Vundarkin Religion and Rites



Vundarkin Faiths

The Pack-Hunters revere the Whispers of the Wild: spiritual, invisible entities that aid and guide them with boons and omens. Though they rarely invoke these divinities, they are a big part of the Vundarkin’s life. After a hunt or a harvest, some of it is set aside for their Whisper as thanks. Similarly, the changing of the seasons may see rites asking for good weather or good fortune. The Speakers-to-Spirits and/or the Pack Elder usually administers the various rites  that involves the Whispers. 

  • OVERVIEW: The Green Oak is both a philosophy and a Whisper, as led by the Archdruid of the Greenleaves. To those that view it through vision and dream, it is a verdant oak tree in the full blossom of spring. It teaches its people to reject the poisons of civilization, purge the evils of eldritch sorcery, and to embrace the simplicity of the natural world.

    SHRINE TYPES: Ancestral, Storm, and Verdant

    SYMBOL: A broad green leaf

    — Tenet 1: Cleanse the Corruption -- The world has been blighted by horrific magics and human hubris. As a result, not only must the followers of the Green Oak revere the animals, plants, and places of the wild but they must also attempt to cleanse fell magic or vile corruption wherever they find it.

    — Tenet 2: Mercy and Compassion: Just as the spirits show mercy, so too must the followers of these Whispers show kindness and compassion to others, even those outside of their community or faith. Food and medicine are offered to those in need.

    SINS: Disrespect -- Disrespecting the Green Oak comes in many forms, be it in wastefulness, in prideful hubris, in cruel acts, strange technologies, or through the use of forbidden magics (Necrotheurgy and Xenotheurgy especially).

    WORSHIPERS: The Circle of the Green Leaf are the main worshippers of this Whisper.

    CLERGY: Led by the mysterious Archdruid, the Green Druids guide the worship of the Green Oak. In their communities, they are not only ritual leaders and spiritual guides but also healers, midwives, and similarly respected herbalists that are sought after for their curative abilities with spell and/or herb.

  • OVERVIEW: The Pale Wolf is a Whisper of winter, death, and renewal. In visions and dreams, it appears as a spectral wolf or human shadow -- its form always indistinct except for its cold blue eyes.

    SHRINE TYPES: Ancestral, Deep, and Primal

    SYMBOL: A shadowy or spectral howling wolf

    — Tenet 1: Respect the cycle of life and of death: This means sending those who defy Death into the Pale Wolf’s judgment -- these defiers are usually abominations of unlife or those who propagate such monsters. This also means never killing unless absolutely necessary.

    — Tenet 2: Keep the memory of the dead -- Many Death Takers are performers of funeral rites, ensuring that the deceased are remembered and celebrated (or cursed, if they were wrongdoers). This Tenet also means being respectful to every creature that is slain, both friend and foe.

    SIN: Obstruction -- For the Pale Wolf, preventing it from taking what is their due and disrupting the cycle of death and life is the greatest of Sins. Certain greater Necrotheurgies, soul-destroying magics, or similar acts are examples of such Sins.

    WORSHIPERS: The Pack of the Pale Wolf along with several other death worshipping Packs.

    CLERGY: The Pale Wargs are the shamans of the Pale Wolves. These individuals preside over funerals and births. Depending on the community, they may also serve as healers to delay death from the faithful and lorekeepers, recording the lives and deaths of their people.

  • OVERVIEW: The Red Path is both a philosophy and a Whisper of the Wild. In visions, it appears as a snarling wolf, bear, or similar predator animal. This Whisper calls its followers to greater heights of bravery and strength as well as to feed upon the flesh of monsters, baking its ashes into bread if need be.

    SHRINE TYPES: Primal, Pyre, and Storm

    SYMBOL: An open fanged maw

    — Tenet 1: Might makes Right: In the red-toothed wilderness, the deceptions and complications of society fall away. Only strength of muscle, mind, and willpower matters when the world comes for you.

    — Tenet 2: The Eternal Hunt: Every day is a new struggle for food, for warmth, and for survival. Remember this not only when you track your prey but also when you yourself are being hunted.

