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Roseweave
Learned Scribe
Ireland
212 Posts |
 Posted - 17 Jan 2015 : 23:42:45
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It's a mash up of pre and post Islamic ideas and traditions. Mentally I refer to it as "Realms Islam".
Also - given the cultural overlap - would it make sense to have it presented as having a presence in Calimshan? It seems like the most sensicle way to deal with the two existing(and Calimshan being quite small for the amount of ground it covers thematically - the Ottoman empire being everything from the edge of Morrocco to Saudi Arabia at one time) is to treat it as "Little Al-Qadim".
We're kind of designing a world in our game atm that's ruled by an Aranean royal family, who are presented as being somewhat middle eastern in origin, though they have a mixed culture. I was thinking the reverence from Spiders could come from a Synchronicity between the Mesoamerican influences of Maztica and Islam, as spiders are sacred to both. It can be tough to keep the real world influences light enough so you have room to move about without being horribly cultural inaccurate but also respecting the real world influences that are blatantly there.
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jan 2015 : 02:36:47
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| Officially, I can't immediately recall anything definitive from the relevant sourcebooks on the matter. PLANESCAPE's On Hallowed Ground simply lopped it all together as "the Zakharan religions/pantheons" IIRC, and I do recall a singular tidbit in 2e Monster Mythology that suggested part of the Zakharan religious base had an old name it was once referred to as... but that's slipping my mind at the moment. |
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Marc
Senior Scribe
662 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jan 2015 : 14:21:53
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| Nothing official as far as I know, I use Qadar (Fate) |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36971 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jan 2015 : 15:40:31
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quote:
Originally posted by Marc
Nothing official as far as I know, I use Qadar (Fate)
I like that one.  |
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Roseweave
Learned Scribe
Ireland
212 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jan 2015 : 17:11:54
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| That makes sense. Thanks! |
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Roseweave
Learned Scribe
Ireland
212 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jan 2015 : 17:12:34
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| Also, would it make sense for it to have a presence in Calimshan since the two are obviously culturally linked? The presence of other religions being explained by Calimshan being closer to the rest of Faerun, and the Djinn screwing things up. |
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Baltas
Senior Scribe
Poland
959 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jan 2015 : 18:01:59
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That's a very interesting idea Roseweave, I also sometimes though of having the Zakharan religion having presssence in Calimshan. If I remember right, Calishite folk are descended from Zakharan folk, that were 400-500 years ago kidnapped by the genies, and transported 9000 years into the past.
[EDIT]
Now I have some more precise info. It was written in the Empires of the Shinning Sea, that sages theorize that the temoral gate was oppened by Djen in Zakhara around 869 DR, and transported Zakharans into the territory of Calishan, but in year -7,800 DR.
The Imaskari also have some connection with the land of fate, as the isle of Sahu, seemed to have been settled by them. |
Edited by - Baltas on 18 Jan 2015 18:11:11 |
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Fellfire
Master of Realmslore
1965 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jan 2015 : 18:15:14
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| Imaskari on Sahu? The old mushroom-shaped towers? Source? |
Misanthorpe
Love is a lie. Only hate endures. Light is blinding. Only in darkness do we see clearly.
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Baltas
Senior Scribe
Poland
959 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jan 2015 : 19:05:23
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quote:
Originally posted by Fellfire
Imaskari on Sahu? The old mushroom-shaped towers? Source?
Uuups, I mut apolognize. I confused some stuff, and it seems that the The Necromancer Kings of Sahu, as well as the Kingdoms of Nog and Kadar, being Imaskari in origin, is only a theory by Markustay. My bad 
But still, it's a very interesting theory. |
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Roseweave
Learned Scribe
Ireland
212 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jan 2015 : 19:16:07
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| Our GM doesn't like timetravel, lol. Why do you need timetravel to do that when you could just have people come over? |
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Baltas
Senior Scribe
Poland
959 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jan 2015 : 19:40:09
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quote:
Originally posted by Roseweave
Our GM doesn't like timetravel, lol. Why do you need timetravel to do that when you could just have people come over?
Well yeah, but it's suggested in canon. Also, if they the future Calishite, were trasported from Zakhara in year -7,800, that would thousands of years before the faith in Fate was created. Although one could say that it simply migrated through travel, and trade.
