Kysan

Kysan is the native folk religion of Garyiala. In contrast to other religions, Kysan is not an organized religion and thus has no central authority. Because of this, worship varies between practitioners and is influenced regionally.

Over time, Kysan has become heavily ingrained in Garyialan culture, and many traditions and festivities are also celebrated by non-practitioners.

Believes

Kysan is a polytheistic religion, revolving around “spirits” called nelin. Nelin are believed to inhabit the living world in an unseeable form and only rarely make themselves visible to mortals. This used to be different in the Era of Nelin, when they lived happily amongst mortals. Nelin possess supernatural abilities and are able to influence the natural world in ways mortals are unable.

There are believed to be at least a hundred different types of nelin, both good and bad, kind hearts and tricksters. There are nelin associated with the sun and moons, forest, mountains, rivers and roads, and specific plants and stones; natural phenomena such as sunlight, the four winds and thunder; and more obscure phenomena such as fortune, wisdom, those who have died an unjust death, and certain professions.

Notable Nelin

Neios - the sun spirit

Meloda - the pale moon spirit

Joao - the small moon spirit

Qalnera - spirit of flame lake

This list will be expanded upon with time.

Structure

Worship

Nelin are worshiped at household and public shrines. Worship is a personal affair and it depends on the practitioner when they bring an offering to a specific nelin, but it is always a good idea to stay in the good graces of a nelin, as an angry nelin can cause much damage and destruction. Depending on the nelin, public shrines can be small or large, and some nelin have multiple shrines, while others have just one.

Even though Kysan does not have a central authority, large public shrines are often staffed by a terrelni, a priest or caretaker, who is responsible for maintenance of the shrine, but sometimes also leads festivals to maintain a sense of order. Anybody can become a terrelni, though the care of some shrines is passed down the family.

Festivities / Important Dates

Longest Light: celebrated on the day of summer solstice.

Forsaking Moons: celebrated in the weeks leading up to Longest Night on the day when both moons are in their new phase, and the world is extremely dark and cold. It commemorates the disappearance of Maen, and the abandonment by the moon spirits Meloda and Joao.

Longest Night: celebrated on the day of winter solstice.

Spring's Bloom

This list will be expanded upon with time.

Origin

Where and when Kysan originated is unknown. It has likely been around since before Othya Novar established the Garyialan Empire, as descriptions of still practiced traditions have been found in ancient texts. However, Kysan does not have a central text and is verbally conveyed to the young, and thus is hard to trace back through history.

Symbology

While each nelin has their own characteristic symbology, the universal and most easily recognizable symbol across all the lands and different practitioners is the kyveno a ra, or three shards of heaven .
They are often depicted next to each other, but two can also be found individually. The shard of heavenly gods is never depicted on its own. The shard of void is used on tombstones, while the shard of spirits is used solitary on small shrines or along a path as a guide towards a shrine.

Type

Religious, Other