    SIN: Softness -- To be soft and infirm is to slow the pack and become prey.

    WORSHIPERS: The Pack of Fenroc worship the Red Path.

    CLERGY: Redpath Shamans are known not only for their wisdom and their guidance, but also for their strength and martial prowess. In battle and in hunts, they pray for strength and guidance. They may even lead such activities or simply lead the rites that come after. Outside such physical acts, they shepherd their people toward the tenets of their faith or augur omens and tidings.

  • OVERVIEW: The Serpent River is more than mere water and earth, it speaks as a Whisper to those who knew its voice. It manifests as an eel or a serpent to those who see it in visions or dreams. Not only is it an entity of plenty, but it is also one of purity and serenity.

    SHRINE TYPES: Ancestral, Storm, and Verdant

    SYMBOL: A serpentfish (eel)

    — Tenet 1: Filial Devotion -- In the myths and stories of the Serpent River, its followers are its beloved scions. As a result, respect and reverence of parental and other filial figures becomes a core responsibility for these Whispers’ followers. Such is the sanctity of the familial unit that these faiths require that all be set aside to ensure the happiness and health of one’s family.

    — Tenet 2: Sacrifice the Harvest -- The Serpent River demands part of its follower’s Hunt to be sacrificed to the river. These tithes are dropped into the river or buried in its banks.

    SIN: Disrespect -- Disrespecting the Serpent River comes in many forms, be it in wastefulness, in prideful hubris, in cruel acts, and through the betrayal of one’s family.

    WORSHIPERS: The Serpentfish are the main worshippers of this Whisper, though they have several sibling Packs that also venerate the Serpent River.

    CLERGY: River Shamans are not only ritual leaders and spiritual guides but also healers, midwives, and similarly respected herbalists that are sought after for their curative abilities with spell and/or herb.

  • OVERVIEW: The Stone Greatfathers are the names given to the Appalachian mountains by the Stonebrood Pack. They believe that humanity or at least, their Pack, is descended from these titanic entities. They are charged with venerating these divinities and wandering their domicile.

    SHRINE TYPES: Ancestral, Deep, and Primal

    SYMBOL: A set of three mountains

    — Tenet 1: Elder Reverence: Respect for one’s elders within the family and priests outside the family is another key tenet for these Whispers. The Stone Greatfathers demand absolute blind obedience to an Elder’s edicts.

    — Tenet 2: Filial Devotion: Reverence for family and family ties is a big part of this faith. Thus, preserving and protecting one’s family members is core to one’s actions and motivations.

    SIN: Impudence -- Adherence to the guidance of one’s ancestors, elders, and the natural order, is important to the people of this faith. Failing to do so can be done through verbal disrespect, selfish behavior, or acting directly against the family

    WORSHIPERS: The Stonebrood Pack are only one of several Vundarkin Packs that worship the Stone Greatfathers.

    CLERGY: The elders of their family, specifically the main patriarch or matriarch, lead the group both in matters of faith and order. It is they that lead and oversee various rites of life and death, with their blessing being of paramount importance.


Pack-Hunter Tenets


Might makes Right: The wilderness is ruthless, striking down the weak and infirm among the Pack-Hunters with disease or mishap. While the Vundarkin try to take care of their own, they respect those who display strength and prowess. These folk, especially if they have charisma and seniority, often end up being a Pack Guide or even a Pack Elder. 

The Pack is all: For the Vundarkin, their Pack is almost everything in their lives. Not only were they raised by their Pack, but their daily lives rely on cooperation with their Pack. Many times, their survival is a result of their Packmates’ assistance. Thus, the Pack is second only to one’s family.

The Whispers are watching: The Vundarkin are believers in spiritual entities, both baleful and benign within the World Beyond the Fall. Thus, the Pack-Hunters make sure to follow any taboos or rites that they need to perform, sometimes making Outsiders think that the Vundarkin are superstitious folk. Almost all Arcanists among them are Animancers that serve or commune with the Whispers of the Wild. 




