Esifinisum

Esifinisum is a religion focused on the worship of a great owl god, Esifa, and heavily tied to the Aʀ̥ai culture and people. Here will be a collection of the faith of Esifinisum, its traditions and practices and some common game events that the priesthood will do. Esifa has promised to come back to make the world as it was before the great fire, turning it into a new heaven.
==Cult of Esifa==
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(note to self: remember to add link to wheelist wiki page)
==Cultural traditions and festivals==
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==Holy sites==
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==Sacraments of Unica==
“The Sacraments” is called such due to it being read whilst lighting enormous amounts of sacred incense made from the spice “Hica.” It is also named after the first “Scaesif” or high priest, “Unica.”
The forgotten gods created the world, making many things and children. These children were as follows: The Great Beasts were gigantic animals that towered over the forests and could jump mountain ranges, with blood of metal and great minds to teach the people, which they were changed with teaching by the gods. The Old Trees; enormous sentient trees that stored all the stories and knowledge of the world. The Great Beasts were numerous and had many names, but the teacher of the Aʀ̥ai was the Great Owl, Esifa. Esifa taught the Aʀ̥ai many things, hunting, healing, taming, and weaving. While the people were taught by the Great Beasts, the gods fought and bickered with each other. Eventually, the Kindling God was killed, setting the heavens aflame, killing all the gods. The ashes of heaven fall to earth, starting a great fire, killing many peoples, nearly all the great beasts and all adult Old Trees. Esifa was the only Great Beast who could fly, and did so with all of the Ahai clinging to her back. Esifa was struck by a piece of debris falling from the heavens, and was mortally wounded. As the great fire cooled, so did the blood of the Great Beasts, creating all the metal veins of the earth. Esifa landed in a faraway land, where she told the Aʀ̥ai to live, giving them her final commands before death; “Offer what you value at my feet, burn it so that my soul may be healed with its power I may return to the mortal realm, and when i do, all those who strived and bled in my name will live in the paradise I will create.” After her death, her flesh was separated from her bones and burned, the ashes of which became a silver and gold dust called Sepija. After this, Juhaes the Great, the first Najica (King) of the Aʀ̥ai, created “The Coffin of the Great Owl” an enormous monument in Esifa’s likeness to store her bones.
==Histories of the Old Aʀ̥aioi==
The Histories are a collection of historical documents from the ancient kingdom (or "Aʀ̥aioi") of the Aʀ̥ai. It consists of two books, the first one, “The Greats”, starts right after the Aʀ̥ai's mythical foundation and explores what is considered to be a golden age for the Aʀ̥ai. The second book, “The Fools”, retells the tale of the decline of the Aʀ̥aioi and its eventual collapse. “The Fools” is sparse on details and its historical accuracy is unknown due to the lake of documents from that time.
===The Greats===
The Aʀ̥aioi, or “Land of the Aʀ̥ai”, was formed in year 1 of the Years of Un, its first monarch being Juhaes Najica, being known as “The Great” forever after, his name becoming a royal title. Juahes would found a city with the Aʀ̥ai, calling it Cehfica, organized the first priests, and used magics to create “The Coffin of the Great Owl” in which all of Esifa’s bones were entombed. Finally, Juahes created the Sacred Grove in which the spice Hica was grown by the first Scaesif, Unica. After a century of rule, Juhaes the Great died in 103 YU at the age of 157. Juhaes was succeeded by his son, Pjahaes, who began to proselytize to the Sʀ̥ai, coming to be known as “The Pious.” In 117 YU, Pjahaes established the first burial tradition of kings with his late fathers corpse, building The Mausoleum of Juhaes. Pjahaes would die of old age in the year 124 YU, at the age of 106, leaving the throne to his grandson, Noeiaes. Noeiaes would expand the kingdom to the coast, moving down the river Hjan. Conquering, converting, and integrating the heathen tribes, building the first Aʀ̥ai navy, and founding a city by the coast, Juhoi. In the year 133 YU, Noeiaes implemented a tax on alcohol, this greatly angered the people of Cehfica, who began to riot. In order to quell the unrest, Noeiaes