Geraldza

Geraldza (lit. "ground-place") is a religion practiced primarily by orc communities within the desert island of Sar in Arvandor. Promoting strong community bonds and respect for others, Geraldza is characterized by its guiding principles of compassion, self-sacrifice, cleanliness, and ritual. While its most orthodox form is prevalent in orc-only and orc-majority communities, some orcs in less orc-dominant societies and some minorities continue to practice it in a less extreme form.

= Guiding Principles =

Geraldza is centered around three main tenets:

Compassion and Self-sacrifice
Geraldzan followers believe in giving up personal pleasure to increase the happiness of others within their community. This results in strong communal ties, with entire villages raising children together and sharing large meals prepared collectively.

Geraldza settlements often send out groups of soliders if they are able, to hunt the sanrasā and sankāsi, and bring back the meat to the settlement. These large Beasts provide much meat for communities, and are prepared and enjoyed as a village.

Cleanliness
Spiritual cleanliness is achieved by avoiding unclean substances and actions. The following are considered unclean to the Geraldzan:


 * Bodily fluids (primarily blood and excrement)
 * The natural habitats and young/eggs/larvae of beasts
 * Any "drawing" type of magic which takes health or power from a target and gives it to the user
 * The direct harm of another sapient being for ones own benefit (includes murder, theft, and deceit)
 * Disrespecting one's community
 * Blasphemy (contradicting Geraldzan philosophy, speaking during silences)

Ritual
Members of a Geraldzan community have many rituals that affect daily life and others that happen only once for each lifetime.

Silences
Communities often have several short durations of silence throughout the day, where speaking, cooking, and other strenuous activities are forbidden. They last approximately 3 Arvandorian minutes (1.5 earth minutes). These vary by community, but are most commonly held at sunrise and before eating the main meal of the day. Followers often sit or lay outdoors for the duration of the silence to be closer to the ground, and spend the time meditating and reflecting.

Coming of Age
Upon reaching the age of 15, Geraldza men are sent out into the desert for 18 nights. It is believed that spending time with no community will strengthen his devotion to his own, and therefore communication with any sapient creature is forbidden during this time. To show their commitment to this, they wear a light garment that covers the mouth during this period.