Orniikhatra

The many tribes of eastern Arokha each have their own micro-pantheon of patron god-ancestors and guardian spirits. All, however, give reverence to the creator spirits, particularly Ori and Niikh, as well as Jeha, the Energy.

Creation Myth

In the beginning, there were two great spirits: Gorah and Rokh, the Sky and the Earth. As water formed between the Earth and Sky, Gorah and Rokh took pieces of themselves and combined them to create the moons that would govern the waters: Lukoh and Lukah, Father Tide and Mother Rain. For a time, the world was peaceful and static, but the Ancient Ones soon grew lonely and bored with their empty world.
Lukoh and Lukah decided to create life, children of their own, but disagreed on what that life should be like. Lukoh took a piece of the Earth and mixed it into seawater, infusing it with divine essence to create Brother Ori. Lukah took a piece of the Sky and mixed rainwater into it, infusing it with divine essence to create Sister Niikh. However, neither was perfect, and so Lukoh and Lukah argued over whose creation was better.
Ori and Niikh, though, were children, and in their unique perspective of the world they shrugged off the debate of their parents and worked together to bring the once-empty world to life. The moons stopped arguing, amazed and proud of their children. The world grew green below them, and bustled with life that only a child’s playfully inscrutable mind could envision. Grandmother Earth and Grandfather Sky were pleased, too, and the Twins were filled with joy and love for the wonderful world they had made.
When the world was finally and fully alive, the Twins at last decided to become part of the living world by infusing certain specially-made creatures with fragments of their own divine essence. Ori and Niikh gave up their forms to become every living thing as blood and breath, and are felt within one's own being as Jeha, the Energy.

Jeha

Jeha is the spirit that exists in all living things; the synergy between Ori and Niikh, that which makes us animate and real. Jeha is the flow of blood through the body and the tide of breath in the lungs and the sensation of the body in motion. Jeha is the spirit of invigoration who is invoked by and found within all earnest exertion, be it combat, sport, dance –anything that makes us feel alive. Jeha is the living force of the unbreakable bond between Ori and Niikh. By doing things that make you feel alive, by invoking Jeha, you are honoring the Twins' choice to become you.
The Orniikh tribes never go to war with each other for this reason; it would dishonor the creator spirits to spill Blood and take Breath. Instead, the opposing tribes meet to perform a ritual in invocation of the spirits of Blood and Breath, as avatars of their tribes’ respective patron gods. This ritual can be many things: a game of sport, a fighting-dance, an athletic contest. The point of the ritual is the same: the challengers give in to the Energy, to Jeha, and trust that whatever the outcome, it is the will of higher beings.

The Three-of-Kin

The last creatures that Ori and Niikh created were the Three Siblings: Hum, the Speaker; Hul, the Planter; and Huk, the Firemaker. These beings were the ancestors to the Three-of-Kin, three different species of beings who share the divine spark of intelligence: humans, huaalhin, and orhuuka. According to legend, Hum was the first to invent language, and taught it to the other two so the three of them could communicate and build together. Hul listened to the wind and the earth and studied the seasons, and taught the others the secret of growing food in time with the rains. Huk captured smoldering coals from the summer brushfires to build new fires, and taught the others how to control and use the powerful energy. The Three Siblings used these tools and their ingenuity to thrive, and their children built the mighty force of civilization using the gifts the Three had given them.

Author's Note

It should be noted that this theological system, like all others, is a construct of the peoples of Sphaera, and does not reflect the literal cosmology of this universe.

Contents

Creation Myth

Jeha

The Three-of-Kin

Patrons

Spirits Quick Reference

Gorah, Grandfather Sky
Spirit of the Sun and the Sky
Rokh, Grandmother Earth
Spirit of the Earth
Lukoh, Father Tide
Spirit of the Big Moon and Tides
Lukah, Mother Rain
Spirit of the Little Moon and Rain
Ori, Brother Blood
Spirit of the Body, Bonds, and Labor
Niikh, Sister Breath
Spirit of the Soul, Freedom, and Magic
Jeha, the Energy
Spirit of Life
Synergy between Ori and Niikh
Hum, the Tongued One
God-ancestor of Humans
Creator of Language
Huk, the Tusked One
God-ancestor of Orcs
Creator of Firecraft
Hul, the Horned One
God-ancestor of Fauns
Creator of Agriculture

Patrons

In the ancient days, each tribe of the Orniikh people had their own pantheon of god-ancestors, either fully invented by the course of generational storytelling or mythologized from real heroes in their history. Over time, as civilization grew more sedentary, these pantheons became rooted to particular towns and cities. The chief patron deity of the city of Goarokh, the capital of the empire, is a being named Ashkunal: a humanoid figure with the tusks of an orc, the horns of a faun, and the beard of a man.