The Way of Hjaal

The Way of Hjaal

The Religious Canon of the Khaarak
  The Way of Hjaal is the unifying faith of the Khaarak, a monotheistic belief centered on the Eternal Lion as the supreme creator and the hero Hjaal as His champion. It emphasizes clan honor, controlled strength, and eternal vigilance against outsiders, particularly humans. While eastern nomadic clans preserve wilder, more primal interpretations, the core tenets are universally accepted. The faith is overseen by priest-warriors who guard sacred sites and enforce taboos, blending spirituality with martial duty.
 

The Core Legend

The Way of Hjaal is told as a single epic narrative, passed down orally in clan circles and carved into temple walls. The canonical version, accepted by most clans and inscribed at Hjaal-Kor, is as follows:
  In the beginning, the Eternal Lion walked the empty world. Wherever His paws touched, the golden savannah sprang forth: grass, rivers, antelope herds, and all life that belongs to Rhaakhor. Last and most perfect were the pureblood lions, the forefathers of the Khaarak. The creation weakened the Eternal Lion. From the dark lands came the formless and hairless (humans), armed with weapons and intent on slaughtering His works. To defend His realm, the Eternal Lion forged the Khaarak—upright beings with the souls and forms of lions—and Varkhas the Dark Lion, a massive black-pelted war-leader to drive back the invaders.
  Varkhas succeeded, massacring the humans until they retreated. But victory corrupted him; he turned his fury on the Khaarak themselves. Hjaal (whose origins vary by clan telling) challenged Varkhas for leadership. In their first duel, Varkhas nearly slew Hjaal, who escaped only by falling into the holy river, later named Hjaal-Veera (“Hjaal’s Tears”).
  Half-dead, Hjaal crawled ashore far downstream beneath a lone acacia. There, in a play of sun and shadow, the Eternal Lion revealed Varkhas’s obsolescence and showed Hjaal his path to victory.
  Thus began Hjaal’s Journey: years of wandering Rhaakhor, aiding clans and performing heroic deeds. (Powerful clans maintain shrines to their ancestors’ roles in this era, often disputed by rivals.) During the Journey, Hjaal faced the rebellion of the Antelope King (Ssereth-Vhar), a created being meant only for prey. Ssereth-Vhar halted the herds’ migrations, causing famine, and lured humans over the mountain passes. Hjaal hunted and slew the enormous usurper; its spilled blood stained the Bloody Savannah (Rhaak-Vhar) forever crimson.
  At the Journey’s end, in a sacred cave on the southern Dry Bone Mountains, the Eternal Lion appeared in living sunlight and gifted Hjaal a spear tipped with dark stone, proclaiming him worthy. Hjaal trained atop the great monolith that became Kaar’s center. Varkhas attacked from the shadows, and they battled for five days. Hjaal drove the spear through Varkhas’s jaws, killing him as the tip burst into sunlight. By this sign, Hjaal became the first High King and Champion of the Eternal Lion.
  Far-eastern nomads tell variants, but the sequence—creation, invasion, Varkhas’s tyranny, Hjaal’s triumph—remains undisputed.
 

Key Figures and Symbols

The Eternal Lion:

Creator god, now embodied as the sun. All life flows from Him; He demands honor through strength and clan loyalty.

Hjaal:

The Champion, first High King, and model of controlled might. His deeds inspire rites of passage and equality in war.

Varkhas the Dark Lion:

Not purely evil, but the embodiment of unchained wrath within every Khaarak. Invoking him is virtuous in battle but cursed in peace. Eastern tribes honor him more openly.

The Antelope King (Ssereth-Vhar):

Usurper whose rebellion explains human hatred and the red grass. Antelope are sacred prey, never wasted.
  Sacred symbols include the sun-roar (a spiral tattoo or banner), the dark spear (for victory), and three blood stripes (for birth rites).
 

Holy Sites

Three indisputable sites anchor the faith:

The Acacia of the Vision:

Ancient tree on the Tears of Hjaal where Hjaal received his shadow-vision. Pilgrims leave mirrors or quartz pebbles.

Sunlight Cave (Ssaar-Korath):

Cavern on the southern Dry Bone Mountains where the Eternal Lion gifted the spear. Walls are etched with the legend and clan deeds. Guarded by the Order of the Spear-Bearers, a militarized priesthood with absolute authority inside its boundaries.

The Monolith of Five Days:

Black rock in Kaar’s center, site of Hjaal’s final battle. The royal palace and sun-temple encircle it; only the High King and high priests may ascend.
 

Rituals and Traditions

Festival of Light (Ssaar-Veera):

Annual event on the longest day. Homes, camps, and temples are adorned with reflective objects to return the Eternal Lion’s brilliance to the sky. Ends with feasting and roars.

Shadow-Reading (Veyr-Kor):

Pious study of sun-shadow patterns for omens, echoing Hjaal’s vision. Used for decisions in war, alliances, or pilgrimages.

Great Hunt (Khaar-Veera):

Rite of passage for young Khaarak (both sexes). Nomads hunt wild antelope alone for honor; settled clans use symbolic temple chases. Marks entry to warrior/hunter caste.

Birth Rite (Rite of First Roar):

Newborns are proclaimed “children of the Eternal Lion” and marked with three antelope-blood stripes on the forehead, binding them to the mother-clan. Daughters, especially eldest daughters of leaders, ensure clan continuity and may not be adopted or change clans.

Funeral Rites:

Bodies are laid on high sun-lit rocks for sky burial. Vultures claim worthy souls for the Eternal Pride in the sky-savannah; hyenas must be repelled to avoid eternal shame. Powerful members receive three days of joyous feasting afterward. Battlefield dead are instantly claimed, their bodies irrelevant.
 

Taboos

Cannibalism:

Eating Khaarak or lion flesh invites Varkhas’s curse and madness.

Harming Lions:

Pureblood lions are sacred brothers; killing is sacrilege except for “Varkhas-touched” packs that attack repeatedly.

Gender Exclusion:

Females may not be barred from hunts or war; Hjaal’s wife Nahaal and other heroines prove their equality.

Night-Naming:

Speaking a dead Khaarak’s true name after sunset gives Varkhas power over their spirit.

Trading Sacred Water:

Mud or water from the Tears of Hjaal may only be gifted or pilgrim-taken, never sold.
 

The Afterlife

Worthy Khaarak join the Eternal Pride, hunting forever in the golden sky-savannah with the Eternal Lion. Dishonoured souls wander the void, prey for Varkhas. Proper rites ensure acceptance; the vulture’s claim is the final sign.
  The Way of Hjaal shapes every aspect of Khaarak life, from birth to death, reinforcing clan bonds and the divide between settled westerners and nomadic easterners. Priests mediate disputes, but the faith’s true temple is the savannah itself.