The Cartandyohana
In the traditions of the People of Sun and River, the Cartandyohana were once at least partly human. The different sects will argue over the extent of which they were born divine and the extent to which they ascended, but each agrees they were 'human'. During the Days of Blood and Shadow, the gods had been mortal enough when Nightfall began. Not even the People of Sun and River can say exactly what set off Nightfall and the war against the Demon-Gods, but they have stories, tied to the figures of their mythology. Though they have many gods and demigods, there are five who stand out as the greatest of this ancient heroes. Mitravi, the Burning Hand, the child of the Dawn. Niasha, the Nightwalker, the Mistress of the Secret Shadow. Khana the Destroyer, the Bloodthirster and the Lady of War. Ranashi, the Dreamweaver, the Seer who glimpsed beyond. Rani, the Beast Mistress, Shapechanger, whose primal piercing call could bring down armies of the Demon-Gods slaves.
Mythology & Lore
The Cartandyohana are the heroes of legends passed down from the Days of Blood and Smoke for many generations before they were finally written down and recorded by the Kana of the People of Sun and River. They tell the stories of the Nightfall and are some of the only surviving accounts of that cataclysmic event, though even their stories were not eyewitness accounts but passed down orally. The People of Sun and River claim that there exists texts that Ranashi himself penned, hidden deep in the Library of Tagos, but the Kana fervently deny this. They claim these legendary texts, if they even existed, have not survived to the current age.
The stories of the Cartandyohana tell of the creation of Terraneus and the Wyrdtower, the arrival of They Who Dream Between the Stars, the beings called the Demon-Gods, how Ranashi learned the secrets of Sorcery to bind the souls of Demons and to call the Wyrdwinds, the beginning of Nightfall, and the ultimate ascension of the Gods and the fall of They Who Dream Between the Stars, set to slumber and Dream eternally.
The Cartandyohana were not part of the Mist Wars, for by the time those legendary events started, the Cartandyohana had already ascended to the ranks of the divine.
Divine Origins
The traditions and teachings of the Cartandyohana are said to have been given to the People by the heroes themselves, though most Sadha and Kana accept that even the oldest texts were written generations after the Nightfall, during the time the Imperial scholars claim to be a dark age. From these oldest texts, Kana interpret and guide the People of Sun and River to this very day.
Cosmological Views
While every sect of the Kana has their own version, there are similar motifs and beats between all versions of the creation of Terraneus. The Wyrdtower was raised, from whose volcanic mouth spat earth, water, and fire. The world began to form, taking life from the magic of the Wyrdwinds that were called to the World Pillar. Men existed at this time, living in the Jungles of Kar'ack, where the People still dwell, yet they had no sorcery, no Lotus. They lived among the beasts and had not yet learned to build cities.
They Who Dream Between the Stars were drawn through the Mistlands to the Wyrdtower, and they arrived with their demon slaves. They were cruel gods, who demanded cruel things of the humans they ruled over. Sacrifice and blood; they would twist the souls of humans, leaving them impure; they would feast upon the humans as though they were food. The humans, seeking to rid themselves of these Dark Gods, learned to harness the power of the Wyrdwinds and the power of True Names (Different sects have different versions of this story). They bound the demon slaves of They Who Dream Between the Stars and fought against them, casting them down, but the Demon-Gods could not be killed, for they were too great and too unknowable to be truly 'slain'. Their physical forms were destroyed and their essence was bound deep in warded tombs throughout Terraneus, where they were not to be disturbed or freed.The
Worship
The People of Sun and River make personal offerings to the deity they favor, often attempting to achieve a meditative state through the repetition of the holy mantras. The act of doing this is said to help restore purity to one's soul. They will often burn incense, offer fresh fruit or wild flowers, and leave wine at the statues of their gods. Often, during extreme acts of worship, they will fast to the point of near exhaustion, though this is usually done in the temples where the Kana may watch and be ready to provide water to those too ecstatic or devote to recognize their limits.
Priesthood
The Kana are the priests of the Cartandyohana. They are a specific caste within the society of the People of Sun and River.
