Religion in Zamora

A Maze of Formulas and Rituals

The Zamorians as a whole are polytheistic and the people of Shadizar are no less so. Religion is considered a civilised refinement by the Zamorians and is embraced by most of them as a factor that raises even the lowest of them above the level of savage. Few foreign gods are accepted alongside the authentic Zamorian deities derived from ancient Zhemri myths and beliefs, Bel being a notable exception. Different Zamorian cities have patron gods, forces that embody the city or an aspect of the city. Yezud, with its infamous spidergod, is the most familiar of these patron gods. Bel, a Shemite god, is the patron of Arenjun, which is also called the City of Thieves. Several aspects of Zamorian religion are worthy of note. The importance of religion, the eerie beauty of their temples, the complex nature of their beliefs, the domination of the priests and the myriad strange gods are all facets of Shadizar’s temple district.

Zamorians find religion to be economically important and they believe in the power of their multiple gods and priests. Like marriage, religion is considered by most Zamorians as an economic tool, not a spiritual tool. Most of the religions the Zamorians find tasteful would shock a votary of Mitra, for Zamorian religions embrace vice to an alarming degree, daring the vengeance of long-suffering gods of purity. Most of these religions embrace and idealise gross or animalistic sexual theories and purely physical uses of sex. Zamorian religions tend to condemn the idea of a spiritual meaning toward sex and ideas about romantic love, as these theories run contrary to the obviously economic value of sexuality, virginity and marriage. Since any Zamorian can see firsthand the economics of these concepts, the idea of a spiritual value of these things is alien and corrupt. Casual, mindless promiscuity is almost always emphasised over sentimental and non-measurable attitudes about purity and sexuality. Two great festivals are celebrated throughout Zamora in its temples: The Spring Festival and the Festival of All Gods.

Temples in Zamora are strange and beautiful buildings. Largely they are built in districts designated for temples, but this is not always the case. The buildings glitter in the starlight and are often blindingly bright in full sunlight. They are built out of white marble for the most part, with golden domes and silver inlays.

Foreigners commonly find the Zamorian pantheon complex and difficult to understand. Philosophers and theologians hold long debates about reality, the cosmos, life after death, heresies, truths and gods. Zamora’s religion is intricate and complicated, housed in a mire of bizarre rituals masking, amplifying or altering the more simple Zhemri truths and beliefs. Their religions also seem to most foreigners to be oppressive, for Zamorian priests enforce absolute obedience among their followers.

Grim priests and foul sorcerers are abundant in Zamora, all practicing diabolisms such as murderous rites of human sacrifice, wicked acts of soothsaying and foul divinations through ghostly contact with spirits and demons. Many

Zamorian priests are quite skilled in hypnotism and use their mesmerisms to ensure unwavering loyalty and unswerving devotion. Zamorian priests range from the most corrupt, black-hearted frauds to the most serious theologians. In theory they have all the restrictions and benefits of worshippers (except for the requirement to pay a tithe), along with several more, but in practice many a priest simply uses his position to gain political influence, bribes and other ‘fringe benefits.’ Many Zamorian priests are eligible to marry into noble families, thus raising their own rank considerably.

Although scholars can choose the ‘lay priest’ background at 1st level, a fully ordained priest must have selected the Priest feat at 4th level or above. In either case, the priest may have access to certain forms of sorcery through the temple but will usually be banned from learning other types of sorcery.

Many of the major religions also have heretical cults comprised of people who vary from the main religion either on minor points or, occasionally, on major faith items. Much debate ensues between members of outwardly similar religions but who inwardly disagree on seemingly small facts and theories. These conflicts occasionally result in open combat, though the King of Zamora keeps an eye on the religions and their influence on the masses; he will take whatever action or inaction is necessary to maintain power.

Temples and Cults in Shadizar the Wicked

Most temples and cults in Shadizar do not worship one god in particular but the entire weird pantheon of Zhemri divinities. Although cults given to individual deities do arise in Shadizar, such as the cult of the Night God created by Roy Thomas and the cult of the Spider God, these are unusual cases of fanaticism. Most Zamorians disagree over which divinities are dominant and which are irrelevant but the deities are there all the same. Zath, Omm or other spider gods figure prominently in many of these religions. Games Masters can make up their own cults or use these generic templates.

