Shrine of Koliah

Where the joyous glows of children illuminate its rooms, doors and embed itself with the walls.

"And today, you have been freed"

Taking off their bandages for the first time, a young tytyuco stares in wonder at the bright glowing stripes on their arms. It flares to a light pink as the grin on their face grows. Fabric surrounding their ankle and neck falls off with a bright, white glowing light. The dots and stripes and occasional formless shapes twist together into a mosaic that crawls down their back. The vibrancy of their glow is almost blinding.

Within the Shrine of Koliah, for centuries, tytyucos have taught their young to let loose of their confines. Given by the high god Davi, the glow is something both sacred and common. Nothing in a tytyuco's life will ever compare to seeing their own patterns and colours for the first time.

The Shrine of Koliah is one of many shrines dedicated to Davi. It's situated on the Koliah mountain in a somewhat-isolated area on Ikplod, the tytyucos' homeworld. It is used by most tytyucos from up to five cities away and has many sections to accommodate the growing population.

Purpose / Function

Fueled by the calling of its people, Davi is the deity of the tytyucos. Not only is it the god of art, dance, life and vision, it is the god that gave the tytyucos their signature feature- the brightly coloured spots and patterns that adorn their bodies like jewellery. Until the age of 11, the glows of children are to be sealed by a cleric, under wraps of a bandage soaked in a Fountain.

When children reach the age of 11, their glows are to be released in a traditional ceremony. The same cleric- and if not, their eldest child- is to call upon Davi and officially light the child's glow. The child's family and extended family, up to the third generation, are to be present. Often, the child's friends, their parents, important adult figures of the child's life are also there.

Alterations

The shrines, originally built during the Shaken Ages, only featured one space for the ceremony, as the tytyuco population had fallen dramatically during the First Fray and many shrines had been destroyed. However, as society returned to peace during the Drift Ages, there were many more cities built around the area, the shrine was expanded. This was so that more tytucos could hold their ceremony at once.

Architecture

This shrine is built with dark, dense wood, otherwise known as Sinkwood in the area. Its central location is a circular yard, containing small stone-lined gardens, ponds and bird-feeters. It's surrounded by six heavy, polished pillars with detailed carvings depicting animals in the area. The roof is a curved, lightly coloured metal that looks pale yellow under the sun and purple in the shade. The walls are made of beams of Sinkwood that criss-cross to form open, airy rooms that are dotted around the central yard. From above, it looks like a drawing of the sun.

Shrines such as these are decorated with paintings and pots of coloured Fountain water. Rooms also contain small gifts children who have their ceremonies here, such as a small sculpture of a flower, a seed of a flower, brightly coloured string, et cetera. Tied to the corner of each room is a bell with three separate ribbons of different colour tied onto it. When the wind blows in that direction, the bell rings to let the people know the will of Davi, as the wind is seen as their breath as they watch over the shrine.

History

This plot of land, in the past, is rumoured to have been a tourist attraction and a playground for children. However, as the First Fray descended upon Ikplod, it became a place of shelter for the elderly and people who were not able to joint he frontlines nor work to support the soldiers. Sometime after the war ended, this shrine was built.

Alternative Names

First Glow, First Colour, Ta-ehkoliah (local tongue)

Type

Shrine