Although I think Selan, would be replaced with Selune in the Calimshan version of the faith in the Fate, especialy that they may be the same goddess. |
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Roseweave
Learned Scribe
Ireland
212 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jan 2015 : 20:22:19
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| Given the similarities in culture it really wouldn't take long before Calimshan was colonised or became a major cultural trade parter with Zakhara. |
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combatmedic
Senior Scribe
USA
428 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jan 2015 : 06:47:33
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quote:
Originally posted by Marc
Nothing official as far as I know, I use Qadar (Fate)
That makes perfect sense, because the Loregiver's revelations about Fate are what tie it all together. Otherwise you'd have a lot of disparate polytheist cults with some common cultural traits.
Very cool name, Marc.
:) |
YMMV= Your Mileage May Vary. I'm putting it here so I don't have to type it in every other post. :) |
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Baltas
Senior Scribe
Poland
959 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jan 2015 : 07:24:03
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Yeah, Marc's suggestion is pretty great.
Also, Roseweave, what do you think of Selune replacing Selan, in the Calishite version of the 8 Great Gods? Or they could treat them as the same being(which is probable they actualy are).
Another one, could be Waukeen, replacing Jisan, like Jauhar replaces her in the Cities of the Pantheon. |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jan 2015 : 08:56:44
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quote:
Originally posted by Marc
Nothing official as far as I know, I use Qadar (Fate)
I think that's actually what I'm remembering... from Monster Mythology. Something about a "Pantheon of Fates," or somesuch. |
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Baltas
Senior Scribe
Poland
959 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jan 2015 : 20:55:59
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| Also, about Aranea, you could have them worship Neith or Ishtar, instead of Zanassu or Selvetarm, as both goddesses were connected to spiders, with Neith being sometimes even presented as spider. If it's on Torill, you could have Neith losing human worshippers, and fully shifing to Aranea worshippers. Or have them worship an aspect of Isis, as she absorbed Ishtar's portfolio on Toril(Ishtar enabled this of her oown will), and possibly could also absorb Neith's, as the goddess could die in the Orc-Gate wars. |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
12194 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jan 2015 : 21:08:34
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| Just a thought on the Calimshan / Zakhara religious link. Would it not be interesting if the descendants of the individuals transported to the past actually transported themselves somehow to Zakhara, seeding their religion there. Possibly these religious folks were fleeing Calimshan as the Faerunian Pantheon was encroaching upon their faith, and they sought out the "promised land" to the east. Thus there might be some who remained behind and worshipped in secret to keep the religion alive, but it flourished in Zakhara. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Baltas
Senior Scribe
Poland
959 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jan 2015 : 22:18:35
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Very interesing idea sleyvas, especialy that the Loregiver's origin's and exact story are somewhat obscure. Also, one could say that before the encroachment by the Faerunian pantheon, Calimshan kept constant portals to Zakhara.
Also, if the Aranea worship the Eight Great Gods, you can have them imagine the Great Eight Gods as limbs of Fate, the Great Spinner, who the Aranea would see as a cosmic spider, weaving destinies. |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 20 Jan 2015 : 00:48:19
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I think I just went with 'Enlightenment' for their religion. Its actually very similar to Faerûn in that it has many gods (some even shared with The Realms), and not everyone believes in or worships all of them together, and some have stronger following in some areas then others, and they are even grouped together differently depending upon the city or region. Its not even really a religion - its just sort-of 'free form' piety (the only thing they find strange is someone who believes in nothing).
In an old timeline that I did, I had it where after Fate scattered the humans of Zakhara 'to the four winds', the once-enthralled Dgen took over, and just like their human predecessors they formed into clans and then kingdoms, enslaving others, and eventually went to war with one-another. The final survivor of that war would have been Memnon (the others were forced to flee before him). What finally drove Memnon out of The Land of Fate is anyone's guess. There is even a story about the four 'genie lords' in the beginning of the Zakhara material who are not named, and I always felt that was a coy reference to the four that showed up in Calimshan.
quote:
Originally posted by Baltas
quote:
Originally posted by Fellfire
Imaskari on Sahu? The old mushroom-shaped towers? Source?
Uuups, I mut apolognize. I confused some stuff, and it seems that the The Necromancer Kings of Sahu, as well as the Kingdoms of Nog and Kadar, being Imaskari in origin, is only a theory by Markustay. My bad
But still, it's a very interesting theory.
