Fourth Age:Roman Paganism

Roman Polytheism is the religion followed through most of western Europe in the Fourth Age GURPS setting. The faith was spread far and wide with the Roman Empire, remaining behind when the empire itself receded.

Romanism is a polytheistic faith centered around worship of the Roman pantheon of gods and goddesses.

Beliefs

Numina

Numina are spirits that inhabit objects and places, as well as govern aspects of human behavior. Modern Romanism downplays the importance of Numina, though they are still believed to exist in at least a metaphoric sense.

Genius

The Genius are ancestor spirits, each family honoring their own dead with their own rites. Every individual has a personal genius (women have a juno) that watches over them, capable of granting intellectual powers. Regions, families, households, and cities have their own Genii as well.

Gods

The most important numina had been merged over the years with foreign gods, mostly greek.

Worship and Practice

While lesser numina and family genii had their own occasional rites, the worship of Gods was organized into cults. Foreign cults are tolerated as well in most states, though France and Spain are less tolerant than others. Cybele, Isis, Mithras, and Sol Invictus are particularly important foreign cults.

Most of the cults preach orthopraxy, that devotion to the gods is best shown not through faith but through religious rituals and practice.

Practices

Festivals

The Roman calendar includes many festival days. Different days are observed in different nations, but the core ones are considered universal.

Saturnalia

Saturnalia is celebrated for seven days, from December 17th to 23rd, during the winter solstice. All business was suspended, slaves were given temporary freedom, gifts were exchanged, and merriment prevailed.

Lupercalia

Lupercalia is a purification ritual celebrated on Februarius 15th. Its aims are to cleanse evil spirits and purify the city releasing health and fertility, in honor of the God Faunus. The Luperci (brothers of the wolf), priests of Faunus, preside. The ritual begins with sacrifices of goats and a dog, a sacrificial feast, and other rituals. Priests clad only in goatskin whip the gathered crowd to bestow fertility.

Equirria

Equirria is a military festival celebrated on Februarius 17th and Martius 14th glorifying Mars. Rites were performed purifying the military. Horse races are performed by celebrants, and traditionally this is when military campaigns are planned.

Secular Games

The Secular Games are held irregularly whenever the last person known to have witnessed the last has died. They are meant to usher in a new era, lasting three days and three nights. In practice they are simply held once every 100 to 110 years. Sacrifices are made to the underworld gods (Pluto, Proserpina, Dis Pater). These sacrifices are followed up with theater performances.

It should be noted that human sacrifice is no longer practiced, but instead effigies are used when needed.

Roman Divisions

Orthodox Romanism

Membership in any of the Roman priestly Colleges is an honor bestowed upon wealthy or important families. In some cases this is little more than a political appointment. In all cases save the Vestal Virgins membership is for life.

College of Pontiffs

The College of Pontiffs is the board of the highest ranking priests of the religion within continental Europe, including the Holy Roman Empire, the Kingdom of France, Arragon and Castile, and the Italian city-states. It consists of the Pontifex Maximus, the Vestal Virgins, the Rex Sacrorum, and the flamines. The pontiffs choose new members of their order from the noble classes. The primary duty of the college is to advise rulers on the will of the gods. One of their most important duties was their guardianship of the libri pontificii, a chest that contained crucial documents and artifacts necessary to the functioning of Roman religion.

The Pontifex Maximus is the most important priest in the college, and thus, in the religion. The office is elected from among their own number by the Pontiffs. His main duty is to maintain the peace of the gods, but there are numerous other administrative duties as well, including enforcement of religious law.

The flamines are the high priests of each recognized god's cult. Not all cults have flamen; only those most vital to feudal society.

The flamen maior are of the cults of Jupiter, Mars, and . The flamen minor are of the cults of , , , , and .

The Vestal Virgins tend to Rome's sacred hearth, keeping the flame burning within the Temple of Vesta. Around age 6 to 10, girls were chosen for this position and were obligated to perform the rites and obligations, including remaining chaste, for 30 years.

The Rex Sacrorum takes on the role of symbolic king in rituals, standing in for the office of supreim emperor in Rome. Rituals performed in other nations will use the nation's actual ruler.

