CD PROJEKT RED and R.TALSORIAN GAMES Announce The Witcher Role-Playing Game

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>No enough time neither amount of pages for other time settings or at least proper descriptions of gnomes and halflings
>Enough time and pages for statistics and background of tons of items, which each gamemaster is able to invent at a pinch

:wondering:
 
Yeah, the question of religion in the Witcherverse is quite obscure. In 2014 I started writing an article/essay about it, but couldn't finish it due to my own laziness and lack of afflatus. There are even more questions - are the nordling cults separate religions? (as the previous PnP RPG could suggest) Or do they form together one polytheistic belief system? (which is strongly suggested in the novels, where almost each priest refer to the gods instead of a single deity) If the second option, what is placed higher - mother Melitele or the Eternal Fire? Is Coram Agh Tera really forbidden?

I have come to a conclusion that the North has in fact the polytheistic system, but with elements of monolatry. I mean, one believes in all deities but worships only those he/she likes (or, more precisely, those who his\her feudal lord likes). Hierarchs of the important cities can choose which deity / immortal power should be worshipped ardently, and which should be forgotten or forbidden in their region. It also seems that there were not any religious wars so far.

I tried to post a comment with the list of gods I had found in the novels and the games on the blog yesterday, but it still hasn't been moderated yet, so I put it below:
Nordling ones:
* Eternal Fire – maybe not a “deity” literally, rather some form of spiritual power? Its popularity is raising.
* Melitele – described as one of the oldest (predating the First Landing) cults, still popular among women.
* Kreve – not described precisely in the books, in the previous RPG a blend of Zeus and Yahweh popular among the nobility.
* Lyfia – Nordling equivalent to elven Dana Méadbh, Queen of the Fields
* Coram Agh Ter(a) – Eldritch Abomination worshipped by both harmed people and the psychopats or blasé nobles, forbidden in most of the kingdoms
* Baal-Zebuth – mentioned in “A Shard of Ice”. He was described in detail in the materials for the 2nd Edition of “Gra Wyobraźni”, but they have been unavaible for some time.
* Nehaleni – goddess of the sooth and divinations, there are artefacts like the Mirror or the Eye associated with her.
* Lilvani – her ruined temple appears in the “Hearts of Stone” DLC, probably a lunar goddess.
* Dagon – creature considered as god by sect of humans and Vodyanoi
* Veyopatis – forgotten god of the Pontar Valley, described in TW2.
And, probably, more of them.

Skellige ones:
* Freyja (Freya) – equivalent to Melitele, but also patron of oracles, soothsayers and telepaths.
* Sea Gods / Gods of the Sea – mentioned in short stories, I think that Sedna could be one of them.
* Svalblod, cruel god of war mentioned in TW3

Northern regions of the Empire:
* unknown deity worshipped in Claremont; one of its priests protested against harming animals in the Arena but did not mind harming humans. At the square in front of its small temple Bonhart tortured Ciri with the riding-whip, the priests did not intervene.

Core regions of the Empire:
* Great Sun, probably monotheistic.

I have been writing it during the night being tired, so I've forgotten about a few. There should be also:
* Huldra - deity mentioned in The Last Wish, Geralt learned his funny "exorcism" in its temple. In the materials for the 2nd Edition of W:GW it is described as a goddess, another variation on the Great Mother; her temples are in fact exclusive lupanars for aristocrats and high positioned clergy.
* Lilit(h) - goddess or demon from tales of Wozgor and Dauk people and werebbubbs, still honoured in the East under the name of Niya. Interesting combination - Niya was the Lechitic god of underwold, depths, wealth and sorcery; while Lilith was considered in Mesopotamian/Jewish folklore as the first wife of Adam, who preferred archangel Samael over her human husband. So this eastern cult of Lilit-Niya seems to be syncretic connection of two deities/demons.
* Zerrikanterment - according to W:GW, the most worshipped of all the dragons venerated as divine creatures in Zerrikania. He burned the forests around Zerrikania making it isolated from the world by deserts and wastelands.
* an unknown deity worshipped in northern Emblonia. Priests of it were banished from their temple, sought refuge in the forest and took up proselytizing the forest griggs.
* an unknown deity who had a temple in the city Kerack before King Osmyk seized it and rebuilt it into his castle.
* an unknown deity whose temple was located near Dun Tynne, in the Blessure Valley. (According to the "Lady of the Lake" - the geography of Toussaint in "Blood and Wine" is "a bit" different.) (Note - Beauclair has the Epona Square in BaW, maybe Epona was worshipped in Toussaint before the cult of Lebioda became most popular? Another note - "Toussaint" means "All Saints" in French, so maybe the duchy had a different name before cults of Lebioda and Plegmund emerged?)

I also think the deity from Claremont could be actually called Pereplut - the nearby swamps are named after a Slavic minor god or demon of water, so maybe a deity by that name is or was popular in Ebbing.
 
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All Saints also refer to the night of the dead, and in the Carribean, to the Voodoo.
Intentional or not, I do not know.
 
Still awaiting. Should I maybe mail them? :p

---------- Zaktualizowano 13:37 ----------

So I have just sended Cody Pondsmith my remarks and the list. I've written also a few new lines:
Vysogota considers himself as an atheist though believes in Great Demiurge. As for the other races - dwarves have probably some kind of veneration of their ancient ancestors, though some of the assimilated ones worship also human deities. Elves are aware of existence of some supernatural powers, but not worship it - instead they believe in Destiny and Ithlinna's Propecy, they think it is impossible to change the top-down course of events. A little is known about the gnomish beliefs, the only mention of them appeared when Percival said he had avoided being recruited to Nordling army because his religion forbids it.
 
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