The Wind

The Wind is both a religious and philosophical belief common among the rathari that live in Aquanius, specifically among the ysh'nan in Y'bome. The oral histories are expected to be kept by all, but it is known that far too many exist. Instead the religion is led by an Assaem who in turn has the Assarm-Raak to serve as lore-keepers and story-tellers.

The first oral histories are said to date back to the very creation of the rathari. The Breath is said to have given life to the birds that soared among the clouds (jundari), those who live in the valleys (rathari), and those who live among the rocks and snow. These oral histories soon became more codified religious practice over the decades, specifically among the rathari who live among the peaks of Y'bome.

Until Y760 AE this oral history was kept strictly in the family. Many of the families learned the significant history of the prominent families, but there was not structure to this learning. This created gaps in the historical record, made all the worse after the war with G'uis and the famine that followed. Entire families disappeared along with their history and knowledge.

When the ysh'nan recovered many of their leaders gathered together and agreed upon a way to share historical stories among themselves. This practice spreak knowledge throughout the range and eventually brought in smaller families. In Y37 AH the last of the large families joined the new practice. There are still a few families that keep to their own, but these are dwindling in number.

The Breath is the giver of all life. With each breath we take we take in her holiness and expel our sins. The words that we speak should only glorify her gift to us.

The Bough was the first of her children. Upon the winds the Breath gathered the dust and formed the world. To glorify this gift her child brought forth the plants and trees so that she may touch and dance in the wind.

The Fire was her first born son and he hated his mother. He seeks to devour her and consume all. He is the destroyer and blasphemer. Fire can never be mastered, but it can be tamed by his elder sister. A devout should always keep fire near rock and soil so that it can never consume the wind. Breath loves her child, as she loves all, and will always grant him the wind he needs to survive.

The Beast is the youngest child of the wind. He gives his glory as the animals who tread upon the world, swim in the seas, and fly in the skies. The most gloriously of these are those gifted with flight, but he cares for all of his creations. Each he has made with a purpose.

The wind proscribes no temples or large stone edifices in which the faithful gather. Instead each family is expected to set aside time in which their Raak tells them of their history or teaches with a parable. Gathering together and sharing the air with each other is the true blessing of The Wind.

When the raak brings the family and friends together it is called The Telling. The telling is as a sermon to other religions. The raak will choose a single tale or history and remind the family of its importance. These will often follow as lessons to be learned or things to avoid. A skilled raak knows their family and will often pick such a tale to ease their minds about a current subject or show them what dangers lurk on the horizon.

During this telling most families will bring a variety of instruments - especially wind. These instruments play softly in the background during the telling. While there are many common tunes that are used anyone is free to play anything they wish as the simple act of playing is blessed. Those musicians that are highly skilled often attend large extended family gatherings as a soloist.

Moderate and minor self-mortification can be common among the religiously fervent. The most typical types is ritual burning or branding for what are perceived as minor infractions and guilt. Those who have more deeply sinned will be placed on the stone and a linen draped over their face. Water will be poured on the linen while others hold their body in place. A raak is expected to recite their sins before the crowd. The longer the number of sins the longer it goes on, if the sin is harmful enough the chanter may slow down the recitation or even pause for as long as they can hold their breath.

There are many other religions who believe in the gods of the natural world, but among those followers at most a handful follow The Wind. The wind is rooted in the history and culture of the rathari who live in Aquanius. As such one-hundred percent (100%) of the followers are rathari who live or once lived in these lands.

The head of the religion and ultimate authority of the true oral histories. The Assarm is voted upon by all true members of The Wind and serves until death. There is only one Assarm and upon their death rain must fall upon the holy land before a new Assarm can be elected.

The Assarm-Raak serve as the lore-keepers and functionaries of The Wind. Once selected they serve The Wind until their death - most of them serving more than one Asaarm in their lifetime. By convention a rathari must memorize the ninety-nine (99) histories before they can be raised into the Assarm-Raak, but the Assarm has sole discretion for those raised that this requirement is moot.

Being knowna as a raak is simply a matter of a family or sometimes several small families accepting your knowledge of their oral traditions and histories. The raak is the one that keeps the family records and trains the young in their history. By tradition each family only has a single raak, but some large extended families have developed a practice of several raak and a Leier-Raak that leads the others.

A reek is expected to be skilled with either the horn or flute as music made with one's breath is considered a holy rite.

The orthodoxy of The Wind has caused several families that once followed their beliefs to find their own path. This has not caused a problem within the doctrine, but it has caused problems with the leadership. The leadership believes all rathari should follow their creator as guided by their history. This is a disagreement of discord and the leaders seek a harmony between these other beliefs.

The Wind is the history of the rathari and is not of the history of others. Others are not the blessed of the wind nor guided by her children. A follower of The Wind is not harmed should someone find their own true meaning or worship their ancestors/gods as per their beliefs. Should any of these religions seek to turn the rathari from their path then blood shall be spilled. To coerce or force a rathari to set aside The Wind is to unmake who they were, who they are, and who they will be. Religious scholars are welcome, Missionaries are killed.

The magic of the wind is the highest calling. Anyone blessed such is expected to travel to the peaks and canyons where the wind sings among the rocks. This isolation is where the magician will understand their true calling. The wind will speak in these lonely places where only one may hear her voice.

Those who follow magic not of the wind have a much more difficult time. The follows will accept those whose gifts bend towards rock, earth, or plant. Anyone caught practicing magic of fire, demon, or spirit-kind will be lucky to simply be driven out - most will be killed with drowning or strangulation being the most common. Their foul air must no longer pollute the wind.

The Southern Doctrine is the worship of The Wind among the huis'nan in G'huis. It is far larger in numbers as well as reach, but has changed from the orthodoxy. The Southern Doctrine still holds the wind as the sole creator of its people, but it puts the wind as equals with the gods who created other mortals. The orthodoxy holds that no life would have meaning without the breath of the wind. This point has isolated the orthodoxy and allowed the Southern Doctrine to thrive. In Y82 AH the Southern Doctrine met in convention and created their own Assaem along with the Assarm-Raak. The orthodox in Y'bome immediately moved to have the Southern Doctrine cast as heresy.

The Breath and Bough is a religion that split from the orthodox of The Wind. Their beliefs differs in that followers of the Breath and Bough believe more than the breath of life was used to create the rathari. The sap of the trees and the loam of the earth was used to create the bodies into which the life of the wind was poured. They reject the belief that they began life as birds as the lower half of their bodies more resemble a long-taloned feline. There is little animosity between these two religions as the Breath and Bough still worships The Wind as supreme.