Hey /r/warcraftlore. I'm a roleplayer, and I like overanalyzing tiny slivers of lore like this. This post is an attempt to sum up all the research I've been doing on this topic, and I'm also looking to see if there's anything big that I've really missed. Ever since Kul Tiras unlocked, I've been really fascinated with the brand new culture Blizzard's given us there. Of particular interest for me was the Tidesages and their religion that's the focus of the Stormsong arc. They're not only tied into the N'zoth storyline, but also one of the first times in-game that we've really gotten a lot of expansion on a brand new belief system in Azeroth.

Previously, I had been under the impression that all human cultures revered the Light to some extent. Lordaeron was the seat of many important religious locations- Tyr's Hand, Light's Hope, the Silver Hand Bastion... the list goes on a ways. Capital City is destroyed, but it wouldn't be a stretch to say that there may have been a chapel or church of some sort there. Other human cities have religion as their focus, as well. The Cathedral of Light looms large over Stormwind, and at the heart of Gilneas is Light's Dawn cathedral. Even Stromgarde had a chapel located in the city there. The only kingdoms not to have any sort of religious buildings in their capitals are Dalaran (a city of scholars and mages) and Alterac (destroyed in-game). Kul Tiras is unique in that it's a culture that doesn't seem to revolve around the Light at all.

Boralus

Of all the human capitals with religious buildings in them, Boralus is the only one that has a building unrelated to the Church of Holy Light: Stormsong Monastery. This place seems to be the largest outpost of the Tidesages outside of the Shrine of the Storm and Sagehold. Visitors are only allowed in by boat, according to Taelia.

The Monastery sits on a small island located on the southern end of the city. Notably, it sits between the middle class district of Mariner's Row and the upper class district of Upton. When viewed from a character that hasn't finished the introductory quest to Stormsong Valley, the Monastery is abuzz with activity. A captain comes to request a blessing for her ship, while Boralus workers come and speak to Tidesages in an open-air cathedral area. Tidesage Initiates undergo training, while archivists perform research in side rooms.

Most of the population of the Monastery are Tidesage Archivists and Stormsong Loyalists, with a few Tidesage Ritualists working in the back, and Tidemappers carrying about charts. Tidesage Initiates are present when the player first arrives, but gone in the normal instance of the monastery.

Overall, it seems as if the Monastery, and the Tidesage religion, are a large part of life in Boralus. Elsewhere in the city, Tidesage Doomspeakers preach to the poverty-stricken people of Dampwick Ward.

Here's an album of some Tidesage activities in Boralus.

Tiragarde Sound

Outside of Boralus, it appears that Tidesage influence seems to wane somewhat. The town of Hatherford, the Norwington Estate, Bridgeport, and Southwind Station have no Tidesage presence. Vigil Hill also has no Tidesage NPCs, but it is also important to note that by the time we see it in-game it is being attacked by pirates, and the presence left there is largely military only. Civilians seem to have already left. Tidesages may have been there and are among the refugees.

Anglepoint Wharf is the exception to this rule. Tidesage NPCs there include Brother Therold, Hera Copeland, and a Diligent Tidesage. It's worth noting that the Diligent Tidesage provides several services to the townsfolk that come and speak to her, ranging from offering blessings to giving advice on where to fish and even offering guidance to sailors heading into deeper waters.

One final thing that is important would be burial practices. In Tiragarde, we find precious few places where the dead are buried. When we find them, it's in the traditional manner- gravestones. There are also a few graves marked with wooden markers near the Roughneck Camp. Graveyards tend to be very small here, when they exist at all.

Stormsong Valley

Stormsong is the seat of the Tidesage religion, and so there's a fair amount to go over here. The effect of the Tidesages can be seen all over the zone. Several of the story chapters deal directly with the effect of the corrupted Tidesages led by Lord Stormsong that serve Azshara.

Looming large over the zone is the Shrine of the Storm, a temple that acts as both the seat of power for House Stormsong and the main base of the Tidesages. It's here that one of the main functions of the Tidesage religion is performed- the blessing of new ships for the fleet.

Another significant spot for the Tidesage religion would be the the town of Sagehold. Sagehold lies across Kraken's Reach from the Shrine, and is where all tidesages study to wield the power of the seas. It's also seemingly one of the bases of the Tideguard- who seem to be the guardians and armored warriors that defend the Tidesages. They may be something akin to temple guards, but this is only conjecture.

Speaking with Brennadam Citizens will sometimes yield the gossip text "We have trusted in the guidance of the tidesages for generations. The sea grants them wisdom, I'm sure of it." This seems to suggest that most of the people of Stormsong hold the words of the Tidesages in high regard, despite their mysterious ways. They bring rain to the fields there, and Stormsong seems to be considered the largest producer of food in Kul Tiras (though Drusvar is known for producing sausages.)

Burial practices in Stormsong are uniform, and they're displayed in the quests Lost, Not Forgotten and Rest in the Depths. A magical bell is used to gather the souls of the recently deceased. Once gathered, they are stored in it for later release. They do not bury their dead. In the questline, the souls are released into a passage that flows through the Shrine of the Storm and out into the sea. Legends say that as the spirits pass through the shrine, they aid in the blessing of the ships- it is unknown if all souls must be released through that channel or not.

Drustvar

Admittedly, Drustvar is something of an enigma, as far as religious practices go. There's no Tidesage influence at all- not a single one in Drustvar, as far as I know. Despite this fact, a lot of people have gone ahead and assumed that the sea and the tides must be revered there, as well.

