Church of the Boundless Sky
Divine Origins
As Yai is one of the oldest beings in existance, her followers have been numerous since the first mortals gazed up at the sky. Eventually, Yai worked together with Era, the goddess of the elves, to create the first of the constenlations, which gave birth to the Skuith
Tenets of Faith
Many members of the church follow codes unique to their individual gods, for more information on those specific codes, read the entries for those specific deities.
All members of the church must stick to the following code, known as the Code of the Boundless
- As the sky looms over me, so to shall my duties to the church. I will not neglect it in pursuit of personal gains.
- I shall not willingly aid the enemies of the church, who would see the sky's power fall to the ground.
- I shall not question those above me, as they have a higher vantage point to see issues.
- As I shall not stoop to a status of those below me, but I will remember that those below me are under my watch, and failing to protect them only moves the problem to those above me.
- The Svanit Empire and the Church of the Boundless Sky are connected by divine rite, and thus and action against the Empire is an action against the Church.
- I will work diligiently so that one day, all creatures may be elevated to the glory of the sky.
- I will always remember that Yai remains above all, and act under her service.
- I shall not allow the power of the sky to be corrupted by the unworthy. I will hunt down and destroy those who think of defiling Yai's gift.
- I will work to protect Yai's chosen people, the Eleyai, even at the cost of my own life, so that they may spead Yai's gifts to others.
- I shall not let others bring disrespect to Yai's name. Like a mighty gust of wind, I shall blow over those who would stand against Yai.
- Like the buildup to a storm, I shall save my power and reserve my fury for the right time to strike, and not spend it wastefully.
- When the time to strike comes, I will strike swiftly and precisely, like a bolt of lightning. Lighting and Thunder has no hesitation, and neither shall I.
Ethics
The church wildley various in its ethical practices by region and sect. Most inner regions of the Realm under church rule follow standard ethical practices, and are generally kind and caring towards its citizens, although this courtasy does not extend to those who are active against the church or are from the Unclaimed Lands. More remote areas that are close to the Unclaimed Lands, or more rural and less travelled mountain-cities are often at the whims of the local church leaders, who tend to become more tyrannical and uncontrollable. Regardless, the church is very swift to crack down and imprison those who break its rules, and rumors of magical and unethical experimentation abound about the churches higher circles.
Many humans have mixed feelings towards the church, as while the church denies it, it is well known that the Church experimented with humanity in the past, which led to the creation of the Bekuma, who are still hunted by the church to this day.
Worship
Worship of the church usually takes place in large temples, which always rest at the highest points of Kirru's mountain towns. These cathedrals often have stained glass ceilings that give its congregation an open view of the glorious sky.
More personal worship of Yai by extremally devout followers includes standing atop a high vantage point, such as a cliff face, tower or mountain peak, while listening to the wind while singing Yai's praises. Those followers who can fly often instead spend their time soaring in the sky, while praising Yai for Yai for granting them the miracle of flight.
Worship of Ra also takes place in such temples, but more personal involves awaking at the crack of dawn, and ascending to hire ground in time with the sun, preferably through the power of flight.
Personal worship of Skuith involves the observation of the night sky, predicting the trajectory of the night sky.
Personal worship of Neshomu involves frantically writing notes and plans for the day.
Priesthood
Preisthood in the church varies greatly by sect, and is often relegated by race. Many eleyef in service of Yai become battle-mages, hunting down enemies of the church with thunderous wrath, while most hangu become advisors to governemental officials or officials themselves. Most Nomu preists become enginneers, inventors, or workers, and are often stationed on the mechanical airships that travel throught the region, while Erfu often attempt to interperat cosmalogical signs and ordain futures. Almost all preists are expected to spend several years stationed on such ships.
Granted Divine Powers
Minor powers granted to those who follow Yai include an empowerment to a casters air and electricity magic, as well as having wind always blow favorably for them. Powers granted to the most devout of followers include summoning lightning elementals, gaining protection from lightning-based effects, the ability to surround themselves with an aura of lightning, the ability to empower lightning magic to bypass resistances, and the ability to call bolts of lightning from the sky that empower you with strength.
Those who follow Ra find that they often feel stronger when flying high above. Powers granted to his most devout followers include the ability to summon Rocs and other giant birds, gaining a set of wings, if they do not already have them, gaining a shield of wind to block projectiles, the ability to protect yourself from flying creatures, the ability to summon giant sky barges, and the ability to force others to bow in awe of simply your presence.
Minor blessings of Skuith include innate understandings of math as well as protection against forceful movement effects. The more devout of Skuith gain powers such as the ability to cast their sight high into the sky, the ability to see the arc of weapons so to more easily dodge them, the ability to catch creatures in teleportation loops, the ability to gain powers based on the various constellations, and the ability to launch scrolls from a bow as if they were arrows.
Minor blessings of Neshomu include protection against script-based spells and better penmanship. The more devout followers gain the ability to charge magic items, store magic that affects you into scrolls, bless creatures with the ability to speak the languages of others, duplicate symbol spells, and even gaining a special set of books known as a Tethered Ledger, which can transfer information between them and even instill powerful obsessive curses in others.
Political Influence & Intrigue
The Church of the Boundless Sky is the official religion of the Svanti Empire, and thus effectively rules over almost the entirety of Kirru.
Sects
The church is divided into four main sects: one for each of the churchs main deities.
The Children of the Boundless: The largest sect, it is one that primarily venerates Yai and operates the day-to-day activities of the church. It is mostly made up of Eleyai and human followers.
The Wings of Solaris: Made up of almost exclusively Hangu Tengu, this sect venerates Ra and acts as the warriors and bodyguards of other important church members.
The High Astronomers: The sect mostly comprised of Erfu elves, the High Astronomers study the sky, interperating signs from the heavens while acting as oracles, mages, and enginers for the church.
The Expolsive Scribes: One of the smallest sects, the Explosive Scribes are primarly made up of nomu gnomes who split their time between performing admistrative tasks and constructing new technologies and weapons for the church.
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