Handdara

Handdara is a polytheistic religious group dedicated to "unknowing", or the conscious maintenance of mystery and ignorance. While the sect worships Enki, Aestus, Serphala, and Arren, the gods themselves are less important to the religion than the intersection of their domains.
The Handdara is a complex religion with a rich inner structure, and its practices are varied. To those outside of the sect, it is best known for the ceremony of Foretelling, a powerful prophetic practice in which Handdarata known as Foretellers answer a question posed to them by an outsider.
The religion originated in planetary gith communities. While other peoples are now involved in the religion, githyanki still make up a large proportion of Handdarata. Githzerai are not Handdarata, as the cultural split between the githyanki and githzerai aligns with the cultural split between Handdara and the Yomesh cult that branched off from it.

Structure

The unit of organization in the Handdara religion is the Fastness, a remote monastery-like keep where Handdarata live and train. Handdarata are not required to live in Fastnesses, but most members of the group do. Those who live in Fastnesses are called Indwellers.

Foretellers

The best-known Handdarata are the Foretellers, those who perform the Foretelling ceremony. Each Fastness has Foretellers among their Indwellers; however, not all Indwellers are Foretellers. Foretellers fulfill one of several roles: Weaver, Time-Divider, Celibate, or Half-Dead. Not all Fastnesses have a full set of Foretellers among their Indwellers, so some Foretellers travel between Fastnesses to aid the Indwelling Foretellers in the ceremony of Foretelling.
Foretellers are dedicated, highly trained Handdarata, and are some of the most capable diviners in Astalia.

History

The Handdara religion has existed in some form since the first gith were trained by Serphala, and developed into a more defined religion by the mid-1700s. The practices have continued mostly unchanged since, other than the split between the Handdara and the Yomesh in the late 3400s.

Tenets of Faith

The core tenet of the Handdara faith is achieving ignorance through various practices. Handdarata seek to determine what cannot be known, and ensure that those things stay unknown.

Hospitality and strangers

Though most practices of the Handdara are in some way closed from those outside the religion, visitors are always welcome in Fastnesses, and Handdarata who do not reside in Fastnesses welcome any visitors into their homes.

Foretelling

Foretelling is an intricate ritual that seeks a prophetic answer to a question asked of the Foretellers by someone else. Foretellers and devout Handdarata do not ask questions of Foretellers, as they pursue ignorance as a goal, not knowledge. Anyone can visit a Fastness and ask a question of its Foretellers.
The Foretelling ritual begins with the visitor asking a question of the Foretellers and paying a price. The price is always high, but is also personal to the asker, and may be money, items, or something more conceptual. The Foretellers then consider the question, and determine whether it can be answered. If it can, the Foretellers continue the ritual. A Foretelling consists of nine Foretellers: a Weaver, two Time-Dividers, five Celibates, and a Half-Dead.
The Weaver is the Foreteller who acts as a mediary between the truth and the asker. They announce whether the question is answerable, and deliver the answer at the conclusion of the ceremony. The Weaver acts as the filament that channels the magical energy of the Foretelling.
The Time-Dividers strengthen the connections between the Foretellers, and keep the time of the ritual.
The Celibates are always Indwellers at the Fastness where the Foretelling takes place. Four of the Celibates represent the worship of the four gods involved in the Handdara beliefs, while the fifth works with the Half-Dead.
Half-Deads are uncommon, and are the Foretellers who most often travel between Fastnesses. They work with the fifth Celibate to build up the energy of the ritual.

Presence

Presence is the practice of achieving a trance-like state through heightened awareness and sensual receptiveness.

Dothe

Handdarata practice achieving dothe-strength, a temporary state of extreme enhanced strength. While in dothe, Handdarata can achieve fantastic physical feats. However, it is an incredibly energy-intensive state, and when dothe is exited, recovery requires spending time in complete rest.

Nusuth

"Nusuth" is a general negative expression used by Handdarata. It is often translated as "no matter" or "never mind" and is used to express acceptance and a lack of concern over details.

nusuth

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Demonym

Handdarata