Nalsaien Paganism

The Nalsai, like all races, have religious beliefs. They believe in a pantheon of gods, split between two major branches.
Each of the gods represents an important aspect of life, and the world.

Beliefs

They believe the gods reside in a realm named Nahdrusha. They didn't create the world per se, but they filled it with live. Each of the gods served a different role in making the world the way it is, and therefore, they should each be honored in their own way.

Origins

In the beginning, there was only Surrah, and within it: The aether. From the surrah, the different realms were born, chiefest among which was Nahdrusha.
From the aether, different gods were born, as well as Oknai and other beasts.
Still, the gods were the greatest, and as such, they chose the greatest of the realms for themselves.
They banished the Oknai to another realm, which was henceforth known as Oknai'ia.
None other than beasts settled in Kesmu, for it was the realm of the dead, and only the dead could live there.

The gods quickly split into two groups, the Guna and Munae.
The Guna were the stronger as individuals, but the Munae were more plentiful, and they split Nahdrusha into two regions, Gunaheim and Munaeheim.

Over time, each of the god clans grew, as the fruit of their seed took root, and as their numbers grew, so too did hostilities between them, eventually leading to a war between Guna, and Munae.
This war was deadly, especially for the Munae, but one of the greater gods, Valuan, was killed.
The war eventually came to an end, as a union between Munae and Guna was forged in secret. When this union eventually ended in death, the munae and guna decided to lay down their arms, and make peace, though it was an uneasy peace, and Giruan, the leader of the Guna, never forgot and never truly forgave the death of his brother.

Oral Tradition

The Nalsai faith has always been one of stories passed down between family members. telling stories of the gods is one of the best ways to bond, to sit by a fire, and to consume good roasted meat.
The sharing of these stories has made sure that all know the stories, and that they have stayed largely the same over long periods of time, even if there are some slight variations of the same story, the gist has remained relatively the same.

Practice

The Nalsai do not preach their faith, they only share stories. They don't believe in prophets or miracles, only in the presence of the gods.
If you wish to be favored by them, you have to earn it, and begging for it without merit is seen as shameful and a waste of time. When a Nalsai prays, to ask for guidance, they ask for small gifts of skill, luck or insight.
They believe the gods are their ancestors, and therefore, the older one is, the closer they are to the gods.

Templars

Those who wish to dedicate their life to the gods, will do so by joining a temple. Each temple is dedicated to a single one of the gods, and those who reside in itdedicate their life to studying the stories told of that god, and doing their best to discern meaning and knowledge from it.
The Templars have hierarchies, and they organize themselves based on seniority and spiritual understanding, but each temple is independent, and they do not owe allegiance to each other.

Temples

Temples are maintained partially by donations, but templars often also try to produce things of value, so they can fund themselves. They often produce things that take a long time to make, such as fish sauces, But they were also the first to pioneer the creation of nalsaien alcohols.
They do not use cultivated plants for this; instead, they use wild fruits and berries to ferment alcohol. There are beverages that are meely fermented fruits, but often, they will distil the drink and age it in animal skins to infuse the drink with animal flavors. This is how the most traditional nalsaien drink, called Khuums, is made, which, it is said, was first created by one of the Munae.

Temples might also be able to secure a sponsor, who is often a wealthy merchant or landowner, who wishes to secure a more favorable place in the afterlife.

New Temples

The creation of a new temple is always a grand effort, and happens only rarely. It is only possible when a number of wealthy individuals get together and decide to pool their resources. When this happens, they will get their names etched into the new temple's foundations, and they will be honored by all who will one day serve in that temple. This is another good way to ensure the gods, and especially the god to whom the new temple is dedicated, will favor you.

Views of Others

The Nalsai believe they are the decendents of gods, and specifically, the descendants of the Guna, and the chiefst of Guna at that, which is why they see the other sentient races as various types of inferiors.
They believe that to eat plants is a thing of animals, and because they eat only meat, they are pure.

Baskth

They believe the Baskth are the descendants of Mundua, another Guna, but because the Baskth eat plants as one of their primary food sources, and because Mundua was a lower-ranking Guna, they are still not on the same level as the Nalsai. Still, they respect the Baskth for their divine origins.

Felmer

This is more than what can be said for the Felmer. The Nalsai believe that the Felmer are the scattered remains of the lower goddess Aethl, the wife of Onakka. This goddess was killed by the Ynua, and her spirit was shattered, and now clings to beasts.
They believe that, by killing Felmer, they are releasing a piece of the goddess back to Onakka, and this pleases him greatly. Furthermore, they believe that if they succeed in killing the last of the felmer, the goddess will be revived, and she might be able to defeat the Ynue for good.

Veskaren Races

The Nalsai were unaware of the existence of the Veskaren races until quite recently, and thus, their stories do not include them. This has led to some debate about the origins of the various races, and while all agree they are inferior to the Nalsai, there is some debate about how inferior.
Some say there are branches of Nalsai that were corrupted by their consumption of plants, while others say they were created by the Munae, much like the mystic races.

Divine Relations

A very short summary of the relationships between Guna.

Giruan and Iluan are married
They had four children: Onakka, Gurak, Aisuk, and Ailu.
Ailu married Manuan, and had a child named Ilak.
Gurak and Aisuk married and had a child named Auni.
Onakka married a Munae named Aethl (in secret)
Together, they had twelve children, the Ynue, who betrayed them, killing Aethl, and spreading the remains of her soul across Arda
Giruan, upon the request of Onakka, banished the Ynue to Oknai'ia and Onakka became the king of Kesmu, leaving Nahdrusha forever.
Aisuk and Manuan had an affair, and had a child named Gaor
Ailu killed her sister Aisuk for this betrayal, and for this murder, Ailu was banished from Gunaheim by Giruan, together with her daughter Ilak.
Manuan left Nahdrusha after having lost everything, and had a child with an unknown mother named Mundua
Mundua is the ancestor of the Baskth
Ilak eventually returned to Gunaheim and married Auni, birthing the first of the Nalsai.
Gaor requested Onakka to revive his mother, which Onakka granted, on the condition that he become the shepherd of all who die in Arda, which Gaor accepted.