Tukha: the Power of Eastrun

Though no longer recognized by the Manwin of Eastrun, the concept of tukha is still very much a part of Daizu and Hayao thinking. It is true that the tribes of these barbarous peoples are ruled by their chieftains (wang and kancho, respectively) but they are not the only ones in a tribe with power or influence. In fact, there often arise certain inspired, if only temporarily so, leaders who might eclipse the chieftain. 

These men (shunzhang liang and kaizoku daiyu) are said to possess the tukha of one or more of the Four Winds. There is always a portent attached to gaining the tukha so that their favor can be recognized by the least sophisticated and most cynical alike. 

Those blessed with the tukha might only hold it for a single raid or war party. They might hold it for an entire campaign. Generally, they are recognized until the action they promised is complete, or until they die, or until something as equally portentous befalls them. It is well known that the tukha can be withdrawn if the possessor is not bold or audacious enough with it.

The Church: The Monotheistic Faith of Westrun

The Holy Church of Westrun was recognized after the God War of 5108ey as the successor religion to the pagan Grand Temple of Heaven which had held sway in Westrun since 4100ey. 

The Church teaches that everything in the universe was created by a single divine being who brought it all into existence for reasons known only to him. Their God expects good behavior from all his creation and will judge those who do not live up to their potential for it. The Church leaves each race and people to their own priesthood, but claims a special prerogative over all humans -- regardless of the land they are in. This means they are rivals with the human religions of Northrun, Southrun and Eastrun, including the Fath'odeep and the Long Game and any other cults.

The Church believes that all humans have an obligation to join the church, to mature into full membership of it, to confess their sins, to recite prayers daily and to join once a week to recite prayers with others, to seek a proper burial and to submit themselves to the teaching of a cleric.

The Church believes that its clergy have a special mission to see to the proper care of the dead (including turning undead), feed the hungry, clothe the naked, heal the sick, make new converts, visit prisoners in captivity, and rescue orphans.

After their death, a Ferryman will carry all human souls along a celestial river to the throne of judgement. There individuals will be consigned to either Paradise or Perdition based on their actions.

The Decadon: The Old Faith of Westrun

The religions of man have long struggled with the identities of the powers they once called the Princes of Erenes, but now call the Pretenders.  

They do not appear in history before the 40th Century as elves reckon time, though they were considered by some sages to be Agathinon, at first. Unlike those ancient beings, however, they did not want to be left alone. 

They continued as temporal rulers for centuries among the kingdoms of men. Eventually, however, they were recalled in an act called the Divine Rescission. Thereafter, the Grand Temple of Heaven was formed to give them worship many believed they were due.  

At the end of the God War the one-time Princes of Erenes were reduced by the Church of Westrun to the so-called Pretender gods; and their cults were eventually altogether  banned. 

The Decadon was this:

Heimos - The pretender god of the heavens, of storms, magic and fury.

Heinil - The pretender god of the air; patron deity of ancient Peakshadow.

Heiniko - The pretender god of the Sea, male fertility, and knowledge, brother deity of Utunos

Inossa - The pretender goddess of sexual love, female fertility and warfare; matron deity of ancient Rath.

Kinurea - The pretender goddess of the earth; matron deity of Talir.

Noilos - The pretender god of the moon; one of the patron deities of Menea.

Ningula - The pretender goddess of darkness; wife of Noilos; mother of Bal, Du, and Ren.

Ninlee - A pretender air goddess and wife of Einil; one of the matron deities of Peakshadow; she was believed to reside in the same temple as Enlil.

Ninurtos - The pretender god of war and agriculture, one of the patron deities of Menea.

Utunos - The pretender god of the sun, brother of deity of Einiko.

Fatho'deep: The Faith of the Sea

Fatho'deep is the word in the Sailors Argot for the Faith of the Ocean-farer. While many sailors can and do worship in the religions of their homelands, many more give up their faiths for the peculiar beliefs held by all sailors, regardless of origin.

These sailors will place their hope in "Shuro," that is, Oshuron, titan of the Oceans. They sacrifice gulls before departing in the hope that he will provide them favorable winds, profitable journeys, and ultimately protect them from watery death. They also have the assurance, that should they die and be rolled into the sea, that Shuro will take their bodies and resuscitate them in Dryhook.

There are few practices of Fatho'deep. 

