Despite being the site of the Citadel of the Shaper, in many ways the church has the least influence in the Crown Realm. Uasa is known to be the only realm to have had a religion prior to the coming of the Shaper. The Uasan tribes revered the water spirits of the swamps, lakes, rivers, and sea. Each tribe had its own rites and rituals that it used to commune with its patron. The Uasans wholly embraced the Shaper after the Réig revealed the faith to them, but many remnants of the old faith have persisted in the form of superstitions, ritual, and stories. There are few villages in Uasa without some strange local customs. In some villages, the Shaper might curse any who do not stop to let a duck cross the road. In others, the village might sacrifice a goat each Scór so their dead will feast in the Shaper’s Hall. Many settlements will even have a tale of the Shaper walking the land directly. Some might attribute a standing stone to where the Shaper built themselves a house to win a bet, a hill to be the mound the Shaper buried a gwyllt under, or a particularly fertile field to a gift the Shaper gave to a local beauty they were courting in times of old.
The river spirits also hold an important place in Uasan folklore. They are often held in a similar light as the dragons of old – agents of the Shaper who stewarded the land in the time before their coming. Uasaigh drakeblooded vary on whether they hold the spirits to have been lesser, greater, or equal to their draconic ancestors. Tales of the spirits may feature them interacting with the Shaper. Particularly in children’s stories, the Shaper is sometimes depicted as monarch of the spirits, who summons them to court in the great river that flows through the Shaper’s Hall. Of course, many think of the water spirits as nothing more than myths, but even still, it is unwise to speak unkindly of them, lest they be listening in the rushing of the water…
Shamans
The shamans of Uasa play an important role in keeping their traditions alive. In days of old, the shamans brokered accords with the water spirits to keep the tribes safe from the gwyllt. The shamans and the chieftains were closest to the great power of the spirits, and the modern shamans gain their mandate through descent from these ancestors. Thus, they are invariably members of the Uasan high families – the dearbhfines. While they may serve the dearbhfine directly, most will instead set up in communities which would have been part of the dearbhfine’s tribe, or sometimes even further afield.
The shaman’s role is more prosaic than in ancient times. They serve the role of advisors, mediators, and spiritual guides to the people of Uasa. This can lead to some tensions with the church, as they fulfil a similar role to cinnirí. Indeed, many of them are cinnirí, serving the Shaper as well as the ancient traditions. One of the key duties of the shamans is to perform the old rites of the communities of Uasa. While others can conduct these ceremonies in a pinch, a shaman is considered the proper person to do things and particularly auspicious. Shamans will often have tokens of the spirits that they use in their rites, sometimes passed down for generations. These will have ties to waters of power – totems of bog oak, stones made smooth by the river, shells taken from the sea. Some hold their tokens close and secret, others may wear tokens openly to advertise their station.
Shamans will frequently engage in divination, reading omens in the rolling of bones or the flights of birds. Some of them hold that they are genuinely communing with the spirits, or the Shaper, but nowadays most see these divinations as useful meditative tools. Obviously, the most famous prophecy in Uasa is the prophecy of the Réig, but there are a number of other great prophecies in the realm’s history, and many communities will have their own prophecies. The shamans often study the prophecies of old, considering whether they have come to pass or still hold guidance for the future.
Shamans rarely enter battle. While few residents of the realms can avoid combat entirely, shamans see their role as supporting warriors with magic and healing rather than diving into the fray. The role of the shaman is that of a guide. One who acts with wisdom and restraint. Swinging a sword does not disqualify one from being a shaman, anyone might need to in a pinch. But regular bloody combat is not what the people of Uasa expect from their spiritual leaders.
The Citadel Faith
It is perhaps no surprise that with all the strange superstitions and spirituality in Uasa, it is a hotbed of theological debate and ideas. Many ideas for Termonns have their start in these swamps. Reformist preachers often arise in Uasa, soon coming to clash with the seat of orthodoxy in Corroch. Uasans love the Shaper. But every Uasan most loves the Shaper of their hometown, the one featured in their family’s tales and rituals. Some cinnirí of the Citadel despair at this, wishing they could sweep away all the relics of the pre Shaper faith found here. Or at least standardise it. In times past, the prelates have tried to get Uasa to come around to more conventional thinking. But ultimately, the Uasans, and particularly the dearbhfines (who most often serve at the Réig’s court) are committed to their idiosyncratic version of the faith. An uneasy truce has been formed over the centuries. The cinnirí of the Citadel have come to appreciate the rich tapestry of Uasan faith, and indeed the swamps have produced many of the Citadel’s finest minds. It may be odd, but it works.
Further Reading
For more information on specific superstitions and rites, see the Tribal Legacies of Uasa.