MYTHOLOGY: Gorenard is the single goddess that ignites the world. She is a goddess of fire. All of us in the heat of existence burn and suffer, the only answer is to embrace it, to worship it, to give it it’s true name – Gorenard. The faithful’s year is broken into two halves. Half the year they abstain from drink, intoxicants, eating birds and gambling. This half is known as ‘the coals’. It is a cycle for rest and regeneration. The other half of the year, followers forbid themselves no pleasure or vice. These acts at this time become holy rites in themselves. This half of the year is known as ‘the blaze’ and it has been used to justify all kinds of horrors. Followers during the blaze might often come into conflict with the laws of modern cities like Albasa City. The annual transition from ‘coals’ to ‘blaze’ is marked by the Three Nights of Fire, where bonfires are lit, guns are fired, fireworks rocket into the sky and all manner of illicit revelries are indulged in. These celebrations often get out of hand and are dreaded by the city authorities.
MAGIC: Today all magic performed by the ‘Marked’ (Gorenard’s followers with magical ability) are banned in the state of Albasa. The Marked rely for their magic on the powers of their fearful goddess, calling upon her aid feeling her power course through their veins. The Marked are traditionally tattooed, although this practice isn’t always followed in the cities as it leads to magic users being too easily identified by the police.
In the Genesys system Gorenard corresponds to the Divine Magic skill.
SOCIAL CONTEXT: Gorenard is looked on with suspicion by the people of Albasa. Whilst it is still the official religion of the orc homeland Carel it is little understood outside its boarders and its followers rowdy behavior has lead to tension between them and their adoptive communities. This has lead to two things. First a large number of orcs who have lived in the cities for generations have converted to the more socially acceptable religion of Tee-hi and at the same time an Orc Pride movement has sprung up that encourages them to convert back and, in its most radical forms, believes its followers should all return to the Carel – the throne of Gorenard. Every year The Three Nights of Fire celebrations see a spike in the crime rates that the police and politicians are keen to avoid.