Skaldings view religion as being a very personal thing. Each Skalding has their own collection of Gods and Saints that they revere. Many Skaldings simply don’t follow any particular God or Saint at all, only offering prayers when the situation really calls for it. Personal faith doesn’t matter much in Skalding society — actions matter, specifically actions that embody the virtues and sins of the Gods and Saints. Even if someone is a dedicated Mortalist, they will still be praised by the Valkhovs if they lead a virtuous life.
There is a persistent strain of independence in Skadling thought with regards to the divine. The Gods and Saints are important, but the Skaldings have a tendency to accept their Wyrd and focus on practical solutions they can control themselves over prayer and faith. What will come will come. If a Valkhov can perform a miracle to solve a problem, that’s great; if they can’t, then the Skaldings will offer whatever prayers they might feel like, but will forge onwards on their own regardless of what help the Gods might or might not offer.
Religion does, however, play a role in Skalding politics, and a role in the creation and application of laws of Skalding society. The Valkhovs are the leaders of the faiths in every Hold, and each Hold needs a resident Valkhov in order to be considered a proper Hold and to earn a seat and a vote at the Althinge. The Valkhovs are rarely united politically, but there have been a few instances where they’ve collectively blacklisted a Jarl for disrespecting or disregarding the Gods too often, vacating a Hold and depriving it of its official status. The Valkhovs are thus inherently political figures, even if they have no interest in their Hold’s politics. Jarls pay attention when the Valkhovs of their Hold have strong opinions about something.
There is limited organization amongst the Valkhovs of the Peninsula overall. A few of the most charismatic and renowned Valkhovs have large personal followings and influence with the other members of their faith across the Jarldom, but most Valkhovs organize within their Holds, forming sects to better advise and aid the people of the Hold and only occasionally organizing action or political stances with Valkhovs from other Holds.
On a more personal level, Valkhovs are viewed with wariness by many Skaldings, as not all of them are kindly shepherds. Quite a few take on the role of moral watchdog, attempting to push back against violations of their deity’s edicts by the people of their Hold and bring them back into the light of the Gods. Stories of evildoers who are tolerated by the people of their Hold but are eventually cursed by an outraged Valkhov are unfortunately common. The fear that a Valkhov will decide that someone has gone too far into corruption and must be reminded of the consequences of their actions is one of the things that keeps Skalding society from descending into chaos — the Valkhovs collectively act as a resistant force against the moral failures that Iskaldur’s violent and power-to-the-strongest culture tends to produce.
The worship of Alethos is given lip service by many Skaldings, but the Bright God does not have a particularly strong following within Iskaldur. Jarls are frequently followers of Baellin, which keeps the Valkhovs of Alethos relevant within the politics and law-houses of the Holds, but other than that the worship of Alethos is relatively shallow throughout the Penninsula. As if to make up for this, the Alethian Valkhovs are often the most politically astute and capable. They frequently offer guidance and assistance to Jarls and Vorðrunar in managing and defending their Holds, and in navigating the often-tricky paths of maintaining stability in the Jarldom’s often-chaotic political environment.
The sects that follow Nbatu in particular are seen as a bit of a rogue element within Iskaldur, as they often take justice into their own hands when the authorities fail to do so. Many of the Valkhovs who follow Nbatu are very capable battle-mages, which makes them a fearsome force that the folk of the Peninsula (especially the Jarls) are careful not to provoke into action.
Bakharos is the one God that nearly every Skalding worships to some extent, as the drive and ambition that Bakharos embodies and teaches echo in Skalding hearts. Mystics of the Laughing God are afforded a great deal of respect within the Peninsula’s Holds and Helms, simply based on how important the ideal of ambition is within Skalding culture. Lumia is arguably the one Bakharan Saint that is most popular amongst the Skalding population, given the national appreciation for a good party, but all four of the other Saints of the Laughing God have ardent followings throughout the Jarldom. Crafting, skulduggery, poetry and music, and trade are all core parts of Skalding culture, and so there is always some portion of the population that is seeking out the advice or blessings of a Bakharan Valkhov. Many Skalds and Runavejar choose to walk the path of the mystic to bring themselves closer to the Laughing God and their favored Saints.
Druathos is not highly praised within Skalding society. They tend to be viewed as a force of nature and something to be propitiated, rather than a font of blessings to be sought as they are in other nations. Their emphasis on balance and restraint conflicts sharply with the Skalding inclination towards trying to grasp as much as possible. There is a constant push and pull between the Valkhovs of the Green God and the powers that be within the Jarldom about sustainable natural resource management and how much magic is safe to use to produce more crops or better fish catches without harming the environment. Valkhovs of Druathos are given respect for their power over nature, but also viewed with a bit of wariness due to the limits they often try to place upon Skalding ambitions.
