As a shot in the dark, Cualli might be good civ to synergize with Esus. I vaguely recall in some fantasy worlds lizard-people tend to work behind the scenes as slavers, manipulators, and generally a presence of evil.
I don't know if that is a good fit in FFH's lore, though. Some of it is already there - slavers, assassin, shadow priests - but tying it into the Esus religion is probably a step too far.
I had assumed Agruonn was just their representation of another diety, much like the Mazatl's worship of Kilmorph and Lugus take the shape of Kalshekk and Omorr. Like the Mazatl, they could have agnostic removed and be given incentives to pick up Esus.
That's assuming Esus and Agruonn aren't entirely different entities, unlikely Kalshekk/Kilmorph and Omorr/Lugus.
Edit: Ah, Agruonn is actually Aeron, the god of murder. There can still be a synergy - manipulation and secrecy would help in murder and the treatment of inferiors - but I guess the civ would not adopt a culture-wide worship of Esus in contrast to Agruonn.
There is one thing I would like to say.
I have been thinking a lot about the COE and how to hell it can even be a religion. I mean, things just don't add up.
And than it hit me. Essus is the god of deception, so could it be that COE is not worship of Essus as a god but worship of deception it self. Sort of like FOL is the worship of nature and not the God of Nature.
So the court of an essus king would be a strange place. Everyone would always smile and crack jokes. And there would be lavish feasts. But beneath the surface, each joke would have a dark meaning. And one would newer know what dish is poisoned, and by who.
Just wanted to get that out of my system and see what you people think.
This sounds a lot like the CoE, although they acheive their goals by manipulating the system to their own ends rather than through crime. The stewards arn't a religion, and I don't think CoE really are either. Imo they run on very similar lines, although the CoE probably has more influence due to links with the undercouncil.The Stewards are a cult loyal to Mammon, although only the highest ranking know that they serve him. Mammon prefers his followers to think they serve only their own interests, so the Stewards are not overtly religious.
FFHLoreCompendium said:Curse those cards! Hed been so close to winning his passage on the earlier ship, when he was
dealt the Curse of Arawnparticularly sickening as it had followed a Seven of Towers which
surely would have won him the pot. His luck had been horrendous since then; hed lost most
of his winnings on that game, and then spent a lot more drowning his sorrows. Hed then
been woken with a pail of water, finding himself press-ganged into service on a Galley heading
for the unknown lands. After five torturous days of seasickness, Lanun pirates struck, the
galley was sunk and here he was nowafter being washed ashorein a Svartalfar courtroom
charged with spying.
What did he know about these Elves? Civil war was it? Something about Seelie and
Unseelie Court. Growing up on a farmstead had left him a little vague on world politics. His
eyes looked around this strange courtpretty grandiose décor, with a sense of opulence, certainly
not the functional style of his Hippus homeland. His eyes fell on a statuette. There was
something not quite right about it ah yes the scales, tipped with coins. So Mammon
has a part to play in this courtroom does he? There were still some coins in his hidden pouch.
Once he signaled to the bailiff, things began to gather momentum, indeed Mammon had
obviously provided a slick fast-tracking system as he found himself ushered away from the
courtroomat the cost of a few coinsto a private room.
It seems you have been a little down on your luck, and would like to aha speed
the courtroom process up, so to speak?
Yes, your honor.
and you can pay the fine of five coins?
Yes.
Okay that seems in order. No need for paperwork, I think we can come to a satisfactory
conclusion here and now: Guilty as charged, you hang tomorrow. In Esus we Trust.
but but the statuette to Mammon?!
Yes, a pretty little thing isnt it? and worth its weight in gold I must say
When entering a courtroom, effort should be made to check the patron Angel before
constructing your defense.
Oh, I can really imagine a sneaky assassin calling to Esus just before sniping that Lugus-worshiping vicar:
"O Esus, bless my blade that it flies true today."
"O Esus, blessed be your name, make that shopkeeper resiliant enough that I can extract more information on his hidden wealth before he dies..."
For me they are religious in the sens that they cannot be faithful to another religion if they follow Esus. Maybe the CoE is not an organised religion and more an organisation of criminals... but the guys in it are IMO certainly religious.
So apparently they do actively worship Esus.
I still think CoE is fine as a state religion, it's just strange that the first thing you do when adopting Esus is send messengers to every nation telling them that from this day on you're worshipping the god of deception.
So apparently they do actively worship Esus.
I still think CoE is fine as a state religion, it's just strange that the first thing you do when adopting Esus is send messengers to every nation telling them that from this day on you're worshipping the god of deception.
Personally I see CoE as being the Erebus' equivalent of the darkest conspiracy theory of the Illuminati/Freemasons. Most members would see it as a means of maintaining their own power rather than doing the work of Esus.
just something that annoys me, coul you change it so that auto-pillage doesn't affect forts? b/c those take a long time to upgrade, and its annoying when youre trying to capture them, and they just get destroyed instead.