Its been a long time since I've thought about all of that.
I think I figured them to be Imaskari survivor-states. At the most they would have been 'out-lying jungle-colonies', not a part of Imaskar proper. Just some far-off place some Imaskari Sorcerers like to go and hunt (probable both sentient and non-sentients) and what-not, and after their Empire went BOOM, some may have fled in that direction. I gather they fled in many directions - I can think of around 20 other kingdoms that were definitely or highly likely 'survivor states' of theirs.
I really, REALLY need to do some sort of historic map of Imasakar, like one of those changing ones over time I've seen around. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 20 Jan 2015 00:53:08 |
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TBeholder
Great Reader
2511 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jan 2016 : 14:35:27
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Overall? "The Law of the Loregiver".
quote:
Originally posted by Roseweave
It's a mash up of pre and post Islamic ideas and traditions. Mentally I refer to it as "Realms Islam".
It's not a direct imitation. Not only polytheism, but e.g. the Loregiver's records had to be re-discovered.
More of a... partial reconstruction as the setting, from several different premises.
E.g. traditional maximum of 4 wives is explained by the first sha'ir having 4 wives (one of each element, yes). Maybe not that much of a law set in stone... but the implicit question "are you more of a man than THIS dude?" is obvious.
quote:
Also - given the cultural overlap - would it make sense to have it presented as having a presence in Calimshan? It seems like the most sensicle way to deal with the two existing(and Calimshan being quite small for the amount of ground it covers thematically - the Ottoman empire being everything from the edge of Morrocco to Saudi Arabia at one time) is to treat it as "Little Al-Qadim".
To me, it looks like Arabian or Persian vs. Ottoman Turkish" sub-settings.
Even if some roots were common, the peoples differ enough that they won't get along and if met, probably would end up trying to chop or smoke each other.
quote:
We're kind of designing a world in our game atm that's ruled by an Aranean royal family, who are presented as being somewhat middle eastern in origin, though they have a mixed culture. I was thinking the reverence from Spiders could come from a Synchronicity between the Mesoamerican influences of Maztica and Islam, as spiders are sacred to both.
Calimshan isn't Herath. And local Aranea are somewhat shy (and for a good reason).
quote:
It can be tough to keep the real world influences light enough so you have room to move about without being horribly cultural inaccurate but also respecting the real world influences that are blatantly there.
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
Just a thought on the Calimshan / Zakhara religious link. Would it not be interesting if the descendants of the individuals transported to the past actually transported themselves somehow to Zakhara, seeding their religion there. Possibly these religious folks were fleeing Calimshan as the Faerunian Pantheon was encroaching upon their faith, and they sought out the "promised land" to the east. Thus there might be some who remained behind and worshipped in secret to keep the religion alive, but it flourished in Zakhara.
But what's with the first Grand Caliph supposedly discovering the Loregiver's scrolls in the Akara Mountains?
But if you're looking for branches, there's also possibly related united yet polytheistic cult of Adama in Durpar (the one where veneration of Waukeen apparently started).
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People never wonder How the world goes round -Helloween
And even I make no pretense Of having more than common sense -R.W.Wood
It's not good, Eric. It's a gazebo. -Ed Whitchurch |
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moonbeast
Senior Scribe
USA
522 Posts |
Posted - 20 Jan 2016 : 03:19:11
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Hmmm, Zakhara is the Lands of Fate. So their cultural (religious) philosophy would be…. Fatalism? err…. that doesn't sound right. ;)
Marc, where did you come up with Qadar (Fate)? Was that word mentioned from one of the Calimshan/Zakhara supplements? Or is it from Real-Life Arabic? |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
8035 Posts |
Posted - 20 Jan 2016 : 18:43:03
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Qadar is indeed an Arabic word. It could be translated as something like "divine destiny", "divine fate", "divine foresight", or "predestination", it is one of Islam's six articles of faith and it encompasses the entire fundamental concept of divine (pre)destiny in Islamic culture. It is said that Allah is always omnipresent, fully omniscient, and (through His works) truly omnipotent - and that people do have free will only so long as they properly worship Him.
"Fatalism" and "Islamic" already mean other (very specific, very different) things, lol. "Determinism" might be more accurate. But why wouldn't "Zakharan" be a fine choice for the Realms?