Sex Cults

A sex cult is usually a fertility cult devoted to the exploration of sexuality as a religious experience. In many sex cults, women are dedicated to their gods by an act of ritual defloration. Several of these religions are founded on the idea that a virgin goddess is also the protector of childbirth. Often these cults form occasions for sexual depravity or excess. Open orgies may be the preferred form of worship or more discreet visits to temple prostitutes, male and female, may be the norm. Many religions have concepts of sexual freedom and indiscriminate sharing of partners. Sex cults often make it clear that inability or unwillingness to share sexually with a fellow member demonstrates selfishness and a lack of spirituality. Some sex cults forbid incest, others encourage it. Some of the sex cults require that members serve as sacred prostitutes at least once, regardless of rank in secular society. Thus a lowly commoner could have intercourse with a highborn noble without stigma or shame. Some fertility cults are less debauched than others and, instead of wholesale bacchanalian orgies, the priest and priestess have ritualised intercourse on holy days to promote fertility in the land or among the people. Some religions, however, condemn the use of temple prostitutes and consider the use of such to be the worship of a foreign goddess and an act of heresy. Many of the religions of Shadizar also have sex cults on the side that are considered auxiliary or branches of the main religion.

Requirements of Worship: Pay a tithe of 2 sp/level/month to the local temple. Benefits of Worship: Sacred Prostitutes. Some may offer the benefit of Corruption (1/year; DC 12). Requirements for Ordained Priesthood: Knowledge (religion) 10 ranks; must know the Hypnotism sorcery styles. To become a high priest, a character must have the Debaucher feat (see Conan: The Scrolls of Skelos). Benefits of Ordained Priesthood: Standard, plus as follows: sorcery teaching is available (Hypnotism and Enchantment

only); much of a Zamorian priest’s time serving the temple is taken up with religious debate, giving all priests who have served for at least one year a +2 competence bonus to all Knowledge (religion) checks. Typical Punishments for Disloyal Priests: Expulsion from the cult.

Mystery Cults: Mystery cults are sacramental religions whose members believe the performance of certain rituals will give them knowledge unavailable or unknowable by normal men. Many of these cults are led by sorcerers or demons. Some cult leaders believe they have died and been reborn as a god. These cults offer secret wisdom and lost truths, including such bizarre beliefs as: aliens from other planets and other times visit the world, possess people or even kidnap people; man was preceded by a strange plant-like creature as the first life on earth; possession by spirits is good; and certain rituals can unlock the potential of the mind, unleashing a man’s psychic powers. Some mystery cults have aspects of sex cults, holding weird orgies in the dark and summoning fiends from the Outer Dark to dance with them.

Requirements of Worship: Pay a tithe of 4 sp/level/month to the local temple. Benefits of Worship: Faith; Spells (usually hypnotism or divination or Oriental). Requirements for Ordained Priesthood: Knowledge (religion) 10 ranks; must know the Hypnotism or Divination or Oriental sorcery styles (depending on the focus of the cult). Benefits of Ordained Priesthood: Standard, plus as follows: sorcery teaching is available (Hypnotism or Divination or Oriental only); much of a Zamorian priest’s time serving the temple is taken up with religious debate, giving all priests who have served for at least one year a +2 competence bonus to all Knowledge (religion) checks. Typical Punishments for Disloyal Priests: Expulsion from the cult, harassment.

Gods in Zamora

The following gods and pantheons are worshipped in Zamora:

 Azoth, The Dreaming One  Bel, God of Thieves  Morath-Aminee, The Eater of Souls  Nameless Night God  Omm the Unspeakable  Ong, God of Pain and Atonement  Shan Demigod of War  Zandru, Lord of the Nine Hells  Zath, God of Purity

For more information on these see Book I: The Games Master’s Guide in Conan: Shadizar – City of Wickedness.

The Games Master is encouraged to create other gods to replicate the numerous and complex pantheon of Zamorian gods. Howard implies that Zamora has a complicated theological structure but gives no details. Most writers following in Howard’s footsteps have simply created individual gods independent of each other or a common Zhemri mythology. Instead of trying to create a coherent Zhemri/Zamorian mythology from scratch, which is beyond the scope of this work, this section merely details some of those gods created by past authors. Some gods are so minor information is scarce. For example, in Conan the Destroyer, by Robert Jordan, the character of Malak utters, ‘Ravana’s Weeping Eyes,’ ‘Shakuru’s Burning Teeth,’ ‘Fidesa’s Teats,’ ‘Danh’s Bony Rump,’ ‘Badb’s Holy Buttocks,’ ‘the Ninefold Names of Khepra’ and ‘Sigyn’s Bowl,’ but no other information is offered. Other gods mentioned in various Zamorian stories include Sareth and Zamm.