1. The sacrifice of gulls before any voyage. 
2. The recitation of the Oath of the Deep before any voyage. 
3. The practice of offering gifts to the deep in the midst of voyages to expiate their failings -- these gifts are either iron filings, bits of silver or flagons of wine -- all things believed to be unavailable to Oshuron as he lives on the high seas. 
4. The offering of salt water to dry ground when landfall is made -- this offering is said to remind the land he is on that the sailor is only a guest from the sea. Since only freshwater falls on land, it is believed that saltwater is highly prized away from the shore.

Fatho'deep teaches that mercies of Shuro are countered by the cruelties of Old Rita -- that is, Valritra the Kraken. She is an unthinking personification of rage and destruction.

The Long Game: the "faith" of Rogues

While thieves, con artists, and others who live by wit, charm, stealth, or mischief often follow the religions of their homelands, many are also steeped in the oft-repeated myths of their profession. Those who embrace these tales are said to be playing the Long Game—placing their hope in one of three legendary means to escape the divine justice they surely know awaits them.

Scholars dispute whether the Long Game is a true religion, akin to the Church of Westrun, the Way of Order of Eastrun, or the Namus Abadi of Southrun. Most conclude it is not, instead calling it a cultural code—a creed that justifies criminal virtues: never betraying accomplices, showing courage in one’s craft, and executing deeds with a sense of style. Even failure, they note, should be wrapped in the telling of a worthy story. Nevertheless, in every major city across Erenth, there are those who speak of the Long Game in reverent tones, as if it were sacred truth.

• The Last Coin: A thief dying in bed sometimes requests a blackened coin on the tongue. This is a sacred act, rarely refused even by enemies.
• The Tale at the Wake: It is said the dead listen for how their last deed is told. A clever retelling may catch the Candlejack’s ear even if the deed itself was small.
• The Drink for the Lady: A cup of wine spilled on the floor in taverns is sometimes called “buying the Red-Fingered Woman’s first round.”

According to the Long Game, the gravest sin a rogue can commit is to steal from—or otherwise harm—a child, most especially an orphan. This offense admits no forgiveness. All other failings may be mitigated by the sacrifice—gifting coins to street urchins—but crimes against children demand retribution. Rogues bound by the Long Game are honor-sworn to punish, if not outright kill, any who commit such acts.

The Continuum: the Faith of the Besnir

Among the demi-humans (Besnir), the spiritual world is an inseparable part of their public and private lives. The Hierophant of each tribe is the ceremonial head of that people. He is a high-placed advisor to their ruler. He is the one who seals marriages and contracts. He is the one who crowns their king. His job is to represent his people before their Patron and to reunite them to that Patron in death.

Each of the races: Halfling, Gnome, Dwarf and Elf recognize that their people were created by one of the Aenire... the chief lieutenants of the Creator of the Universe. They were the Lords of the ancient world. The races were made from the substance of the universe (the alloruh) and quickened by the self-sacrifice of their maker -- each of whom poured their own spirit into the beings they had made, thus bringing them to life.

While this act was self-sacrificial, it was also a kind of rebellious act and invoked the ire of the Creator for doing so. Yet, the Creator did not destroy what the Aenire had made, and allowed the Lords to become the intercessors of their people.

Also, because the Aenire spent themselves in the process, the future of these Patrons are altogether wrapped up in the success and faithfulness of their people. While they still live on Erenth, they are mere shadows or wisps of their former selves. They can barely interact with the material world outside of manipulating sound and light and are therefore forced to rely on their people to see their ends met. 

Halflings revere Yomal whom they depict as a great gardener and warrior maiden. Gnomes revere Goren -- a master craftsman and inventor who is almost always laughing. The Dwarves worship Morad, a smith of unparalleled ability. The Elves worship Lareth -- a contemplative and scholarly leader. 

Beneath each of these gods are the Exalted Heroes of their individual races. They are those who have become so powerful and so noteworthy as to have transcended death. In their new forms, they are able to take temporary form and sometimes to involve themselves in the affairs of the living, albeit for a limited time.

The Recission

In 4122ey, the gods of Westrun were summoned by Heimos, the father of the gods, and given his great command to abdicate from the affairs of men. He mandated that mankind would have to appeal to their gods for favors using the Invitatory Court and a High Priesthood. 

To this day, there is some disagreement whether obedience to Heimos was voluntary, or if the Recission included the violent enforcement of his will. After three centuries of direct involvement in the affairs of men, mankind was able to breathe a sigh of relief from the sometimes murderous and rapacious activities of their gods.

The Way of Order: A Faith of Eastrun

In his Eleventh Book, Bao Dan reflects on the life and legacy of Jen Shu, recognizing him as a figure who grappled with the eternal struggle between Chaos and Law. His emperor's conquests and his quest for order amidst chaos exemplify the dichotomy between these two forces that shape human existence. Despite his immense achievements in unifying and organizing through conquest, Bao Dan believed that Jen Shu's ultimate aspiration was to let Law prevail over Chaos.

