Hellhound Religion and Rites

Hellhound Faith

Most of the Motorgangs subscribe to the Desolation of the Ancient Thunders. Despite the prominence of the Altaric Acolytes, the Desolation is not a state religion and no one is required to follow it. 

Other Motorgangs either follow the Whispers of the Wild, a faith of their own making, or no divinities at all. For example, the Seven-Legged Spiders worship Grandmother Spider, a Whisper of flame and wisdom. 

Hellhound Tenets

Each Motorgang holds its own traditions, its own rule, and its own faith -- be it in the Thunders, the Whispers, or in some other piety. However, some rules and laws are called “Canon” -- they are universal, accepted across the Motorgangs as righteous and befitting their virtues. 

Examples of these Canon are the following: 

The Canon of the Mighty: This is a simple one -- a Motorboss leads only if they are strong enough to lead and influential enough to have the trust of their Motorgang. This means that a Motorboss must not only be mighty, but they must also be wise, charismatic, and open handed with their shares (see below). 

The Canon of the Mighty also allows a Motorboss to kill whoever is in their territory (if they have a territory) or the members of their Motorgang at their whim. 

Those who want to take a Motorboss’ place must have sufficient support from their fellows and sufficient strength to unseat the Motorboss. This usually involves “a Blood Pit” between the incumbent and the challenger. Oftentimes, the loser leaves along with their followers via the Canon of the Exodus rather than face the shame of defeat. Even the winner of this duel may “lose” as the followers of the more popular fighter follow them out of the Motorgang. 

The Canon of the Spoils: The Canon of the Spoils holds that the bounty of a harvest, the tribute of a raid, and the prey from a hunt belongs to all Motorgang members that took part in it. However, the Motorboss may take a share from such an activity and takes a larger share if present. This only applies to those activities that the Motorgang performs by itself without outside assistance. Derivations of this Canon insist that activities with multiple Motorgangs share such awards among each other as if they were one Motorgang. 

Failure to adhere to the Canon of the Spoils is one of the biggest ways for a Motorboss to lose support from their followers. While such omissions are expected during lean times, the Canon of the Exodus ensures that a greedy leader may find themselves forsaken or betrayed.

The Canon of the Exodus: The Canon of the Exodus holds that a member of a Motorgang is free to leave their Motorgang at any time. This means that all adult members are members of their own volition, rather than being conscripted or enslaved. With the strong identities and pride that each Motorgang has for itself, this is an uncommon occurrence. 

Leaving a Motorgang does not ensure entrance into another nor does it necessarily ensure the safety of the exit. That said, the Canon of the Exodus is respected and upheld in Hellheim and at the Altar of Air. If those who leave can make it to those places or to another Motorgang’s Longhouse/Crawler, they can make their declaration of Exodus and be left alone. 

This is by no means a clean rule and it can be prone to abuse, like most of the other Canons. The status of children in particular is up to question, though most traditions keep them with their parents or guardians unless there is sufficient reason.   

The Canon of the Pit or “The Blood Pit”: When two or more parties are aggrieved, they may invoke the Pit to settle their differences. Each individual party is backed by two to four secondary allies and they duel until one side is defeated or flees. Mortal combat is disallowed by the Pit, although “mistakes” do happen. That said, there is little in the way of “fairness” or “rules'' in a Pit beyond the required number of duelists, the ban on killing, and the fact that all involved must be wielding a weapon. Provided that all three rules are followed, anything else goes and the fighting starts right away. Crowds gather around such activities, often chanting “Blood Pit!”, though they keep a distance and hold up any shields.

Ultimately, the Pit is a way for an individual to avenge themselves upon another or gain social standing (see the Canon of the Mighty). Grudges and rivalries can form from a Pit, but strange friendships can also blossom from the violent exchange. Social standing among the Motorgangs can be gained or lost through this rite -- though losing does not guarantee shame, nor does winning automatically warrant prestige. 

The practice of the Pit is limited to the Hellhounds, the Altaric Acolytes do not honor this rite. However, those whose strength a Hellhound respects may find the Pit invoked against them. 

The Canon of the Hunt or “the Ranging”: The “Ranging” began as a necessity among the Motorgangs, scouring their territories for monstrosities and for signs of the Vorn. It soon became a monthly rite. Moreso than an extended patrol, this became a major social activity for neighboring Motorgangs. This mix of Hellhounds will patrol their combined territories for days at a time -- foraging on what they find and on supplies from their headquarters. Naturally, no hostilities are allowed between Motorgangs during a Ranging. 

Attitudes during a Ranging vary from guarded to relaxed, with the latter expected to be easily given to the former. It is known that deaths are an uncommon but known occurrence during these outings and injury from attacks, a frequent happenstance. Those outsiders unfortunate enough to be caught trespassing during a Ranging may be bodily dragged away or slain if they are without proper tribute. 

