Rule

Some cultures are theocracies , which means they are ruled by their priestly classes. Naturally, in such a culture, one priesthood will be dominant; the culture may worship only one god, or may tolerate other worships but be mainly devoted to one specific god.

In a theocracy, the nation may be ruled by a board of priests from the state religion, but it's more common for it to be ruled by a single king who is also a priest and the head of his priesthood. Such an arrangement may be benevolent, with a wise cleric ruling the land; or it may be particularly nasty, with a power-mad priest or the priest of an evil god in charge.

Many "lost worlds" (i.e., nations hidden away from the rest of the world, secluded in a lost valley or cavern or other distant place) are theocracies ruled by evil priests; adventurer-heroes stumbling into such cultures often find themselves having to stir up revolution and cast down these rulers so that justice can return to these lands.

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