Suuvites

The Suuvites are a small cult based in the Far North Branches of Kaleina. They worship Suuvhatan and neglect all other gods, and believe that the Forest is Suuvhatan's judgment on the world. They believe that they are the righteous few who will be spared when Suuvhatan finishes destroying the world.
They have a poor reputation among the rest of society. Many accuse them of using dark magic on outsiders, human sacrifice, and praying for the end of the world.

Structure

The head of the church is the Natkarun, meaning Grandfather of the Woods. This is a modification of Pamkarun, Grandmother of the Woods, the goddess who oversees the righteous dead in the Forest of the Dead. Sällu was the first Natkarun, and it passed to his nephew after his death. Since then, the position has been passed down to a chosen heir. The current Natkarun chooses his successor from among the inner circle.
Men have the opportunity to join the inner circle when they reach 18 years of age. At that time, they have the option to either become one of the Untried, or to attempt to join the inner circle. To join the inner circle, one must drink a glass of bloodsap. Those who begin to turn into uhaaki have prove their hearts wicked and are being judged by Suuvhatan. Those who survive are righteous and are admitted into the inner circle, and are henceforth addressed as "Brother [Name]".
Members of the inner circle meet regularly for prayer and community organization. They are the only form of government on their islands, and all decisions are made by them - including matters of work assignments and approving marriages.
The Untried hold subservient positions in the community. They do not own land and owe allegiance to the inner circle. At any time, a man may choose to undertake the trial and attempt to join the inner circle. A little over half of those who attempt to join the inner circle become infected and are killed.
Women are not permitted to join the inner circle.

Tenets of Faith

1. Suuvhatan has become a god in his own right, and is the most powerful of the pantheon
2. No other gods are worthy of worship
3. The Forest is Suuvhatan's judgment on the world, and is purging the world of the wicked
4. Only those who are wicked in Suuvhatan's eyes are vulnerable to bloodsap
5. Those who worship Suuvhatan will be spared when he finishes purging the world, and become the stewards of the world to come

Worship

Suuvites offer prayer and animal sacrifices to Suuvhatan. The sacrifices occur on a monthly basis, overtaking the days traditionally dedicated to the other gods.
Geese are slaughtered by the Natkarun on the altar in the middle of the stone circle. The family responsible for providing the goose rotates and is determined by the Natkarun. After slaughtering the animal, the remains are taken to a rock slab on the shore and left for creatures of the Forest of take away.
Once a week, the community gathers at the circle. The Natkrun leads them in song and prayer to Suuvhatan.

Origins of the Church

Slaughter of Ikkusai

The Vaunen village of Ikkusai held out against the Forest for a couple of years. They built a wall to keep not-beasts out a watched with dread as the Forest drew nearer and nearer. One night in 613, the wall was breached, and both not-beasts and uhaaki poured in to ravage the town.
A local resident named Sällu Purainha took refuge in his cellar along with his family. In the cellar were Sälla, his wife and two children, his brother's family, and his sister-in-law's family. For three days, they huddled in the dark cellar, listening to the screams of their neighbours. Desperate knocks on the cellar door were ignored, in fear it was an uhaaki trick. On the third day, after a full day and night of quiee, Sällu ventured outside in search of food.
IIkkusai had been slaughtered. Blood stained the walls and freshly planted bloodsap trees lined the streets. He could find no other survivors. Near the edge of the village, he rounded a corner and came face to face with an enormous brown bear devouring a man's corpse. For one long minute, Sällu and the bear made eye contact, and then the bear went back to its meal and Sällu backed away.
By the time Sällu reached the cellar to report what he'd found, he'd come to one vital conclusion: this Forest was a blight from Suuvhatan, and humanity was being punished. Of all the people in the village, he and his family had been spared, and this was proof that they had Suuvahatan's blessing.

Beginnings of the Suuvites

Sällu explained this revalation to his family and then led his family to Kusalai, a Vaunen city to the east that hadn't yet been overtaken by the Forest. There, he led them in worship of Suuvhatan. As more refugees arrived in Kusalai, some of them were swayed by Sällu's words and joined the group. They called themselves the Keepers of the Fire, under the belief that the Forest would wipe out all other life in the world and transform the mortal realm into a new Forest of the Dead. Within this new Forest, they were the ones guarding the safe haven for the righteous. Sälla titled himself Natkarun, Grandfather of the Forest, as a parallel to the sacred Grandmother of the Forest. The Suuvites adopted druid worship practices and directed them at Suuvhatan rather than any of the gods.
After ten years, about a quarter of Kusalai's population were Suuvites. The group was frequently maligned by the rest of the population, who saw their worship of Suuvhatan as blasphemous. They were accused of practicing human sacrifice and of calling upon Suuvhatan to harm others.

Expulsion from Falla

Around this time, Falla was expanding its borders and brought Kusalai into the realm. The new Fallan government, ostensibly driven by the rumours of human sacrifice but also in a desire to crush a group that refused to assimilate into Fallan society, raided the Suuvite quarter of Kusalai. Sälla, his brother, and his brother-inlaw (who had become his two top supporters) was captured and executed on the spot. They were impaled in the town square, their bodies left as a warning to the others.
Rather than assimilate into Falla, the remaining Suuvites fled. They went west, passing through the Forest to reach one of the northern branches of Lake Olla. The two islands they found here were currently uninhabited, so they made this into their new home.

Settlement in Olla

The Suuvites built a village on one of the two islands at the end of the arm of the lake. Eventually, the first island became too crowded, so they built a second settlement on the other one. The new leader was Sälla's nephew, who took on the title Natkarun and solidified the faith by writing the Scroll of Suuvhatan, outlining the principles of faith.
A few years after they established themselves, soldiers from Kaleina arrived. Kaleina planned to bring all of Lake Olla under their control so that they could more effectively control its coastline. The Suuvites, fearing another attack like the one that had driven them from Falla, conceded on the basis that they would be allowed to practice their faith in peace.
Kaleina did not think it was worth a conflict to stamp them out, especially as they had grown in number since the expulsion from Falla. They were left alone in a remote corner of Kaleina, and so long as they pay their taxes and obey Forest safety laws, Kaleina doesn't bother them.

Founding Date

617 AK

Type

Religious, Cult

Alternative Names

Uholälaun
^{Keepers of the Fire}

Demonym

Suuvite

Deities

• Suuvhatan

Related Ethnicities

• Veiamic Peoples