Bao Dan outlined principles derived from Jen Shu's life, advocating for a disciplined adherence to Law as a means to combat the inherent Chaos of existence. These principles emphasized detachment from personal desires, steadfastness in the face of challenges, and a commitment to order and justice. Bao Dan's writings urge others to emulate this dedication in their own lives, transcending mere conquest to embrace a higher purpose of societal and personal order.

Thus, Bao Dan's philosophical treatise on the Way of Order serves not only as a reflection on Jen Shu's life but also as a guiding ethos for those who sought to navigate the complexities of existence with integrity and purpose. Those that follow the Way of Order properly will be translated into a spiritual being and taken to a new world.

As a religion, the Way of Order is generally observed by the Manwin, or civilized Eastruners, of the three Empires. It claims to benefit all people and races and finds the rivalry that the Church of Westrun holds for it odd. The Way of Order fully accepts that even believers from the Church and the pagan faiths could be translated, though agrees it must be harder so long as they cling to their unusual beliefs.

The Cadashrim

​The Cadashrim are those people recognized for having taken a specific temporary religious vow. While the word is specific to High Speech, it is known in every land and realm. 

The fact that the vow is universal indicates that it predates any of the known religions, and is perhaps one of the oldest rites or practices known. Some say its origin stretches back to the time of the Halfling Empire. 

The Cadashrim agree to bathe a dead body and keep it company until it is buried or otherwise disposed of. During the time that they serve, they will not speak nor abandon the dead. It is often considered a kind of atonement for misdeeds. In many places the Cadashrim are a kind of permanently staffed mortuary. In others, the assignment is taken on an ad hoc basis.

The vow is taken simply -- by disrobing, bathing, and then entering the place where the dead are kept with the intention to remove the body, clean it, and then guard it until its resting place is prepared. 

The Melekrim

​The Melekrim are those people recognized for having taken a specific temporary religious vow. While the word is specific to High Speech, and thus only used by the demi humans (Besnir) it has its analogs in each of the five human tongues. In Northrun they are called Melkronrr. In Southrun, the Manazoor. In Eastrun they are Mang Se. In Westrun, Gudwon. In the Provinces, they are Votori. 

The fact that the vow is universal indicates that it predates any of the known religions, and is perhaps the oldest rite or practice known. Some say its origin stretches back to the time of the Halfling Empire. 

For any period of time, in 28 day increments (from moon to moon), the Melekrim are motivated by extreme joy, sorrow or supplication to go unshod, to go unshaven (including cutting their hair), and to be scantly fed (eating only wild fruit and nuts, in addition to locusts and honey. They will also spend at least 6 turns per watch in chant and meditation. 

The benefit of this vow is to grant, even to non-clergy, the power of Sanctuary and one other faculty, once per day, commencing after the first 24 hour period, including:

Bless

Call Upon Faith

Create Water

Cure Light Wounds

Detect Evil

Endure Cold/Heat

Locate Halidom/Holy Place

Protection from Evil

Purify Food and Drink

Remove Fear

The vow is simply taken by removing one's shoes, placing ashes on the head and the backs of each hand, and scratching the number of moons it will be observed upon the ground. After that, his head is shaved, and then not cut again until the vow is expired. From then on, the Melekrim will speak only when spoken to or if necessity dictates. 

Akwali Sekhat: a Faith of Southrun

Akwali Sekhat, or Sisters of Sekhat, is the name given to the strange society of Southrun which is headed by a noble woman known as... Al Adhra, the Virgin. The Sisters live in a mountain redoubt completely isolated from the affairs of men. There they are devoted to the worship of their goddess Sekhat, and only leave its confines to practice their cruel murderous rites.

The society is wholly made up of women. Indeed, for a man to enter their fortress is to earn a death sentence. Their society grows from runaway women, absconded servants, abducted children and abandoned widows. Their leader is chosen from among their number by the casting of lots.

The Sisters worship the goddess Sekhat, who is believed to have been slain by her brothers Amir and Bhamut, during their divine feud. The worship of this deity requires the ritualized murder of men. To complete this rite, the Sisters have been known to waylay travelers, infiltrate noble houses, and abduct those who are unawares.

The Sisters also offer their services for hire. All of the nobility of Southrun is aware of the Akwali Sekhat and will often contract with them to remove enemies and rivals. It is believed that by giving them a steady supply of victims, other men will be safer from random attacks.

