FEATURE ARTICLE

Forces of Faith
Worg

Common Symbol of Worg

The masculine woman, Lady Lord of Green, The Huntress. These are all titles held by Worg, the Force of Growth. Whether it be promoting inner strength or simply raising crops, there are many ways to honor this strong, proud Force.

Dogma

"Growth is strength."

Growth can sometimes be a hard thing to describe; Worg covers the mysterious aspect that often goes unnoticed. She is the matron of strength, which is obtained through growth - spiritual, emotional, physical. How this growth is obtained does not matter; to this end, she does not encourage peaceful manners over violent ones.

Example Holy Passages

Taken from Maturation Compendium:

"The tallest tree grows through the tender nurturing of nature but also by ruthlessly bypassing all its siblings."

"Worg warned Ceres of the world without growth: That time itself would cease and all things would be locked in endless twilight, frozen between life and death - a moment, stretched through eternity."

"The fit survive. Things that cannot adapt will inevitably wilt. This can be applied to all things. But that adaptation might simply be to thrive in the light of stronger beings."

Holy Days

Fourth Ferven of Aes - Spiriday: All followers of Worg spend the day by devoting themselves to one activity in the name of Worg. The activity itself does not matter - it could be as simple and easy as making prayer or as complicated as launching a war. The important thing, is to reflect how this honors Worg and her teachings.
Second Ferven of Mena - Bodiday: Worg's followers are encouraged to spend the day in physical labor of any type of their choice, though the priests tend to encourage something productive. The idea is that while one builds the strength of the body, they have time to think and reflect on things (if the work is reptitive enough) or to free their spirits from the stress that can easily build up by worrying too much.
First Aqua of Nuo - Emotiday: This is a rather peculiar holiday, and one not often practiced except by priests and devoted worshipers. The followers of Worg simply spend the day examining their relationships to things - people, objects, themselves, Worg. Anything of significance. This can lead to revelations, epiphanies, and other emtoional breakthroughs. The priests sometimes refer to the holiday as "Pruning Day", likening it to the mundane upkeep of a plant; shearing away withered and dying feelings to let new, fresh feelings bloom.

Roles of a Worg Priest

Worg offers a unique type of priesthood; while there is a definate line between priest and mere worshipper, the line is a thin one. Priests tend to be viewed only as the most devoted of worshippers, but their duties do not differ much from those who merely worship Worg as their primary Force. Much of what Worg extolls encompasses the daily goings on of any individual - from the farmer raising his crops, to the warrior, guard, or soldier. Merchants, attempting to expand their finances, must be shrewd and canny with a quick and keen mind for the expectations and reactions of other people. A simple housewife must ensure the livelihood of her family. Worg touches on the lives of all; some, simply more than others.

It is the duty of the priests, therefore, to spread the knowledge of Worg's wisdom to the unenlightened and to practice her teachings and methods every moment of their lives. Worgans who live in Autus find themselves very absorbed in the tasks to be had there; either cultivating and keeping up her jungle and gardens, to helping the individuals that come to seek assistance in mighty tasks. These tasks often involve physical labor (as non-worshippers tend to forget that there are other aspects of growth) but can also include needing advice to very difficult and tricky problems.

Transcendance Through Priesthood

Transcendency through Worg's priesthood is nothing too terribly special. Like Etaf and Thuoth, it relies strongly on a system of seniority. The twist is that is sometimes not enough, and a particularly zealous young priest may find himself swiftly rising through the ranks. Worgans determine the heirarchy mostly through deed.

All levels of priesthood perform the same duties. Higher ranking priests only need to act as delegates and representatives - or in some rare cases, deciding which priests take on what jobs have been asked for by someone seeking the assistance of the temple.

A novice is either given or asked to purchase some means of keeping track of their noteable deeds - generally in a journal. For every service they provide, act they perform in the name of Worg, or special occurence in their life that they are responsible for, they must record with an additional comment on how this contributed to their personal growth. When a priest desires to move up in rank, they present the journal to a higher ranking priest for approval. If the quota has been met (which varies by temple to temple) they are brought up a rank in the priesthood.

Relations to Other Religions

Efil - Worgans and Efilians have a relationship that varies from individual to individual. On a whole, the religions wind up being mostly neutral towards one another. The more violent Worgans, those that seek to expand their own strength at the expense of others, are often reviled while those who act as protectors and benefactors are smiled upon.

Taed - The same relationship exists with Taedians as with Efilians, but inverted.

Thuoth - Worg priests sometimes frown on Thuothians for exercising their minds more than their bodies (and sometimes spirit), feeling that such singular focus isn't conductive to proper growth. But they also understand the power knowledge has over the growth of civilization and society. The relationship is more or less neutral.

Soahc -Generally Worgans are indifferent to Soachians. They do think Flux has some, grudging, merit in that it forces its citizens to rely only on their inner strength. Furthermore, Worgans understand that to grow, change must exist. However, they do not appreciate the rampant destruction Soachians can sometimes create.

Etaf -Etaf and Worg priests get along fairly well. Rarely do their paths cross and so judgments are left to the individuals.