Celtic Paganism is the form of worship in both the Cymry and the Caeldonians in the Fourth Age GURPS campaign setting. Communities gather together at sacred groves or stone temples to show their devotion through sacrifice.

Vocations

There are three priestly classes in Celtic society.

Druids

Druids are the learned caste. They are the priests, judges, and teachers.

There is a strong druidic hierarchy in place - there are only 12 full druids at any moment, only 3 archdruids, and only one grand druid. To advance to one of these ranks the prospective must defeat one of the sitting druids in combat.

Prior to the rank of Initiate of the Fourth circle druids wear light blue robes, after they wear white. They further wear a torc around their neck dedicated to the deity they favor most.

Druid

33 Points
Attribute Modifiers: ST 10 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 11 [20]; HT 10 [0]

Advantages: Clerical Investment [5]
Disadvantages: Duty (Druidism) [-10]; Vow (Avenge Nature) [-10]

Higher ranked druids will take levels of Religious Rank.

Religious Rank	Title
0	Aspirant
1	Initiate of the First Circle
2	Initiate of the Second Circle
3	Initiate of the Third Circle
4	Initiate of the Fourth Circle
5	Initiate of the Fifth Circle
6	Initiate of the Sixth Circle
7	Initiate of the Seventh Circle
8	Initiate of the Eighth Circle
9	Initiate of the Ninth Circle
10	Druid (nine)
11	Arch Druid (three)
12	Grand Druid (only one)

Untied to the church hierarchy, druids can earn divine gifts from their gods. This is dependent wholly on the god in question's whim. Players may start with divine gifts pending GM approval.

The gods do not grant their clerics spells, but Druidic lore includes knowledges of Ogham runes, a sort of symbol magic.

Ogham Runes

Symbol Drawing (Ogham) is the base skill. Each symbol is an IQ based skill requiring Symbol Drawing as a prereq and no default.

Magery and Power Investiture add to Symbol Drawing, but not to individual rune skills. Magery 0 or Power Investiture 1 are required to use rune magic. Runes require a teacher to learn, unless you have Power Investiture, in which case your deity of choice bestows you with the knowledge.

IQ/Average

Ceirt - Communicate
Straif - Weaken
Gort - Strengthen
Getal - Move
Tinne - Protect
Luis - Air, Light
Fearn - Fire
Duir - Plant
Saille - Water

IQ/Hard

Muin - Food/Control
Ruis - Heal
Coll - Sense
Ailm - Create
Nuin - Transform
Onn - Animal, Magic
Uath - Body
Ur - Earth
Idho - Spirit

Bards

The bards are lorekeepers, poets, and versecrafters. They are also skilled magicians, crafting powerful poetic spells. They have the power to spread fame or infamy regarding their subjects, something the reputation-conscious celts take very seriously.

Bardic magic is lyrical and verse based. It makes use of Ritual Magic.

Musical Influence is a IQ/VH skill. Each school afterwards is a seperate M/VH skill defaulting to Musical Influence at -6. Each spell is a Hard technique defaulting to the college skill at a penalty of the number of prerequisites.

Magery (song required) is required, and does add to each skill.

Vates

Vates serve the druids as seers and healers.

Gods

The Druids recognize both general deities, invoked for luck or protection, and local deities in the form of spirits of natural and geographical features. Every mountain, ancient tree, and river has its own protector god-spirit.

Gods Common to Caeldonia and Cymyr

Agrona

Goddess of strife and war

Devotion: Agrona is best served through the merciless slaughter in times of war. The more suffering you cause in her name, the happier she'll be.
Sacrifice: Bloodlust, Callous, Sadism, Berserk
Rewards: Terror, Claws, Extra Attack, Regeneration, Weapon Master, Affliction (Bloodlust, Malediction), Affliction (Berserk, Malediction)

Beira

Goddess of winter

Sacrifice: Suffer through exposure to frostbite to lose fingers/thumb. Lowered constitution through pneumonia.
Rewards: Cold resistance, innate attack (cold, fatigue, freezing), Body of Ice, Binding with Engulfing, Temperature Tolerance, Temperature Control (Cold),

Belisama

Goddess of fire, lakes, rivers, crafts, light, and the forge

Devotion:Mastering crafts and metalwork, producing masterworks.
Rewards:Artificer, water breathing, innate attack (fire), fire resistance

Damara

Goddess of Fertility

Rewards:Faith Healing, Green Thumb, potency

Lugh

A god of generalities representing the Druidic ideal

Devotion: Achieve mastery with the spear or arts.
Rewards: Weapon Master (spear), Wild Talent (crafts), Artificer, Alternate Form (Eagle)

Mapon

God of youth

Devotion: resist maturity
Rewards: Unaging

Nodens

God of the healing, sea, hunting and dogs

Sacrifice: lop off a hand or arm.
Rewards: replacement silver arm (DR, Arm ST), healing (faith), water breathing, enhanced swimming, talk to dogs, control dogs, dog allies.

Taranis

God of thunder

Sacrifice: Limbs crippled on the wheel.
Rewards: Innate Attack (Lightning Bolts), Control (Storms), ST bonus

Veteris

God of hunting

Devotion: Participate in great hunts.
Rewards: Outdoorsman

Caeldonian Gods

Manannan mac Lir

God of the sea, trickster, guide to the underworld

Rewards: water breathing, mimic, morph (cosmetic), Obscure (vision), True Faith, Peaceful Rest, Death Vision

Belatu-Cadros

God of Warriors and war

Devotion: be a good soldier
Rewards: Weapon Master, combat reflexes, high pain threshold, striking strength, enhanced defenses

Coventina

Goddess of wells and springs

Rewards: water breathing, create water, detect springs, detect fresh water, create springs

Cymyr Gods

Branwen

Goddess of Love and Beauty

Rewards: speak with birds, create desire, appearance, emotional control (love and lust)

Cernunnos

Horned god of nature, wild animals, and male fertility

Rewards: stag form, horns, summonable horned male mammal allies, Animal empathy, Shapeshifting (horned mammal), speak with animals

Mogons

God of Might

Devotion: Great feats of strength, particularly in battle
Rewards: ST, Striking ST, Blessed (Feats), HT, Gigantism

Nemetona

Goddess of shrines and sacred groves

Devotion: defend shrines/groves. Take on Duties to same.

Rhiannon

Goddess of horses

Rewards: Talk with horses, horse allies, horse form

Fourth Age:Celtic Paganism

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