Santémana

in: Gods & Religions

## Introduction

What once was practiced in shadow and secret has thrived with the isolation of the islands from the rest of the world. Civil war and unrest was won by the faith in the tenets of Santémana and the practices in which respect the mana, tapu, and mauri of all things: living and dead.

## Origins

Born in the secret caves at the hands of the darker sorcerers of the isles, Santémana is a religion that is heavily focused on ritual sacrifice and spiritual manipulation or the movement of mana through mauri. The main deity seen at the head of this is Ananyaote, the great illusionist and trickster. It is said that Ananyaote stole the great wisdom of the Gods that controlled the flow of power and cast it out amongst the isles of Va’a Obeye where it spread over the world in the Western wind.

As the wisdom spread, the great Iwa Wóch began to emerge from the furthest isles in the east and bring with them the stones where mauri could better guide mana to the sorcerers. Sacrifice was demanded for each of the stones and so for each sphere, a price was paid. A handful of Bokor and Caplata would all bring some part of any element: the first fire they made, a first fruit of harvest, earth and water from a sacred spring, a jar filled with the first breeze of the summer. An elder of the Cycle would sacrifice himself with his dying breath, giving over blood and brain. A high shaman of the Cycle would sacrifice her faith to become Caplata and a Bokor would castrate himself and give up his legacy to take on the Mark. All of these were given and the stones for each of the spheres was passed to the sorcerers from the stone giants of the time and buried within them. These stone giants then took the hand of the sorcerers, vowing to serve under the command of the great priestess chosen by Ananyaote.

This is how the tale is told and while some speculation may range in the truth and time of these happenings, the tenets have remained the same, centered around the expectations for mana to flow freely to the most powerful of the Va’a Obeye.

## Mana, Tapu, & Mauri

All of Santémana centers around the concept of mana, tapu and mauri. Mana is the power which fills the world and powers all magic. Mauri is the flow and focus of mana to a particular person, object, or creature. Tapu is all the ritual and rules in which to respect the flow of mana.

Those with the most mana are the most powerful. Marked sphere users are heavily regarded as individuals with the most mana since they can control the Iwa Wóch, who are mauri that pour mana from their very being. All Va’a Obeye carry at least one precious object that acts as mauri so they may be connected to mana. To lose such an object is worse than death, so many sorcerers carry many mauri upon their person. Lovers often exchange matching feathers, which are said to catch mana in the wind on the backs of birds when making vows to one another and deciding to live together for harmonious mana sharing.

The high priests (Bokor) and high priestesses (Caplata) also take political rule on the islands and guide the spiritual faith of the followers for the Va’a Obeye specifically. Bokor and Caplata are often island exclusive terms, but could be incorporated with other followers.

More important to all of this are the tapu, which must be followed to keep the isles plentiful and prosperous:

1. **Uhane and Obeah:** No one but the Iwa Wóch shall walk upon the isles of Uhane or Obeah, except upon the black sanded beach on the day before and after the eighteenth year of life.
2. **Coming of Age:** All pleas to the Iwa Wóch shall be paid with sacrifice on the eve of the eighteenth year. All pleas unheard will be met with death.
3. **Sky Mauri:** No human shall stand taller than those with the most mana, lest the balance of the island be disrupted and tragedy befall the isles.
4. **Sacred Shoals:** Only the Caplata and Bokor shall fish around the sacred isles of the Iwa Wóch.
5. **Touch the Earth:** All shoes and judgment will be left outside the door of the temples of Santémana. Those unwilling to part will be parted from life.
6. **Spirits:** Communion with the spirits will only take place in the night hours, lest the day leave too much light for the uncalled to enter.
7. **Personal property:** The theft of someone’s mauri will result in one hand being removed. Another theft of an object of mauri will result in the head being removed since the lesson cannot be learned.
8. **Sacrifice:** All mana beyond the current capability requires sacrifice of some sort.

## Rituals

Rituals are common on the isles and always involve respect to the tapu. More specifically is the Coming of Age ritual and the extra demand for sacrifice during any magical ritual.

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> ### Coming of Age
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> All practitioners of Santémana are required to make an offering to Ananyaote, in addition to their offering to the Iwa Wóch during their coming of age on the isle. The sacrifice to Ananyaote is something as simple as a piece of mirror, a small bit of illusion magic or even something as simple as a slight of hand. This particular trick or item is often accompanied by a promise to the deity whispered on the wind about how the youth might better the island. Those who do not make the offering are not allowed within any of the temple walls and typically become followers of the Cycle instead.
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> ### Additional Sacrifice
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> During a ritual, all followers of Santémana will make an additional sacrifice related to their magical sphere that is not required of the ritual, even if small in nature. A gold coin tossed into a bowl of blood, a lock of hair burned with some yafaem wildgrass, the juice of a favored fruit mixed with liniment is not unusual. Some even make large sacrifices if attempting to cultivate large mana, even going as far as sacrificing the life of another living being or ending the undeath of the animated dead.
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## Festivals

Rituals are common on the isles and always involve respect to the tapu. More specifically is the Coming of Age ritual and the extra demand for sacrifice during any magical ritual.