Anselt is favored by many Jortrken, and most Jarls make offerings to the Saint of Agriculture at the start and end of every growing season. Selenir is incredibly popular amongst Sverðnar, and it’s not unusual for those Helms that regularly travel far from the Peninsula to have the Silver Lady as their patron Saint. Perdruna is worshipped as the patroness of storms and bad weather; many Skaldings who spend their days out in the wilderness make offerings to her for strength to withstand the harshness of Iskaldur’s climate. Thendros and his Heralds are viewed with a grim sort of familiarity by many Skaldings, the famous Skalding fatalism turning the Saint of death into an old friend rather than something to be feared.
Skaldings in general have an appreciation for the power that knowledge brings, and so Oruunos is respected by most of the population of the Jarldom to some degree. Skalds, Hrafnalar, and mages of all types all pay homage to the Wizened God, and all of Oruunos’ Saints have a strong following in Iskaldur. The Hrafnalar follow Zur with a passion, and Skalds all consider themselves loyal keepers of Tholmar’s records and Taerek’s charge via their oral tradition, passing down the legends of Iskaldur generation after generation. Asmarta has a strong following amongst Skalding mages, especially the Runavejar and Galdrken, and Madina’s passion for invention and constant improvement of magic has led to her being beloved by many Galdrken and Jortrken who pursue enchanting as their profession.
Vallaros is very popular amongst almost all Skaldings. The emphasis that the Iron God places upon growing stronger, especially through conflict, fits perfectly into the Skalding philosophy of life. Xyston is, unsurprisingly, followed by almost all Sverðnar and Galdrken, while Xing is favored by Vorðrunar and Jortrken. Misano, with her emphasis on command and planning for conflict, is most often the patron of Hersirs and Jarls, and Aragh is unsurprisingly the patron of any warriors or mages who make a habit of hunting the monsters that lurk in the cold wilderness of the Penninsula. Detaya is usually only prayed to by those Jortrken who regularly do hard labor in the fields or mines — the Silent Saint is seen as being too soft for “true Skaldings” to worship, despite centuries of attempts by Vallarian Valkhovs to correct this misinterpretation.
It is customary for Valkhovs to draw marks in blood upon the face of a Skalding about to attempt a grand feat, blessing them with the touch of the Gods and empowering them in their endeavors. This is frequently done prior to a battle or a long voyage, as well, even if there aren’t the resources to do a true blessing upon all the warriors and sailors involved. The marks are often simple bloody stripes down or across the face applied with the fingers, but if the Valkhov has the time to do so they usually prefer to paint Skaldic runes (real-world Futhark) in blood upon the person’s face to make the blessing more focused and powerful.
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Please do not use actual blood to draw your Bloodrunes. Fake blood or red face paint works perfectly well, without posing a biohazard to you or the people who happen to touch you during the event.
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Crows and ravens are seen by Skaldings as messengers and watchers for the Gods, carrying missives or secrets across the world and through the Veil. They are especially holy to the Hrafnalar and followers of Zur, but all Skaldings are respectful to the black birds. One can never tell when one of them might be carrying a message or important bit of knowledge on behalf of one of the Gods or Saints, and no Skalding would dare to attack or kill them. Raven symbols appear regularly in Skalding religious artwork, particularly art describing communication between the Gods and mortals. The most prevalent symbol for Rahama in Iskaldur is a white raven with golden eyes, while that for Zur is almost always a jet-black raven with blue eyes instead of a bat.
Valkhovs who reside in prosperous Holds have a distinctive style to their temples, constructing what the Skaldings call Dragon Churches. These buildings are fashioned entirely out of timber, with multiple stories and sharply peaked roofs. Their name comes from the many dragon motifs used in their decorations — carved dragon heads are mounted onto the ends of the eaves, and the shingles are fashioned out of slate or wood into stylized dragon scales. This style originated hundreds, possibly thousands of years ago, in an homage to the wyrms who laired in the mountains of Iskaldur, but now it has become almost expected by Skaldings, who associate dragons with holy virtues and vice versa. Many Valkhovs make a point of having draconic imagery on or around their shrines, and quite a few wear jewelry evoking a dragon in some way as a sign of their role in Skalding society.