Life Rites



Birth

The nomadic Pack-Hunters are typically on the move, but they will stop and make camp for the birth of one of their own. They even stop a day or more beforehand to ensure that the mother is better situated for their ordeal. For most Packs, game meat is hunted and vegetables are gathered for a feast celebrating the entrance of a new Vundarkin into the world. A Speaker-to-Spirits and a Stitcher-of-Flesh is usually involved in the birthing process as well as in the ceremonial feast afterward.

Depending on the condition of the mother, packing up the camp is performed on the next day, after a few days or even after a week if the birth was a troubled one. Regardless of their social status, mothers and children are allowed to ride a pack animal for the next few weeks. Younger children are always allowed to ride on wagons or to be carried by their family, so the Pack is not slowed down on its travel. As soon as a child is able to perform chores, they are tasked with menial tasks to prepare them for life with a Pack.

Adulthood

The rites to adulthood vary immensely between Packs. Some have their youths perform a grand hunt to feed the whole Pack. Others subject the ritualists to grueling tests and torment to harden their resolve. There may be ritual tattooing, scarification, or piercings. 

However, one thing that is shared by all Packs is that everyone is involved with the rite. Whether their role is being part of the rite, preparing for it, or ensuring that the new adults have a Pack to return to. 

Marriage

Weddings among the Pack-Hunters are another affair that involves the whole Pack, though it is also custom to have multiple weddings happen at the same time. As with most rites, they vary with each particular group. 

Generally speaking, the entire ceremony is ministered by the Pack Elder and/or a Speaker-to-Spirits. The individuals who are getting married exchange both vows and personal items. The day then ends with a feast and a celebration. Vundarkin like to have their weddings near a village or a town. In this manner, they can more easily source the food and festivities, bartering furs and other goods for what they need.



Funeral

With the Pack-Hunters, funerals are somber affairs. In these rites, the Speaker-to-Spirits and/or the Pack Elder will speak of the deceased and commend their spirits to the afterlife or to the Whisper that they serve. Afterward, the body of the deceased is buried and returned to the earth. This may instead be a token of the fallen, if their body could not be recovered. Only in times of dire tragedy and trouble will Vundarkin make mass graves for their own. 

Some Pack-Hunters might not use earth to take care of their dead. Some cremate their dead, a process that takes much wood and time. Their ashes and bones are then buried or sprinkled over a body of water sacred to the Pack. Other Packs may employ certain gruesome methods -- they lure carrion animals to rip and consume the body, ensuring that it is truly returned to the world. A rare few Packs perform ritualistic cannibalism on an honored Packmate. In these cases, the heads are not eaten (because they contain a part of the soul) but instead are mummified and carried with the Pack forever. 

View of the Afterlife

Those that believe in the Whispers of the Wild typically believe that their afterlives are intertwined with that Whisper, especially those that serve a Death Taker. For example, the Pale Wolves have faith that their Whisper will take their spirits away to a distant haven. On the other hand, the Serpentfish and the Mountainbrood believe that they will join their ancestors if they live a pious and virtuous life. The Green Oaks believe in reincarnation, becoming stronger and stronger as they live more lives within the Circle. 

Some Packs are like the Devil Cats and the Red Path -- their afterlives are not as intertwined with the Whisper they serve. Instead, they simply believe in an underworld where all souls tend to go if they are not destroyed or captured by evil magics. Moving to this next life is irrespective of piety or goodness, it’s simply a fact of nature, like a river pouring into a lake. 

View of Magic

Regardless of how things were in the World that Was, most magic and spirits are considered to be a natural part of the world. The Vundarkin also believe that these supernatural elements have good and evil types. 

As can be expected, most Vundarkin overwhelmingly tend toward Animancy more than any other Tradition. Animancers reflect their spiritual beliefs, with their Anima resembling or being similar to the Whispers they venerate. Pack-Hunter Diabolists and Talismongers exist, of course, but they are immensely rare. Xenotheurgy and Necrotheurgy is also a rarity because most Whispers disdain these alien magics -- the Pale Wolves and the Devil Cats are the only ones who are willing to train in these dark disciplines.