The Idanasha

Referring to both the faith itself and the “Gods” thereof, The Idanasha are mighty spirits, manifestations of nature and the land itself, which are venerated by the people of the lands that inhabit them. By their very nature this makes the Idanasha a highly regionalized Faith, why after all should someone worship the spirit of a mountain that is located nowhere near where they live? The Idanasha is a faith practiced predominantly by members of The Wildkin Strain in the regions of Soukoku, Rumah and Yamato, but it is assumed that countless Idanasha exist in realms far away, nature is ever-present after all.
The Idanasha is still practiced quite heavily within The Yuyan Dominion and its vassals, despite the spread of Yuma, the “official” faith of Yuyan.
The power and intellect of an Idanasha is reflected by the size and condition of their dominion: Most are Lesser Idanasha, manifestations of something that can be as minute as a small grove, hill, field of flowers or a pond. The Intellect of a lesser Idanasha rarely is above that of a particularly smart animal, and they rarely possess the strength to manifest an actual physical body, spirits in the truest sense of the word. They rarely will have active worshippers, though some communities might erect wayward shrines and occasionally provide offerings in exchange for blessings.
There are also the Greater Idanasha, mighty spirits of lakes, rivers, vast forests, and even seasonal storms or entire mountain ranges. Their power is supposedly vast, but it does not extend far beyond their actual domain. That said, in the cases of the most powerful Idanasha, their worshippers can still call upon them in faraway lands, so long as they bring a part of their gods' domain with them… or so the stories say at least. These Idanasha are often quite shrewd, capable of manifesting a physical form and shaping the environment of their domain by will alone. The Mightiest among them have countless shrines dedicated to them, maintained by a faithful cohort of hundreds, if not thousands of followers.

The Greater Idanasha:

While this is by no means an exhaustive list of all Greater Idanasha, these are the most well-known throughout the lands of Soukoku, Rumah and Yamato:

Nagar The Fatebinder:

Nagar The Fatebinder is the patron deity of Yamatai Lake, far in the west of Yamato. Nagar is believed to take the shape of a gigantic, waterbound serpent with purple scales and fangs as long as spears. Nagar is said to be capable of altering the fates of mortals merely by speaking. It is not entirely clear whether or not Nagar is actually an Idanasha or a dragon as they are described in the legends of The Ruumush Amat and The Draconid Strain. Either way, it is venerated by the people of Yamatano (see: The Yuyan Dominion).

Sengelekh of Life and Death:

Sengelekh of Life and Death is said to preside over The Living Plains, far in the west of Soukoku. Viewed less as a deity and more like a force of nature, it is venerated primarily by The Ulai (see: The Yuyan Dominion ) as the warden over life, death and what lies beyond. Sengelekh plays a vital role in the Ulai’s own religion, The Ankhi Udam, or First Lineage.

The Adamant Fumetsugi & The Shattering Hakai:

While nowadays less worshiped due to the spread of Yuma among the people of Shizumi, there are still some people, especially in the less densely populated regions of Yamato that venerate Fumetsugi and Hakai. Protector and Destroyer Respectively, the two of them were said to be eternally locked in battle, their clash being the cause of the natural disasters in the region. During the calm seasons they would bring offerings to Fumetsugi to thank him for his protection, while during the harsh seasons they would make sacrifices to Hakai to distract him from the battle and let Fumetsugi get the upper hand again.
Fumetsugi is said to possess the shape of a gargantuan goat or yak with indestructible horns of crystal, while Hakai is said to take the shape of a massive boar that is capable of turning into lightning clouds, and rides upon the winds. Temples dedicated to the two can still be found here and there, though Yuma has by now clearly replaced The Idanasha as the region's predominant faith.

The All-seeing Hitotsume:

The All-seeing Hitotsume is said to be a mighty spirit, which takes the shape of a fox with infinite tails, presiding over all major rivers of Soukoku, such as The Kawa River, The Yuyan River and The Mie River. Still venerated by large parts of the population, Hitotsume is said to be an all-seeing oracle, capable of delving into the past, present and future of all that touch upon its domain.
Hitotsume is said to be benevolent, willing to aid those of strong purpose and virtuous heart, though its followers often argue about what exactly it would consider as virtuous.

The Avaricious Zhanglao:

One of very few openly malicious Idanasha, The Avaricious Zhanglao is said to be a gargantuan lizard with massive jaws, presiding over The Zhangalo Woods in the south-east of Soukoku. It considers the entire woodland its territory, and kills any and all that try to take from it without offering tribute, making it an entity that is not exactly venerated, but rather placated.

