Zarnism

Zarnism is the religion of the ikanbo_people who originated on the Elysian continent. The Ikanbo came to Miran as refugees and quickly carved out their own land between Ellendar, the Three Kingdoms, and Selcaria. Zarnism holds that everything is owned by the Ikanbo who were fashioned in the image of Zarn from his truest child. Non-humans are the creation of devils and humans with light-colored skin have fallen from the grace of Zarn; only death awaits them.

Zarnism has rarely ever spread from the Ikanbo because of its tenets that all things are owned by the Ikanbo who are blessed by Zarn. The insular nature of this doctrine keeps its beliefs from spreading, but also binds it more tightly to the Ikanbo such that no other religion has taken root among its people.

There is only Zarn who is the creator of all things, there are no other gods. What the lesser people call gods are actually the Gahara, the children of Zarn. Some of the Gahara have been corrupted by the sin of Yolamba and seek to destroy the Ikanbo.

The direction of Zarnism is headed by the High Eldar who is selected during the grand jargah that meets every three years. His word is canon law and any who oppose him are branded as corrupt then tortured until the next grand jurgah. The last act of the current High Elder's last is to kill these heretics. High Elders never serve consecutive terms in office, but a previous High Elder is capable of once again obtaining the position.

Zarn and his children (see Gahara) send their words through the Ikanbo in the form of tongues, dance, and natural events. Those whom he speaks most clearly are called to be his prophets and lead his people against the sin and corruption that blights the world. Prophets are holy men that are revered in the village as the mouth of Zarn.

• Chung Zhu, Traveling Prophet

These men, and there can only be men, are those prophets who have been or currently are being used as living bridges between Zarn and the world for his power. These are the leaders of the Ikanbo people and their word is law. An Elder who loses his power is expected to purify his body upon a pyre that he himself builds. In this manner the sin that stains his soul can be cleansed and his soul free from the shackles of his body.

Every three years all Elders travel to a holy site, which is known only to them, and hold the grand jargah. They debate matters of doctrine and choose their new leaders among themselves. The High Elder rules over the jargah and his last act before calling forth the new High Elder is to kill any heretics that have been brought to the jargah.

This is a woman who no longer has her monthly cycle, thus she can longer purify the world with her blood or bear strong Ikanbo children. An Ikanbo man no longer has need for a woman as she no longer has value as property. Instead he gives her to an Elder who takes the woman into his service. Most of these women serve the church as servants and when necessary as sacrifice. An amekufa who sins is no longer a Ikanbo and slowly tortured to death.

For each of the Gahara, even those who have been corrupted by sin, there is a special rite that is preformed upon a given day.

As the year ends the first day of the new year is the Uhuru wa mtu, which is a large festival to honor Muluku and his dedication to Zarn. Many women are traded during this time among the men of the village as each man is expected to bring a woman to the festival to mate with the other men of the village. Children born from this festival are considered blessed by Zarn and given gifts by the village. All High Elders are men who were born from this festival.

When the sun commands the heavens for the longest time (Summer Solstice) is the Madhehebu ya Ushujaa (Rite of Courage). This rite of Mokele is one where the warriors can proven themselves in battle. Trophies of their enemies are prominently displayed for all to see. Lasting three days the first two are mock battles and tests of skill and strength. The last day the warriors leave the village and hunt the heretics. Those who return having bloodied their weapons have the blessing of Zarn.

The rite of Msamaha is a time of forgiveness when men forgive those men who have wronged them during the year. The man who has been wronged gives a gift, typically property, to the man who has wronged him. The man given then gift then accepts his fault in the matter by accepting the gift. Rejecting the gift often leads to a blood feud that can only be cleansed by the spilling of blood.

The rite ends when an Elder gives a gift to the village in which they live to signify the wrong committed against them because sin and corruption still live within the world. For a village that does not have an Elder the rite ends at first light of the second day. Elders will often travel to many nearby villages to give a gift and thus remind the Ikanbo of their duty to cleanse the world of sin.

The Ukumbusho Chumvi is the Remembrance of the Dead and a time to seek favorable judgement from Ruhanga for those that have passed the previous year. The ritual lasts for 2 full nights during the longest night (Winter Solstice) with dancing, prayer, and a telling of the tales of the dead. Many gifts are offered up to Ruhanga which are burned on a large pyre. The sighting of a bird is considered a favorable sign, while the death of someone during this rite is a bad omen.

This festival extols the men who toil in the fields, work the forges, and glorify Zarn through their labor. Each day these men struggle to bring forth life from the corrupted earth, to destroy the sin through the very work they perform. Each man who toils for the village presents a gift for all the men of the village to partake and enjoy. These gifts are then presented to an Elder, who accepts them as all an example of all of the work the Ikanbo do each day to cleanse this world of sin.

This rite takes place on the last night of the year when the moon does not shine in the sky. This is the rite of sin when all of the men gather in a circle for the evening to blood bond with their brothers, to share their own sin and bear its burden with the entire village. Often a man's sin is too great for him to bear, but together the Ikanbo are strong and can bear the sin without corruption. When the first rays of the sun first touches a man within the circle the rite has ended.

Zarnism holds that Zarn created all things and life springs from his power. His children, the Gahara corrupted that power upon this world by Yolamba's sin. Muluku, greatest of the Gahara, was granted the form of Zarn and gave birth to the Ikanbo people through Shuopti, his mate.

