#mayhism

hi, rose!!! happy super-belated wbw to you, too!!!

I got another ask about the warrior traditions this week, so the basics of them are here, if you’re curious about those! I’ll dive more into these specifics here, though :D

SO I’ll start with the religion aspect of your ask, since it plays heavily into all of this!

We’ve got six Goddesses overseeing the Ehlverse, which I’m in the slow process of introducing! Among these Goddesses, Luma, also known as The Daughter, holds domain over Battle, Siblinghood, and Entertainment, and she’s basically been the patron Goddess of Sieril since the Rillian Decay. I could get more into that, in how all of the others contributed to the decay that was supposed to wipe all Ehlves and Sharali of Sieril out, and thus have been either shunned or desperately worshipped ever since, but that’s a post for another day,,

So, Luma! Protector of Sieril! She’s got a lot of warriors devoted to her over there, especially considering the whole “a family always needs 1 warrior and 2 mothers (gender of both irrelevant)” expectation. Traditions most people follow are related to proving their ability or winning favor from their leader or Goddess, but the official Warriors of Luma and their highest subsect, the Whiptail Knights, have their own good luck traditions!!

The Warriors of Luma are mostly a religious thing, and a solid two thirds of all Priestesses you meet in Sieril are going to be among them! (Again, Priestess here is used as a gender neutral term; there are men and nonbinary people among the Warriors) One of the most important traditions to them is the one that represents Siblinghood: you must learn the names of each and every WoL you fight alongside, and you must share a meal with each one at least once a year, and you must choose a special few to let into your soul. This generally means that every Warrior knows their closest Siblings like they know themselves, every gritty and unpleasant detail included. It’s an exercise in trust; you are not allowed to spill the secrets of your Siblings, no matter how damning, just like you are not to spill their blood unless asked.

Generally, though, that tradition is done only once; you still have to remember names and eat with people often, but once you let your soul into another’s hands, those chosen few don’t often multiply.

Now! On to the Whiptail Knights and their more situational traditions!

First off, to become a Whiptail Knight, you have to tame a Rillian Whiptail. Not an easy thing to do, really helps to pare down the applicants, whether by them refusing to do it, or by them getting killed in their attempts.This is done once, when you enter, and hopefully never again. If your steed dies, you need to get a new one the same way you did the first. Many older Knights just choose to retire or die alongside their dragon. Many fallen Knights are sent off with their dragon in a canoe, to feed the cycle of life and return to Erra and please Lib.

Then, good luck traditions: the Knights have a battle cry that they use to both find each other, and to seek a blessing from Luma. It’s used during their routine scouting into the bayou, and also in the direst situations of battle. It’s essentially a rhythmic screech that’s weird enough to sound like an animal to the unknowing, and distinct enough from any creatures to be recognized by the Knights themselves. They do a few rounds of it before heading out, usually.

There’s also this idea that getting blood in your hair is an omen of Lib, and can mean a couple of different things. Whiptail Knights tend to believe it’s one of Death; whether it’s their own, or a loved one’s, or an enemy’s. Washing it out quickly is seen as a fight back against the inevitable, and can help give yourself or the other person more time. Most people would use the same water they would drink; Whiptail Knights are gone from civilization often enough that they just use the bayou water immediately after battle.

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Thank you again for the ask!!! This was super fun to delve into, and it’s something that’s quickly gaining relevance in Firebreathers, as they move on from Aree in the draft :D

I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to drop my worldbuilding taglist on here!!

Ehlverse Worldbuilding Taglist (ask to be +/-):

Happy WBW to you, too!! :D

OKAY so. One of the Things about how class affects people like Ember in the Ehlven system (other than, yknow, food + shelter) is that the way religion is presented and taught is very different between those in poverty and those at the top of the proverbial ladder! And, of course, regional differences - but I won’t get into that quite as much right now. One of the ways I’ve been trying to show this is through Ember (born into a terrible economic situation, and has now been forced into one thats even worse bc orphan) and Iceberg (born into one of the highest positions in their society, Going Through It rn but still infinitely better off) interacting, so I’ll try to use them as examples in this:

Ember, as a person who has felt abandoned by the system so often, has grown up with lots of religious friends, but still feels pretty apathetic to the idea of the Goddesses. Despite their apathy, they know they can seek kindness, help, and wisdom from the temples, and, by extension, from the Goddesses themselves. Their interaction with religion has always proven to be that of gentleness and acceptance, with Priestesses who encourage them to grow as a person and learn to love themself, seek connection with others, and indulge in their creativity.

