Myn, The Vada

Myn is the official name of the faith of the people of The Kingdom of Zelaya. Faithful among the Zelayans believe that the Cosmic Mother, Kainat Ana is the one true goddess of their people, and that she created them to live in the lush gardens of her body, Kumah, the Zelayan homeworld.    The Zelayans believe in the Aspects of the Cosmic Mother as a Quaternity; that is, each of them exists simultaneously as a bodily part of her, a part of physical reality, and a person who is an avatar of Kainat Ana herself. These four constituent parts of the Quaternity are Kumah, the Body, which is also selfsame as Kumah, the world; Urek, the Heart, which is also the Sun; Agil, the Mind, which is also Agil, the larger moon of Kumah; and Goz, the Eye, which is also Goz, the smaller of Kumah's two moons.   Zelayans believe that these Aspects of the Cosmic Mother gifted them with the various necessities of life itself. Kumah and Urek together provide life to the Zelayan people and all of the creatures, Agil gave them intellect and magick, and Goz protects them by seeing what dangers may come to pass so that the three others may act.    A key event in Myn theological history is The Infinite Sorrow. Through final communiques received by the Zelayans on Yorth, they learned that through their own hubris, the people on Kumah had misused the gifts bestowed upon them by the Cosmic Mother, specifically through Agil, and just as suddenly as the messages came through the Zelayans watched in horror as their world of Kumah, visible only as a tiny dot in the sky, suddenly burst into flame, a burning which still rages to this very day. This is the great shame of the Zelayan people, and while formerly splintered into various factions, they have been united by the holy cause of extinguishing the fires and returning to Kumah to rebuild the hurt that they have caused to their Cosmic Mother. Those who swear their lives to this cause are known as Vada, the Promised. In modern Zelayan society, becoming Vada is a rite of passage for all faithful of Myn.   The Zelayans also believe that Yorth, which they call Yer, is an estranged father figure and consort of the Cosmic Mother. While at first distrustful of him and their new home, many Zelayans have come to know their existence as fortunate; while all those who remained on Kumah perished, Urek still smiles upon them here, and Agil ponders over them here, too, as Phanos, and Goz watches over them as Achinos. Importantly, they believe that Agil has left holy relics, Artifacts, here on Yorth that may help them in their divine quest to end the Infinite Sorrow. Some of these sites they have already found, and others lay beyond their borders in lands controlled by the Awakened or others. The Vada believe it is their divine duty to find these sites and uncover any relics that may accomplish this goal.   Myn is inseparable from life for the vast majority of people in Zelaya. Their temples, called Fanes, are central to any settlement, and a highly regimented system of prayer and ritual exists governing many aspects of Zelayan life. The Yoldosh are the clergy of Myn, who serve as both spiritual and community leaders. While the vast majority of Zelayan people consider themselves Vada, there are minorities who do not - specifically, there are those who believe the Infinite Sorrow was meant as a final punishment, and the fact that Zelayans on Yorth escaped it only goes to show the Cosmic Mother's petulance, as she destroyed her own body and her children out of jealousy that they had turned to Yer and left her behind, as well as her weakness, as she was unable to exact her jealous vengeance upon those who dwelt on Yorth. These beliefs are considered heretical by the Vada, an affront to Myn and blasphemous against the Cosmic Mother. These heretics live in Zelaya in secret, or else have left to live elsewhere on Yorth.   Though Myn describes the faith in all of the Aspects of the Cosmic Mother, Kainat Ana, most Zelayans find a personal connection with one of the Aspects moreso than the others, and thus choose one of the Aspects as Patron during their ritual to become Vada. Smaller shrines to the individual Aspects exist in the homes of all Vada and in other important locations outside of the Fanes. Often there are connections drawn between the four Aspects and each of the four Zelayan races, though it is not uncommon for Zelayans of any particular race to choose from one of the other three Aspects as Patron upon ascent to Vada. In Zelayan culture, certain personality traits and interests are connected deeply to these four Aspects, and this affects many elements of daily life, from relationships to careers.   Myn has had little success attracting followers among the Awakened, as its teachings have little to do with the Awakened Automaths and does not regard them as gods at all. Many of the Beastfolk living among the Zelayans as refugees have taken to it, or a version of it, however; combining the Myn faith with their own worship of Ibinn has resulted in a new religious sect, in which Ibinn is considered an avatar of Yer, who wishes for the Beastfolk and Zelayans to work in concert to end the Infinite Sorrow, so that the people of Kumah and the people of Yorth may both live in harmony and peace. This sect is not only tolerated within Zelaya but encouraged, though some cynical Vada believe this to be a political plot to win over Beastfolk allies to aid in the Great War with the The Verum Imperium.