Chikyukan Ideology

## Beliefs

### Kami

Many Chikyukan's lives center around multiple gods known as Kami. The kami can be divided into 5 main subcategories: Primary, Greater, Lesser, Demi, and Hero. Primary Kami are the most powerful with a number of worshippers and incomprehensiable power; though it is not infinite, they can take on many avatars at once and their influence is the core with which the clans of Tsu-noe are built on. There are two main pantheons, the Creator pantheon and the Starforged Alliance. Kami that are members of the starforged alliance often belong to the different planes of the multiverse, it is believed that they came into being after the planes were created through various methods, some using magical/arcane power and others through pledging allegiance to one of the creator pantheon kami. Members of the starforged alliance wish to take control of the all the planes from the creator kami, in doing so they elicited a long battle between the two pantheons in which the creator kami eventually won and locked the material plane of Chikyu off from the others planes by creating the kuran.

The kami's influence was strong even at the beginning of their creations lives, aided by the fact that the kami could be on Chikyu in their true forms with their full power. The first divine tome written on the kami was somewhere in the middle of the Dawn of Anthronians, written by Kuseku Moyano-Mitsuka and named the Kurieita no Akaibu (archive of creators), This divine text had interviews with each of the greater creator kami detailing their powers, domains, portfolios, appearance, and preferred worshippers or offerings.

Kami are capable of both benevolent and destructive deeds; if warnings about good conduct are ignored the kami can mete out punishment, often taking the form of intense illness or sudden death. Some only invoke malevolence and destruction. Offerings and prayers are given to the kami to gain their blessings and favor as to not be on the receiving end of their wrath.

### Cosmology

The cosmology of the Planes of Existance are often viewed from the perspective of the Great Wheel cosmological theory and model. The great places the Prime Material Plane at the center of the universe with the feywild above and the shadowfell below, surrounding these three planes in a circle are the elemental planes of air, water, earth, and fire, and where each meets a subelemental plane is formed; the para-elemental planes are magma, ooze, smoke, and ice. A chaotic mixture of elemental matter known as the elemental chaos acts as the barrier between the Inner planes and Outer planes. The Outer planes are planes bore from the moral ruling of alignment, a reading of ones character, there are the upper, lower, and intersecting outer planes. In general the upper planes are view as Lawful or Neutral while the lower planes are viewed as Chaotic or Neutral. The upper planes from left to right are: Arcadia, Celestia, Bytopia, Elysium, The Beastlands, Arborea, and Ysgard. The lower planes from right to left are: Pandemonium, the Abyss, Carceri, the Grey Waste, Gehenna, the Nine Hells, and Acheron. Mechanus, an intersecting plane, is between Acheron and Arcadia; Limbo is between Ysgard and Pandemonium.

#### Creation Theories and myths

There are a number of theories and myths on how the multiverse and universe came to be, there are theories/myths which are more widely accepted like the myth of of the All-mother.

##### **Myth of the All-mother - All Clans**

There was once an empty voidscape from which the goddess Kabah emerged from another multiverse far from ours, so she says. Pulling a lock from her raven dark hair the goddess began spinning the piece of hair which was a fine and thin as silk, pulling pieces and strands of hair from her head as she went until her first creation was complete, the creation was, in fact, a being. Not a god nor a mortal but the Follower Malkesh. Malkesh was devoted to the greatness that was Kabah, despite her hair now being short and stubby from making her creation, "Tis nothing, for she yet shines bright as the center of mine universe." Though Malkesh wished to be bound to the goddess the goddess saw him as but a child, and so he sought to prove her wrong through creating things for kabah. His first creation and gift was the stars so that they may ever gaze upon them together, his second gift was the plane of Celestia, a plane as beautiful and elegant as she. And his final gift, born from the first, the Elemental Protectors to forever protect the All-mother. With his gifts presented, the void now somewhat filled so that it was not entirely dark, Malkesh had gained the goddess' affection to which soon after their first children were born.

##### Theory of the Elements - Tsume Clan Origin

The universe started with Ame-tsuchi, the separation of light and pure elements (ame, "heaven") from heavy elements (tsuchi, "earth"). The Twelve Prime kami pulled apart the light, fire, and air from the chunks of soil floating through the void, creating the Elemental Planes and Inner Planes. At first Chikyu was a ball of chaos swirling with magma and volcanos. The Titans, beings of pure element and reminders of the elemental planes bleeding into the the material plane. Afraid to allow their creations to live on such a harsh environment, the kami created the Metallic dragons, creatures also of the elements like the Titans but dedicated to slaying the titans or containing them on their own planes so that Chikyu would be prepared for the Kami's creations. Thousands of years of battle between the titans and the metallic dragons led to the slaying of the final titan who crashed into the magma laden earth and formed the first piece of inhabitable land which could be the Shatter Teeth we know today.

