The Noble Houses religion and spirituality

The Noble Houses have a strong traditional connection to the spirit world and constitute a stronghold of animist faith.

King Estienne is held to have been a child of the spirit world - although interpretations of what that actually means vary - and for many centuries the nobility maintained that the fay touch was inherited from him and a sign of the spirit world’s favour. Although recent scholarship has proven this false, the proportion of fay in the nobility is exceptionally high, and in each house one or two elements usually predominate, largely due to household traditions and to resonances with their estates.

The formal and conservative mindset prevalent in the Noble Houses makes them well suited to the practice of organised religion and to the summoning of spirits. Many of the most respected evokers in Arginet have come from the nobility, and have refined the techniques of ritual summoning, communication with the elements, and especially the veneration of ancestors to a high art. Notably, most spirits seem to appreciate the formal and respectful tone cultivated by noble evokers, and priests and witches in other parts of society have come to adopt their style.

A great many animist orders are supported by the nobility, and the Order of Heavenly Radiance ministers to the Crown directly. The Temple of the Fivefold Way holds the approval of the nobility in general although some have complained about its undiscriminating approach.

Seekers of the Utmost are viewed with deep suspicion by the nobility: they are seen as rejecting both ancient tradition and the patronage of the spirits. A very few nobles and retainers do identify as Seekers but for the most part they are forced to keep their faith secret.

Part of a series about the Noble Houses.

Marriage and inheritance - Internal matters - Attitudes to others - Religion and spirituality - Costume - Archetypes

See also: Arginet - Factions - The Royal Armies - The Reform Coalition