The Evanescent Yokuna:

The Evanescent Yokuna is said to preside over The Torikami Forest, a place where the barrier between worlds is thin. Yokuna itself, once believed to be a patron deity of The Oyagi Clan before their eradication (see: The Yuyan Dominion), is rarely spotted with an entirely physical form. Stepping from one realm into another with every other move, shifting its body from the shape of one beast to another, The Evanescent Yokuna is believed to be an indifferent, but wise entity, which dulls out boons and banes seemingly at random, or at least none have so far deciphered the morality of its alien mind.

The Fathomless Atar:

The Fathomless Atar is believed to be the patron deity of lake atara, venerated by the people of the city of Atara. It is said to be a deity of fishing and abundance, though little else is known about it, by outsiders at least.

The Tigasar Saranis:

The Tigasar Saranis or “The Three Great Kings” are said to be a set of Idanasha which are together worshiped by the bulk of Tanasi. The Tigasar Saranis are said to take a much more active role in the lives of the people, serving as rulers over land, sea and sky. Like any ruler, they demand tribute from their subjects, rewarding those that make great offerings, while punishing those that fail to deliver.
First is The Prodigious Batu-Saran, or “The Great King of Stone”. Presiding over The Batu Mountains, Batu-Saran is believed to be a golden bull that provides riches for those that venerate it and make regular offerings.
Second is The Eternal Halan-Saran, or “The Great King of the Seas”. Presiding over the lakes, rivers and coasts of Rumah, Halan-Saran is believed to take the shape of a horse whose body consists entirely of water and seafoam. Halan-Saran grants it’s devoted followers steady tides and abundant harvests.
Third is The Everchanging Semasa-Saran, or “The Great King of the Storm”. Presiding over wind and weather, Semasa-Saran is said to take the shape of a white tiger that rides upon the wind and can create thunderstorms and blizzards with a roar. As the moniker “everchanging” indicates, Semasa-Saran is quite fickle, and its favor is both easily gained and lost. If satisfied, its followers are granted abundant life-giving rain, abundant harvests and steady winds to sail, but woe be to those that anger the tiger of the skies.

The Towering Jin-Su:

The Towering Jin-Su is said to preside over a section of The Shashan Mountains and is exclusively worshiped by the people of Tang, where the laws and rules set by Jin-Su have shaped an entire civilization. With its precise shape unknown, it is theorized by some that The Towering Jin-Su may not be an Idanasha at all, as the stories attributed to it lie far outside of the wheelhouse of what an Idanasha is usually considered to be capable of. Obsessed with rules, law and the fanatical adherence to them, it has been many centuries since last Jin-Su was said to appear. Still, the people of Tang stick to the teachings handed down to them by The Towering Jin-Su, He who carved wisdom into Stone.

Core Beliefs:

While the tenets and specific beliefs of the faithful vary highly from region to region and even sekt to sekt, there are nonetheless some core principles which the vast majority of them seem to agree on:

Sanctity of Nature:

As The Idanasha are spirits bound to nature and land, so is their power, nature and very existence bound to the well-being of said land. An Idanasha is only as strong as the land it presides over, so by destroying, tainting or desecrating said land, it is possible to not only wound or maim, but even kill an Idanasha. This is of course easier said than done for the Greater Idanasha, blowing up a mountain is no easy feat after all, but for the lesser kind this can be a real threat.
Idanasha are generally considered to be benevolent or at least indifferent beings (with some exceptions), their presence a net-positive for the lands they inhabit and people they preside over, so long as they are respected. Their followers therefore take great care to maintain and safeguard their domain, treating nature with a degree of reverence, never taking more than an environment can sustain.

Blessings of The Great Ones:

Even the mightiest Idanasha are ultimately bound to the lands they preside over, meaning that if they want something done in faraway lands, they must do so through middle men. It is not uncommon for them to beseech their faithful for missions and tasks, offering boons and blessings in return.
Similarly it is not uncommon for people to beseech an Idanasha with requests for blessings, boons or power in exchange for offerings, servitude or aid in situations that might trouble the Idanasha.
The latter is especially dependent on The Idanasha in question, with some, such as The Towering Jin-Su pretty much never engaging in such deals, while The Tigasar Saranis happily engage in such deals so long as it benefits them.