Bayanism
The predominant religion in Garal, Bayanism is a polytheistic religion that worships the same pantheon as its successor religion, Hantzu. Bayanists believe they have the original, pure religion and discriminate against outsiders - a major contribution to centuries of war and precarious relations with Zhenhai. Emperor Zou promised greater freedoms for Zhenhai's Bayanist population and doctrinal shifts in Hantzu when he gained the empire with the help of Garalese armies, but did not keep his promises. This offense contributed to Garal's neutrality in the War of Eternal Day.
Bayanists emphasize hospitality, selflessness, honesty, and chastity and consider cowardice and pride to be great sins. Mental illness is a taboo topic and generally considered the result of weakness or selfishness. Followers focus on personal development and do not consider proselytizing necessary; the afterlife has many planes of existence and nonbelievers will have their own place. Ruya Ilkin is an anomaly both in her outlook of offering hospitality to outsiders and of considering them worth bringing into the religion.
Children come of age at 20 and generally join the military, live traditionally in their own yurt, or move into a newly built house. Marriage emphasizes an exchange of gifts between the newly joined families and the forging of a new life together - the bride and groom walk between candles or lanterns as a finalization of the marriage ceremony.
Funeral rites are briefly performed by local clergy in small groups of assembled loved ones; it is not uncommon for an individual to have several funerals composed of different clusters of friends and family.
Beliefs
Origins
The origins of Bayanism are murky and swathed in its creation story; Garalese peoples have been worshipping their deities since before they left their nomadic traditions and settled into fixed towns and cities. Bayanists maintain that mortals were forged from metal by the gods, and the sparks and other products of the gods' lives created demons and nature spirits. This belief gives them a more lenient outlook on demons in general.Cosmology
Bayanists worship their pantheon of gods with particular emphasis on the ruling deities: the God of Autumn, the Goddess of the Mountains and Darkness, and the Goddess of the Forge and Love. Fire is a frequently used or referenced element in Bayanist worship. Other important deities include the Goddess of Music, God of Daydreams, the Goddess of Medicine (Chenguang) and the God of Justice.Worship
Fellowship (among believers) and celebration are large parts of Bayanist worship; holidays, though few, involve feasts and dancing and bring together people from every social class. Individuals worship daily in quiet, joyous prayer at local and family shrines - though any place of beauty can be considered sacred. Doctrine is passed down through a strong oral tradition of recitations and music, though some writings have been carefully collected by the church.Bayanists emphasize hospitality, selflessness, honesty, and chastity and consider cowardice and pride to be great sins. Mental illness is a taboo topic and generally considered the result of weakness or selfishness. Followers focus on personal development and do not consider proselytizing necessary; the afterlife has many planes of existence and nonbelievers will have their own place. Ruya Ilkin is an anomaly both in her outlook of offering hospitality to outsiders and of considering them worth bringing into the religion.
Children come of age at 20 and generally join the military, live traditionally in their own yurt, or move into a newly built house. Marriage emphasizes an exchange of gifts between the newly joined families and the forging of a new life together - the bride and groom walk between candles or lanterns as a finalization of the marriage ceremony.
Funeral rites are briefly performed by local clergy in small groups of assembled loved ones; it is not uncommon for an individual to have several funerals composed of different clusters of friends and family.
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