Banisyra

Banisyra, or Vanisrya, which means “peace among co-religionists” or “peace between fellow believers”, is an important concept in the cultus of the Thaedonu-Vaati. It may refer to either the ancient taboo against war between kingdoms which both follow Utara-Vaati, or to the divinely ordained peace accords that the Utara-Vaati priesthoods will negotiate (or attempt to negotiate) between such kingdoms if they do go to war. The term itself is derived from the old Tuvai “vanir”, meaning believers or devotees (cf. Vanir-Vaati), and “suyra” or “seyra”, meaning harmony. The V-to-B vowel shift which renders the word “Banisyra” is a common one in Tuvai dialects from the lands around the Sarpic Seas, and in this case has become prevalent over the centuries of usage.

The basic precept of Banisyra is that a grave offense against divine law is committed when Vanir-Vaati make war among themselves. This long-standing and widely respected taboo is a major reason that warfare between Vanir-Vaati nations is relatively uncommon (although by no means unheard of). When such warfare does occur, it is often brought to an end by the priesthoods intervening to orchestrate a truce and then a restoration of peace before the fighting can go too far. Thus it is very rare for war among the Vanir-Vaati to conclude in large-scale conquest and the overthrow of kingdoms.

Kings and rulers who do command their men to take up arms against their fellow Vanir-Vaati hazard their souls on Thrygon’s spear by doing so (the taboo is less binding upon ordinary soldiers, a tacit recognition that they are usually bound to obey their liege-lords by oaths and laws which are also taken seriously under Utara-Vaati). Nevertheless, warriors are often reluctant to go to war when they suspect their ruler may be breaking Banisyra by doing so. Mutinies and acts of mass disobedience have occurred on a number of occasions in such cases (of course, just as often, soldiers are willing to shrug, follow orders, and reason to themselves that it’s the king's soul, not theirs, at risk).

A number of rulers have defied Banisyra at various points in Orithean history, typically at the cost of their reputation and legacy. The Tash-Teshivans Yemegan I and his son Borogtai, who both fought lengthy wars against Phyridian Empire after Marotai II’s great conversion, were reviled and accused of being apostates who had secretly returned to the old Suagir cults. Needless to say these accusations were especially loud in Phyridian lands, and were amplified by the imperial court in Amran itself, which is perhaps predictable since it was mostly Phyridian territory being lost to the Kirdans during these wars. Such accusations also helped deflect opposing claims that the Phyridian emperor was not seeking peace under Banisyra as earnestly as he ought to have. Of course, the accusations against Yemegan and Borogtai were helped along by the fact that earlier Kirdan rulers who had also warred against the Phyridians, such as Marotai II’s own grandson Abazunai, really had been apostates who re-embraced the old cults and made no attempt to hide it.

The fate of Abazunai also illustrates a possible end for rulers who defy Banisyra; they may well be overthrown or even assassinated. Their subjects may become fearful of following a ruler who vexes the gods with his disobedience, and the priesthoods may use their considerable influence to bring down a king who thwarts their peacemaking. Rulers who do manage to wage protracted wars against other Vanir-Vaati lands are often those who have successfully undermined the power of the priesthoods in their own realm (such was the case for Yemegan I and especially Borogtai). Even if they succeed, they can expect that their soul’s harsh sentence at the judgment of Kaephus will be loudly proclaimed after their death. They may also be said to bring bad fortune upon their dynasty; for instance, it is widely claimed that Thanagai II, unhappy second son of Borogtai who ruled for only four years after his elder brother Tembekai V's much longer and more successful reign, was cursed by the gods for trying to undo the Banisyra peace that his brother had concluded and return to his father’s impious warring.

The Dranurian lands also have a long history of rulers warring among themselves (in fact, the institution of the Deiasmaar largely exists to put an end to such fighting in times of common danger), and thus their chronicles contain a lengthy roll of kings who were said to be cursed or divinely punished for defying the Banisyra taboo. Many of these kings did indeed come to bad ends, or sire generations of heirs who would face troubles in their own time. Some have even said the whole land and the Dranur people themselves are ill-favored because of this, and attribute their recent terrible suffering in the Great Orcish Wars to their long history of warring amongst themselves. It is the punishment of the gods, some say, that Vanir-Vaati who persisted in unrighteous warfare against divine law would finally anger the gods enough that they would be afflicted with a war far more destructive than any they had waged against each other.

Similar claims have been made about the fate of the Kelimarian Banuviri sultanate, which was destroyed outright by Gol Garga’s horde after fighting a series of wars against the Dranurians in Ojaum. The Ojaumites themselves have also been the subject of such claims; they likewise suffered grievously during the orcish invasions, after having fought brother-against-brother in the service of the Kelimarians, the Dranurians, and their own leaders alike. Some even say that the coming of the dragon Shekondar, who dominated Ojaum for centuries and whose hoard was the original cause of war there between the Kelimarians and the Dranurians , was itself a punishment inflicted by the gods on the Ojaumites for their violent feuding amongst themselves in ages past.