12, Worship, Clerics

[Kiroh]

The THMs have built separate shrines to both Nald and Thal, but these two entities are together as one in the deity Nald'thal (overseers of Commerce and The Underworld). I'm not sure if there's much lore about the twins as separate entities yet.

In order to understand Thaumaturge worship, you kinda have to be up on your Greek mythology as pertains to the constellations. Gemini is a singular entity made of the twins Castor and Pollux (one being a mortal and the other the son of the god Zeus) - after being cheated on a business deal (COMMERCE), Castor and Pollux stole the cattle of those who cheated them and Castor was killed. Pollux petitioned Zeus to let Castor share his immortality - and Zeus granted it on the condition that as Gemini, they would travel between Mount Olympus and The UNDERWORLD on alternating days. (Explaining the stars' movements across the sky.)

Actually they do go quite into depth about Nald and Thal as individual deities.

Nald being the god of birth, life and light is worshiped by the followers of the Milvaneth Sacrarium in Ul'dah. The Sacrarium however is extremely particular about who they allow into their ranks and has not opened their doors to new devotees in quite some time. His shrine in the desert wastelands is known as Nald's Reflection, and he is associated with the Astral Element.

Thal is the god of darkness and death, worshiped by the followers of the Arzzaneth Ossuary. Their inductees are known as the Thaumaturges, and they practice a form of sorcery based around the worship of blood as a life force and spiritual medium. The Thaumaturges of the Ossuary are responsible for, among many things, the preparation and internment of the dead within the city's walls, including burial rights (for a fee of course). They are also tasked with carrying out the last will and testament of the recently deceased. His shrine in the desert wastelands is known as Thal's Respite, and he is associated with the Umbral Element.

[Anonymoose]

Actually they do go quite into depth about Nald and Thal as individual deities.

Nald being the god of birth, life and light is worshiped by the followers of the Milvaneth Sacrarium in Ul'dah. The Sacrarium however is extremely particular about who they allow into their ranks and has not opened their doors to new devotees in quite some time. His shrine in the desert wastelands is known as Nald's Reflection, and he is associated with the Astral Element.

Thal is the god of darkness and death, worshiped by the followers of the Arzzaneth Ossuary. Their inductees are known as the Thaumaturges, and they practice a form of sorcery based around the worship of blood as a life force and spiritual medium. The Thaumaturges of the Ossuary are responsible for, among many things, the preparation and internment of the dead within the city's walls, including burial rights (for a fee of course). They are also tasked with carrying out the last will and testament of the recently deceased. His shrine in the desert wastelands is known as Thal's Respite, and he is associated with the Umbral Element.

Thanks very much for that! I'm pretty far from my lore compendium until tonight and am working off memory here. You're absolutely right.

At least it brings a little perspective to the unrealistic nature THM as WHM argument. While they may deal with life and death, the THMs in this game are exclusively of the latter nature. I forgot about the Nald sect being isolated and disinclusionist of the THMs we're familiar with.

[Wynn]

Both sects are THMs, they split off from one another due to irreconcilable differences. This is covered not only in information in game but also briefly in the storyline.

[Kiroh]

Both sects are THMs, they split off from one another due to irreconcilable differences. This is covered not only in information in game but also briefly in the storyline.

Life and death have irreconcilable differences....

And I've never seen any reference to the Sacrarium's disciples as Thaumaturges, so forgive me if they are.

Still, as far as I know my breakdown of the two branches and the gods they worship are otherwise accurate.

[Wynn]

Life and death have irreconcilable differences....

And I've never seen any reference to the Sacrarium's disciples and Thaumaturges, so forgive me if they are.

Still, as far as I know my breakdown of the two branches and the gods they worship are otherwise accurate.

Yes, your information is completely accurate. They are just two different sects of Thaumaturges. THMs don't have astral abilities for no reason.

[Coglin]

The way I see it, the way the gods are set up, we could have clerics (priest type), shaman (spirit worshipers), and druids (tree hugging nature worshipers). Thats just my opinion of one way it could work in the games favor as well as have new class options.

[Tsukino]

So we have the Twelve...where are all their places of worship?

Might be interesting to have a Cleric (神官) class that have abilities that depends on which of the Twelve you worship and are born with.

Don't even start on what real life religions they base it on.

Although 神官 is similar to a cleric in meaning, battle classes in Japanese are all named after what you wield + 士. For fighters (DoW) what they wield just their weapon, and for sorcerers (DoM) it's their school of magic, and all of both currently include "術."

Thus such a class might be named something like 聖術士 or 神術士, though both of those sound kind of odd because they're non-words (then again so are 闘術士 and 斧術士). They could get creative/metaphorical and use other things too, like 教 (teaching) or 明 (clarity), or if they want more crazy conspiracies about "Chinese," 灼 (miraculous).

Edit: 法術士 might work too. It kind of sounds a bit like a lawyer in modern Japanese, but 法術 is sometimes used to mean a type of magic too, and it would be like following the "way" or "law" of a deity.