Yuiwia
For all things there is a cycle. What lives, must die. What is dead, must be reborn. So must the sun surrender again in the evening and give way to the night. Between these extremes of day and night wandered Nui in the shape of the moon, the only celestial to not be bound by the cycle Sō and Kōlye were locked in.
Founded by Soyaewa during the dawn of the First Age, the Way of Stars eventually became the first truly organized religion in the world.
Over time, those who dedicated themselves to one of the celestial deities Sō & Nui became increasingly separated from the outside world. This was partly due to increased independence of individual temples from the settlements they were located in, but also a shift within the ideology of the faith itself.
Structure
Up until the death of Sō-Thadi Masōzyo late 3rd century of Yuoho Azōhayo, the Sō-Thadi was the highest power within Yuiwian hierarchy, and deeply connected with the faith both symbolically and in practice. Afterward, however, leadership fell onto the shoulders of two Nimēdi, namely Sō-Nimēdi and Nui-Nimēdi who until then were overseers of the various religious and state affairs within the Valley.
Yuiwia divided itself into two cults: Nimē a Sō and Nimē a Nui. Early on the practitioners unhelpfully called both the cults and the buildings they resided in "temples", though much later the term Aebome arose for the elaborate buildings where worship occurred.
Nimē a Sō followed the tenets of Sō and were originally responsible for many state and military affairs within the Valley, whereas Nimē a Nui followed the tenets of Nui, and mostly handled various tasks such as architucture and construction, information and the study and application of science, particularly medicine.
Nimē a Sō
Led by a Sō-Nimēdi, Nimē a Sō was as much a religious cult dedicated to Sō as it was part of the governing body ruling over the Valley. Unlike Nimē a Nui, the followers of Sō took a much more active and visible part in diplomacy and military affairs alike. For a long time they were also the entirety of the realm's justice system, acting as judge, jury and executioner.
Nimē a Sō was also known for including seers and diviners in their ranks. Wrapped in a tight veil of secrecy, their visions of the past, present and future alike guided the way of the Temple of Sō and by extension the entirety of the Valley.
The many orders and organizations within Nimē a Sō have commonly been translated as Houses, however Department remains an alternative term used by some scholars familiar with the subject.
House of War
For the longest time in the history of Nīwulā Valley the military was under the control of Nimē a Sō, and specifically Sētkimē, under which all of the separate orders and other military organizations gathered. This also included the various guards protecting cities, settlements and Sō temples.
Sētkimē lost much of its power after the Temple Wars, when the so-called Silver Kings of the Second Dynasty began to separate religion from state and military affairs. Sētkimē remained in control of the Sun Guard, which was responsible for the defense of temples of Sō, and a few military orders used to protect other assets owned by Nimē a Sō. At times, these orders could also aid in non-religious warfare, both defensive and offensive, however this seemed to become ever rarer with every century after the third century of the First Age.
House of Judgement
Third Sō-Thadi Tēhlebao formed Huobyamē as an organization responsible for the investigation and judgement of various crimes and to act as a mediator in arguments between clans, tribes or settlements when necessary. Though it might have begun as a tool to fight crime and injustice, corruption seemed to plague the House of Judgement more than it did even the House of War.
House of Judgement was weakened perhaps the most after the end of the Temple Wars. They lost their power as judges in matters outside of the faith, and were mostly relegated to various overseeing duties within Nimē a Sō itself. This also seemed to cause a situation where anyone who was a part of Nimē a Sō could only be judged by the Huobyamē, thus finding themselves essentially immune to any judgement made by the Sō-Thadi.
House of Divination
The most secretive part of the otherwise brightly blazing Nimē a Sō was Niyimē. They were seers and diviners who walked the realm of dreams in the footsteps of Soyaewa and sought to learn all of past, present and future. Though their existence itself seemed to be a public secret, their methods and other details were known only to a few chosen individuals.
Whatever methods they applied to get their glimpses beyond their own little place in time and space, the information they provided to the rest of Nimē a Sō proved invaluable in many an occasion, at least if the records left by Nimē a Nui are to be believed.
Nimē a Nui
The Temple of Nui, led by a Nui-Nimēdi, dedicated themselves to the celestial deity Nui and follow her tenets in an often invisible way, supporting the everyday lives of the Valley at large. They were the architects and scholars, building halls of records where all obtained knowledge was kept in rows upon rows of clay tablets. They grew gardens of herbs and processed them into medicine which allowed them to heal the ill.
