Lob

Before the coming of the Maetah to the North Sea Coast, Lob was the Beast God of the porcine animals, which in those lands were primarily pigs and swine. His primary patrons were among the people of the farms and husbandries, the fat and happy overlords of the lands that the majority of the Maetah population worked. Lob's lineage, the Clan of the Fattened Young, existed in opposition to the agricultural Clan of the Fertile Earth, and its subsidiary lineages, who toiled in the fields.

But upon migration, the Maetah found it difficult to adapt their fattened hogs to the rough winters of the northern plateau. Facing a cold response from the budding agriculturalists that followed Thedine, and even colder lonely winter, they turned to the only clan of the interior lands they had not alienated, the hunters. The early Maetah hunters were an odd lot. They were among the most physically fit, but who neither had the interest nor the aptitude to take up the rough and monotonous agricultural life of the farmers. Many other were opportunist who saw the struggles of the tribe in the new environment, and took the chance to gain in status. Many others were low or no status, and both nothing to loose, and no other choice.

The Clan of the Fattened Young saw promise in the study of the hunting community, and still commodities from the homelands, as wells high ranking daughters to offer these clan less populations, in retune for their support. The Clan leaders first sought to interbreed the primary prey of the hunters, the hardy Northland Boar, into their dwindling herds of the swine. The plan would not come to fruition for many years, at which point the lineages of the clan which had intermarried with the hunters rose in prominence above the herders, who barely could maintain their lives, much less their status.

While the lineages that followed Lob grew in status, the gained little respect. After facing hardship in their early years, they took bitter glee in extorting fellow tribe members for wealth and goods in exchange for sustenance. The shamans and priest of Lob grew isolated from the tribal spiritual community, but did not desert the gods. Many of the clan members did however, choosing to solely venerate the Tusked God. The faith did not disrespect or falter in supplicance to the pantheon, but the elements of the Lob became more prominent in the popular culture. The hides, hooves, and teeth, especially the tusk became power symbols, and soon fetishes of the people.

When the Chlendi came, the people of Lob fought with the most resistance, as they had the most to lose. After years of the struggle, ancient families had relearned the place n society, and finally regained lost status. Locked in the servitude among the slave farmers was not the life for them. Their martial and hunting skills were hone for the struggled, but their lacked the numbers and initiative to mount a campaign against the Chlendi. Instead the Clan broke off, and built small, mobile villages in the wilderness, slowly moving the southwest, and closer the expanding Mindat civilization. They lost took with the hunt of the boar, and were forced to expand their forays to include other species. Still the boar, and its lord, was their savoir and patron, saving them from starvation, extermination, and slavery.

Organization

The temples of Lob are sunken longhouses of timber and stone, typically built on the property of nobles and wealthy landowners. The interior of the temples are covered with hides, and often painted with scenes of agriculture or simply covered in prayers. With the transition to an agicultural economy, temples of Lob have become more prominient and often house shrines to the other Meatah dieties. In other areas, simple shrines to Lob are built in barns or the edge of livestock pens. Traditional offerings to Lob include wine, spirits, and the first pig of a litter.

The symbol of lob is crossed tusks over a horizontal bar, and his number is 11. Celebration of Lob happen regularly, but are most prominent in the spring, when large parades wind through village streets and end in the largest farm of the town where a feast is held. In most cases, the priest of Lob is merely a priest fo the pantheon in an agricultural region, or the oldest farmer in a town too small to have a full time priest. Regardless, the officiant will wear a robe of green when in celebration of Lob's right, and carry a staff top with a small swine skull