The Yazatavi
Most commonly referred to as The Titans, The Venerable Ones, The Creators or The Ones worthy of Veneration, The Yazatavi are the predominant faith amongst The Zoltai Strain, or at least they were until the meteoric rise of The Morya Sultanate. Originating from southern Kashura, the ancestral lands of The Zoltai Strain, The Yazatavi is a collection of stories, hymns, mantras and philosophies telling the story of how The four elemental Titans Anula, Garuda, Samut and Tanaak created the world through their eternal conflict, how they set aside their differences to defeat Zolthanor The Endbringer and how The Zoltai Strain spawned from his remains.
The Yazatavi then fell into a deep slumber to recover from their injuries and have not awoken since, which has allowed life to flourish on Kashura.
While philosophies and core themes vary from place to place, the faith generally puts a heavy focus on asceticism, respecting the natural world and the inevitability of suffering.
As the titans themselves care little for what people actually do with the power they are granted, it falls to the different orders and faiths of their faithful to determine their own tenets. The Fatespinner is a bit of an odd one out here. Not mentioned by name in any yazatavi texts and only alluded to tangentially, The Fatespinner is said to be plucking at the strings of fate in the background, subtly influencing the destinies of people, clans and nations. One would presume an entity that is fate and destiny personified to have quite a large following, but this is not the case.
The Fatespinner, at least according to those few that have its favor, cannot be petitioned as opposed to other yazatavi, or even the gods of other faiths. The Fatespinner alone knows what few individuals are worthy of its attention, and to attempt to contact, worship or petition it in order to gain its favor is ultimately wasted effort. Finally there is Zolthanor, the fallen Titan and progenitor of The Zoltai Strain. One might wonder what possible reason there could be for someone to venerate such an entity, and while it is true that the number of people that genuinely worship him is quite small, those individuals only make up a small part of his actual following, and are largely concentrated in The Bleeding Lands.
To the majority though, being a follower of Zolthanor is not a matter of worship, but one of contemplation and acknowledgement of one’s own flawed nature. As the spawn of Zolthanor the Zoltai still carry his rage and bloodlust within them, and getting in touch with “their primal instinct” makes them much easier to control, at least to some. The Yazatavi faith is by its very nature pluralistic, and its followers regularly acknowledge and in some cases even encourage the practice of other religions. It is due to this that nations and regions predominantly populated by The Zoltai Strain have historically been a place where people of all faiths could live in harmony together, at least until relatively recently.
It is nowadays mostly practiced openly in Jayavashi, and in secret within the borders of The Morya Sultanate.
Only through liberating oneself from this cycle can one achieve true enlightenment, or “Atmana”, and attain the essence of the divine, whatever that may be.
There are many theories revolving around The Fatespinner: Some claim that it is not even a Titan, but a fictional entity later introduced by some rogue scholars to further their own agenda. Others claim it to be the Manifest Will of Existence itself, and others again presume it to be the first titan and creator of The four elemental Titans. There are many more theories, but these are the most prevalent. Zolthanor, known by aliases such as The Endbringer, The Destroyer and The Promised End, is the 6th Titan, supposed progenitor of The Zoltai Strain and is said to represent death, darkness, unbound destruction and the very end of existence.
The Yazatavi then fell into a deep slumber to recover from their injuries and have not awoken since, which has allowed life to flourish on Kashura.
While philosophies and core themes vary from place to place, the faith generally puts a heavy focus on asceticism, respecting the natural world and the inevitability of suffering.
Quick Summary:
“In ages past when time was young, the world was but a song unsung”
“A battlefield of Titans four, in battle locked forevermore:” “Anula, lord of waters grace, he drowned the world in cold embrace”
“Garuda of the ceaseless gale, his storms would carve destructions trail”
“Samut of the earthen keys, forced skies and seas both to their knees”
“And Tanaak, that forged the flame, she would burn them all the same.” “For eons old and war untamed, the Titans clashed and world was claimed”
“by elements and chaos born, a force of darkness given form”
“The one that would exist to rend, named Zolthanor, the promised end.” “Alone and locked in battles dance, the four knew they would stand no chance”
“Just once they set aside their trist, to stand against their nemesis.”
“Yet as their mighty foe lied dead, from mortal wounds their life-force bled”
“To lick their wounds and lie in slumber, they'd rest for eons of untold number.”
“Only then from the calm of the storm, would life finally be given form”
“Still the four would rise once more, to quell the spawn of Zolthanor.”
While The Titans are the de-facto gods of The Yazatavi faith, the relationship the faithful have to them is really more transactionary than anything else. The four elemental Titans for one take little interest in the fates of mortals beyond what they can do for them. They are uncaring to concepts such as good, evil, law and chaos, but are willing to aid those willing to serve them. “A battlefield of Titans four, in battle locked forevermore:” “Anula, lord of waters grace, he drowned the world in cold embrace”
“Garuda of the ceaseless gale, his storms would carve destructions trail”
“Samut of the earthen keys, forced skies and seas both to their knees”
“And Tanaak, that forged the flame, she would burn them all the same.” “For eons old and war untamed, the Titans clashed and world was claimed”
“by elements and chaos born, a force of darkness given form”
“The one that would exist to rend, named Zolthanor, the promised end.” “Alone and locked in battles dance, the four knew they would stand no chance”
“Just once they set aside their trist, to stand against their nemesis.”
