Yellowism

Yellowism is a religion centered around the worship of the primal power of yellow and its greatest representation: the sun. This religion has a rich history that evolved and changed its own definition over time, especially with the arrival of the Yatagarasu to the religion's holy site, the Temple of the Yellow Sun. The Yatagarasu's integration into the religion has resulted in Yellowism blending with a small part of Shinto. Yellowism also evolved from and maintains ties to the Kufmal Pantheon.

Yellowism is formally a sect of the Kufmal Pantheon and its temples, but the massive growth of its follower base compared to the others has led it to ascend above the pantheon into a fully-fledged religion on its own. It is one of the largest religions in Kufmal City besides Catholicism.

## History

### Founding Myth

Yellowism began as a loosely organized faith during the early days of the city-state of Kufmal City. This creation included a search led by the Emperor to obtain yellow dye, leading him to find the city-states of Carhio and Uxban. This search also overlapped with the Uxban Great Melon Fire in October of 2019, forming a link in the founding myths of both Yellowism and the Melon Faith.

The importance of the color yellow to the growing faith was several-fold, encompassing all benefits of everything yellow, big or small. From the light of yellow flames, the medicinal and dye properties of yellow flowers, and the warmth of the yellow sun, followers of the faith give thanks to yellow wherever it lies.

### Temple

As the cult of Yellowism grew in the new Empire of Kufmal, they needed a proper place to dedicate their worship. There were several temples in the city already, but the Yellowites desired one to rival all others. The result of their dedication is the Temple of the Yellow Sun, a massive multi-tiered pyramid that also was the first use of concrete in Kufmal building tradition (yellow concrete of course). The temple remains the largest pyramid in the empire, and the second largest religious building behind the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kufmal. The temple became home to two dedicated priests, Head Priest Yatasu and Priest Ukuntu.

### Yatagarasu

Yellowism had always been a religion without a physical deity or holy figure, instead worshipping the concept of yellow. However, this changed after the arrival of the Yatagarasu. During March of 2022, a wandering Hell Raven named Utsuho Reiuji took roost inside the hollow roof comb of the temple. She was discovered by the junior priest Ukuntu, who began taking care of and befriending her. He soon recognized her powers as a vessel of the Kami of the Sun, but kept her a secret over the uncertainty of whether the head priest would find her existence blasphemous or not. His cover was almost blown after discarded bags from Ringo's dango shop kept falling from the roof comb when Utsuho took a liking to the food. Utsuho was a bit dim-witted, but sincere.

Instead of the head priest discovering her, Utsuho was instead found by the agent Hunter Hardy, working for former governor Shathenaten of Bruhmethius. The corrupt governor's plot roped her in when Hunter kidnapped her and absconded back to the Pyramid of Shathenaten during the unfolding April Uprising. There the Yatagarasu was strung up in a containment chamber that harnessed her powers of nuclear fusion to create a death laser, unbeknownst to the mustering forces of the Kufmalian Army and the Kufmalian Navy. Joining their ranks was an angry mob of Yellowist followers, who found Ukuntu's notes about Utsuho and realized how important she was.

### Post-Uprising

After the Kufmal Armed Forces put down the April Uprising, they rescued Utsuho, and she was interviewed by Bunbunmaru Kufmal Gazette reporter Aya Shameimaru. The priests and followers of Yellowism welcomed the Yatagarasu with open arms, giving her a proper room inside the roof of the temple and beginning to worship her as a sort of Shinto-esque branch shrine for their faith.

The followers of Yellowism view the kidnapping and abuse of the Yatagarasu as a cardinal sin. This hatred is so public that the imperial government has warned the religion's priests to stop burning Shathenaten effigies, and the Emperor himself has reminded them that Shathenaten needs to be captured alive, not dead.

Utsuho now has embraced her role as a keeper of the faith, and has become a major catalyst for the spread of Yellowism to other cities in the empire.