The Augurs

The Augurs are a priestly order, their main role was to interpret the will of the gods by studying the flight of the birds (flying in groups/alone, what noises they make as they fly, direction of flight and what kind of birds they are), known as "taking the auspices." The ceremony and function of the augur was central to any major undertaking in Roman society--public or private--including matters of war, commerce, and religion.

They do not predict what course of action should be taken, but through his augury he finds signs on whether or not a course already decided upon meets with divine sanction and should proceed.

The Augur travel throughout Europe, availing themselves of those who need their services.

Quindecemviri sacris faciundis

The Quindecemviri are fifteen priests in charge of the miscellaneous religious duties. Most notably they guarded the Sibylline Books and it was for them to consult these scriptures and interpret them when requested to do so by the Roman states. The Sibylline Books being evidently understood as something foreign, this college also was to oversee the worship of any foreign gods which were introduced to Western Europe.

Seven feasters

They arranged feasts and public banquets at festivals and games.

Alpen Romanism

While technically part of Orthodox Romanism and recognizing the authority of the College of Pontiffs, the Dwarves have their own take on the nature of the Gods, and hence their own flamines. The Dwarven flamen maior are of Pluto, Vulcan, and Cybelle. The Dwarven flamen minor are Mars, Vesta, Athena, and .

Heptarchy Romanism

The heptarchy does not recognize the authority of the Collage of Pontiffs. The priests of the cults in the Heptarchy have no authority higher than the individual temple. They do have Augurs, however.

Roman Gods

The gods are listed below. Devotion is what the god tends to reward for, in addition to general worship/championing. Sacrifice are vows or other disadvantages the player can take up in the hope of being compensated. Rewards are what the god may choose to reward the faithful with.

Apollo

God of the sun, poetry, music, medicine and healing, light, truth, archery, and oracles, moderation and virtue

• Devotion: Pursue arete
• Sacrifice: Truthfulness
• Rewards: light/heat powers, healing/protective songs, innate attack (solar arrows), affliction (plague), affliction (intuition), blessing, oracle, Heroic Archer

Bona Dea/Fauna

Goddess of fertility, healing, freed slaves, and women

• Devotion: Free slaves, heal the sick
• Rewards: Herb Lore, healing (faith), talk to snakes, control snakes, alternate form (snake)

Bacchus

God of wine, civilization, madness, agriculture, theater

• Sacrifice: Alcoholism, various madnesses
• Rewards: Allies (Maenad, summonable), cat form, talk to cats, affliction (drunkenness, madness), transmute liquid (to wine), create wine

Carmenta

Goddess of childbirth, prophecy, and technological innovation

• Devotion: Improve industry, protect mothers and children, vows
• Rewards: gadgeteer, High Tech, blessing, higher purpose (protect children)

Ceres

Goddess of growing plants and motherly love

• Devotion: Protect your children, grow a lot of food
• Sacrifice: Become a mother (dependants)
• Rewards: Green Thumb, Create Grain, Heal Plants

Cybelle/Magna Mater

Goddess of the fertile earth, a goddess of caverns and mountains, walls and fortresses, nature, wild animals (especially lions and bees)

• Sacrifice: Castration
• Rewards: Lion form, bee swarm form, summon lions, summon bees, innate attack (bees), control bees, plant empathy, animal empathy, talk with animals, tree form

Diana

Goddess of the hunt, wild animals, woodlands, the moon, chastity, slaves

• Devotion: Chastity, hunting
• Rewards: Heroic Archery, Speak with Animals, Lycanthropy, moonlight, boosted stats under moonlight

Flora

Goddess of flowers, springtime

• Rewards: Plant empathy, speak with plants, green thumb, plant form, healing

Fortuna

Goddess of fortune, chaos, fate

• Devotion: Take chances
• Sacrifice: Unluckiness, Weirdness Magnet
• Rewards: Daredevil, Luck, Serendipity, Affliction (Luck), Affliction (Unluckiness), Affliction (Weirdness Magnet)

Janus

God of doors, transitions, beginnings and endings

• Devotion: New beginnings
• Rewards: Open/close doors, teleport from door to door, bless new ventures

Juno

Goddess of marriage, queen of the gods

• Devotion: Be a good spouse
• Rewards: Curse the unfaithful, blessed domestic matters