WORLD BOOK WORLD BOOK WORLD BOOK 0022 0022
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isting authorities and establish themselves as the last vestige of civil order. Water Guild officers ruthlessly enforce
their edicts of water conservation and strict controls over
its access and use. Their oldest guildhall rests in Rhojess,
and while they are nearly extinct there due to the city’s
decline, they yet retain more control over the city than its
merchant princes (as water is a necessity, while coin is not).
proximity, or mere touch, or an earnest conversion by
the Prophet’s words. The Kuad Ahir now fan out across
the face of Khitus, spreading His message, doing His
work, aided by the magic-that-is-not-magic to change
stubborn minds and open closed hearts. Theirs is a
growing host of words and ideas that is, by some measures, more powerful than a thousand legions.
Agendas of Faith
Shadazim (Right Minders)
Even during the Classic Age, there were those who
claimed to speak for and with the gods, though few
heeded them due to the splendor of life under the guidance of the Daragkarik—the Dragon Kings. Now, with so
much hope lost, as well as the Daragkarik, many more
now cling to the idea that some powerful beings may
shield them from the worst Khitus unleashes. These
folk claim they bring strength and solace to the devout,
should their prayers and sacrifices be enough to afford
protection. Most, however, see opportunists in clerical
garb using fear as a club.
Kuad Ahir (The Awakened /
The Changed)
It is no wonder that Khitans of all backgrounds turn to
old ways in the face of a changing world. Faced with uncertainty, people turn to strength. Challenged by powerful enemies, they reach out to familiar institutions.
But the counterpoint to violence and decay, to plunder
and hatred, deserves a voice as well. One such message
is gaining momentum across the bright face of Khitus,
carried by the sandaled feet of the Kuad Ahir, disciples
of the Prophet.
The Prophet’s story is as straightforward as His message.
He emerged alive from the prison dungeons of Shomik,
a forsaken place that rarely allows its prisoners back to
the world of the living. Eight fellow prisoners, all oncedespicable scoundrels turned by His irresistible persuasions, left those dungeons with Him as devoted disciples.
The Eight aided the Prophet, helping Him to survive so
His message could spread. Now, they too broadly preach
the Prophet’s message of love and universal brotherhood.
The Eight are the founding devotees of the Kuad Ahir,
the ‘Changed’ who have heard the Prophet first-hand
and had their minds forever altered in so doing. Some
call them mind benders, others sarhaks, the ancient
name of the psychic practitioners. Deep within each
of the Awakened, as they are sometimes called, mental powers suddenly germinated to life, whether by His
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The Shadazim are the emergent, power-seeking clergy
making new appeals to the ancient tribal gods with some
success. They find an audience by preaching dismissively
of the Dragon Kings as temporary usurpers of true godly
power, forever gone now and best forgotten. They have
made a gradual rise across all lands after the departure of
the Dragon Kings, slowly filling the power vacuum.
Oft called the Right Minders by supporters, these
priests revive the worship of the ancient animalistic
gods. Of course, most individual Shadazim have ulterior
motives for particular wealth or power, so their revival of
ancient temples (or at least worship of those same powers) allows them to also seize whatever local power they
can at the same time.
High to Low Clergy
Cheldar Shadazim are the senior, most established
clerics in their realm with presumed partnership with
the deity they espouse. They control any holdings of
their faiths, from lands and buildings to the coffers of
prayer coins. Their Deshadiz subpriests keep themselves locked away, their prayers and scholarly studies
deemed of utmost importance to the faith (as are some
covert works for their Cheldar, including generation of
“ancient worship texts” and “holy writ”). The Shadam
are the lay priests who work directly with their Shadazite
followers, spreading the Word of the Cheldar and their
particular god. All Shadam must adhere in all ways to the
Cheldar’s teachings, and ignorance of any rule or saying
is never an excuse. The Deshadiz’s sole semi-public role
involves the brutal punishment of Shadam or followers
for transgressions against the Cheldar’s doctrine, followed by immediate banishment from the faith.
The Rising Faiths
In these strained times, the Shadazim have grown numerous. Every ancient god has a Shadazim or two somewhere on Khitus, and each has numerous legends (some
created only recently and spread through rumors by Deshadiz and Shadam). Some Shadazim follow “ancient”
gods that are wholly invented with no true history at
