Folk Religions
Kessixian
TBA
The Caigfei religion is focused around the All-Mother, commonly identified with Nyx, who is represented by the earth itself. It is believed she died long ago in the creation of the world and her various body parts became various parts of the earth. Her brain became the spirits, her heart became the dragons, and her womb birthed the first people. Because of this, practicioners of Caigfei revere every part of the earth as sacred.
Caigfei also believes in the duality of chaos and order. The spirits, who look like ghostly elves in most traditions, are a representation of tradition and order. Dragons, who appear as wolf-like beings with feathered wings and ram horns in Caigfei, are beings ruled by passion and emotion. As such, dragon motifs are present on many marriage gifts and feature in ballads and epic tales as protagonists or powerful side characters.
Ervaju has no deities, but focuses on a primoridial and ever-present energy. The concept of karma and the sacredness of life is a powerful ideal, and Ervaju teaches that every life is divine and killing should be done with respect and only in need, such as hunting. War is a grave sin in the beliefs of the Jehisi, and they recal events like the Iksandi invasion with muttered wards, believing that it can harm one's soul to harbor vengeance.
Hilau is a dualist religion, focusing on two deities: Tatawe, god of fire and earth, and Ailani, goddess of sky and sea. The two are bitter rivals, but were once lovers. As the creation legend tells, Ailani birthed the first people and Tatawe, jealous, stole the children away to live on land. Ailani unleashed her storms on the land, attempting to douse Tatawe's fire, but when she saw that she was hurting her children, she stopped and returned to the sea. She fashioned three guides out of different materials to help them: Paua the tayra was made of stone, and presides over strength and the islands people inhabit. Taitey the duck was made from wood, and presides over flora and fauna, as well as the health of the people. Kanahu presides over the sky and was made from clouds, alternatively depicted as a petrel or a kite. The five mythical figures are the reason there are five tribes and five rulerrs.
The Riweni folk belief, Keweni, is centered around the river. The Riweni River is the center of creation and a life-giving force, created to balance out the heat and fire that was the original state of the universe. They revere the water and earth as Kyawe, usually represented as an elf with a bare chest. Many animal spirits, such as Nyidu, are common in legend, but rarely take status as worshipped deities and more as fellow creatures with minor powers.
Hylden
Lenvish is a religion with a strong binary between masculine and feminine. Their creator deity is a goddess in the form of a mother bear who also rules over all living things. The masculine god takes the form of a wolf and represents the non-living: stone, water, and wind. In the lenvish belief, fire is a living creature. Because of the tension between Bear and Wolf clans, this divide is furthered, with both sides claiming their patron deity is creator.Â