declared it to be Juhaes the Great’s birthday, making a holiday, and distributed large stores of wine and beer for the people to drink, and forever more the “Juhaes Day Feast” would be celebrated with drink. At the age of 60, Noeiaes would be killed by a Cajhnoei, a monster of ash and ember, whilst on journey to his coastal palace in Juhoi, 145 YU. Noeiaes is succeeded by his son, Noeiaes II, being known as Noeiaes the Peaceful, for his uneventful reign. Noeiaes II, seeing the growing corruption by the Noble class's influence on the priesthood, implemented a strict separation of priestly and noble roles. All priests were to wear red, all nobles where to wear blue, the royal family was to wear purple, and the nobles and priests were forbidden from speaking with each other outside of prayer or official events, 170 YU. Noeiaes II died at age 66, 181 YU, being succeeded by his son Juhaes II. Juhaes’s early reign was mostly peaceful, content to bolster the economy of the realm, however, in 190 YU, Juhaes was scared by a group of Cajhnoei, escaping into a river. After this experience, Juhaes became increasingly despotic. In 198 YU, the nobles and priests attempt to dispose Juhaes, starting a civil war which they win in 200 YU, executing Juhaes by castrating him and letting him die of infection. The nobles replace him with his youngest son, Manjaes. Manjaes, being 14 when taking the throne, was in regency under his Scaesif (head priest) Cajhaes. In 210 YU, Manjaes launches an invasion of the Wojesoi mountains, conquering them in 218 YU. Using the gold mine from his new conquest, Manjaes mints a new currency, the Wesfei. With full coffers, Aʀ̥ai merchants began to sail out, establishing colonies and trading outposts, Manjaes would establish formal control over these colonies to defend them against pirates. Manjaes died at the age of 94 in 290 YU, leaving the throne to his three grandsons to rule together. The Three Great Sovereigns, as they were known, consisted of the brothers, Noeiaes III, Hjanaes, and Haiaes. The sovereigns oversaw a golden age, with unimaginable wealth for all Aʀ̥ai, large trade caravans, 8 fleets in every foreign port, and the finest luxuries even for the most destitute. Their greatest achievement was the construction of The Temple of the Three Great Sovereigns, later this would be called The Tomb of the Three Great Sovereigns after their deaths.
===Fools===
Noeiaes III would die of old age in 332 YU, Haiaes was killed by a bear whilst hunting in 333 YU, and Hjanaes died from illness in 335 YU. The sovereigns were succeeded by their sons, splitting their rule much more than their fathers, even having separate capitals. Juhaes III, son of Noeiaes III, ruling from Cehfica. Fenaes, son of Hjanaes, ruling from Johoi. Pjahaes II, son of Haiaes, ruling the Wojesoi mountains from Hjahin-Wica. The Three Petty Sovereigns, as they would be known, did little in their reigns, often bickering with eachother. Fenaes would be killed in the battle of Jeceho Boy, 342 YU, fighting the Kolothine Corsairs, sparking a greater war between the Kolothine and the Aʀ̥ai. Fenaes was succeeded by his son, Sʀ̥aiaes in 342 YU. Sʀ̥aiaes was only half Aʀ̥ai, causing tensions between him and his co-rulers as he synchronized his pagan faith with Esifinisum. Juhaes III died of natural causes in 350 YU, leaving his son, Noeiaes IV, as his heir. Pjahaes II, was killed by his wife, Ojehsca, for committing adultery in 352 YU. Ojehsca was buried alive by the royal guards. He was succeeded by his son Hjanaes II. Before his death, Shaiaes declared a new dynasty, proclaiming his only one forth Aʀ̥ai son, Nehoo, as his heir, dying in 358 YU, starting a series of subsequent civil wars. The Juornganing tribes began their migrations into the Aʀ̥aioi, spurring many other Sʀ̥ai to invade the kingdom, 365 YU. The Yarhakun kingdom invades Hjanaes II’s realm, putting Hjahin-Wica to the torch, killing Hjanaes and destroying his realm, 369 YU. Noeiaes IV is killed in battle, leaving his throne to his nephew, Cesohaes, 371 YU. Nekoo is deposed by Kolothine mercenaries, installing their leader, Karvaras, as king, the realm quickly disintegrates, 373 YU. Cesohaes is killed in the battle of Joshusa, the throne is taken by his general, Apesoaes, 375 YU. The Seige of Cehfica begins by the Sʀ̥ai, 377 YU. 380 YU, Cehfica falls to the Sʀ̥ai, being looted and destroyed, marking the end of the Old Aʀ̥aioi, and the Years of Un, now begins the years of Pja, where the last Aʀ̥ai would flee their “old home” or, Unhesi, and search for their new one.
