Uyoyano

The worship of Ban Kekuma, the assassin god. This is the state religion of Maloa and has adherents among many of the tribes in the region.
The religion has a negative perception to outsiders due to the belief that they worship murder and killing. Ban Kekuma, however, is a neutral-to-benevolent deity to those who worship him. Though his title does translate to "Assassin", it's used in a very general sense that he destroys with precision and intent to invoke change. Worshippers pray to him to "assassinate" sickness or weakness, for example. He destroys misery and assassinates the wicked.
Ban Kekuma is often depicted as a human male wearing a cloak in all the shifting hues of the night. Golden threads woven through the cloak recount the stories of his great victories and deeds. When he manifests in the mortal world, however, he does so in the form of a cheetah. For this reason, adherents bow, or at least tip their head, to any cheetah they come across, just in case. This has led outsiders to believe they worship cheetahs, but that isn't the case. They worship only their god, and any cheetah just might be him.

Creation

In the beginning, the world was an empty sea. Monsters swamp through the depths, and Ban Kekuma saw in them potential. There could be more to this world than mindless monsters and an empty expanse of water. So, he reached into the sea, all he way to the sea floor, and pulled the land up and up until a rocky and muddy landmass appeared.
Ban Kekuma invited the creatures of the depths to come to the land and create civilization. They climbed onto the land, but no sooner had they arrived than they began to fight. The beats, slimy, many-legged, long-necked, and so many other varieties, clawed and gnawed at each other. The land Ban Kekuma had intended to form civilization had become yet more chaos.
To end the chaos, Ban Kekuma slaughtered them. He attempted to kill them all, but there was one monster who slipped away from him: Sawaatil, the mighty draconian serpent. Sawaatil retreated to the ocean and escaped Ban Kekuma's judgement by burrowing into the underside of the land and dwelling in the flooded tunnels under the earth.
Meanwhile, the bodies of the slain beasts became hills and mountains, and their blood gave way to grass, trees, and flowers. The resulting land was a paradise, but it was empty because none of the beasts in the sea dared step on land again. So, Ban Kekuma coaxed trees to grow into his image, and then granted those trees life to create the first humans.

The Corrupter

Humans created the civilization that Ban Kekuma had been hoping for. He watched over the humans as they spread across his land, occasionally offering guidance and assistance. Sawaatil, however, was not defeated. As Ban Kekuma watched over the growth of civilization, Sawaatil craved chaos. Though he dares not step foot on Ban Kekuma's land again, he lurks in the sea and whispers to humanity, urging them to abandon order and light to revel in darkness and chaos, to take what they want and pay no heed to others.

Ninki Nanka

Sawaatil is the source of all evil in the world. Humanity as Ban Kekuma sculpted from trees were free of selfishness and greed, but the whispers of Sawaatil lured them towards darkness.

Basic Morality

To commit evil is to take actions that lead to chaos and disrupt the harmony of the community. Telling lies, stealing, killing, raping - all of these cause strife and are a result of Sawaatil's chaos. Sometimes, however, disorderly actions must be taken to correct a larger evil. For example, war to defend territory or an uprising to oust an unjust ruler. All of these events, of course, are met with heated debate over whether they were necessary.

The ideal, of course, is assassination. It is always better to make one decisive strike against an enemy, to cut of the head, than to engage in all-out war. Assassination is the precision removal of a corrupted part, rather than the brute violence of actual combat.

Death and the Afterlife

Those who have lived righteous lives are welcomed upon death to Isuneegoty, paradise. This is the realm Ban Kekuma emerged from before pulling the land from the sea. Here, there is no death, and no suffering. It is an endless realm of green fields, warm forests, sweet fruit, and flowing water. Here, you can reunite with your loved ones and live in bliss.

Underwater Cave by Kirill Khrol

If, however, you were seduced by the whispers of Sawaatil and led a life that caused discord and suffering for others, you will be forced to remain with him rather than going to Ban Kekuma's realm. Your soul will be taken to Nyigen: the dark, flooded tunnels below the world where Sawaatil lurks. There you spend the rest of eternity, drowning without dying in pitch darkness.

Structure

The priests of Uyoyano are called Assassins (an *uyoyas* in Malo). The majority of them do not perform actual assassinations, but are called upon to rid a body of illness or end the division between lovers by performing marriages. They give weekly sermons at twilight from the local church.
Assassins are organized under Master Assassins, who oversee large groups of assassins. Masters also give guidance and permission to assassins to carry out an assassination, or do it themselves. They perform true assassinations very rarely, when a notable or powerful member of society is causing great harm to the community. Assassins, especially Master Assassins, more commonly serve as judge and executioner at a trial with a jury.
The head of the order is the Grand Master. He or she has many of the same duties as Masters, but on a larger scale. A significant duty is that only the Grand Master can kill a member of the royal family, but if they choose to do so, it will not be a crime. The Grand Master is elected from among the Masters by the Masters, and appointed for life. To have reached that level in the church, they are considered to have the judgement and morality necessary to make such a decision.

Public Agenda

To be stewards of the community, maintain order, and provide peace and guidance. To this end, they serve as the judicial system and remove unwanted or dangerous elements from society.

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Demonym

Uyoyanist

Location

Maloa

Controlled Territories

• Cathedral of Aalunus

Related Ethnicities

• Malo