Dyrkee

Dyrkee is a religion believed by the Himakiin Kiwis. It is a twisted branch of Arkhaism; it shares the same origin of how Terra Avium formed, but Dyrkee grew into something different after the Great Desolation. A believer in Dyrkee is called a Dyrkeen. It is the belief that Himakii Island is the last safe haven in Terra Avium, and that the rest of the world is an apocolyptic wasteland full of destruction and agony.

## IDEOLOGY

The Dyrkeens believe in the last Pure God: Keekii, a Forest Domain Kiwi God that saved them from the impending doom of The Great Desolation. The rest of the good Gods are either dead or captured, and that the Traitor Gods and the Elementals rumaged Terra Avium. They believe in the importance of safety and coverage from the outside world.

The Dyrkeens are very reserved to their islands, and discourage curiousity. This is because they believe that if they go beyond the mist, they will face unending danger and apocolypse. The Kiwi's Island is sorrounded by mist, and it represents the last barrier between safety and the world outside. Kiwis are very discouraged from going outside of it.

Every morning, the kiwis meet at the communal house and do a ritual to "feed" the island, and praying that it'll protect them. Then they would pray to the mountain magic item, hoping it could also protect them. Forest domainers are rare amongst the kiwis, but they're highly valuable. They thought that the island and the kiwi God has chosen that kiwi to represent the island and to bring luck. So the forest domainers are usually seen as demigods of sorts, and they're sacred and important to bring safety to the island.

## THE SPLIT

The Split is a story about how Keekii saved the Kiwis from the Great Desolation by isolating them on an island. The story is popular amongst the Dyrkeen Kiwis, and they would repeatedly tell it in campfires, family dinners, rituals, religious ceremonies to remind the kiwis how lucky they are, and they shouldn't throw that luck away by venturing into the world beyond.

The story goes that a kiwi ascended to godhood right before the Desolation and joined the forest domain. When the Desolation happened, Keekii saw how the birds scrambled for survival, especially the kiwis since they're flightless and small. So the God chose a piece of land that was lush with forest and hadn't been touched yet, and stole a powerful mountain domain magic item that could cause earthquakes. Keekii called for the kiwis to migrate to that piece of land, and then used the item to crack the earth and it disconnected from the mainland, turning the forest into an island. And alas, the kiwi were safe.

Keekii weaved mist and sorrounded it around the island. The kiwis believe that it is the last barrier between their safe island and the world outside, and told stories of scary monsters and natural disasters that lay beyond. Keekii gave the head of the Kiwis the mountain magic item, then Keekii fused with the island, giving it more magic and conscience.

The story also explains the reason why bird seafarers can't find the island. It is both protected by magical mist, which discourages the birds from traveling near the island. The island also moves periodically from one place to another, as it any contact with the mainlanders.

## THE WORLD BEYOND THE MIST

The world beyond the mist is the mainland, which is believed by Dyrkeens to be destroyed and in shambles. It also acts as a warning to kiwis who are curious, and to discourage any travel tendencies or curiousity to see the world beyond. There are several stories of bold kiwis that challenged the Dyrkeen ideology, and ventured beyond the mist, into the land beyond, and never to return.

Often, Kiwis believe that the world beyond the mist represented death, and when they travel beyond it, they would meet hell and suffering and death. It is also sometimes believed that the world beyond the mist symbolises hell: the place where kiwis who challenged safety and broke the rules go. But no kiwis really ever know what lays beyond the mist, and can only guess from stories and myths.