The largest and most organized religion in Telgard is the Church of Telgard, who worship the Dargotten pantheon. They have a foothold in every kingdom save for Tahnn, while versions of the religion are followed by at least 55% of the population of Garr and 95% of the populations of Lirynn and Korresh. All other beliefs are deemed heretical by the Church of Telgard, with each belief resting on a varying scale ranging from "Not so bad, barely tolerable" to "Mighty Dargotten, strengthen my arm so that I might smite thine enemies!"

History of the Church

It is not known when worship of the Pantheon of Dargotten began; it is thought that it was always present within Telgard, since before the Race Wars, when the elves regularly had direct contact with the gods. Nevertheless, the Church of Telgard is the oldest belief system in the world, with scholars of every race and writings older than some mountains.

The Elves were the first members of the Church by virtue of being the first race, but the religion soon spread to the other races. At one time, every single race on Telgard followed the beliefs of the Church, and it is this globalism that Church scholars point to as proof that the Pantheon exists--though truly, few would dispute it, unless they were heretics.

After the Race Wars, the Elves withdrew; their sect of the Church was soon tainted by the actions of zealots and the isolation from the races, creating a doctrine of superiority that still has echoes in the Elven culture today. The Humans, with their reproductive prowess and their skills at war and trade, soon became the most powerful worshipers of Telgard, and they build the Great Cathedral of Telgard in Maston, considered today to be the center of the Church of Telgard. It is here that the Matr rules with a power envied by some monarchs.

The Dwarves, meantime, came into contact with the Delfae, and this contact diluted their own strong allegiance to the Church. While most dwarves are still members of the Church of Telgard, there are some significant differences, including Dargotten being referred to as the Smith, and to the inclusion of ancestor and clan worship into the beliefs.

Things continued on this vein for several centuries. It is thought to be about five hundred years before the Scourge that there came again some major upheavals to the power of the Church; at nearly the same time, the ss'tiss and the ixit broke away from the Church. Some more zealous Brantars claim this is proof that the Dark Enemy began working his hand upon the world, but it is generally agreed otherwise that this change was caused by the harsh environments both races had to endure.

The ss'tiss were the first to break away, and their seperation and subsequent worship of the Sun enraged many brantars as well as the Matr at the time. She did not hesitate and swiftly ordered that the Church Army march into Tahnn with intent to convert the heretics--on their funeral pyres, if necessary. The Church Army was not prepared for the Desert, however, despite careful selection of the generals, and were decimated even before contact with the ss'tiss. This loss was seen by the ss'tiss as proof of their beliefs.

The Matr ordered next that the Paladins, nominally affiliated with the Church and possessed of powerful magic march upon Hasst, but the Paladins refused. The Matr's subsequent loss of power caused her to be removed a few short years later.

It was during the confusion of the succession that the ixit, more intelligent than often given credit for, quietly assumed the worship of the Big Green, and the Church was too much in disarray to do more than offer token resistance. By the time the Church's power and stability was again restored, the ixit had already built defenses, and unlike the ss'tiss, the ixit had magic to protect them as well as their hostile home.

The ixit's break with the Church was aided or perhaps caused by a schism between themselves and the elves, though none remember the nature of the dispute. The Elves, previously having established contact with the ixit only--who they saw as the race who shared their beliefs the most--now shoved away from the ixit's heresy and became their staunchest enemy. This schism forced the elves back into the rest of the world, and they tentatively established contact with Garr and Korresh, who, despite their differences, still shared some measure of the worship of Dargotten, even if they naively--so the elves thought--did not realize their own childlike nature.

The discovery of the minotauri and subsequently, the misharr, did little to alter the balance of power of the Church...the Church engineered a vast campaign after the Scourge to fill the vacuum caused by the loss of the Wizard's Council, and did remarkably well, possibly due to the need to find hope again and their good works during the time of recovery.

Now, the Church's power has waned slightly with a resurgence of magic and of the Dark One's minions in the lands, but her power is still significant, and she is richer than any other organization including the hidden Red Order.

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