The Sisters rely heavily on poisons and strangulations to achieve their ends. Many victims have been found with silk sashes around their throats or with faces locked in pain at their passing.

The Dawning

In the year 3744ey the pretender gods revealed themselves to mankind and began to raise new nations and to perform great deeds of wonder. They won the hearts of many and men worshipped them.

The Four Winds: a Faith of Eastrun

In the lands of Jenia, the savages that roam the steppes and ply the waves revere the Four Winds.

They believe these winds are the spirits of four mighty brothers, sons of the celestial King and deceased dragon lords allowed to live on for eternity. They witnessed the creation of the world. They are all that is left of a great host of celestial spirits.

Shun Ao, the White Steed is the North Wind and the Bringer of Winter. He is also called the Master of Water. His spirit flows from the towering glaciers and races South over the steppes bringing hundreds of meltwater streams to the lowlands that finally join as mighty rivers by the time they reach the sea.

Jun Ao, the Black Steed is the West Wind and the Bringer of Fall. Also known as the Master of Metal and the Spirit of Peace. He is said to ride out for all men at the end of their lives. His spirit rings out in the sounds of iron and steel brought from the Pillars of Heaven to the lands of warring men.

Chin Ao, the Red Steed is the South Wind and the Bringer of Summer. He is also called the Master of Fire and the Spirit of War. His spirit exhausts itself on the lowlands and brings great waves of heat ever North, drying the grass and making it susceptible to great fires across the grasslands.

Kuang Ao, the Green Steed is the East Wind and the Bringer of Spring. He is also known as the Master of Wood and the Spirit of Mischief and Fertility. His spirit brings both life giving rains and tempestuous storms that beat across the coasts and sweep far inland.

In the primitive cosmology of these barbarians, the spirits no longer have physical bodies, the Four Brothers can sometimes be summoned as mighty horses. Their avatars are able to exert influence from the edges of the World Here Below.

Asharahlafillah: the Many Faiths of Southrun

In Southrun, it is said that there are 10,000 gods. Not all of them are equal in power or precedence and no two of them are worshipped, cajoled or influenced the same way.

Generally speaking, there is no office of priest for any of the gods; though there may be remote temples and monasteries dedicated to some of them, and some might have full-time monastics. The so-called holy men of Eastrun are Diviners, who seek to determine what Fate has in store for both the gods and mortal men alike. 

Rather than have a clerical office, the priest of every tribe, faction and household is the patriarch of the family. It is he who issues blessings, solemnizes contracts, negotiates marriages, and tends to the family idols. He makes sacrifices of burnt offerings and when in cities, will sometimes see to the organization of a parade or festival to honor one deity, or another.

Nahmus Abadi: The Law Which Cannot Change

An Explanation to the Guilded Tradesmen and Merchants of Watersedge
by Artemor the Wise

In Southrun, the men of the various tribes and nations believe that the Nahmus Abadi is greater than any individual sovereign, which they call Sooltan, or Sooltrop and sometimes Shayke. Once a law is made in a given barony, the Southruners believe that it may never be repealed. For this reason the laws of the Land ever increase and many learned men are charged with learning them by rote, and then reciting on command. Though such a thing is seldom necessary as every large city seems to contain large stones upon which these laws are painstakingly graven.

According to the Southruner, the basis for all laws comes to them from a legendary figure named Roo-uhh-lah who was led by some spirit to the heart of their great desert and found twenty commandments inscribed on great stone monoliths. To these basic laws, various rulers have added injunctions and commandments of their own, which may not contradict the spirit of the basic laws, nor the letter of the rulings of their predecessors. Though it is true that the men of Midir have a different set of precedents and additions than their neighbors from Byza, both reference the same basic 20 laws.

Note that several laws contain words whose meanings are unknown. These words are not written, but contain the preferred translation of Roo-uhh-lah in parantheses.

1. If a man profanes a [god] he will be cursed to the seventh generation.

2. If a man does not show [obeisance to this law], he will be cursed to the seventh generation.

3. If a man [sours water], he will be cursed to the seventh generation, for it belongs to all.

4. If a man does not offer hospitality, he will be cursed to the seventh generation.

5. If a man does not show [reverence to the fathers of others] though the two be as enemies, he will be cursed to the seventh generation.

6. If a man commits a murder, he must be killed.

7. If a man harms a child or violates a woman, he must be killed.

8. If a man commits a robbery, he must be killed.

9. If a man is found to be a [sorcerer or djinn], he must be killed.

10. If a man violates a [stone wall that is still standing], he must be killed.

11. If a man cannot hold his [slaves, wives, camels or coin] he deserves to part with them.

12. If a man [divorces his first-time wife], he shall pay [her weight] in coin, but if she is not he shall [dismiss her] with a kind word.

