A former great religion, now fading away-ideas needed for sub ideas.

[Cheka Man]

Once there was a religion, that started like all religions do, as a cult that grew bigger, until it covered several countries. But it's dogma prevented it's worshippers from using the newest magic and technology. At first this did not matter, early armies had no trouble. But as swords and primitive weapons and small spells gave way to gunpowder and fearsome battle-spells, they faltered and were driven back into the hills and the far away places.


I need rough ideas for subs based on that idea.

[Scrasamax]

So you have a highly traditional and conservative religion, one that doesn't embrace change or advances in magic or technology. It all depends on the light you want to show them in. If you want them to be sympathetic, let them keep their dogmatic ways but be honestly good people, even if during the height of their power their faith was more tyrannical. Also, they could be similar to modern groups such as the Amish, forsaking advances and such as this weakens their community, and promotes violence and warfare, and hard labor is homage to God.

The alternative could be a seething violent side that sees change as evil and that it should be repressed. Since their defeat, they have a primitive lifestyle, enforcing their faith on one another, ruthlessly stamping out alternate creeds and splinter sects, and waging a guerilla war against the new standing faith. This could be a simple grassroots movement appealing to the masses, or it could literally be war, burning churches, capturing and killing clergy of the dominant faith.

[Cheka Man]

Maybe they have a single surviving temple somewhere with stories about the treasures  to be found in it?

[Scrasamax]

Is this religion still alive, are there still clergy and worshippers or is it a dead thing, with only rumors and a lone temple remaining?

If it is a relict, with a few old members and hoary clerics kowtowing to it, then it could be interesting.

If it is completely dead, then it is just another dungeon/ruin to be delved and looted

[manfred]

Indeed, if there are a few remaining of the religion that once encompassed the lands, they will be a nice diversion - with much interesting knowledge to offer.

Should you want it, nothing simpler than that - just provide them with some worshippers!

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One amusing variant could be the compromising of their principles, by the church or a splinter sect - perhaps they would accept new technologies, but have to keep rewriting history to attribute everything to their own inventors, or claiming all those new things have been basically known before.

[Pariah]

Well, the religion has been splintered and spread out over the years, so there's lots of room to do almost everything that's been suggested.  Over time the individual sects have all developed different ways, with some retreating to mountain shrines that they defend with their lives and judicious use of terror and murder, while on the coast there's one sect that has devoted their lives to learning everything they can about the human body and are thus the best doctors in the realm, while others are just Amish...