The Thearaddan religion embraces a multitude of gods. In a somewhat Hindu fashion, Thearaddans believe that every being, every animal, every plant, every object is imbued with the godhead. Therefore, everything and anything can give rise to a god or goddess—and often does.
For a god to be born, a Thearaddan simply has to believe that he/she has detected godliness in something. The worship—or even belief—of one Thearaddan is sufficient for a new god to exist upon. After that, the power of the god depends on the number of believers, and on how fervently they worship. This is the difference between Malan, the god of agriculture, who is the most powerful Thearaddan god, on one hand; and Keeleenin, the god of a small stream of the same name that flows into the Elave about twenty miles south of Jolonda, on the other. Keeleenin is just a much a god as Malan, but Keeleenin's power is not felt more than a hundred yards past his stream, while Malan's blessing can make fields fruitful all over Sacawisha and Simlarin.
If no Thearaddans have recognized a god for about twenty years, the god will fade away.
The Thearaddans take their gods very seriously. On average, about 90 minutes of every Thearaddan's day is spent propitiating the gods—usually, five to ten different gods on any given day. Every Thearaddan chooses one god for special devotion; this is usually, but not always, one of the major gods (city gods are also a popular choice).
Further, the Thearaddans have no “weekends,” per se; instead, about one day in every five is dedicated to religious practice—the honoring of a god or an Interceder; the anniversary of some major theological event; or the frequent “temple days,” when pious Thearaddans visit as many temples and shrines as they can. On these religious days (which do not come at regular intervals), little work is done. On the more important days (about 15 per year) life is put on hold for a day while religious obligations are attended to.
Sacawisha and Simlarin abound with shrines. Any time a Thearaddan experiences a profound religious event (on a par with a Christian developing stigmata; most Thearaddans experience three to six such events in their lifetime), they may commemorate the event by erecting a small shrine, built with whatever materials come to hand. If a shrine becomes popular with others, it can be rebuilt as necessary. Some shrines have a documented existence of 1300 years (these tend to be in the middle of the larger cities; the oldest known shrine is found in Simlarin, capital of the empire of the same name, which lies to the southwest of Sacawisha).
Further, there are many full-blown temples throughout Thearaddan lands. Chelmarrond, for example, is home to 85 temples to gods major and minor. New Wastar, in the Wet Towns, is a city devoted to the gods; here there are over 150 temples and 600 shrines.
There are about ten major gods, whose influence extends over most or all Thearaddans. In this era, the most important is Malan, the god of agriculture. Gellond, the god of war, is a close second, and is primary in Simlarin, where a constant state of low-intensity war currently prevails.
It is not possible to count the number of minor gods. There are thousands at the very least. They range in power and portfolio from the rather important goddess Holrevus, the patron of Chelmarrond, down to the least significant god recorded by the priests at New Wastar: Bareenar, god of a medium-size tree growing along the Elave, about six miles north of Callanri (the tree has been there for 250 years). There is neither a major geographical feature, nor any aspect of life in Thearaddan society, that does not have a patron god or goddess.
As if there weren't enough gods, there are also the Interceders. These are very analogous to saints—humans (or others) who have been elevated after death to a superhuman status. The gods choose Interceders, and inform the priesthood of their choices. These people are then honored by the living Thearaddans, petitioned for favors, etc. When the gods intervene in Thearaddan affairs, it is almost always through Interceders, who can take on fully human form—not always the one they had in life.
According to the priests at New Wastar, there are 13,225 recorded Interceders.
The vast majority of Thearaddan priests are “general” priests; they serve no particular god or goddess. The specialty priests tend to stay in the temples—especially at New Wastar, which has the highest concentration of specialty priests. The priests lead worship ceremonies (of course), administer charity and healing, and witness. No contract among Thearaddans is valid without a priest to witness it; no lord would consider passing a judgment without a priest in attendance.
About 1 in every 150 Thearaddans (male and female) is a priest.