Yasamaqi Religion

Pantheon

Name	Ali.	Province	Suggested domains	Common symbol
Akmens	CG	Stone, gems, the underground	Forge, Twilight	A pickaxe with a gleaming gem in its handle
Rodina	LG	Family, clans, home	Life, Peace	A gem shaped like a humanoid
Farraige	CN	Ocean, fish	Nature, Tempest	A fish swimming amongst unsteady waves
Arven	N	Death, reincarnation, legacy	Death, Grave	A Thieves' cross with one branch being white and the other black, joining gray
Öken	CE	Deserts, lightning, monsters	Death, Light	Glaring eyes from behind a sandstorm
Scrios	N	Magic, knowledge, destruction	Arcana, Knowledge	A multi-colored shooting star

Creation Myth

While all clans have slightly different variations in their cosmology and mythology, the generally accepted myth is that Aj'kar was empty until Akmens crafted the two continents out of the very fabric of the stars themselves, lovingly working in every mountain, every hill, every little rock by hand. But he believed his creation lacked something, so he asked his wife, Rodina, to help him; thus did she consult with her brother, Arven. Rodina crafted beautiful and varied gems, and Arven breathed life unto them, thus creating the first beings on Aj'kar. It is believed that when somebody dies, their gem must be placed back into Kreelenvolb, so that Arven may properly reincarnate the soul contained within.   Most other members of the pantheon are believed to be of Akmens and Rodina's clan; Farraige is often depicted as Akmens' unruly child, and Scrios as a distant and mystical cousin. Thus is the importance of the clan and family that even gods adhere to it. An exception is made for Öken, also known as The Ignoble One ("Rhib" in Ancient Yasamaqi), because of a superstitious belief that his name should not be spoken aloud, who is considered to be the master of all monsters and obstacles that are spoken of in the stories.

Worship

Whereas the people of Siarvald value the integrity of the village or city they live in, the Yasamaqi people tend to live in small communities or clans. Thus, their gods reflect slightly different values, often focusing on the coherence of smaller groups or their direct environment.   While the Yasamaqi people can be considered religious, their form of worship is far different from their Siarvaldan counterparts. Instead of reverence and fear, the Yasamaqi consider their gods to be an implicit part of their clan; when they can afford to do so, a clan will often have five empty beds and lay the table for five additional people. Should the clan have guests or not be able to afford such fancies, it is said that the gods "went for a walk"; this carries no stigma as long as the clan keeps the precepts of their pantheon in mind.

Tradition and Legends

Because the Yasamaqi people are divided in clans, a vast majority of them only keep an oral tradition, causing few written religious texts to exist. Not only that, but the fact that clans are mostly insular have caused the legends to change, evolve, and exaggerate over time; no two Yasamaqi have the exact same version of a legend. This has caused endless headaches for the Assembled Monastery for Spiritual and Historical Knowledge.   To make matters even harder, there was a time where the Yasamaqi people mostly existed under Qarah's leadership, meaning that their legends and religion were once more uniform. But the separation of the Yasamaqi into clans eventually caused so many variations to appear that it is now impossible, even for the most seasoned of historians, to tell which version was the original. Because (as far as anybody knows) everybody that frequented Yasamaq back when then is now long dead, the Monastery has thus far failed to find the original version of the Yasamaqi myths. The exaggeration displayed by the variations makes finding the original versions a nigh-impossible task. Even the family dynamic between the gods can change, as displayed in the "Sample Modern Legend" below, where Farraige is refered to as Akmens' and Rodina's cousin, not their child.   One important historical fact exists, however: many believe the basis for the Yasamaqi religion to come from strange drawings found on some cavern walls, deep into the continent itself. Those drawings are few, but sometimes appeared in locations where there were no previous tunnels, making their origin mysterious (some would say dubious).

Sample Modern Legend

"Once upon a time, the people of Yasamaqi dwelled in sheer darkness. For many amongst us, this proved to be no problem; but not everyone was born lucky enough to have the eyes of Akmens, which shine with the brilliance of a thousand gems. Thus did these people easily fall prey to the many monsters that dwell in the dark, for the spawn of the Ignoble One are infinite in number yet poor in mercy and compassion.   In desperation did these people turn to Akmens, and begged him to grant him but a single one of his eyes, so that they may be imbued with its powers and repel the monsters. But Akmens grumbled and protested, for those were his eyes, and he needed them to fashion Creation itself. Rodina, however, was not blind to the pleas of her children, and thus devised a clever plan.   Thus did Rodina, accompanied by her husband Akmens, dwell into Farraige's domain to greet their cousin there. Farraige greeted his cousins warmly, but his temperament shifted when Rodina and Akmens proved themselves to be poor guests, as they ran amok into the oceans and caused fish to meet with men, and men to meet with even larger fish. Angered thus, Farraige cast his cousins out, and thus did the great Ocean wash over Yasamaq.   This was, however, part of the Gods' design. For when they were washed out, salt crystals had clung onto their clothes and beard, as they had believed they would. Thus did they pluck those crystals, and spent a thousand days and a thousand nights walking through every single tunnel, salting the earth and the walls and the ceilings with their small treasures. Enchanted thus by godly power did they begin to shine, giving light where there once was only darkness; thus did the Ignoble One's spawn shriek in frustration and retreat deeper into their abominable holes.   On the one-thousand-and-first day, Rodina and Akmens spent the day teaching their children how to craft said crystals. On the one-thousand-and-first night, the brought the best liquor that the Gods had to offer to Farraige, and thus was everything right once again within the divine family."