Rangers and Religion

        Most rangers are privately religious, convinced that there are powers at work in the world much greater than themselves. Though different rangers may worship in different ways, all regard the embodiment of their devotion with awe and respect, and try to abide by the ideals it represents.

Aspects of Faith
          Rangers manifest their faith in a number of ways:

Inner Peace

          A ranger's devotion gives him a sense of purpose, a feeling that his life has a purpose. Even though his role may seem at times to be minor, he feels that he has a definite place in the scheme of things.

Code of Behavior

          A ranger's beliefs give structure to his life by providing a set of principles for him to follow. Being of good alignment, rangers tend to adopt beliefs that encourage honesty, compassion, and selflessness.

Access to Spells

          In practical terms, the access to spells enjoyed by the high level ranger is one of the most immediate and visible results of a life of service. Much like a druid, the ranger receives his spells as a consequence of his beliefs. Though prayer or meditation, the ranger asks for the spells he wishes to memorize, and in most cases, his requests are granted.
          Unlike the druid and other priests, the ranger's access to spells is limited. A priest, after all, devotes much energy to the service of his faith, while a ranger's other activities and duties place great demands on his time. For this reason, the ranger is able to acquire spells only when he has gained a lot of experience, and even then has only minor access to the plant and animal spheres. The ranger can use any spells of the appropriate level listed for those spheres. Some kits may have expanded or restricted spell use.

Types of Faith

          Many rangers venerate nature itself. Others develop private faiths, more follow recognized religions that are based on established traditions and doctrines. Rangers aren't necessarily affiliated with churches or monasteries; in fact, rangers generally avoid formal religious organizations, preferring to worship alone or with a small group of trusted followers. Certainly the travels of most rangers often take them far from the centers of organized religion. As a result, a ranger's worship may differ from that of a priest, even if they technically share the same faith.
          Regardless of how a ranger practices his faith, there will be some power that is the beneficiary of his devotion. Most rangers worship the divine in nature; monotheistic rangers worship one particular god, while polytheistic rangers may worship several. A few base their faith on an individual philosophy. All of these approaches provide support to their disciples, as well as access to the spells available to the a ranger. In game terms, they all function identically.

Nature

          Many rangers choose nature itself as the focus of their devotion. Nature worshipers revere nature as a process and a source of life; whether it was designed by a greater intelligence or arose from the interaction of primal forces is largely irrelevant. Ethics and morals are derived from observing the natural order, and the perception of the majesty of the natural world and its relationship to the ranger is a closely personal one. The natural life force of the world can be felt by the ranger who becomes attuned to it. Any ranger may be drawn to the worship of nature. For some rangers, particularly those with few ties to the civilized world (such as Beastmasters, Feralan, Greenwood Rangers, and Mountain Men), the pull is especially strong.

Gods

          Gods are supernatural beings considered by their worshipers to be the supreme sources of might and authority. Often, a god embodies a particular principal that is manifested or promoted in the material world.
         The total number of gods is impossible to know, as are the number and identities of the rangers who worship them. Gods concerned with agriculture, animals, plants, birth, fertility, geology, weather, and hunting are appropriate, providing they're of good alignment.
          Rangers with gods worship them in a variety of ways. Some may erect simple shrines to their deities that complement the natural features of their primary terrain. For instance, a ranger whose primary terrain is Forest might plant a private grove. An Arctic ranger might build a towering ice pillar.
          Religious practices for the same deity may also vary from ranger to ranger, depending on their primary terrain. Prior to an important hunt, a Desert ranger might immerse his hands in the sand, a Forest ranger might conduct a spirited dance under a tall tree, and a Plains ranger might snap an arrow in two to attract the god's attention (a smooth break may be interpreted as an omen of a favorable hunt, while jagged edges may indicate that the god discourages hunting at that particular time).

Philosophy

          A belief system derived from intellectual concepts rather than supernatural forces or the natural world may also be the basis for a ranger's religion. The sheer intensity of the believers' devotion is sufficient to attract the magical energy necessary to cast spells.
  Worshipers of philosophic faiths tend to concentrate in small sects in isolated areas of the world. For example, the Iulutiun rangers of the Great Glacier, for example, follow an animistic philosophy called qukoku, which holds that all creatures share a life essence called eaas. The teachings of qukoku maintain that all creatures are morally equivalent, and that animals and men share the same emotions and intellect, which their eaas compels them to express in different ways.

Expressions of Faith

          Regardless of whether a ranger worships nature, gods, or a philosophy, he is assumed to engage in various practices to affirm his faith. Some of these practices may be formally established; for instance, a particular group of disciples may be required to kneel before the setting sun every day. Other practices may be self-imposed; a ranger may decide for himself that the best way to express his devotion is to refrain from violence during nights with a full moon.
Typical practices might include any of the following:

          Meditation. Having private moments of quiet reflection and communion is a common practice. These may take the form of the soft verbal recitation of sacred verse, spoken at the same time every day, to periods of silent meditation, performed whenever the ranger gets a chance. Observing particular phenomena, such as a shooting star, or experiencing certain events, such as acquiring a new follower, may inspire special periods of this type.

          Offerings. The ranger make regular offerings of food or treasure. Offerings may be given to the underprivileged, cast into the sea, or buried in the ground. Small offerings, such as a scrap of meat or a few copper pieces, usually suffice.

          Symbol Display. The ranger may declare his devotion to the world by displaying the symbol of his faith. The symbol may be a distinctive article of clothing, a brooch or pendant, a tattoo, or a tiny mark made on a tree or stone wherever the ranger spends the night. The ranger might mark his animal followers with the deity's symbol. The symbol may be engraved in a collar or bracelet, shaved into the animal's fur, or notched in the animal's horn.

          Pilgrimage. The ranger may make a periodic journey to a sacred location, such as a temple, mountain peak, or holy village. The pilgrimage may take place on a particular date (say, the first day of spring) or whenever he gets the chance within a particular timeframe (he must make the pilgrimage once a year).

          Taboos. Some faiths may impose strict prohibitions on the ranger's behavior. For example, the ranger may not be allowed to eat meat, wear head coverings, or start more than one fire in the same day.

Remember that a ranger might follow practices unlike other disciples of the same faith; just because most worshipers of a nature deity make shrines out of polished stone doesn't mean that a ranger can't build a shrine out of deer bones. Care should be taken to ensure that the practices don't conflict with the requirements of the ranger's kit (it's unreasonable to expect a Sea Ranger to make an annual pilgrimage to the middle of a desert).
          Once the practices are established, the ranger is expected to follow them. Should a ranger fail to uphold the requirements of the religion, or intentionally violate them, he may lose the use of his spells for a brief period, he may become ill, or one or more of his followers may desert him.

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