Dark and Light/Religion/Hydra

Kingdom
This is not yet known.

Mythology
When Gothar created Hydra, he wanted her to be the mistress of waters, but the oceans he had created seemed too large for the new goddess. He took the oceans for him, and gave Hydra a kingdom of islands and waters. When the creation of the world ended, she created gnomes, and made them so that they could leave in floating and submarine cities. But the goddess of waters did not forget she should have been the goddess of oceans. During the age of discord, she decided to renounce Gothar. During the war against dragons, she was glad to see that the water were like a trap for Dragoon’s armies, preventing them from destroying the underwater cities she was so proud of. The dragons, mad with rage, slaughtered everything that could hide in water. Her people was almost utterly destroyed, and Hydra felt her forces rapidly fluctuating, like the oceans ebb and flow. She started to doubt her abilities and withdrew from the conflict against Dragoon. She left Reptenza, mother of reptiles, born of her own heart thanks to Gothar, take care of the dragons. On victory day, she was sent in a constellation far from Ganareth, as well as the other gods: the constellation of the red pentagram. In this prison, she now waits for the ancient cults, not revived, to wake her from her deep slumber and to bring her past glory back.

Clergy
Hydra’s clergy is made of small druid groups lead by a high master who chooses his successor when it is time to leave his function. Clergy members aim at preserving magic and history legacies. Even if each group is focused on one specific field, it never leaves other matters aside. From an external point of view, this organization may seem a bit chaotic, but the temple runs its businesses without too much confusion in the works each cell performs. The clergy runs several libraries for the population, in order to allow everyone to learn about the ancients’ legacies, and historical inheritance of Ganareth. But they do not do this out of pure altruism and generosity. They request a fee to enter the place, and sometimes it is even advised to worship Hydra, since the person in charge can deny access to anyone without even giving a reason. Studying the ancients and their knowledge often lead some members of the cult to take the path of necromancy. Although it may sometimes harm the cult reputation, it is not uncommon for necromancers and black knights to assist clergy members when in need. Since these actions are seldom organized however, most of them remain as isolated initiatives.

Dogma
Every entity owns the legacy of old generations. This creates a whole, a cycle guarded by magical, supernatural forces. The ancients play a major role in Hydra’s dogma. The faithful need to remember them, and to send their prayers not only to Hydra, but to their parents, and to their parents’ parents. But this notion of respect does not hide the fact that the ancestors are there to server and help their descendants when they encounter a problem. Quite often, during harsh winters, druids call necromancers and black knights to ask the dead to work for them and hunt the remaining animals that can be found. Ancestors, even when dead, keep on serving the community they belong to, and people show them gratitude through ceremonies. Water is a powerful symbol. It represents the goddess’ versatility, the ability to change its mood in an instant. Fishermen often sacrifice something before boarding, to ask the goddess for protection from the ocean during their journey.

Sacred symbol and number
The number Four, and the lozenge.