Howling Lords of the Midnight Hunt and the followers of Elgath

[Havard]

I may be wrong, but I have the feeling that Dave Arneson didn't imagine strong religiosity in Blackmoor and, when there were strict religious groups, they were typically evil villains (think about the Temple of Id, or the Afridhi, or the Cult of the Frog, for example, while the Church of St.Cuthbert often looks more an opportunity to have a good laugh rather than a group of particularly strong religious people).
Having multiple organisations associated to a single deity may be aligned to the organisation of the medieval society, that had plenty of guilds etc. often linked to saints and similar patrons. It doesn't necessarily mean that these organisations were integralists, but, if they were, they were probably on the evil side.
Maybe various developments and twists of the setting may have changed in part this general approach.

In light of the above, the Nidnight Hunt and their patron Elgath, as they are described, sound more on the evil side of this spectrum, to me. Maybe they can be hidden masterminds of some evil plot in many Blackmoor campaigns.

Religion and Gods have been presented in different ways through the different versions of Blackmoor:

1. Original Campaign: In addition to various evil cults you mention, the FFC talks about Paladins, Crusaders, Patriarchs, religious buildings etc. Under the description of the Bishop (Carr), we get a humorous description of the Church of the Facts of Life, while still keeping details fairly vague. We can see the gradual evolution of the Cleric class. Also, lots of demons and undead. St. Cuthbert is never mentioned in Dave Arneson's work AFAIK, though there is a "Saint Cuth" in the Adventures in Fantasy RPG. 

2. DA Modules: Explicit references to Temple of Id, Temple of the Frog, Zugzul, Odin, Thor

3. ZGG line gives fully developed pantheon, some deities taken from Mystara. Others adapted from RW mythologies, while some seem to be fully original. 

In the Wolf Wood, listed in DAB as part of the Westryn Kingdom, (DAB 141-142) there are two tribes of Werewolves. One is lead by a Skandaharian who calls himself the Spirit of the Moon.

Isn't the Spirit of the Moon this big wolf thing that is leading all the shapechangers against the Kingdom of Blackmoor in the Age of the Wolf storyline?

Oh, yes I believe so! Thanks for pointing that out.

In our real world, it is extremely common for there to be many groups, orders, and sects associated with a single deity, so the number of groups associated with Elgath in Blackmoor seems normaly to me. The rivalry between druids and clerics also seems to make sense, and that might be the only difference you need.

To the druids, the point of the faith might be to be in tune with the beasts, hunters, archers, and the natural world. They may view this as the point of Elgath's teachings or will. To clerics, the point of the faith might be to be in tune with Elgath himself and his church. Hence, you could have two different views of how someone should practice their religion and show their allegiance to Elgath. The clerics might view the druids as nature worshipers who put nature above Elgath, which is sacrilege. The druids might think that the clerics are too focused on the idea of a church or an organized religion. To the druids, the clerics may have missed the point of Elgath's teachings. Each group, then, might have its own adherents and supporters among the other professions and common people associated with the faith.

This makes a lot of sense. The sourcebook says that the different groups will still work together against common enemies. I suppose for the most part this division will be most interesting to players seeking to play a follower of Elgath, although a campaign where other forces are trying to break the different factions of Elgath apart could be interesting.


-Havard