Spirit Worship

“Spirit Worship” is the name given by the common folk to an ancient religion said to predate both The Eternal and the Lords of the Storm. The people who practice it don't traditionally give the religion a name but will refer to it as “the Spirits” when pressed for one. It is mostly practiced by tribal people and forest dwellers. It has never been a dominant religious force, rarely gathering enough attention to even be recognized in most civilized areas. Nevertheless, it has persisted throughout history, being passed down from one generation to the next.

No one can say for sure when the religion first sprung up because its followers don't believe in putting things into writing. The only written records exist from outside perspectives, and since the religion has always been a minor one few have taken enough interest to do so. Because of this knowledge of the religion is not common and those who are aware of its existence tend to have wildly inaccurate or superstitious ideas about it. Despite the lack of recorded history the religion is surprisingly well spread. It has surfaced throughout history on all the major continents. Scholars attribute this to the inherit nomadic nature of many of the followers.

The religion is centered around the idea that every natural thing in existence has an internal spirit. People, animals, trees, rocks, the rain, it all has its own spirit. Common folk believe that this means the followers believe everything is sacred and mock them for it, but this is not the case. Inanimate things like rocks possess only a small amount of spiritual energy which is by itself powerless. It is only when many rocks are together that the spiritual energy is enough to have power. Living things have a lot more spiritual energy than nonliving things.

All spirits are guided on their paths by the Guiding Spirits. They are the largest, most powerful sources of spiritual energy in existence. It is possible to parallel these Spirits with the gods of most common religions; followers revere them and often look to them for advice and aid. However, there is no worshiping involved and no real organization to the religion; speaking to the spirits is a personal and private affair. Amongst the Guiding Spirits are the Spirit of the Earth, Spirit of the Winds, Spirit of the Forest, and Spirit of the Flames.