The Marches religious beliefs

Friars were commonplace in the Marches long before the Empire. These plain spoken folk were often at the centre of households. Although they worked their own land they provided spiritual advice and counsel to their fellow yeomen. Many also served as scholars for their community, acting as a chirurgeon, assisting with the writing and interpretation of formal correspondence, and teaching letters and history to young children.

Following contact with Highborn Wayfarers, many friars and other Marchers undertook a pilgrimage to Bastion. Marcher folk are not easily impressed but it is difficult to visit the great white towers of Bastion without being moved and inspired by their majestic spirituality. Long discussions between the friars and the Highborn priests saw the legendary Marcher figure, Good Walder, recognised as a Paragon of Prosperity.

Upon returning from Highguard, some of the pilgrims founded the first monasteries. Today there are two distinct priestly traditions in the Marches. The friars live amongst the households and market towns, tend to their spiritual needs and exert gentle but far-reaching influence. The monks live in politically powerful monasteries, their control of farmland granting them the power and influence of an equivalent household.

There is a traditional belief in the Marches that unvirtuous behaviour and unworthy thoughts stain the soul. A soul that has more dark deeds weighing on its conscience than virtuous deeds is deemed wicked,and faces a dreadful fate after death. A dead soul spends an amount of time being reborn as a non-human between lives. A virtuous soul is reborna s a tree, especially a fruit tree, and rests between lives. An unvirtuous soul is reborn as a succession of vermin, vexing their descendants with foul behaviour and stealing the food from their mouths. Rats and crows are often killed on sight by Marchers as a consequence.

Accompanying this belief is the idea that these dark deeds can be mitigated somewhat through the ceremonies of Shriving. By unburdening oneself of the misbehaviour and dark thoughts to a willing person, one makes them complicit in the actions and shares some of the burden. Both souls are then marked by the deed, but to a lesser degree. The asumption behind shriving is that the person offeringabsolution - usually a priest - will pursue a highly virtuous life and thus mitigate the effect of some dark marks on their soul.

Another way to deal with this unvirtuous behaviour is through sacrifice; , Some Marcher traditions that pre-date the Empire do survive, and nowadays verge on the heretical, particularly those associated with Funerals. The practice of placing an apple-seed under the tongue of a corpse is drawn from an old belief that those who have lived virtuous lives are reborn as apple trees between mortal lives.

Many Marchers disagree with the idea of the Labyrinth of Ages. Rather, they believe as their ancestors did that a

Those who have not lived virtuous lives are reborn as vermin – crows and rats have a reputation for being evil souls suffering between incarnations, preying on the crops of their descendants with vicious cunning. To avoid this fate, Marcher folk may seek out a trusted friar or monk for shriving. By confessing their reprehensible thoughts and actions, the Marcher folk disavow their actions and reduce the weight on their soul. A Marcher must keep such confessions totally private, but in doing so they bear some of the culpability for the actions. This is a grave sacrifice to make, and an offer of shriving is usually made only to those in great favour.

Initially our efforts to spread the Way in the Marches were fruitful.

Though they show little interest in the immortality of their soul
or the nature of the Labyrinth of Ages, there is clear evidence that
virtue, especially Loyalty, informs much of their culture. There are
also tales of a man they call Good Walder whose legend I would
submit to the Assembly as possible Exemplar of Prosperity. We
had even encouraged some to undertake a pilgrimage to Highguard.

Regrettably, the situation has become complicated when Sister
Ashara burned one of the false idols that they insist that their
children carry with them. Upon the child’s cry, a mob descended
upon the inn we are staying at. They beat upon the door as I write…

From the Epistles of Wayfarer Lucien

to the Winds of Virtue Chapter, 12BE