The Faith of the Star-Serpents

"I hail thee, oh brave Tlalka! He who brings the Dawn into our world! With your golden feathers and breath of light and warmth, shed Truth into the lies of the Nigh, and the removes the veil of the Ones Below!" Morning prayer to the Sun God, Tlalka.
The Faith the Star-Serpents is one of the oldest religions of Karash, second only to the Kannathi gods, and the Old Faith in the north. But, out of all these three, the Faith of the Star-Serpents remains almost untouched.
Though it remains in Axtalan, and certain regions of the Unconquered Lands, it is one of the most important religions, as it deals directly with myths before the Dragonfire.

History

Because the calendar of the people of Axtalan works differently, and the way they weave history is very tied together with their mythology, it's hard to see which part is religion and which is historical.
Some aspects of the Dragonfire myth correlate with their own, and there is historical evidence of the cult of the Serpents Below, but other than that, the history of the Faith of the Starry Wisdom is still within their myths and stories.

Mythology & Lore

According to the Old Lore, the Humans and some of the Elves that survived the Dragonfire lived in anarchy, scared of the followers of the Elders in the Dark, they kept hidden in the jungles and the mountains, until the serpents came: These were massive creatures, covered in bright scales and multicolored feathers, and spoke the language of the stars, but they Spoke to the survivors, and and helped them protect themselves from the dangers that still lurked in the lands, the Serpents also helped them in shape the world, making it more accessible form them to life of the land, and they sacrificed their blood and some of their essence in doing so; in return, the people also made sacrifices to them, in the shape of self-bloodletting, the burning of choice crops and meats, and the melting of precious metals as tribute.
In time the Serpents took humanoid form -That of Lizardfolk- and began to live amongst the survivors, acting as Emperors an Kings, leading the survivors into a golden Age. One of them, Chakil-kak, gave the Small-folk the gift of luck, and that was how Halflings were made. And Tabaxi claim of another Serpent, Uxhamishi, let its blood drop form a wound, and offered it to the jaguars, those who drank of it became the Tabaxi.
Later on, one by one, the Serpents Ascended into the sky, and became Stars, until the last one, Tlakla, bid the Axtalani Empire farewell, and left the world.
The Cult of the Serpents Below
But then, from beneath, several hundreds of years later, the Serpents Below Rose. These three massive Serpents were unlike the Serpents of the Stars, their forms were slender, they had no feathers, but they had wisdom that they shared with the Empire,... Wisdom of Magic beyond anything they could do, and wonders no one had ever experiences, but not only total obedience, but also that they cast down the Serpents of the Stars, and their priests, and they demanded blood, and plenty of it.
The Empire became decadent, a new caste of people was made only to satisfy the hunger of blood: Made up from slaves, dishonored nobles, exiled warriors, and peasants, these were the Blooded... But even they were not enough to sate the blood of their new masters.
Soon after, a revolt happened amongst the Blooded; led by a lone prophetess of Tlakla named Akuil'ha, she was blind, but was able to see the darkness that these "Serpents Below" brought, and she led her people to attack their masters. Starting at first as small revolts in the jungles and faraway colonies, but soon enough Akuil'ha began to raid cities alongside her fervent Rainbow Warriors and allied mages, sorcerers and knights of the Jaguar Caste and Eagle caste that were still faithful to the Star Serpents, until finally they laid siege on Tlayapan.
The Siege lasted for several months, magic and might being hurled from both sides until finally, an Avatar of Tlalka emerged from the Rainbow Lake and destroyed the walls, and soon after, the Serpents Below were slain, and their servants fled through the Wiitskaal Mountains, never to be seen again.

Cosmological Views

According to the Faith, all souls of mortals are sent directly to the stars, in order tone measured and tested by the Serpent-gods, if they are worthy, they are turned into stars themselves, able to see their loved ones in the skies. If not, they are cast down into the earth, to be reincarnated into beasts, so that they still serve a purpose in the great wheel of Life and Death.
The Serpent-Gods are:
Tlalka, the Golden Sky: Serpent-God of the Sun, Laws, and Birth
Tzimilak, the Black Night: Serpent-God of the Underworld, Night and Sorcery
Chakil-kak, of the Silver Moon: Serpent-God of the Moon, Luck, and Jokes
Tso-tlalkan, the Brass Shield: Serpent-God of War, the Stars and of Crafts
Ixalkan, the Red Sepent: Serpent-God of Wrath, Destruction and Earthquakes
Tlolek, the Copper Arrow: Serpent-God of Stories, Arts, and the Wind
Tzitzinacatl, the Blue Sovereign: Serpent-God of Storms, Water, and Disease
Ixialkan, the Copper Shield: Serpent-God of Healing, Hearth, and Farming
Mezayak, the Green Tide: Serpent-God of the Jungle, of Beasts and of Rulers
Ayapotzil, the White Wind of the South: Serpent God of Winter, Death and Fear
The Tabaxi say there is also Cat-Serpent called Uxhamishi,

Worship

The Serpent-Gods of the Starry Wisdom demand that, besides praying to them, a small sacrifice must be made in order for them to help maintain the world.
These sacrifices must be of the self, never to others (as sacrifice of lives is strictly forbidden, as well as torture), it includes things like:

• Bloodletting (1hp)

• Small offering of food, water, or special woods

• Melting of small amounts of metal (gold and silver are specially required, about 10gp each morning)

Priesthood

Clerical positions are usually born into, with acolytes mostly being children of the nobility, though there are some petitioners that may have their children introduced into the Starry Wisdom via some service, or other acts.

Granted Divine Powers

• Tlalka, the Golden Sky: Lawful Neutral, its domains are Light and Life

• Tzimilak, the Black Night: Chaotic Neutral, its domains are Trickery and Arcana

• Chakil-kak, of the Silver Moon: Lawful Neutral, its Domains are Trickery and Knowledge

• Tso-tlalkan, the Brass Shield: Lawful Neutral, its Domains are War and Forge

• Ixalkan, the Red Sepent: Chaotic Neutral, its Domains are War and Light

• Tlolek, the Copper Arrow: Neutral, its Domains are Nature and Forge

• Tzitzinacatl, the Blue Sovereign: Lawful Neutral, its Domains are Nature and Tempest

• Ixialkan, the Copper Shield: Chaotic Neutral, its Domains are Life and Nature

• Mezayak, the Green Tide: Lawful Neutral, its Domains are Nature and Lore

• Ayapotzil, the White Wind of the South: Chaotic Neutral, its domains are Tempest and Grave.

• Uxhamishi, the Cat-Serpent: Chaotic Neutral, its Domains are Trickery and Arcana

Sects

There are rumors that the cult of the Serpents Below are still out there, waiting for the time of their vengeance, but, no one knows for sure.

Founding Date

Year 329

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Alternative Names

The Faith of the Starry Wisdom, The Faith of the Star Dragons, The Faith of the Couatls

Location

Axtalan