As Zarn holds power over man, so does man hold power over all things. Only man can draw upon the purity of Muluku and cleanse this land of its sin. Only men may hold property and thus shield that property from corruption. Only men may one day know the purity of Zarn when this world has once again become paradise

All of existence is Zarn for he gave of himself to create from nothingness. From this nothingness came light and dark, heaven and earth, water and fire. He gave life to the beasts upon the fields, the birds in the air, and the fish in the sea. Upon this world he created the Gahara (see Sha’rek’ta), who were given the form of great beasts and instructed to care for this world and everything upon it. Pleased with what he saw, Zarn slept.

For a long time the Gahara guided this world in perfect harmony, but Yolamba grew jealous of Zarn who had created all life. While Zarn slept, Yolamba stole the the spark of life and returned to the world with his new power. Yolamba created life to worship him and destroy any that would not, including many of the other Gahara. Those Gahara who worshiped him were given power to enslave those who would not.

When Zarn awoke and saw what had happened to his world he anger was great. He seized Yolamba and his followers and cast them into Mwendo (see Ley) where they will forever be denied warmth. Those Gahara who fled from Yolamba he stripped their minds, leaving them little more than beasts. As an example, Lubaale who hid from Yolamba in the mountains is now a fierce shaggy goat whose hooves cause the earth to shake and horns dig furrows in the ground.

The Gahara who stood against Yolamba he raised above all others by removing their bestial trappings and giving them flesh in the form of his own. These humans were given the entirety of the world to honor.

Magic is the power of corruption and the source of the original sin against Zarn. Any who touch its power are forever damned in the eyes of Zarn. Once a person has accepted magic into their soul they have become irrevocably corrupted and must be burned upon the pyre or their corruption will surely spread and consume the world.

All other religions either seek to corrupt Zarnism with their sinful ways. This precludes worshipers of Zarn from working with any other religion to accomplish even the most. Instead they will seek to undermine and destroy any other religion in the hope that its adherents can be saved.

There is only Zarn in the heavens, but he created many of the great creatures of this world some of which the lesser beings “worship” in their foolishness.

Main Article: Zarn

Zarn is the creator of all things, the well-spring of all life. He created a paradise upon this world, which was corrupted by the greed of Yolamba and his followers. He blessed his loyal Gahara by remaking them in his image, dark skin, dark eyes, and hair like wool. He has commanded his people to go forth and purge this work of Yolamba's sin.

The children of Zarn (see Sha’rek’ta) are the ancestors of all living things upon Miranda. Some were twisted by the sin of Yolamba and became as devils and demons, while others hid as cowards and thus lost their intelligence.

Main Article: Muluku

The father of all the ikanbo_people, it was he that stood fast against the sin of Yolamba when others chose to flee or bow in fear. As a man he was an unmatched hunter and wise leader. He took Shuopti as his mate and she gave him many strong sons and beautiful daughters.

Main Article: Mokele

Mokele is a large lion with a mane of brilliant gold. When Yolamba sinned against Zarn he did not beget his proud bearing, instead hiding high in the heavens in the sea of stars where none could find him. So angered was Zarn at the cowardice of Mokele that he forever banished him to circle the world, but never again free to roam its land.

Main Article: Olu-igbo

The great turtle of the sea is one of the largest and most powerful of the Gahara. Stubborn, ponderous, and very slow to anger nonetheless he despised Yolamba and the two fought even before Yolamba's sin. After the sin, Yolamba feared the waters as Olu-igbo swore he would eat Yolamba if he ever set foot in the sea. Olu-igbo was not praised as highly as Muluku which has caused Olu-igbo to resent the Ikanbo and thus the seas are not safe for the Ikanbo. Olu-igbo would never devour the Ikanbo, but neither would he help them without a sufficient offering.

Main Article: Ruhanga

Ruhanga was a great and mighty eagle with shimmering wings and silver eyes. When Yolamba approached him he refused to partake of the sin, but neither did he stand against him. Instead he stayed in the skies and stayed true to the words of Zarn, letting his siblings war among themselves. After Zarn had dealt out both punishments and rewards he turned to Ruhanga and spoke with neither anger nor praise. Zarn commanded Ruhanga to take to the heavens and spread his wings to hide the world from Mokele and thus create night upon the world, lighting the night only with one of his silver eyes. Ruhanga, who showed great judgement and thought, was left in judgment of all mankind and serves as gatekeeper for the dead.

Main Article: Lubaale

Oftentimes seen as a great mountain goat, a fiery serpent, or large red-furred bear. He rejected Yolamba, but he also refused to support Muluku as well, instead staying in his mountain home. Zarn punished him by chaining him to his beloved mountain like a guard dog you do not trust. Lubaale's anger was fierce and fiery as he pulled against the chain and spit fire upon the land, but the chain held him fast.

Main Article: Yolamba

He who committed the first sin by stealing the gift of creation and using it to fuel his own ambitions. He gathered about him others who craved power or harbored grudges against their fellow Gahara. He wanted to remake the world in his own image and used Zarn's power to change much of the world and the animals upon it, but he could only corrupt or destroy. The more he destroyed the greater his anger, but still he could not craft life or create true beauty. When Zarn awoke he found Yolamba and his followers had become twisted into foul and cruel creatures. Rather than destroying them he banished them from the world where they would live in misery for the rest of their days. Only the foolish or truly evil seek out the power of Yolamba for it can only corrupt.

Main Article: Shuopti

The mother of all of the Ikanbo people who cared for the wounds of her mate Muluku. She is held up as the pinnacle of womanhood, subservient to her mate, keeper of the house, and bearer of strong children. She was created from the earth that had been corrupted by Yolamba and then purified by Zarn. It is the responsibility of the Ikanbo women to cleanse the land with their blood and bear strong boys. This monthly cycle of blooding pushes out the sins that have stained her body and prepares her to receive the pure seed of man into her.