****TAE RHOGA****

One of the oldest religions, Tae Rhoga's worship revolves around the Spirit
of the Earth (commonly known as Gaia).  When it was in its golden years,
pilgrimages of hundreds of people, from the very rich to the very poor, made
their way yearly to the two main temples and numerous shrines. Since then,
due to upheavals, religious persecution, and time itself, the shrines have
mostly disappeared, and only one temple, nestled deep in a canyon and
surrounded by forest to prevent detection, has remained. Few people make the
pilgrimages now; effectively, the religion itself is dying.

The temple is run by a huge array of priestesses, and one head priest. The
priestesses are all telepathic empaths, a rare quality found only in those
who are chosen to serve the god, Tau Naman and his consorts Nyara, Sephra,
and Dermau. These women are worshipped by the priestesses of the temple, and
Tau Naman is worshipped by the priest.


***Gods and Goddesses***
  Tau Naman is the god of all; he created the world, and judges all those
needing punishment. As the head god, he is worship exclusively by the Head
Priest, and just as the goddesses are the mates of the god, so are the
priestesses to the priest.
  Nyara is the goddess of the earth. She is the goddess who partakes in the
sowing and reaping of the harvest. She is also the goddess of fertility and
marriage, and the sect of priestesses who worship her partake in the
ceremony of the summer solstice.
  Sephra is the goddess of the plants. She is the one who decides, with the
help of Dermau, how a harvest will turn out. She is also known as the
goddess of death, measuring out the life of a person.
  Dermau is the goddess of water. It is by her will that the weather is as
it is, and whether the harvest will spring to life or die. Priestesses who
worship this goddess are those who participate in the ceremony of the winter
solstice.
  Neliki is the god of evil. He is the one who deceives his followers,
damning them from ever entering the afterlife of prosperity. His symbol is a
black dragon with glowing red eyes.

***Ceremonies***
Each solstice , winter and summer, a ceremony is held by the priest and the
priestesses of a particular goddess. During the summer solstice, worshippers
of Nyara partake in the ceremony, while in the winter solstice worshippers
of Dermau partake in that ceremony. The Head Priest also partakes in each.

The ceremonies each consist of three basic characters: Tau Naman, who is
portrayed by the High Priest; for the winter solstice Dermau is presented by
the most beautiful worshipper, and the same for the summer solstice's Nyara
worshipper; and finally a dragon headed Neliki is presented, a priest
wearing the hide of an ancient black dragon, wearing the horns and spitting
fire as would a dragon. In the early years of the religion, when priests and
priestesses were prolific, this priest was called upon to give his life,
when the symbolic Tau Naman destroyed the Deceiver and burnt his body.
Today, however, due to the small influx of acoloytes, priests are a
cherished item and are no longer killed. Blood, however, is still drawn,
mostly just a scratch. Upon killing the evil god, the High Priest takes up
the beautiful priestess, playing the part of her goddess, whom Neliki had
kidnapped and taken prisoner, and makes passionate love to her. This
symbolizes the joining of the earth and nature; for the summer solstice,
this bonding with Nyara is a pleading for a plentiful harvest, and for the
winter solstice it is a prayer for a light winter, and a good growing season
abounding with water.

In the years, however, the focus has changed. Because of the dying of the
religion, the ceremonies have become convoluted, seeming more like orgies
than prayers. 

****Initiation****

    Priestesses: In the early years, priestesses were chosen from a wide
range by other priestesses. The parents were usually willing to give their
daughters up to such a noble cause; if they weren't, the children were
simply kidnapped and never heard from again. All the children had the
telepathic empathy, being able to read emotions as well as read other
telepaths. However, in recent years because of the waning popularity most
initiates were kidnapped and taken to the temple.

The soon-to-be priestesses were of all ages; most and the best were under
the age of 12, although there were some who were older. Each initiate, no
matter whether they came willingly or were kidnapped, are given a potion of
a strong drug, which dulled their minds, making them prone to suggestion.
They were then summarilary brainwashed, and then the training for their time
in the temples began.

    Priests: Priests are picked in much the same way, except there are no
exceptional abilities needed to become a priest; that is, unless you desire
to become the high priest. The high priest himself needs to be of the same,
or nearly that of, the priestesses: an empath, a telepath, or both. He then
goes through RIGOROUS training, all of which is kept a closely guarded
secret. Once the old priest dies, many times through a ritualistic suicide,
the new head priest takes his place.