While that is a fair assumption, it strikes me as a bit strange that all the people of Drustvar would look to the sea for guidance. first of all, it's a largely mountainous region, and Taelia's briefing says that ore is one of the major exports from Drustvar. Another thing to note is that the major population center of Corlain as well as the town of Arom's Stand are both far away from the water.

The towns of Fletcher's Hollow, Falconhurst, and Fallhaven all are connected to the ocean in some way, yet have no Tidesage NPCs there, either. (Once more, it's fair to point out that Fletcher's Hollow was recently invaded by witches, and so they may be among the refugees fleeing to Tiragarde.)

Something very interesting, though, would be the presence of two things that most people might have overlooked as they leveled there. The first is an area called Barrowknoll Cemetery. It has a small side quest chain there that's easy to miss and deals with the coven raising spirits of the dead and using them to create powerful wicker constructs. You roll through there, defeat the constructs, and free the spirits, who are known as the Defenders of Drustvar. Dialogue reveals they were past heroes who aided Drustvar at some point.

Barrowknoll and the quests there give us these two important things- first, the presence of a large cemetery itself, which gives insight into the burial practices of the people of Drustvar. Second, it gives us an NPC named Mercy Fairwater. Mercy Fairwater is a priestess NPC, and notably, she wields a staff that bears the symbol of the Church of Holy Light. The weapon model itself is Greatstaff of Righteousness. She's one of the only NPCs on Kul Tiras to reference the Light, in both appearance and in dialogue. Her text when talked to after the questline reads 'The Light's Peace be upon you, class. It's a bit strange to see a priestess of the Light in Kul Tiras, but without the Tidesages there, Drustvar may have room for the Light.

Another aspect of Drustvar I want to call attention to are the burial pratices. I mentioned Barrowknoll already, but Drustvar has many other graveyards. Every town seems to have one of varying size save for Fletcher's Hollow. Whitegrove Chapel also has a fair amount of graves outside of it, too. This is in stark contrast to the other zones, really.

Tidesage learnings

Via quest dialogue, NPC gossip and in-game texts, we learn a lot about the Tidesage religion and its presence and importance in Kul Tiras. Some of the most telling bits come from Taelia:

"Most people here look to the sea for guidance the same way others look to the Light, but the tidesages, they've got a much deeper connection with the water.

..They help bring fish to the nets here, and rain to the fields in the valley. They also bless every last Kul Tiran Ship.

Our largest ships always carry a tidesage to navigate through storms, withstand heavy seas, and put wind in their sails."

Seeking blessings and advice from Tidesages seems to be a very common act. In Boralus, a captain goes to the monastery to seek safe passage for her ship. At Anglepoint Wharf, fishers ask about where the fish are most plentiful. Sailors ask both about how the tides fare and the best courses to sail along. The Outriggers and other monster hunters seek blessings for their hunts before they embark no them. I think that Hera Copeland's gossip text sums things up well: "So much to do, so little time! I must bless the fishermen and their equipment, read the tides for omens, pray for the return of our sailors..."

Tidesage religion is based around reverence of the Tidemother, who is said to whisper to the Tidesages and grant them the power of the seas. Her whispers seem to have changed in recent times, becoming demanding and even violent. These changes in the whispers of the Tidemother are a cause of the corruption of Lord Stormsong and his followers.

The powers granted to Tidesages seem to extend to controlling water, storms, and wind. They also seem to be able to control water elementals. Tidesages usually seem to be equipped with three items: a Tidal Kris, a Wavecaller's Mantle, and an Abyssal Beacon.

Ship-building seems to involve a lot of aid from the Tidesages, and is very ritualistic in some ways. Beyond blessing already-crafted ships, Tidesages also bless the metal known as Storm Silver, and it is buried underwater for a year before used to build ships with.

Interestingly enough, the Legends of the Tidesages texts imply that those who would later become House Stormsong were the first to leave Gilneas, and through the whispers from the depths, were guided to Kul Tiras and were the first to establish themselves on the island, slowly guiding other settlers there as well.

Tidesages seem to be aware of what lurks in the depths of Azeroth's oceans, and their wards are designed to protect ships against such horrors. Brother Pike says that stories warn of the dangers of using their magic to peer too deeply.

Burial Practices

In each section (save for Boralus, which doesn't seem to have a graveyard), I've made a point of noting burial practices, because I believe that how the dead are handled varies between religions in Azeroth. Tiragarde seems to have very few graveyards, and has a tidesage presence. While most people there are not Stormsong, it may be possible that Tidesages help usher their souls on, as well.

Drustvar's large amounts of cemeteries and lack of Tidesage presence to collect souls via bell seems to suggest that they may not be the dominant religion in the region. With the presence of Mercy Fairwater, it seems likely that Light worship may exist in Drustvar in some form, if not on a full scale. Something worth noting is that Light-worshipping people tend to take care of their dead in a similar fashion to the people of Drustvar. They have large graveyards and crypts. One final bit of support for this idea is the presence of what seems to be a paladin's tomb out in Corlain's graveyard. This statue of a libram and warhammer is the same one used in the Sanctum of Light. Given how many other high resolution generic tombstone models exist in game, I hardly think that including this could be a mistake.

tl;dr, Tidesage religion is massively important in most of Kul Tiras, but the burial practices and NPCs in Drustvar suggest that people there may look to the Light

If I missed anything big, please let me know!