Perhaps more notoriously they were also known as spies and even assassins, dealing with problems in quick and efficient ways which otherwise would have gone against the morals and principles of Nimē a Sō. To the followers of Nui, their part was to support the civilization they were part of in smaller, often invisible ways.
House of Architecture
Kūbyamē of Nimē a Nui took responsibility for the design and construction of larger buildings, particularly those used by the public or the Sō-Thadi. While they were not often the ones doing the actual heavy lifting, they did overseer that everything looked and worked as it should.
Founded by the second Sō-Thadi Tēhsō late into his reign, Kūbyamē was disbanded by the end of the third century of the First Age. Afterward the design and construction of larger spaces became the responsibility of individuals working under the Second Dynasty of Sō-Thadi and were completely unconnected from Yuiwian faith.
House of Healing
Anyebyamē was quite popular among the common folk no matter their faith. They offered healing and, in turn, accepted gifts, donations and sacrifices to Nui from those who offered. They used herbs and ingredients carefully grown and cared for by Nimē a Nui's gardeners, and though they could not heal the most grievous of wounds and illnesses, they always sought to learn something even from their failures.
Even after the collapse of the First Dynasty, Anyebyamē remained strong and within the bounds of Nimē a Nui, one of the few Houses to do so under the rule of the Silver Kings.
House of Gardening
Not often seen outside the bounds of their gardens, the gardeners of Nīwyaomē took meticulous care for the many trees, herbs and spice plants within their vast gardens. The main purpose of these enclosed spaces was to provide the healers with herbs for their medicines, but the gardens themselves came to serve as a place to enjoy and relax as well.
Cosmological Views
Duality and cosmic forces featured heavily in Yuiwian faith. Despite having its roots deep in the Old Faith, most traces of it were eroded and gotten rid of over time, particularly as hostilities against various followers of Old Faith and its various offshoots became more prevalent.
World
Yuiwian faith revolved around a story of an eternal war between Sō and Kōlye which was said to cause the existence of day and night. Once there were two suns, and the battle began after Kōlye killed Sō's sibling (or partner, in some versions of the story) and shattered the remains into a sea of stars. Thus was also born night, Kōlye's realm, which the dark deity aimed to expand further by defeating Sō and bringing about an eternal darkness.
Nui
Nui was Sō's ally, a celestial deity akin to him yet otherwise completely different. Unlike her companion, Nui could weave between the realms of night and day and provided aid through acts of sabotage against Kōlye more than direct warfare. Nui was also called a mother of water snakes who were born of her tears and thus were sacred to those who dedicated themselves to Nui.
Humanity
Humans were the children of Sō and Nui. Where Nui provided humans with their physical bodies, it was Sō who instilled part of his fire within their hearts. Because of this, yuiwians believed, all of humanity had a duty to use their life aiding the celestials.
Nature
Flora and fauna alike was seen as useful, though not actively helpful part of the world. Both were born of Wīmuo, or Mother Earth. Wīmuo herself was seen as a neutral character at best, and mostly aloof and uncaring of the battle between Sō and Kōlye. She was not a god to yuiwians and thus not worshipped, but rather some ancient, primal spirit.
Worship
Most worship of the celestial deities revolved around the giving of work (as many priests did by cleaning and caring for the places of worship) or the result of such work (such as sacrifices and donations of food or precious objects) to the gods.
It was seen as a good practice to provide small sacrifices on a weekly basis, though some visited the temple every day and others only around times of planting or harvest.
Priesthood
Unlike those who followed Yuiwian faith from the outside, those who decided to dedicate themselves to the celestials could only choose one to give themselves to. They would move within the temple grounds where their studies of the divine and their ways began.
This was not the only way to choose priesthood. As the many Yuiwian temples also served as orphanages and places for the otherwise unwanted, many were practically raised to become priests and dedicated followers of Sō or Nui. Those who were taken in as children and those who were born into the fold could become apprentices to members of the various Houses, where they would take the place of their mentor once that time came.
Many also became caretakers to the temples. Their responsibilities were much more varied, as they had to keep the shrines and temples clean and orderly, as well as provide assistance to any worshipper coming from the outside to pray or offer sacrifices to the divines.
Priesthood was a lifelong commitment, and not one to be rid of even should a priest decide to leave and abandon their place. Yuiwians believed that, once dedicated to a celestial, a person's life became a sacrifice to the celestials in itself similar to any item of food, clothing and other goods brought by other believers. As such, that bond was not broken even after death.
Way of Celestials
Pronunciation
/juiˈwja/
Adjective
yuiwian