Norland: Religion Norland guide, tips

The Church of the Loving Family is one of the most powerful organizations in the Norland universe. On this page of the guide we will tell you all about the religion and the mechanics involved.

Last update: 24 July 2024

Religion plays a significant role in Norland. The dominant church of the Loving Family infiltrated most areas of life that affect not only ordinary citizens but also lords. This influence manifests itself in the form of numerous mechanics closely related to the institution of the church, which you will have to pay attention to throughout the game. On this page, you will find a summary of the most important information about the religion and its place in the world of Norland.

• What is a Loving Family?
• Who is the Bishop?
• Who are the fanatics?

What is a Loving Family?

In the Norland universe, the Loving Family is the dominant religious institution holding patronage over the entire continent. It gained importance after the War of Sacred Flame - a religious conflict that overthrew the former Crimson Empire.

The church's headquarters is located in the Stone of Faith fortress (visible on the world map, near the northern coast of the continent). Power in the organization is held by two figures.

The first is the Matriarch, the spiritual leader of the church. Depending on her relationship with your rulers, things like this may change:

1. Availability of goods from the Holy Caravan visiting your city;
2. Warnings of coming disasters;
3. A blessing placed upon the kingdom.

If you want to maintain good relationships with the Spiritual Mother, you can gain her favor by:

1. Maintaining friendly relations with the bishop;
2. Increasing the number of fanatics among citizens;
3. Eliminating forest bandits;
4. Avoiding dark deeds against other lords.

If you want to view your current relationship with the head of the church, click on the cross icon in the upper left corner of the screen. Here you will find detailed information about what the Matriarch likes in your kingdom and what causes her dissatisfaction.

The second figure at the head of the Loving Family is the Strict Father. He heads the Inquisition - the armed arm of the church. You are unlikely to interact with the Inquisition under normal circumstances, but if you strain your relationship with the church, you might draw their unwanted attention. This may happen when, for instance, you attack the Holy Caravan or engage in numerous crimes in the courts of other lords. The alerted Inquisition will then appear in your kingdom, destroying everything in its path. Therefore, if you plan to go to war with the church, be very well prepared for an exhausting war.

Engaging in dark deeds also has an additional consequence. It removes The Protection of the Loving Family from you, which is a provision that ensures non-aggression between noble families. The lack of protection from the church will make your neighbors free to attack you without fear of reprimand from the Matriarch.

Who is the Bishop?

The Bishop represents the Loving Family structures in your settlement. He will come to your settlement once it has more than 40 residents.

Upon arrival, the bishop's icon appears to the right of your lords' icons, and he will become a permanent guest of your kingdom. So that he doesn't remain homeless, build an additional Lord's house for him to move into.

The bishop represents the church in your region, and how you are perceived by the highest hierarchs of the Loving Family depends on his satisfaction. Therefore, take care of your guest's needs and try to maintain friendly relations with him. You can see his current thoughts and mood in the character window after clicking on the bishop's portrait. To get involved in individual relationships with the bishop click on the plus button, select "Social" and then "Spend time."

Who are the fanatics?

Fanatics are the most devoted followers of the Church of the Loving Family. Their devotion to Mother Sophia is symbolized by a golden cross worn on their chest. Religious fanaticism isn't associated with any specific social group and can affect anyone - from a peasant, through a warrior or prisoner, to a lord. When a character becomes a fanatic, a long-lasting, positive thought resulting from religious exultation appears in his or her head.

Fanatics can be a rather dangerous group of subjects, as their actions are heavily influenced by your relationships with the church. Here are some examples:

1. Fanatics will feel dissatisfied if they are unable to attend services at the local temple first thing in the morning. For this reason, you must make sure that there are enough places of worship in your town to accommodate all the believers.

1. Fanatical peasants will gladly join your army if your lord receives the blessing of the Loving Family. You can receive this specific bonus from the bishop if your relationship with the Matriarch is at a good level (at least 25) and you pay a fee of 300 gold pieces. You will find the relevant option in the "Action" menu of the king, under the "Bishop" tab.

A very dangerous situation involving fanatics is a religious riot. There is a chance of its occurrence when the average mood of peasants remains below 25 for some time. Before starting the riot, however, they will demand the head of the lord whom they consider responsible for the misfortune. If you refuse, units of fanatics from all social groups will start burning buildings in the city and murdering non-fanatical citizens. They will also try to get to the lord they declared guilty.

Religious riots can be further fueled by the local bishop if there is someone among your lords whom he considers his enemy (with whom he has a poor relationship).

While having fanatics among your citizens has some advantages, such as improving the mood, potential army recruits, and positive reactions from the church, you must be careful that they don't suddenly become too numerous. However, several mechanisms will allow you to control religious fanaticism in your kingdom.

1. Fanatics tend to appear when the peasants' happiness level is quite low. However, if you manage to maintain a high standard of living, loyalists will begin to appear instead of fanatics. These are people who are wholly devoted to the king, and their loyalty always remains at the maximum level. They are also willing to join the army, and they are 30% more efficient at work. Above all, loyalists can't become religious fanatics.
2. Another way to reduce the number of religious fanatics is to make the so-called Sermons of Doubt by one of the lords during morning mass. During it, the lord instills ideas among the faithful that lead them away from the church, to reduce the number of fanatics and increase the number of agnostics. The second group functions as the polar opposite of fanatics: they receive a lasting, negative thought, but all thoughts and actions related to religion have a much smaller influence on them. Agnostics are more likely to appear in kingdoms with a high quality of life, where the general mood of the population is quite high.