##### Arrival of the Dragons - Tatsu Clan Origin

At the beginning there was nothing in the void of time and space but darkness, no life or planets or stars just darkness as far as the eye could see. It continued like this for decades - eons even - before the great cosmic dragons, Qui Di (earth), Shu Hi (water), Huo Mi (fire), and Kong Qi (air), opened a vast hole in the void through which the ever present Yong and the rest of his disciples traveled through. In total there was Yong, Qui Di, Shu Hi, Huo Mi, Kong Qi, Heng Shi (life), Heng Wi (death), and Shijian Ti (death). After the long journey Yongs disciples decided to rest in the void before beginning their work, each curled up their tail tips touching the nexts nose in a circle, but they would never wake for the disciples became the elemental planes of earth, water, fire, air, life (positive), and death (negative); where their tails and snouts met the para-elemental planes of smoke, magma, ooze, and ice formed.

### Cosmology and afterlife

There is no concept of overarching duality between good and evil for most chikyukan's. The Kurieita no Akaibu portrayes the multiple realms of the known universe. These present the universe divided into three parts: The Inner planes which are then divided into the Material planes, elemental planes, and connective planes; the Outer planes further divided into the upper, lower, and intersecting planes; and finally the Far planes. This can be known as the Great Wheel:https://cdn.inprnt.com/thumbs/1e/87/1e8788a5c700a328dad39ba9250aa189.jpg?response-cache-control=max-age=2628000.

The Inner Material Planes (Material plane [Chikyu], Feywild, and Shadowfell), were the first created planes and are the planes with which most mortals live. These planes are isolated from the Inner elemental planes and outer planes via the Kuran which shields and seals the Material planes from the other planes.

The Inner Elemental Planes contains the latent elemental energy that resided in the universe after the creation of the Material planes. They are inhabited by beings known as elementals which are interconnected with their element. While these beings are not of the material planes where most mortals live, they are mortal and can be killed and not come back but are not considered truly alive as they lack intelligence being somewhat apelike.

The Outer Upper planes (Arcadia, Seven Heavens, Bytopia, Elysium, The Beastlands, Arborea, and Ysgard) represent the Good alignments of humanoids from the material planes and are the home to many of the good aligned kami.

The Outer Middle planes (Mechanus and Limbo) represent lawful neutrality and chaotic neutrality. Mechanus is inhabited by true neutral angels who record and create the laws of the universe such as the limit of magical spells a day and the capping of ones power level. Limbo is supreme chaos: a twisting place filled with bits and pieces of rocks, trees, the four elements, entire landscapes, strong winds, and random pockets of liquid.

The Outer Lower planes (Acheron, The Nine Hells, Gehenna, the Grey Wastes, Carceri, The Abyss, and Pandemonium) represent the evil alignments of humanoid mortals, are home to fiends and demons, and is where the Starforged Alliance originates.

When a mortal died they would go to one of three planes Elysium (Good aligned), Limbo (Neutral aligned), or the Grey Wastes (Evil aligned). When their spirit would go to these places they become a angel, a fiend or devil, or a wandering soul but much of the time they simply fade into existance with no afterlife, after life.

Chikyukans believe in ones spirit or soul which would be part of oneself until their death when their spirit would depart to their alignments corresponding planes.

### Purity and Impurity

A key theme in Chikyukan ideology is the avoidance of kegare ("pollution" or "impurity"), while ensuring harae ("purity"). In Chikyukan thought, Chikyukan's are seen as fundamentally pure; kegare is therefore seen as being a temporary condition that can be corrected through achieving harae. Rites of purification are conducted so as to restore an individual to "spiritual" health and render them useful to society.

Among things regarded as particular pollutants in this ideology are death, disease, witchcraft (non-religious magic), incest, bestiality, excrement, blood, and sexual assault. To avoid kegare, priests, paladins, and clerics may engage in temporary abstinence and avoid various activities prior to a festival or ritual. Various words, called akinoshita, are also regarded as taboo and impure, and people avoid speaking them when at holy sites; these words include shi-zuan (death), byone (illness), uragiru (betrayal), and korosu (kill).

A purification ceremony known as kogishiki involves the use of freshwater, grains, wild berries, grass clippings, or salt to remove kegare. Full immersion in fresh water is often regarded as the most efficient form of purification. Milk, pearls, and salt are often regarded as a purifying substance; practitioners may sprinkle salt before entrances of their homes or businesses, drink plenty of milk and fresh water, and wear the staple dohogo made from a clams pearl in order to ward off impurity, evil spirits, and misfortune.

## Practice

### Shrines

Public temples/shrines and places used for the worship of kami are referred to as Kenkono. Kenkono are typically a complex containing 3 builds: The Shiuhai, Shisai, and Shikiya. The Shiuhai is the main worship and offering building that can vary in size and depiction of the kami, the Shisai is the quarters of the clerics, priests, paladin, and acolytes of the kenkono, the Shikiya is a multi-purpose room meant to be used for different ceremonies and rituals.

### Common Prayers

There are many common prayers within chikyunkan ideology that is not associated with just one of the kami, these prayers may be said to many at once, all, or even none in some cases. These are prayers that have passed down from generation to generation and is as common as a cloud in the sky.

* Ghao Yingshi (good eating/thank you for this meal - said before eating)
* Meiwei De (Delicious - said after a meal)