Central Elthosian Pantheon
The religions of central Elthos are common in the , , and across many other Elthosian realms, even into in the northwest. Central Elthosian religious emphasise following the tenets of the religion such that one might be blessed and be successful. Although most people are polytheistic, the people of central Elthos often choose to focus on the tenets of whichever god is most relevant to their lifestyle.
Religious syncretism is not particularly common in the Imperial Territories or Thasen. The official stance of churches is to discourage syncretism, but they cannot do much about individual adherents.
Adri is goddess of the summer, nature and agriculture. She is by a broad margin the most-worshipped deity on Elthos, with vast numbers of common adherents. Her tenets include caring for the land and, eminently practically, good agricultural practice. Farmers make donations and invoke her name in the hopes of good weather and substantial harvests.
The pontificate is situated in , in the Confederation of the Purple Coast, where the Bishop of Lunen sits. Local dioceses and parishes operate largely independently and the pontificate exerts only modest control, at most. The Bishop of is the church's chief officer in the empire, but also has limited control over the church. Dogma within the empire's borders varies from region to region, according to local circumstances, with popular variants including an emphasis on good and dutiful conduct, particularly in the Imperial Territories, while in Thasen, Adri's domain of the summer is favoured by mariners seeking calm seas.
Although not every settlement in the Imperial Territories or Thasen has a priest of Adri in residence, travelling priests are a common sight. Elthosian religions have gained no traction in , but Hadashi visitors to Elthos assume that Adri must be some part of each of . She is sometimes prayed to in the . In , she is frequently identified with , and Dyrian syncretism welcomes Adri as an aspect of Karpaia or even on occasion Aethrios.
The church of Adri wields very little political power. On a local level, nobility sometimes seek the aid of Adri's clergy when dealing with common people, whether in times of plenty, including the organisation of festivals, or times of unrest, to seek to keep the peace.
Benedetta
Benedetta is the goddess of commerce and, depending on the region in which one resides, sometimes civilisation. Worship of Benedetta originated in Thasen, and has historically been popular in the Purple Coast and on the islands of the Sea Between too. The religion has spread primarily along trade routes and Benedetto has become popular among burghers elsewhere in Elthos.
The teachings of the church emphasise honest dealings and long-term goals. Adherents of Benedetta often fail in one or both respects, though the church has never been shy about calling out a fraudster. The church sometimes positions itself as an honest broker between two parties. Temples of Benedetta can resemble the office of a well-to-do merchant.
In Thasen and in other places where worship of a warrior god is not the main choice of nobility, Benedetta is also the goddess of civilisation. The teachings of the church in Thasen emphasise civic responsibility, just rule and societal stability, which have not exactly been focal points of Thasen's plutocrats in recent years. The church persists without, so far, voicing specific criticisms.
Dyrians often associate Benedetto with Angelos or Pyrkaia.
The pontiff of the Congregation of the Blessed, the official name for the Church of Benedetta, has her seat in , capital of the Grand Republic of Thasen.
Grimwald
While the empire is largely tolerant of various religions, there is no tolerance for Grimwald. Grimwald is a war god. The doctrine of his church is in essence that might makes right and that the mighty may do what they will with the weak. Grimwald finds some following elsewhere on Elthos.
Minnara
Minnara is the goddess of love, art, beauty and leisure. The teachings of the Church of Minnara, which originated in the region which is now , are in large part simply an encouragement to people to love, to create and appreciate art and beauty, and to take time for leisure - as if people needed encouragement.
Many more people pray to Minnara on a once-off basis than follow her as dedicated adherents. Her devout followers include artists, musicians, courtesans, actors and entertainers of all sorts. Temples of Minnara are often beautiful, lively places. Services often resemble somewhat structured festivals or parties.
The Basilica of Splendid Beauty, once the seat of the church's pontiff, was attacked, its clergy killed and the premises looted and destroyed in 623 as part of Adize's move to crack down on organised religion. People who managed to flee across the border brought word of the basilica's destruction. It caused widespread outrage elsewhere on Elthos - not that anyone did anything about it. The church is, for now, without a proper home.
Dyrians frequently identify Minnara with Kallistra, Eudaimon and Paionos.
Siegfried
Siegfried is a warrior god, to some a stalwart defender of the world against evil, to others a dangerous zealot. Although local cults exist in a few places, worship of Siegfried is centralised in the Church of Siegfried's Light. The pontiff, called the Lightbearer, is also ruler of , a small but militarily potent theocratic realm on the empire's northwestern border. The mission of the church is simple: scour all evil from the world. The definition of evil can be nebulous, though unfailingly includes beings from the Grey Below and many non-human creatures. There are varying views on exactly how ardent one should be about this mission. Nuance is unfortunately not a strong point of some of the church's clergy, though the more politically savvy realise that their whole mission can be quickly undone if they are overly zealous about pursuing those guilty of even minor crimes.
It is understood that , the founder of Sanctuary, was a worshipper of Siegfried. Relations between the two churches are generally cordial, though the Cult of Valon has a broader mission, with its focus on the duty of nobility and the maintenance of order, and far less interest in the prosecution of people for minor misdemeanours.
Siegfried primarily finds followers among martially-minded nobility and soldiers. He is frequently prayed to by those who are otherwise primarily adherents of Valon. Dyrians frequently identify Siegfried with Sophaia, Pyrkaia or even Aethrios, depending on which aspect is of interest. Hadashis presume that Siegfried must be some distant manifestation of the Sun. Syncretism and individual takes on Siegfried irritate the church, but it lacks the requisite support in much of the empire to prevent such behaviour.
A plethora of knightly orders across Elthos are dedicated to the church. However, the orders in the empire are generally localised and small in size. None have a presence in Sanctuary. They enjoy some modest support from the nobility, particularly in dangerous frontier regions, but far less than .
Yatric
Yatric is a divine being associated with life, healing and restoration. While most deities worshipped in central Elthos have churches with somewhat consistent doctrines, beliefs about their gods and even broadly similar depictions of them, beliefs regarding Yatric are wildly inconsistent. Even in any given local area, where the average church might expect consistency, Yatric's followers are frequently inconsistent about what exactly Yatric is or exactly what Yatric's teachings are. There is no central church of Yatric. Some consider Yatric to be just an aspect of Adri.
What is consistent about devotees of Yatric is that they care about life. The Order of the Bringer of Life, one of umpteen different groups of devotees across the empire, is the primary operator of the Houses of Healing in Sanctuary, where they maintain a small temple to Yatric. Even its clergy don't have anything even remotely approaching religious dogma, but rather their own personal views. The Bringer of Life counts among its number some of the most learned physicians in Elthos. The temple library contains a fine repository of medical knowledge and no religious texts whatsoever.
Dyrians frequently identify Yatric with Iatrikos, often assuming they are the same being, though Yatric is certainly more eccentric. Hadashis might view Yatric as an aspect of River.
The utter eccentricity of Yatric's devotees is broadly accepted in the empire because, whatever their belief system might actually entail, they tend to be deeply devoted to helping people. While most might think of a physician when they think of a follower of Yatric, others might express their devotion in other ways, from wealthy philanthropists to impoverished, monk-like followers who subsist on alms and labour to help others however they may.