Elo

(Subject/Object/Possessive: Elo/Eli/Elim)

A monotheistic dwarven deity who has gained broader popularity in Terranuova.

Elo has three aspects, as outlined in the Creed of Y'd:"'Elo is Suffering""Elo is Glory""Elo is Eternity'"People who venerate Elo are regarded as slightly peculiar, because they differ from the adherents of other religions from the Motherland. Most Motherland cultures are pantheon-based, or don't contest the actual divinity of other deities. To Elo-worshippers, all other immortals or creeds are superstitions, evil influences or otherwise explained away as not worth venerating.

The Psalms of Elo
Cleric spells that borrow Elo's power can use sung components (combined with gestural prayer) instead of physical components. The cost of the physical components normally used is reflected in the time taken to conduct the spell as a Ritual, and the complexity of the performance. High level spells (like resurrecting a character) will require a visit to a large church or other centre of pilgrimage, and the support of a choir in a convoluted day-long ceremony. Poor people who have lost loved ones often preserve the bodies in stasis, then journey to the nearest Elim temple and seek the favour of the cantor there, as a cheaper alternative to the usual spell.

The fact that Elim churches circumvent the usual financial operations of temples, combined with the religion's disdain for other forms of worship, means that Elo's followers get a very hard time from members of other faiths.

Elo and the Dwarves
Worship of Elo is fairly widespread in Terranuova, though temples to Elo are mostly found in communities that are home to a decent sized dwarven or metadwarven population.

Elo worshippers fall into the broad cultural denominations of Y'd, Yazid and Gopniki.

Y'd worship a traditionalist version of the Elim creed, emphasising "Elo is Glory". Y'd take this to mean that Elo's proud Motherland traditions should be upheld, including various dwarven stereotypes like pining for mountain strongholds, underground exploration and using assets to safeguard the community. The Great Houses have put Y'd believers to use in the Eastern Basin and archipelago city of Venere, handling money matters. This makes business sense because the Y'd are unaffiliated with any particular House, and also technically stateless - so the Houses could seize funds in a crisis to defend the interests of the Eastern realms. Y'd worship is lavish and includes complex meal settings (with Terranuovan adaptations), threefold imagery and candelabras celebrating the tripartite aspects of Elo, and lots of bardic nostalgia.

Yazid are by their own definition "not so much abyssal worshippers as abyssal propitiators". Certainly, there are no gods but Elo to them - but the dwarves who made it out to the badlands of Terranuova's northern reaches are in no doubt that devilish forces are real and worth acknowledging. The Yazid vigorously worship Elo in his context of "Elo is Eternity", aiming to make necessary compromises to prolong his worship and their survival. At the same time Yazidi clerics sacrifice to the abyssal creatures of the northern badlands - making the best of a difficult coexistence. A few enterprising priests even manage the doublethink of venerating a lawful god while entering into a Faustian pact with some Terranuovan devil. Yazid iconography still adopts a three-pronged style, but the outer prongs can resemble horns: in dry season, three staves replace the triple candles of Elo.

Gopniki abide by the sad truth that "Elo is Suffering". Their worship has been driven underground by occasional pogroms and vicious persecution in Vestfal. Gopniki rituals involve libations of grain alcohol and mash-sack, grim basement meetings and an almost Puritan absence of vestments or fancy trappings. Many religious gathering places even lack chairs. Gopniki clerics are incredibly resilient close range fighters and tend to be mean drunks. Elim holy symbols in Vestfal are banned, so instead of the triple candle many Gopniki clerics simply wear robes with a three-striped hem pattern.