Brendil is united by somewhat common worship of the pantheon of Celtic nature gods. There is a secular High King, Mallovenda, from the line of Sharreneck that lead the war against the invading Dalbeds and finally the withdrawl through the tangled Daevyl Forest . However, local lords manage their own fiefs often deferring to their favorite priest or druid for resolving conflicts; if not the force of arms.
Despite the common pantheon, their are two systems of worship, the druids
led by Dyr Flligion and the priests by High Priestess Caldabre. The druids tend
to daily needs of the common Milar, education, healing, etc. The priests are more
organized and tend to the spiritual, political, and protective needs of Brendil's
Milar population. The druids tend to be more holistic than the priests. The
priests are not widely established or accepted, being viewed as fanatics at
worst.
The druids are the religious leaders of the Milar. They perform the sacrifices called upon by tradition, performing simple chants and rituals to please the many gods the Milar worship. The druid leaders gather for religious business in places known as Carnutes, which translates as sacred place, sacred grove, or oak sanctuary. This emphasizes the druids special kinship with nature and, in particular, the forests. In their function as church elders, the druids maintain their leadership over the community in other ways, as well. The druids officiate various legal arguments among their followers, and even go so far as to being the chief educators for their flocks. The druids' leadership extends over the Milar into every imaginable area. Druids are considered to have the ability to forecast, in the vaguest of terms, future occurrences. Through various rituals, the druids can foretell that a day, week, or month would be favorable or unfavorable for such things as battle, farming, hunting, etc. These predictions are taken to heart by both the Milar peasants and their leaders alike.
There are herbalists, elders mostly, that tend to minor needs: sickness, malaise, injury. The Druids care for the more serious problems (although their use of magic healing is rare, it is not unknown). The occasional traveling priest comes by promising healing for worshippers, but just as often they are charlatans. In general, priests of any sort are considered odd-balls.
Most gods are simply revered on certain holy days or in specific ceremonies typically lead by the druids. Occasionally a shrine is erected without an attendant priesthood. Caldebre is the most evangelical of High Priestesses, attempting to organize and spread worship through clerics and the establishment of temples. Evenso, temples to specific gods are very rare, and are usually just large shrines. Cathedral-like temples are unheard of.
The official calendar is rarely written. Most leave it up to their local Druid to let them know what day, month, year, etc. it is (and not all of them get it right either). However, it is common knowledge that the days are twenty four hours long, weeks are six days long, there are exactly five weeks per month, twelve months per year, the equinoxes and solstices are not numbered days and sometimes the Druids declare other unnumbered holy days.
The days are Sunday, Moonday, Tiwsday, Wodenday, Thoresday, and Freeday. (No Saturday.)
The months are Marris, Avrel, Maia, Yuven, Tiyagar, Anitul, Septander, Octander, Novander, Decander, Jonever, Feyever. (New year at the Spring Equinox.)
The Milar believe in a bleak afterlife; a dark land of lost souls and nightmarish creatures, the Netherworld. Life is a gift from the gods, but is the proving grounds for the spirit, for the spirit will enter the Netherworld and must be strong enough to survive. The god Arawn guards the only gate from the Netherworld to the paradise of Annwvyn. His island city that few find floats on a great ocean. Those that do manage to arrive on the island are judged by the fickle god and are allowed to pass or are banished from the island forever.
The Milar believe that the god Math Mathonwy gave the secrets of magic to mortals. The myths about why and how are widely varied, but general agree that the transaction was forbidden and has alienated Mathonwy from the other immortals. Many of the myths tell of great battles between priests and mages where the priests wielding divine power sought to eradicate the knowledge and practice of magic. The Milar culture still has vestiges of the conflict; although mages are accepted as useful, they are viewed with suspicion. Public organizations (guilds, colleges, etc.) are forbidden by the druids. This means mages are taught in private, limiting proliferation. Of course secret societies exist as well.
[Adapted from the Celtic Mythos section from TSR's "Legends and
Lore"]