"Zakharan" is as good a term as any other, especially to outsiders and foreigners ignorant of the faith. Zakhara is called the Land of Fate, Zakharans would be the people of the land and invariably entwined within Zakhara's uniform culture, religion, and philosophy - I'd assume that even if they did have another name for their religion it would be commonly subsumed by "Zakharan" to everyone else in the Realms. (And remember that the simple folk of the Realms have many other important things to worry about, like orcs and dragons and thieves and soldiers and Red Wizards and hoping their harvest will be successful this season, they just don't have much time to waste on babbling foreigners with strange foreign religions unless coins or holy wars or pedantic debates over the finer points of theological academia are involved.)
It's worth noting that Tyche, Tymora, and Beshaba are deities of great stature who represent fortune, luck, and fate in Faerun. Tyche is of course modelled after the eponymous goddess of Ancient Greece, a prominent part of their pantheon. Tymora and Beshaba are arguably goddesses of great stature in the Realms but are still subject to meddling from other deities (and from each other). The Ancient Roman version, Fortuna, was initially an adaptation of Tyche but eventually evolved into a preeminent goddess who could be comparable (in terms of perceived power and impact on the world) to Mystra in the Realms - people revered Fortuna long after the Roman Empire(s) fell and Fortuna was something of a significant formative influence on early Christianity. Other great deities in the Realms represent things like Law, Justice, Knowledge, the Sun, and War - and these are all things revered greatly in Islam - though I can understand TSR's/Wizbro's paranoid reluctance to "offend" their audience with references to Islamic teachings, Islamic law, Islamic wars, and Islamic sun worship, lol.
Taoists and Buddhists embrace a path of least resistance, "following the flow" of the universe. Hindu religions are based on karmic principles, where predestination is an ongoing cyclic process which rewards the faithful and punishes offenders. Western Christianity often asserts that "God's will" or "God's plan" cannot really be opposed (or even understood), at least not without enduring great spiritual and worldly hardships. Quantum physicists understand the universe(s) as an expression of uncertain mathematical probabilities. Philosophers wrangle with questions of free will in hyperspecific detail. The notion of (super)natural "fate" and "predestination" is recognized in all of these belief systems, it's just applied differently. |
[/Ayrik] |
Edited by - Ayrik on 20 Jan 2016 20:05:58 |
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Mirtek
Senior Scribe
595 Posts |
Posted - 20 Jan 2016 : 20:23:13
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quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
Tyche is of course modelled after the eponymous goddess of Ancient Greece, a prominent part of their pantheon.
She's even supposed to be her, with the rest of the D&D olympians still wondering where she went |
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moonbeast
Senior Scribe
USA
522 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jan 2016 : 01:35:23
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quote:
Originally posted by Mirtek
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
Tyche is of course modelled after the eponymous goddess of Ancient Greece, a prominent part of their pantheon.
She's even supposed to be her, with the rest of the D&D olympians still wondering where she went
I don't blame her for defecting to Faerun. The people are nicer in Faerun. And the cuisine in Ancient Greece was boring anyways, everyone (including the minotaurs and hydras) always eating olives and heroes. |
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TBeholder
Great Reader
2511 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jan 2016 : 08:19:41
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quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
"Zakharan" is as good a term as any other, especially to outsiders and foreigners ignorant of the faith.
Of course, but baka-gaijin Clueless things are trivial to make up, almost by definition. 
quote:
Taoists and Buddhists embrace a path of least resistance, "following the flow" of the universe.
Haha... What.
quote:
Hindu religions are based on karmic principles, where predestination is an ongoing cyclic process which rewards the faithful and punishes offenders.
Where you even found something this preposterous?
quote:
Originally posted by Mirtek
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
Tyche is of course modelled after the eponymous goddess of Ancient Greece, a prominent part of their pantheon.
She's even supposed to be her, with the rest of the D&D olympians still wondering where she went
The amusing part, of course, is that sneaking away in the first place was against her pantheon's rules - the Olympians know how they promote each other, even if they are bickering among themselves all the time. |
People never wonder How the world goes round -Helloween
And even I make no pretense Of having more than common sense -R.W.Wood
It's not good, Eric. It's a gazebo. -Ed Whitchurch |
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Baltas
Senior Scribe
Poland
959 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jan 2016 : 08:58:10
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Well, about Tyche in the Realms, yeah she was connected directly to the Greek version of her, even being her in 2e. Although dazzlerdal had an interesting take on all of this, and saying with sense and foundation he based it on Ed's musings on how he ran his original home Realms. Dazzlerdal wrote that Tyche in the Realms, was created by some Hellenic(Greek), or at least Greek pantheon worshipping interlopers migrating to Faerun, bringing the worship of Tyche with them. Overtime, the cult spread to other populations of Faerun, resulting in formation of the Faerunian Tyche.