### Festival of the Dark

There is always one night of the year where an elongated eclipse of the sun happens on the isles for several hours, giving an unusual darkness over the isles. It is here that the paint from glowing algae is spread and strewn throughout the streets of Ea. The communal halls are used for massive spiritual communions with ancestors and the recently deceased. Even children are set to painting the skulls of animals and people the night before to set along the ships to keep the spirits from hiding aboard them and overstaying their welcome. After the hours wane and the light shines once more, the paint splattered people walk the isle and burn great heaps of sage and lavender to shoo any spirit left along the villages and temples back to the realm of the dead.

### The Chase of Ananyaote

Every spring at the first sign of the blossoming flowers that creep along the eastern cliffside of Ea is the Chase of Ananyaote. During this festival, an obstacle course is set up in the deep waters along vast stretching ropes through the sea. There are swimmers selected from amongst the tribes who all compete to be the quickest to the end of course to collect the knife to cut the top of their gourd off and free the wisdom upon the world, as it is rumored Ananyaote did all those years ago. The winner of the great chase is given their choice of the largest pig on Ea to bring back to their village to share, pork being a rare treat on the isles.

### Blood on the Stone

Treachery is made spectacle for the Santémana, who often call blood price for those that do not honor the tapu or outsiders who offer disrespect. This festival has no set time, but often takes place during the sunrise after the slight has been made. A large sharpened stone glaive that has been shaped with various gems and minerals is taken to cut a persona apart, limb by limb and their blood collected in a golden basin. The blood is mixed with orange oil and used in the ceremonial anointing of the Iwa Wóch.

### The Iwa Walk

In the heavy summer heat on the proclaimed hottest day, the Bokor bring the Iwa Wóch to the isle of Ea. They gather on the white sanded beach to be anointed by the Caplata in orange oil and blood. During this time, the Iwa Wóch and the sorcerers of Santémana may come to an agreed upon pact to take a familiar, with the Iwa Wóch choosing their Marked partner. Any who take the stone sentinels against their will are put to death, so this ceremony is particularly important.

Those who agree go through a familiar ritual with their chosen Caplata or Bokor and the other stone creatures walk through the villages of Ea, where offerings of the tastiest meals have been prepared and left outside the doors of all. A great heaping feast rests before the communal hall and only the non-magical are permitted to come out and speak to the Iwa Wóch. Much merriment and excitement is had for all those in this brief exchange before the Bokor return the stone creatures to Uhane.

### Eclipse of Mana

When a priest or priestess of Santémana passes into death, a great feast is held in their honor to alert Ananyaote that he must pass over the mauri stone from one to the next. During this feast, the dead individual is honored by song and dance along ships. Candles are lit and left along the path with a great deal of flowers and fruit strewn out to lead the soul down to the sea, where it may pass to the realm of the dead. The next morning will mark a new journey for the sorcerer who is chosen and begins with the shaving of their head.

## Important Symbology & the Afterlife

### The Eye & Skull

The Eye is considered a powerful symbol for the Marked of the Santémana, often being seen as a source of power. Eyes are good omens to the Va’a Obeye, seen as warnings or clarity for what might come and where to look. The Eye is the opening of the soul and thus the opening to mana and power.

The Skull is equally as important as a sharp mind is needed to keep on on a prosperous path, as well as its general symbolism for death and loss or sacrifice. Death is equally important in the balance of life and it is not unusual for a sorcerer of Santémana to paint their face to resemble a skull before a ritual or to have various skulls acting as mauri to gather the mana left in the wake of someone dying.

### Afterlife

Those who follow Santémana believe all dead fall into the realm of the dead. To call one up from the Dead to return is not taken lightly and has certain tapu attached to it. The Realm of the dead is  viewed as peaceful. It is said to lay just beyond the Realm of Nightmares (a realm where the Iwa Wóch guard the entry to the Realm of the Dead from monsters and also the place where Ananyaote is presumed to live). While there is a great deal of honoring the dead, most of the Santémana are in no rush to get there, knowing they must live a full life that benefits the balance of the world before they can be granted peace in the Realm of the Dead. They know they must enter by swimming down through the depths of the sea and into the deep holes of the earth or else they risk having to traverse the realm where monsters lay and where the Iwa Wóch are formed and may be trapped in a stone creature.

## Religious Views Toward Others

Those who follow Santémana are often open to other religions, as mana is easily woven into many beliefs. While they see their views as superior overall, they can live peacefully with most others. Those of the isle have had few interactions with other cultures outside of The Cycle.

The Va’a Obeye and Iwa Wóch are the primary followers of this religion and live in harmony with those of the Cycle. Outside of the isles, there is some disturbance between the two given the open acceptance of dark and blood magics, which are seen as unnatural to the majority of cycle followers.

Demons that are not enslaved are seen as disruptors of mana. Those of Santémana seek to either enslave the demon and lower its power by keeping it under control or by killing the creature and sending it outside of the realm.

## Lore Contribution

> **Credit for Lore Contribution:** Solacious
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