Five Gods

The worship of the Five Gods began in the city of San Briaforte around 15 AE it has spread and is now considered the dominant religion around the Theodovan city-state of Rovomonte. The name of the religion is a misnomer as the five divine beings have both male and female representations. These divine beings hold sway over the five aspects of life: child, youth, adult, wedded, and elder.

There is no central organization beyond the large cathedrals in Rovomonte. The bishops of Rovomonte send brothers and sisters to the smaller towns and villages. They assign traveling priests and priestesses, always in pairs, to move among these towns to spread the enlightenment. The religion represents the majority within its region, but has not established itself outside of the towns around Rovomonte.

The ruling body of the church comprised of members of the Superiore. All decisions that affect more than one region are made before the council. Their deliberations have reached legendary status both in terms of debate and time. For this reason most regions prefer to handle disagreements among themselves or seek the aid of a traveling priests and priestess. The council meets in cathedral in Rovomonte at least twice a month even if nothing of import is discussed (a rare occurance).

See Also: Five Gods Pantheon

Destura, Besello, Morvita, Cieterra, and Vitilità are equals within the pantheon of the Five Gods; although they may be more or less important to the lives of their followers during their life. Destura is said to bless a child during its first steps while Vitilità is spoken of repeatedly as young adults leave the home of their parents.

The clergy all are trained in Rovomonte and then sent to serve in more remote towns and villages.

The lowest rank of the clergy. These are often newly invested and sent to another town or village to receive their final training. They will serve under the brother and sister assigned to that area and after a time the original pair will leave. Brothers and Sisters always serve in pairs, but do not necessarily preform all of their tasks together. Should one of the pair die Rovomonte will send a replacement pair allowing the surviving member to return to Rovomonte to serve in other capacities.

It is not necessary, but it is often true that the men and women paired with each other will marry. The church encourages it as a sure sign their pairing was divine inspiration.

The next rung up the ladder are the priests and priestesses. These pairs are not assigned to any particular region or town, but instead encouraged to travel and enjoy the gifts the divine have blessed upon this world. If the pair are married they are often promoted to this rank should the priestess become pregnant. Birth and Children are blessed events cherished above all others. When they travel they bring the blessings of divinity upon all those they visit.

The only members of the clergy to obtain this rank are those that have not only given their time to enlighten others during their travels, but have given birth or fathered a child. They must have raised their children in the blessings of divinity. There are ten (10) Superiore to represent Rovomonte. In addition each recognized region has a pair of Superiore representing them. All of the Superiore meet in the Consiglio Dei Ministri to decide the affairs of the church.

See Also: Five Gods Pantheon

• Destura; god of luck and goddess of misfortune - one's fate or destiny
• Besello; god of animals that walk and goddess of animals that fly or swim - the beasts
• Morvita; god of death and goddess of life - the passing of all life
• Cieterra; god of the sky and goddess of the earth - the firmament and earth
• Vitilità; god of fire and goddess of water - vitality and fertility