The Village Priesthoods of Gaetan

The village priesthoods of Gaetan provide the backbone and organizing principle of the common Gaetani society. Almost everyone in a Gaetani village belongs to at least one priesthood, and the priesthoods oversee almost every aspect of village life. The priesthoods function as professional societies, as government, and as economic drivers. The creation and distribution of almost all necessities are overseen by the priesthoods, and the brewer priesthood oversees the distribution of everything else through its control of gambling, drinking, and a health black market trade in goods the other priesthoods frown upon.

The most important priesthoods vary from village to village, but the Lover, the Fisher, the Weaver, and the Pickler are important almost everywhere. Outside of the Coast region, Brewer priests are extremely important, both as brewers of wine and distillers of liquor, and as tavern keepers (and, in the Wide Valley, frequently de facto mayors). In the Inland Passage and Capital Island, and to a lesser extent in the Coast Hills, the Miller Priesthood is also extremely important, serving as a connection between the villages and the aristocracy, and often functioning as mayors. The Corn Maiden priesthood is mainly important in the Wide Valley, and the Pilot Priesthood is hugely important along the Inland Channel. Glassmakers generally fall under the Miller priesthood, but in the Wide Valley, glassmaking and milling have fallen under the control of the Prince's Millers.