Who Worships Ilvir?

Ilvir is revered primarily by Jarin peoples of northern Hârn, who worship him almost exclusively. Ilviranism is also a significant 'minority' religion in Kaldor, particularly among Jarin-descent communities in the north of the kingdom.

A small number of worshippers are scattered across the rest of Hârn. The deity has only a handful of followers outside of Hârn, although a few shrines and very small temples are found in western Lythia.

Church (Dis)Organization

Ilviran Priest

Ilvirans have no central authority and there is no organized Ilviran 'church' per se. Each temple governs itself as it sees fit, based on its local traditions and practices.

Within temples, internal structures vary greatly. A few temples have established ecclesiastical hierarchies. In others, authority and responsibility are shared equally among the clergy— and in some, by both both clergy and laity. In many temples, the division between clergy and laity is blurry or non-existant.

Roughly half of all Ilviran priests have no temple affiliation. Many are hermits who have taken to the wilderness. Others are mendicants who travel from place to place, spreading their personal vision of the faith to any who will listen. Some of these individual holy men are former priests; others are uneducated folk who have simply 'heard the call'.

Temple Economics

Ilviran temples usually lack the adherents needed to survive on tithes alone. Priests and laity engage in a variety of economic activities to keep the temple self-suficient. To make ends meet, temples herd livestock, make cheeses, cure hides, make honey and the like. A few sell unusual liquors and medicinal potions. Many temples sell holy icons, pendants, and other craftworks fashioned by their priests and laity. Almost all temples sell the services of their priests as scribes, which is highly lucrative, as Ilvirans are the most accomplished copyists and illuminators on Hârn. A few cynical outsiders have observed that some Ilviran temples seem more like economic communes than religious instutitions.

Several Ilviran temples in western Hârn supplement their incomes by selling Ivashu whom they have captured or raise. The Agrikan sponsors of the Pamesani gladiatorial games pay high prices for these strange creatures.