And about Greek and Islamic connnection, Moslem writters, philosphers and wisemen, were greatly influenced by Greek literature. Even further back, Greeks themselves were influenced by even older cultures of Levant, Mesopotamia and Anatolia.
Greek culture even influenced Buddhism, via the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom and Greco-Buddhism.
The Japanaese god Fujin, is basically the Greek Boreas, interloping into Japan.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C5%ABjin
Tyche is also called Kismet among her aliases. Kismet is a Turkish word meaning "Fate" or "Destiny", and it's interpreted as will of God, and may be partof the inspiration for the Zakharan concept of Fate by the designers. The word Kismet itself is derived from Arabian Qisma, meaning the same.
Qisma itself, may be connected to the name of Mamitu, the Mesopotamian goddess of Fate.
Of course, Kismet is quite probably the Bedine name of Tyche, but I wonder if it somehow isn't connected to the name of the Zakharan Fate religion, seeing how Bedines came from Zakhara.. |
Edited by - Baltas on 21 Jan 2016 09:04:45 |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6447 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jan 2016 : 19:50:46
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Well I don't remember saying exactly that but if I did it wasn't quite what I meant.
A belief in a powerful being that guides the fates of everyone is probably not an uncommon occurance so the various tribes of the north probably each had their own ancestor deity or sacred animal totem that was believed to guide their fates in some way.
Ed has already stated there are numerous links between earth and the realms (and indeed many other worlds) and that people have passed from one to another many times.
So it could have been a single greek or maybe a group that made their way to Toril in the region of the Tunland or Netheril. Their encounter with the native peoples results in lines of communication being opened that ultimately culminate in the swapping of gods (in the real world we wage war over religion so one can assume it takes a place of prime importance in all human peoples the multiverse over and of course everyone wants to have the biggest and best).
So the natives describe their ancestors and how they watch over the tribe. The greeks describe a powerful giant like being that lives atop the tallest mountain of the world and how she controls the fates of millions of people and how the gods battled the titans and generally just swap mythology.
The natives are awed at the tales of this magical world and the strange but strong iron weapons (remember iron wasn't available to humans in that region until the Nether Age). So they adopt the name and some customs of deities that closely correlate with their own ancestor spirits and hey presto the beginnings of Tyche.
After a few centuries or millennia Tyche is just the name of an ancestor spirit that is common to all the natives with little of the greek customs remaining. When the Netherese pick up that worship from the natives that is when we have the beginning of a church (civilisation breeds organisations. Until the point of civilisation it is just tribal customs).
At least that's how I treat it. Its an organic evolution involving diplomacy and communication and the trading of ideas that are then watered down and corrupted by the passage of time.
But then I treat Toril's cosmology as isolated from other worlds. Yes they all share the same planes but those planes are near infinite in size so in my mind the chances of people on Toril worshipping the same god as people elsewhere is infintessimally small. And even if they do worship the same god in my game the gods take no actions in the real world unless it suits them to do so. Deities don't like the whinging little insects known as mortals that constantly plead for salvation from every little problem including the fly that landed in their breakfast. Deities use mortals as they see fit for their own plans. They almost certainly never speak direct to mortals because it would definitely kill them to be exposed to the power of a god and because mortals are way beneath their notice. Yes they rely on mortals for divine power but just as politicians rely on citizens for election they rarely take notice of their plight and tend to ignore them only interacting with them when they must. |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
12194 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jan 2016 : 14:34:38
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quote:
Originally posted by TBeholder
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
Just a thought on the Calimshan / Zakhara religious link. Would it not be interesting if the descendants of the individuals transported to the past actually transported themselves somehow to Zakhara, seeding their religion there. Possibly these religious folks were fleeing Calimshan as the Faerunian Pantheon was encroaching upon their faith, and they sought out the "promised land" to the east. Thus there might be some who remained behind and worshipped in secret to keep the religion alive, but it flourished in Zakhara.
