emperor to use divine power and pass it to their followers. Though I suspect most would get on fine without the system in place, though much more chaotic and conflicted. (The same view on the Faerunian Pantheon would show a lot of fractious little kingdoms with rulers and their vassals, all with shifting alliances and regular disputes. The Mulhorandi and racial pantheons are more obvious, usually as families or small kingdoms. I see the pantheons as resembling the politics of the cultures that worship them.) They're not all philosophies, some really do have deities. And even in FR, an actual god isn't essential, there are several cults who get by on worshipping concepts, dead gods, or non-divine entities. Only some are fed by gods on the sly. At least, that's my view.
#3 markustay_dup Dec 14, 2008 11:46:40	Basically, everyone follows the Bureaucracy. Some are devout (like Monks, priests, and Shukenja), while many just pay it lip-service. If you follow the Bureaucracy, then the majority of the mana (I'm just using that as a term for the 'worship juice a deity gets) goes to the Celestial Emperor, and since just about everyone in the east does, that makes the CE (Shang Ti) nearly on-par with Ao power-wise. However, most folks venerate a patron god - possibly a local spirit or a urban deity - and that is the 'go-between' that gives them access to divine magic. Even though their religion flows more like a modern monotheistic one (all deities answer to one supreme GOD), they realize that praying to the near-omnipotent Supreme God doesn't really get you much personal attention. Once again, like Ao, he would really rather not be bothered with mortal worship directly, since that is the purpose of having a Bureaucracy in the first place. By the same token, the CE prefers this, because even a nigh-omnipotent God would have trouble listening to the prayers of countless millions of followers - especially when he is so busy running the Heavens and ordering around thousands of lesser gods (yes, before the ToT there were at least 10,000 'gods' in the east). He directs the greater Gods, who direct the Intermediate Gods, who in turn give assignments to the Lesser gods, who then delegate most of the jobs to local 'Spirits' (demi-gods). Like any corporation or Gov't, things tend to 'break-down' at the local level, and a large amount of 'corruption' exists within the Bureaucracy as well. Thats because the CB is neutral (not the individual beings, however), and even Fiends are given Govenrment assignments (called Oni in the east). What that amounts to - for those of you who require mechanics - is that the Celestial Emperor gets a 'cut' of any mana sent to the other gods in K-T. I would assume that there is an entire Ministry in the CB dedicated to administering to 'portfolio disputes', and distributing the mana accordingly.
#4 lord_karsus Dec 17, 2008 11:13:16	-I'll eventually have something written about The Way, specifically, OP.
#5 vulpes Dec 17, 2008 22:46:56	Just to see if I understand correctly, The Path of Enlightenment is Confucianism, The Way is Buddhism, and Padhrism is Hinduism, right?
#6 lord_karsus Dec 17, 2008 23:17:55	-Yeah. They aren't as connected in Kara-Tur as the three are (and based and dependent on) on Earth, though.
#7 BadCatMan Dec 17, 2008 23:22:58	Actually, Padhra-ism is a version of Buddhism. What with the prince who gave up his power to seek enlightenment and was reincarnated and everything and became the Padhra. The Lords Of Creation of Malatra is roughly Hinduism, explicitly mentioned in the KTCS. But Hinduism is a big and complex thing, and the LoC borrows from both it and Vedic mythology, and even changes some genders. Other stray gods from around the area and Zakhara may also be a part of this. The Adama in Durpar/Var/Estagund is similar to the Brahman in Hinduism. The Way seems to be a version of Taoism ('Tao' means 'Way' even). The Way even has the Yin/Yang symbol. The Path Of Enlightenment is similar to Confucianism. The Celestial Emperor and the Immortals are like the Jade Emperor and Immortals of Chinese mythology and Taoism. And the various Animist beliefs (shamans, spirits and stuff) are scattered around Kara-Tur, and even in Faerun (Rashemen, for example): Japanese Shinto in Wa & Kozakura, Korean shamanism in Koryo, Hindu spirits in Malatra, and others everywhere else. They're close, though probably not completely the same, if bits get left or misinterpreted or work differently in FR (philosophies become much more like religions, spirits less so).
#8 lord_karsus Dec 17, 2008 23:31:34	-I've seen (and subsequently implemented) a lot more of Buddhism in The Way than I have of Taoism. I have also disregarded a lot of the "Black Chung Tao vs. White Chung Tao" as not a dualistic faith, but rather, a sectarian-like conflict.
#9 lord_karsus May 22, 2009 9:20:19	-I'm almost done writing that document...