Krahia

Krahia was one of the first religions to be formed. It formed after fighting began with *Homo sapiens* and neanderthals in Egypt. It revolves around the belief of two kings that killed each other, and that the other species is inferior and must be eradicated. It is split into the version of the religion for *Homo sapiens* and the version for neanderthals, with those branches being split further into different sects.

## Mythology

There were originally two kings who battled each other, one *Homo sapiens* and the other a neanderthal. The two killed each other in a river. A snake ritualistically sacrificed itself to allow the *Homo sapiens* king, named Thavane Al Ma, to live, transforming the king into a high god. The same occurs to the neanderthal king, named Mandko Hersa, who is saved by a bear. The high gods have been at war ever since. The *Homo sapiens* believe that there is also a god of death and dogs named Al-Alkalab (possibly inspired by Alkabism) who takes those who died honorably and killed several neanderthals to Ardh Kalab, a sort of heaven. Spirits known as the Varaka take the souls of neanderthals and turn them into slaves for *Homo sapiens.*

## Practices

Due to the inherently hateful and discriminatory nature of the religion, followers of the religion are usually hostile to other races and species. This has led to several holy wars, most particularly the Krahian Wars. They also rely on a caste system, with warriors usually at or near the top and other species at the bottom. This has led to a sense of superiority in most followers. Slaves are usually taken as For neanderthals, bone beads and necklaces are significant religious symbols and they undergo more rituals.

## Branches

Krahia is divided into Krahia for *Homo sapiens* and Krahia for neanderthals. For the most part, they are similar with a few exceptions. Al-Alkalab only exists in the *Homo sapiens* version, and the neanderthals have beads and necklaces as religious symbols and they have more rituals.

### Uratu Krahia

*Main article: Uratu Krahia*

Uratu Krahia is a branch of the neanderthal Krahia. The religion has an animist aspect, with animals being worshipped along the dead. Animal spirits are also believed to possess spirits in battle.

### Inspired Religions

Krahia also inspired a few religions. Ehyehism is a monotheistic version of Krahia with aspects of Alfayadanat. Ehyehism would go on to influence Nile Alkabism with the collapse of the Levantine protoculture.

## History

### Background

In 180,000 BCE, *Homo sapiens* travelled up the Nile river and came into contact with neanderthals for the first time. At first, they were friendly with each other. However, with resources declining, the two groups began to compete. *Homo sapiens* began taking slaves for themselves, and expanded into the Levant. As tensions grew, the species began thinking of each other as evil and inferior, beginning Krahia and the Krahian Wars.

### Krahian Wars

*Main article: Krahian Wars*

As Krahia developed, holy wars began between the species. *Homo sapiens* pushed into Jordan and managed to take parts of Anatolia by 140,000 BCE. The sides then began an arms race, attempting to outmatch each other with superior weapons. In 120,000 BCE, the neanderthals struck back by occupying parts of Arabia and Anatolia. This was not without cost, however, and *Homo sapiens* pushes inland from the Levant. The neanderthal population then began to decline due to interbreeding in Morocco and Italy. This caused them to become significantly weaker than *Homo sapiens*, who managed to push them out of the Middle East. While conflicts continued, the Krahian Wars were over.

### Post-Krahian Wars

Krahia continued to persist in the Middle East, but slowly began to weaken with a lack of neanderthal presence. A new religion known as Ehyehism formed, replacing Krahia as the dominant religion of the Middle East. The Ehyehist expansions into the Caucasus surrounded the Armenian neanderthals, who formed Uratu Krahia.