But what's with the first Grand Caliph supposedly discovering the Loregiver's scrolls in the Akara Mountains?
But if you're looking for branches, there's also possibly related united yet polytheistic cult of Adama in Durpar (the one where veneration of Waukeen apparently started).
The first Grand Caliph received a vision, he got caught in a sandstorm and left his life to fate. He ended up in a cave with some writing. Who says where that writing came from? It could have been where some exiles from Calimshan who worshipped the old religion came and died (or even just a single exile... maybe this was his safe transport cave linked to a contingency effect, etc...).
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Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
12194 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jan 2016 : 14:36:39
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quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
Qadar is indeed an Arabic word. It could be translated as something like "divine destiny", "divine fate", "divine foresight", or "predestination", it is one of Islam's six articles of faith and it encompasses the entire fundamental concept of divine (pre)destiny in Islamic culture. It is said that Allah is always omnipresent, fully omniscient, and (through His works) truly omnipotent - and that people do have free will only so long as they properly worship Him.
"Fatalism" and "Islamic" already mean other (very specific, very different) things, lol. "Determinism" might be more accurate. But why wouldn't "Zakharan" be a fine choice for the Realms?
"Zakharan" is as good a term as any other, especially to outsiders and foreigners ignorant of the faith. Zakhara is called the Land of Fate, Zakharans would be the people of the land and invariably entwined within Zakhara's uniform culture, religion, and philosophy - I'd assume that even if they did have another name for their religion it would be commonly subsumed by "Zakharan" to everyone else in the Realms. (And remember that the simple folk of the Realms have many other important things to worry about, like orcs and dragons and thieves and soldiers and Red Wizards and hoping their harvest will be successful this season, they just don't have much time to waste on babbling foreigners with strange foreign religions unless coins or holy wars or pedantic debates over the finer points of theological academia are involved.)
It's worth noting that Tyche, Tymora, and Beshaba are deities of great stature who represent fortune, luck, and fate in Faerun. Tyche is of course modelled after the eponymous goddess of Ancient Greece, a prominent part of their pantheon. Tymora and Beshaba are arguably goddesses of great stature in the Realms but are still subject to meddling from other deities (and from each other). The Ancient Roman version, Fortuna, was initially an adaptation of Tyche but eventually evolved into a preeminent goddess who could be comparable (in terms of perceived power and impact on the world) to Mystra in the Realms - people revered Fortuna long after the Roman Empire(s) fell and Fortuna was something of a significant formative influence on early Christianity. Other great deities in the Realms represent things like Law, Justice, Knowledge, the Sun, and War - and these are all things revered greatly in Islam - though I can understand TSR's/Wizbro's paranoid reluctance to "offend" their audience with references to Islamic teachings, Islamic law, Islamic wars, and Islamic sun worship, lol.
Taoists and Buddhists embrace a path of least resistance, "following the flow" of the universe. Hindu religions are based on karmic principles, where predestination is an ongoing cyclic process which rewards the faithful and punishes offenders. Western Christianity often asserts that "God's will" or "God's plan" cannot really be opposed (or even understood), at least not without enduring great spiritual and worldly hardships. Quantum physicists understand the universe(s) as an expression of uncertain mathematical probabilities. Philosophers wrangle with questions of free will in hyperspecific detail. The notion of (super)natural "fate" and "predestination" is recognized in all of these belief systems, it's just applied differently.
I'm with Ayrik on this..... after all the other major pantheon is called "Faerunian". |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Baltas
Senior Scribe
Poland
959 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jan 2016 : 19:36:41
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Quadar is a pretty fitting term, but I wonder if Kismet/Qisma, wouldn't be better, as it's allready present in the Realms throuh the Bedine.
Qisma means in Arabic "dividing; lot, fate, destiny; the determination of all things by Allah", latter transformed into Kismet in Turkish. Kismet and Qisma, seem to be up to a level synonymus with Qadar.
As Bedine are from Zakhara, I think they would have used their word for Fate - (Kismet), when naming Tyche. It's also possible that Kismet, was originally Qisma, but overtime transformed into Kismet.
Also, dazzlerdal, sorry for misquoting you, and thanks for clarifying what you meant. |
Edited by - Baltas on 24 Jan 2016 19:40:21 |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6447 Posts |
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Is there a name for the Zakharan religion?