==Years of Pja==
The years of Pja is the record of the Aʀ̥ai's emigration from their homeland to Abexilas. This, like most Aʀ̥ai documents, is a religious text, and therefore is not a extremely reliable historical source, caring more about teaching morality, obedience to Esifa, and community integrity, than a accurate retelling of history.
===Gathering===
The house of Jesfujh traces its origins back to Jesfusca, being the niece of Najica Juhaes II, the family would mostly stay out of most politics, living as scholars in the capital of Cehfica. At the end of the years of Un, its current patriarch, Ajahaes who was serving as the master of coin in the Cehfica. When Najica Cesohaes died, he became the right hand of Apesoaes. Ajahaes helped organize the defenses of  Cehfica, and when Apesoaes was killed by an arrow in the groin 3 days before the walls fell, Ajahaes became the new Najica. He would quickly secure many of the holy artifacts of the city; 14 Hica seeds, 1 ton of Sepija, books such as “The Histories of the Old Aʀ̥aioi” and “The Sacraments of Unica”, The Talisman of Cajhaes, and as many other books of importance as he could collect. Gathering his family, 20 families of the city, and a contingent of the city guard, Ajahaes granted the tidal of Najica to his son Cewheihaes, and fought as the Sʀ̥ai broke down the walls. Cewheihaes led his group through the sewers of the city, escaping the Raising of Cehfica, which established a new calendar “The years of Pja” or “New Years”. Whilst traveling through the countryside, Cewheihaes gathered as many Aʀ̥ai as he could find into his retinue; 10 families of the the farms, 5 of the hills, and 5 of the coasts. With this retinue, in year 2 of Pja, he left Unhesi, in search of a new home, being led by the spirit of Esifia, inhabiting the avatar of a Bronze Owl.
===Great Journey===
In year 11 YP, the Aʀ̥ai were harassed by a group of monsters known as Cajhnoei, men of ember, charcoal, and ash. “Quick!” said the Cewheihaes “on to bouts and into the river, only then can we escape!” but 10 families of the city did not go into the river, believing they could defeat the beasts, being all slaughtered. In 20 YP, the Aʀ̥ai needed to cross a mountain range. “Follow the Bronze Owl, it will guide us through the rocks.” said Cewheihaes, but 4 families of the coasts thought they could follow a river valley through, being eaten by mountain trolls. In 34 YP, the Aʀ̥ai were attacked by horse mounted raiders. “Into the thorns, they can't ride through them!” said Cewheihaes. But 2 families of the hills tried to form a shield wall on a hill. They were besieged by the raiders, starving to death. In 41 YP, the Aʀ̥ai were resting in a friendly city when raiders began to sack it. “Hurry, into the sewers, they won't find us there!” said Cewheihaes. But 5 families of the farms took refuge in a local temple, being killed when the raiders burned it down. In 59 YP, Cewheihaes and his 2 sons were out hunting when the Aʀ̥ai were abducted by cannibals, being all captured. When Cewheihaes and his 2 sons returned to the camp, they discovered what had been done. Sacrificing the deer they had killed to Esifa, the Bronze Owl brought them to the cannibal camp, where they freed all of the Aʀ̥ai, and slit the Cannibals throughs as they slept. Tragically, the rest of the Jesfujh family was eaten before they arrived. In 63 YP, the Aʀ̥ai found the lands of Eshcaja (Ashkavar) , conversing with the Eshcajahie Najica, Cewheihaes convinced him to allow them to settle there, as the Bronze Owl had instructed him to. Having led his people to their “New Home” or “Hesajeh”, Cewheihaes granted his younger son, Juhaes, the tidal of Najica, and his eldest son, Menjaes, the title of Scaesif on his deathbed in 68 YP. Being entombed in the newly constructed Tower of Esifa, being buried in the Sepija. This marked the last year of Pja, and the first year of Ajeh or YA.
==Abexilas==
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==Trills of the Bronze Owl==
A collection of stories and tales from Aʀ̥ai myth, and prophesies said to come from the beak of the avatar of Esifa itself. These texts are not shared with the pubic, only cult clergy are allowed to read the holy pages, rarely reading them at public events.
Category:Religions
Category:Ashkavari
Category:Abexilas