“Yet as their mighty foe lied dead, from mortal wounds their life-force bled”
“To lick their wounds and lie in slumber, they'd rest for eons of untold number.”
“Only then from the calm of the storm, would life finally be given form”
“Still the four would rise once more, to quell the spawn of Zolthanor.”
As the titans themselves care little for what people actually do with the power they are granted, it falls to the different orders and faiths of their faithful to determine their own tenets. The Fatespinner is a bit of an odd one out here. Not mentioned by name in any yazatavi texts and only alluded to tangentially, The Fatespinner is said to be plucking at the strings of fate in the background, subtly influencing the destinies of people, clans and nations. One would presume an entity that is fate and destiny personified to have quite a large following, but this is not the case.
The Fatespinner, at least according to those few that have its favor, cannot be petitioned as opposed to other yazatavi, or even the gods of other faiths. The Fatespinner alone knows what few individuals are worthy of its attention, and to attempt to contact, worship or petition it in order to gain its favor is ultimately wasted effort. Finally there is Zolthanor, the fallen Titan and progenitor of The Zoltai Strain. One might wonder what possible reason there could be for someone to venerate such an entity, and while it is true that the number of people that genuinely worship him is quite small, those individuals only make up a small part of his actual following, and are largely concentrated in The Bleeding Lands.
To the majority though, being a follower of Zolthanor is not a matter of worship, but one of contemplation and acknowledgement of one’s own flawed nature. As the spawn of Zolthanor the Zoltai still carry his rage and bloodlust within them, and getting in touch with “their primal instinct” makes them much easier to control, at least to some. The Yazatavi faith is by its very nature pluralistic, and its followers regularly acknowledge and in some cases even encourage the practice of other religions. It is due to this that nations and regions predominantly populated by The Zoltai Strain have historically been a place where people of all faiths could live in harmony together, at least until relatively recently.
It is nowadays mostly practiced openly in Jayavashi, and in secret within the borders of The Morya Sultanate.
Core Beliefs:
The specific tenets and beliefs of the different Yazatavi faiths and doctrines vary quite a lot based on the region and in many cases even from temple to temple, but they still tend to have some core aspects in common:To live is to Suffer:
While all life is inherently sinful, this is especially true of the spawn of Zolthanor. It is this sinful nature which lies at the root of what is commonly referred to as “the mortal condition” or “Sammaar”: The perpetual cycle of unfulfilled desires which begets all suffering. For as long as mortals have wandered the realms, they have been slaves to this cycle as it is simply part of their nature, encoded and ingrained in every thought and every act.Only through liberating oneself from this cycle can one achieve true enlightenment, or “Atmana”, and attain the essence of the divine, whatever that may be.
All Life is flawed:
As life only came into existence in the absence of the divine, it is inherently incapable of achieving perfection. No mortal thought, action, intent, ideology or creation can ever be free from the taint of mortality, and as such is doomed to be inherently flawed. It is therefore imperative to question and interrogate the claims, ideas and actions of both others and oneself, setting aside any and all personal biases.Titans of Creation:
The Yazatavi are the 6 deities of The Yazatavi Faith, though to call them such is to somewhat misinterpret their nature. It would be more accurate to describe them as forces of nature, representing different aspects of creation and existence: The four elemental Titans, Anula, Garuda, Samut and Tanaak are the aspects of the 4 elements of creation: Water, Air, Earth and Fire respectively. These four elements are said to be the building blocks of the world, and with that form the origin of every physical thing that ever existed and ever will exist. The Fatespinner is a little known Titan in most parts of The World and is said to be the master of History, Fate and Destiny. While not mentioned by name in any Yazatavi scriptures, The Fatespinner still forms a core aspect of many temples core philosophies, representing change as well as stagnation and many more metaphysical concepts.There are many theories revolving around The Fatespinner: Some claim that it is not even a Titan, but a fictional entity later introduced by some rogue scholars to further their own agenda. Others claim it to be the Manifest Will of Existence itself, and others again presume it to be the first titan and creator of The four elemental Titans. There are many more theories, but these are the most prevalent. Zolthanor, known by aliases such as The Endbringer, The Destroyer and The Promised End, is the 6th Titan, supposed progenitor of The Zoltai Strain and is said to represent death, darkness, unbound destruction and the very end of existence.
Legacy of Zolthanor:
According to Yazatavi scripture, The Zoltai Strain came into existence and spawned from the blood of Zolthanor. They carry his destructive tendencies within them and only through meticulous self-discipline come to be able to channel them into something more positive.
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