The Earth

The religion of earth worship the is the most common religion in Mairdwell, and it is so prevalent and such a cultural norm that you are assumed to ascribe to it at least casually unless you state otherwise.

In Mairdwell and the nations directly bordering it, there is a common societal conception of the world as cyclical, and as itself a god entity. Each year ends with the Day of Death, a day in which the world is perceived to have died but not reborn yet, and thus disruption of the earth’s cycle is possible on this day. The dead sometimes walk, extra-planar entities find it easier to traverse. The following day, the Winter Solstice, is the beginning of the new year, and the Earth is perceived as being reborn or reincarnated on that day.

Iconography of the Earth includes - Circles, The Salmon, Gemstones/Crystals, any kind of repeating pattern, fractals.

The Earth is envisioned as a passive deity, who watches and interferes with the interactions of mortals in small ways, through sending rains or granting resources and luck to those who best please her.

As a result, the Keepers of the Earth have a conception of the world in which those who have wealth and power have a sort of inherent divine right to it--the earth bestowed on their family rich veins of metal or bountiful harvests or powerful magics, and so it must be right that they have it. Even so, this divine right has limits. As the Earth is considered to be reborn at the beginning of each year, it is understood that she will look at the world with fresh eyes each year and decide whether those upon whom she has bestowed gifts in the past remain deserving of them. Therefore, there is a tradition of the nobility bestowing gifts upon their tenants throughout the winter months, to demonstrate to the Earth that they remain deserving of what they have. These gifts range from redistributing grain stockpiled earlier in the year, to granting pardons for crimes, distributing sweets, and generously tithing the Keepers of the Earth.

While the Earth herself is considered to be very passive, there is a court of eight Archons who work more actively in the world on her behalf.