Life in the Pale
The Pale is a theocracy - a nation governed by the church. The Pale is ruled by the Church of the One True Path, devoted to Pholtus. Pholtus is the Lawful Good god of Light, Resolution, Law, Order, Inflexibility, the Sun, and the Moons. Pholtus has Lawful Neutral tendencies, and the Pale embraces this. The Pale is a very rigid nation, with a well-trained military and an orderly system of law. Civil liberties and religious freedom are seriously curtailed.

The faithful of the Pale believe that Pholtus is the one true god, despite the fact that there are many gods in the World of Greyhawk. While it's impossible to deny the divine abilities of clerics who worship other deities, the faithful dismiss them for various reasons. Some believe these pagans limit their spiritual growth by worshiping lesser gods that in some incomprehensible way play a part in Pholtus's grand plan. Some believe pagans have been duped and actually get their powers from nefarious sources. Others think that these pagans actually worship Pholtus, but in an image they've constructed that is impure and distorted.

Regardless of why the Pale believes Pholtus is the one true god, the fact remains that the only sanctioned worship is of Pholtus. PCs may devote themselves to other gods, but they must not preach their beliefs or attempt to sway others to their faith. All PCs must show the utmost respect to Pholtus and the Church of the One True Path. The Church is very efficient at identifying, apprehending, judging, and sanctioning heretics.

Pagan PCs who keep their beliefs to themselves and show respect to Pholtus will have no official actions taken against them. Nevertheless, in an unofficial capacity, private citizens treat pagans differently. Depending upon a Pholtan's personal beliefs, a pagan may be despised, feared, or pitied. Some may choose to treat pagans very coldly, while others may embrace the pagan and attempt to save the pagan's soul. But, a pagan who is respectful, discrete, and watches her tongue should not fear any physical harm from law-abiding citizens.

All arcane spellcasters are treated with suspicion in the Pale. It is commonly whispered that the wielders of these magics consort with demons and devils. To cast spells within the Pale, arcane spellcasters must be registered with the Theocracy. Registration takes no time and costs no money, but allows the Theocracy to track the actions of these people. All PCs who cast arcane spells are assumed to be registered automatically. While registration is mandatory, membership in the Arcanist Guild meta-game organization is optional and provides additional benefits to the PC as listed in the document describing that organization.

The Pale has a few cities, but it is very much a frontier land, protected by a well-run military. The weather is cold and during the summer crops are grown with difficulty. The denominations of currency are the Bright (pp), the Gold Glory (gp), the Silver Moon (sp), and the Basic (cp).

The Palish embrace community, loyalty, family, and dedication, while they eschew luxury, frivolity, and waste. They do not believe in moral relativity and ambiguity. Knowledge is both feared and respected. Those who study in order to serve Pholtus's glory are respected, while those who study with a purpose not rooted in faith are feared, for knowledge is a power that corrupts.

Some Palish still hold on to superstitions and pay respects to pagan gods. Such is generally done in secret, and predominantly by those of Flan blood who live in the farmlands.

Pholtus believes he is the authority on Law and on the Natural Order. The sun rises and sets, the moons wax and wane, the seasons progress - all in a very ordered, regular fashion because this is the structure created by Pholtus.

Pholtus has presumed to place himself at the pinnacle of the Greyhawk pantheon by claiming authority on the Natural Order. This presumption creates significant friction with the other deities, particularly with St. Cuthbert of the Cudgel, god of Common Sense, Wisdom, Zeal, Honesty, Truth, and Discipline. The faiths devoted to Pholtus throughout Greyhawk conflict with those devoted to other gods. Pholtans attempt to convert unbelievers and preach a scripture that, at best, minimizes the importance of other deities.

Pholtus encourages his worshipers to follow a strict path towards righteousness known as the One True Path. Evil and Chaos are enemies of equal concern to the faithful. Pholtus's faithful must devote themselves to order, community, justice, and a strict adherence to his faith. Tolerance of people who believe differently is not encouraged. The faithful must not give into decadence or indifference; they must fight against evil and chaos, from without and within.
Outlook on Nonhumans
Humans are the dominant race within the Theocracy and Pholtus is a human god. 96% of the population is human, with Oeridian and Flan lineages most prevalent.

Nonhumans are generally spoken of as being separate - they have their own laws, culture, and religion. Nonhuman religions are for nonhumans and are no threat or concern to the souls of humans. Thus, provided a dwarven cleric of Moradin passing through the Pale didn't try to convert humans to his religion, the Pale would officially respect the cleric's practices. As long as nonhumans are respectful of our beliefs, and preach only to their own kind, the Pale will respect their concerns.

In practice, most humans in the Pale don't fully respect nonhumans. While their religion is separate from ours, the light of Pholtus does not shine through their souls. Unofficially, nonhumans are treated in various negative ways by different people: they may be mistrusted, treated coldly, pitied, or patronized. In most meta-gaming activities within the Pale, players of nonhuman PCs should expect to have their opportunities for advancement limited because of their nonhuman status.

Exceptions exist. A few nonhumans have thoroughly embraced Pholtus, and some of those have actually become clerics or hold other positions of distinction. Half-elves in particular have advanced within Palish society. Elves are treated with significant respect, primarily because they occupy the Phostwood to the west, strategically located between part of the Pale and Tenh. An alliance with the Phostwood elves a few years ago benefited the Pale greatly in its war against the Iuz-occupied Tenh.