Rangings are often the subject of much excitement for a Motorgang. The freedom of the ride, the fires of battle, and the raucous revelry thereafter are all looked upon with great merriment. In these times, threats are dispatched, alliances are cemented, and skills are practiced among the Hellhounds. And if some grave threat is uncovered by a Ranging, the Motorgangs either deal with it or to rally reinforcements from their headquarters or from Hellheim itself. 

The Final Ranging: Among the elderly or the grievously ill, it is common practice for them to go on a Final Ranging with their allies and families. The goal is not the inspection of territory but spending time with a revered individual. Such Rangings go on until prey of sufficient danger (and therefore prestige) is found -- the subject of the Final Ranging is allowed to duel with the creatures and allowed to fall. The creature(s) are slain and all are set aflame so that the black smoke and the scent of burning flesh be sent to the Ancient Thunders above.

Life Rites

Below are life rites, performed to mark a new era in an individual’s life or to test them.   

Baptism of Blood

Sometimes called “Unearthing”, this rite is performed for children born to the Hellhounds or the Desolation. It involves the consecration of the child/children via a frozen or bloody baptismal. 

Forge of Pain

When a Pup is of age, usually 18 or older, they may request a “Tempering” -- a trial of the Motorgang’s creation. The Tempering is also used to initiate outsiders into the Motorgang’s ranks. Some have the Pup duel with the Motorgang’s warriors while other Motorgangs  have the Pup fight a captured monster. The late Vulture Dogs required their Pups kill and eat an entire monster within a single day without cooking it. The Chained Lightnings expect their Pups to survive a Magna-Storm without preparation or shelter for an entire day. 

Those who survive are welcomed wholly into the Motorgang as a fully fledged Hellhound. They are given their fair share after hunts, bounties, and until, recently tributes. They have a chance to gain glory and accrue names, even ascending to leadership. 

Those who fail their Tempering are given two other chances, if they even survive. Temperings have a chance of death -- some higher than others. However, common wisdom among the Hellhounds is that the Untempered will break in battle. 

For the Untempered, there are only three choices: stay at the Longhouse/Crawler, leave the Motorgang, or attempt to become an Altaric Acolyte. Those who choose the second often end up at Hellheim and may find a living there working at the foundries and the furnaces or picking through scrap. 

Altaric Catechism and Graduation

When a child is of age and has fulfilled their educational obligations, they may undergo the Altaric Catechism wherein they are subject to hallowed torment and fasting before being quizzed on their technical expertise and their faith by the lower leadership of the Altar. This has several steps, including building an item, answering questions, and even a written portion.

Those that satisfy the Headmasters’ or Heralds’ expectations are allowed to graduate into becoming a Disciple. Those who do not may try again, though no more than three times. The ceremony for those who graduate to their new position is religious, filled with song, chanting, and holy frequency. The revelry thereafter is just as raucous, more kin to the Hellhounds than to the Acolytes.  These often take place in the towns at the shadow of the Altar.

There is a similar, more physically inclined version of the Catechism for Cohorts. In the same sense, there is an Altaric Catechism for Arcanist or magic-capable Neophytes. 

Call to Thunder

This rite is a celebratory one, performed when a warband or an individual performs a feat of great accomplishment such as the defeat of a hated enemy or the creation of a powerful item. It is a simple feast among the warband members and their allies where the celebrants are plied with strong spirits and/or intoxicants. 

Funeral Pyre - Passing into Darkness

Funerals vary from Motorgang to Motorgang, but most practice cremation. A deceased individual is burned alongside their fallen brethren so that they may battle alongside the Ancient Thunders in the afterlife. Their bones and any tokens of theirs are distributed to their families and close allies. Matching the Hellhounds’ view of life, such Pyres are not strictly somber affairs. They are marked with celebrations of the deceased’s deeds and with festivities aplenty. 

Their counterparts among the Altaric Acolytes are far more reflective in their funerals, eschewing any revelry. Fallen Acolytes are burned from atop the Altar of Air, closer to the sky gods that they serve. Their ashes are kept in urns within the Altar itself

View of the Afterlife

Desolationist Hellhounds believe that they join their Thunderous Gods after their death, fighting and feasting alongside them against the Eldritch entities that would consume humanity. This only occurs to those Hellhounds who die in battle or while struggling toward a cause. Thus, many Hellhounds are willing to find death and glory in war and skirmish.

Some of the Motorgangs have other beliefs of the Afterlife. Some believe that they stay with their families as spiritual guardians. The nihilistic believe that nothing awaits the soul after death, just open and painless oblivion.  

View of Magic

The tales and legends of the Hellhounds are rife with sorcery and witchcraft, wielded by both heroes and villains. The Hellhounds have a healthy respect for magic, as they do for any weapon of war. Desolationists among the Motorgangs follow the traditions of Diablerie or Animancy. The Altaric Acolytes primarily follow Talismanry, such is their reverence for technology. 

That said, the Hellhounds understand the corruptive nature of magic but are more willing than others to delve into it. For them, the darkness of magic is part of its allure and powerful will can allow an Arcanist to defeat any such malfeasance. Necrotheurgists and Xenothergists are as common as Deotheurgists.