13. If a man spoils [the virgin of another man], he shall pay [her weight] in coin.

14. If a man [knocks out the eye] of another man, he shall {weigh it out in coin} and pay it over ten times.

15. If a man’s [slave-woman], comparing herself to her mistress, speaks insolently to her, her mouth shall] be scoured with a handful of salt.

16. If a man appeared as a witness, and was shown to be a perjurer, he must pay [the weight of his tongue after it has been severed] in coin.

17. If a man seeks [to own property he shall establish an obelisk] and fire a bow shot in all directions from it. This property shall be his unless the bowshot is fired over water, for water belongs to all.

18. If a man [moves an obelisk], he shall pay its weight in coin.

19. If a man claims to be [an astrologer], but is known not, then he will undergo the trials of water, sand, and fire; and then pay [the weight of his tongue after it has been severed] in coin.

20. If a man is accused of any wrong and cannot prove himself, he must seek [an astrologer]; if he is proven innocent, his accuser must pay [their combined weight] in coin. If guilty, he must pay twice what the law prescribes.

The Many Gods of Southrun

The pious pagans of Southrun maintain that two brother gods, Amir and Bhamut, once ruled over Southrun. For six centuries the Brothers held sway over all the Land.

The day came when the Brothers became rivals. For they had a sister named Sekhat, who was greatly desired as a consort by each of them. And the two of them came to blows over which of them would be able to wed her. And the fury of their rivalry caused great tribes and nations to go to war. And it came to pass that Sekhat, who tried to preserve the peace of her brothers, was slain in their conflict. So each looked to the creatures of their domain for wives.

For his part Bhamut took many creatures of the animal world and had his offspring by them. These became beasts of great cunning and strange power. While Amir took mortal women and slew many of them with his seed. But some of his wives survived and produced many offspring for him. All of these offspring were immortal and extremely powerful -- gifted with many of the powers of their sires, but also given to all the failings and passions of their mothers.

Eventually, both Amir and Bhamut grew tired of war (some say they were slain by the machinations of the Dark Elves). They have left the temporal world in the hands of their volatile children and can be seldom bothered to pay attention to the affairs of Erenth, let alone interfere in them. 

The sheer number of their offspring means that every tribe and family has its own preferred god or goddess, with most of the rest being benignly neglected. While they will not sacrifice to the other deities, the Southruner is careful not to blaspheme or disparage them -- for he believes (under the Law Which Cannot Change) that any one who does so will suffer curses for seven generations.

The lists below are far from complete. These are the well-known offspring of the brother gods. In addition to a great number of siblings unrecorded, each of these demigods have further bred with other creatures and mortals, and with each other, giving rise to lesser and least categories of beings with divine blood.

Index of Deities and Demigods

Morset Tributa: the Pagan Faith of the Free Provinces

Only two gods are certain: Ris and Kels.

The ancient gods of the Principalities are Ris and Kels.

Ris is personified as a white man, lame and often depicted with a crutch or leaning upon a staff. In some places he is depicted as a dog on point. His symbol is a crude arrow pointing upward, and alternately, a tower of stone. He is the personification of Law, Order, Organization, Government, Taxes. He is the immovable object. Though it must be pointed out that there is no connotation of goodness for Ris. He might be, and often is, considered evil.

Kels is personified as a black, often faceless woman. She is almost always depicted scantily clad, or nude. Her sexual organs are always hidden from view by sheer clothing, the position of the objects around her, or even just the convenient pose of her arms and legs. That said, her pose is never intentionally modest, merely accidentally so. In some places she is shown as a cat. Her symbol is a crude depiction of a snake eating its own tail, which is often taken for a circle with an arrow point in one arc, or the crest of a wave. She is the personificaiton of Chaos, Entropy, Wildness, Liberty and Death. She is the unstoppable force. Again, no moral sense of evil should attach to her, necessarily. In some situations she is seen to portend a good and favorable result.

The two deities are continually striving against one another, but not at war. They are considered inextricably linked to one another and often portrayed as lovers who are doomed to be apart. Both deities are believed to exist from time immemorial and both are immortal and undying.

Neither Ris nor Kels promise any sort of afterlife. All mortals are believed to be consigned to some shadowy existence after death. Trapped forever in some ethereal state they know neither pleasure nor specific suffering, but are consumed by loneliness and boredom in perpetuity.