Norg

The Empire of Norg (pronounced /nɔrɡ/) is a theocratic empire spanning many worlds of Zien. The gods worshipped by the people of Norg play an important part in their lives, transforming many people into specialized agents with appropriate powers. Many of these divine agents are used in battle, as the Empire of Norg is in frequent conflict with other such empires, its most prominent enemies being the demon-haunted Gray Realm and the Empire of Berdacha, led by amorphous beings called glayhocks. The highly magical Guesederach, on the other hand, is a frequent ally of the Empire.

The Gods

Life in Norg centers around a panoply of gods worshipped by the citizens of the empire, known collectively as the Chalari gods. Generally a particular citizen, while believing in and to some extent respecting all the gods, has particular devotion to one specific god, or a small group of gods. The gods play an important part in Norg's military endeavors, as well; Norg's forces have the ability to call down avatars of their gods to aid them in battle.

Many gods of Norg, and all the major gods, are grouped into dyads, pairs of gods of opposing principles. Usually of opposite genders, the two gods in a dyad work closely together, and are generally seen as lovers or siblings or enmeshed in some similarly close relationship. Paradoxically, however, the mortal servants of the two gods of the dyad are often bitter enemies, constantly at cross purposes and always fighting.

The Ghal

The most important of the gods of Norg are the Ghal, a group of eight gods formed into four dyads. It is from the Ghal that Norg gets its name; each dyad is conventionally represented by a specific single letter, and the four letters taken together spell out the name of the empire. N is the joint symbol of Iian, goddess of togetherness, and Charad, god of conflict. The O is for Ll, god of nature and Usus, goddess of civilization. R is the letter of Eed, god of abstinence, and Faghllal, goddess of consumption; and G of Er, goddess of death, and Xani, god of life.

Each god of the Ghal has an enormous host of mortal servants. The most devout of these servants are gifted with special powers by their patrons, and perhaps transformed into appropriate forms. These servants, called Ghalites collectively, are more specifically named after the gods they serve: the Iianites, Charadites, Llites, Ususites, Eedites, Faghllalites, Erites, and Xanites.

The Oloth

The Oloth are monstrous divinities who fight against the Ghal and most of the rest of the Chalari gods. According to the Chalari priests, however, even they have their purpose in the overall plan, that purpose being to provide the gods with a challenge and keep their abilities fresh. The Oloth are not worshipped, except perhaps by a few rare cultists. Among the best known of the Oloth are the cancroid Araghl; the long-bodied, multilimbed Daxada, and the amorphous Thxxar.

The Qadri

The Qadri are chaotic gods whose purpose is said to be to prevent complacency. The Qadri remain something of a mystery; they differ radically, and while only a handful are known by name, their total number is certainly much larger. The eccentric Qadrites, worshippers of the Qadri, are utterly unpredictable, sometimes siding with the forces of Norg against the empire's enemies, and just as often siding with those enemies and fighting against Norg's armies, including the representatives of the other Chalari gods.

Other Gods

The above categories do not by any means exhaust the variety of the Chalari gods; they encompass a multitude of deities, though the majority are not widely worshipped. Other gods that do have a fairly broad power base include Mllor, god of conquest; Snneen, goddess of victory; Darghr, god of labor; Maxag, goddess of knowledge; Ghnan, god of love; and Chasadh, goddess of wealth. Achthreen, genderless god of foulness, has few worshippers but is still well known because of the hideous thurlocks it spreads across the worlds.

Government

The Empire of Norg is led by a council of high priests representing each god of the Ghal. They do not meet at a single location, but rather the government capital rotates on a regular schedule among the worlds that represent the centers of power of each of the gods: Meed, the capital world of Iian; Xos, the capital of Charad; Axa, capital of Ll; Numlle, capital of Usus; Chee, capital of Eed; Therqin, capital of Faghllal; Lnnai, capital of Er; and Thaior, capital of Xani.

Similar councils act at local levels, administering particular worlds or particular districts within those worlds; the hierarchy runs up to eight layers deep. In certain localities, the priesthood of one particular god, or a few gods, may be dominant, but in the Empire as a whole the influences of all eight priesthoods are fairly well balanced.

Citizens

Most of Norg's citizens are human, or at least are born human before being altered into Ghalites or other varieties of Chalarite. However, Norg does have non-human citizens as well; firassyn, cai, and ulbuses are counted among their numbers, and glashans and wengels are valued as cavalry in Norgan armies. Norg is fairly racially egalitarian; in principle, at least, all races have equal rights under the law, though that's certainly not to say tht local prejudices may not exist.

Magic

Wizards of any kind are fairly rare in Norg, its people relying more on powers granted from their gods than in spells they cast themselves. They are not entirely unknown, however, the vast majority of those who do exist using the same kinds of magic found throughout the cosmos of Doun. The form of magic known as pyshagus seems especially popular, though it's not entirely clear how this magic became widespread in Norg given its usual association with the shee, with whom the Empire of Norg has little truck. Some speak of secret cabals of wizards allied with the shee, and perhaps plotting to bring down the theocracy, though there's little real evidence of any such conspiracy.

One magical phenomenon unique to Norg is that of the crystal tree, strange ramose formations of living mineral, the broken branches of which can be used to fire off magical rays, as a sort of grown and harvested magic wand. The exact powers inherent in the crystal wand depend on details of how the tree was grown and nurtured; experienced crystal gardeners can use subtle means to grow wands of a wide variety of different effects, and may be much sought after and highly paid for their skills.