Lately I have been working on a chapter in A King of Kesselt where I expound upon the religion of Kesselt. It has been weird coming up with this new religion.
When I first wrote Greggs of Kesselt I used the battle between two gods as a backdrop to the story. I wrote about the battle from different perspectives but did not go into great detail. It was my intention to just present that there was a good benevolent god who watched over and loved his world like a doting parent. Then along comes an evil "reaver" god who wants to take the world for himself. The fight is on.
That was about it for the in depth look at the religion of Kesselt. I barely mention the gods or the religion of Kesselt in Princess. But now in A King of Kesselt I have a High Priest character and as part of the story I have to tell about the religion of Kesselt.
Kesselt was for a very long time a monotheistic society. In their religion their god was a frequent presence in the lives of the Kesseltians. The people were at peace and prospered through this more hands on guidance by their god. Bor Gregg was a constable in his local city only because there were those who despite having it good, always wanted something more. In a King of Kesselt I have expounded upon how the temples were for worshipping and that there are five main tenants to their religion: Faith,
Life, Love, Mercy and Knowledge.
Faith is the basic history of the God of Kesselt and a record of the various miracles and interactions between god and mortals. Life is about honoring life and healing of the sick and wounded. Love is about marriage and good relations between peoples. Mercy is the hearing and judging of transgressions. Knowledge is about the collection of those ideals and knowledge to preserve the society of Kesselt its idealistic state.
This is all for promoting the fiction of the Kesselt books and story. I am not trying to espouse a new religion. Nor am I trying to use it as a metaphor to any existing religion or beliefs.
I have seen how people have twisted George Lucas' Star Wars- the force and Jedi and tried to institute it for real. I just shake my head. If you need a belief system we have some wonderful religions already established.
I'm enjoying writing A King of Kesselt. I promise I wont get to heavy in the religion of Kesselt. Its still only a backdrop. But its more prominent this time around.
Good day, and may he rise again.
ML Stidmon