Iceberg, who has been among the leaders of the Maelands since he was young, grew up around people who either follow the “Chosen One” without acknowledging why and by whom he was Chosen, or who speak of the Goddesses as distant beings who would rather not meddle in mortal affairs. He’s often been met with quiet disapproval in the Mae court when he expresses himself through art and emotion, and poorly-disguised ridicule in the Rill court when he refuses to pick up a blade and “prove himself”. Most of his interaction with religion has been offhand comments about “What would the Goddesses think...” in the most negative ways, and no reason to think that those might just be people’s opinions, rather than actual criticisms of the Goddesses.

Essentially, lots of the lower class seek religion as a guiding light and comfort, where much of the upper class doesn’t want to face the idea that they’re not actually following their own morals, and thus uses religion as a way to hurt others and push their own beliefs. It doesn’t help that a lot of the nobility sees Tieling as being incapable of misinterpreting or misrepresenting the Goddesses. Some of them even worship him as if he were a deity - always in private, because he doesn’t want them to, but they do it nonetheless.

Happy WBW, Lila!!! And happy early new year!!! <3<3<3

This actually gets into a bit of lore, so buckle up for an info dump!!!

Okay, so, the main religion on Ehl (Mayhism) is based around six Goddesses, right? The oldest of which is Delta, the goddess of change. She’s generally the patron goddess of those who are attempting to better themselves or the world around them, and the way you traditionally show your devotion to her is by growing out your hair. (This is why so many of the rebels have long hair, btw!!)

As the oldest of the goddesses, she’s also got power over creation, and when Ehlves were given the powers of Elementalism, she asked Venn (the goddess of magic) to bless a lot of them with fire, which is part of why Fire Mages are so common.

Now, she’s symbolically related with the number 3, triangles, and flames, which is how the Firebreathers came up with their symbol - essentially, it’s a triple-hit of religious significance and calls to action. As an added bonus, she and Venn are the creators of the Millennium Cycle, so it’s also a little bit of a call back to why Evergreen is in power in the first place.

But their name also comes from association with Vii, the goddess of life, and Lib, the goddess of death. See, a big part of why the Firebreathers formed in the first place was due to King Evergreen’s insistence on starting a war in Deltierin to regain his control over there. And while death itself may not be seen as a bad thing in Mayhism, war very much is.

Now, life makes sense in this context, but involving the goddess of death might seem a little weird. My explanation, however, is that Vii and Lib share power over air - Vii specifically gives the first gasp of life, and Lib is called through the final dying breath. So, the ‘breathe’ in Firebreathers, paired with the symbolism of Delta, is kind of a double meaning? Like, it’s calling for a rebirth of sorts, but also asking for the old ways to die out and give way to the new.

At the end of the day, the name ‘Firebreathers’ is just a big ‘fuck you’ to the religious institution that demands unquestioned obedience to Evergreen, using their same language and ideals to drive the point home :D

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Thank you so much for the wonderful question, Lila!!!! I hope you don’t mind that I wrote A Whole Essay™ for it a;slkdjf;alskfj

Ehlverse Worldbuilding Taglist (ask to be +/-):

thank you so much for tagging me, @rhikasa!!! this looks like a very fun game :D

Rules: Infodump any cool meta about your wip! This can be anything you like: lore, worldbuilding, character development, metaphors, themes, symbolism, etc. just any cool details about your wip that makes it what it is.

since i love worldbuilding for the Ehlverse and have multiple WIPs there, i’ll talk about some of that!!

- I’ve been building up the actual religion for Mayhism a lot recently, including the origin, the holy texts, the traditions, and also how it fits into the world as a whole. this is part of why im considering restarting this draft of firebreathers, ngl

- One of the more interesting things that has come up from this is that the six Goddesses of Mayhism are provably real and there are accounts of people not only interacting with them through Prophecy but also through, just, being really determined??? people are ridiculous sometimes

- Of course, there are other religions on Ehl, even if they know that the Six are real. Basically, the variation comes down to “sure they’re real beings but are they a) actually goddesses, b) the only goddesses, and/or c) are the Scripts actually their word or just made up by the First Sister”

- Also some of the traditions I’ve come up with include choosing regularly which of the Goddesses you will devote yourself to for the foreseeable future (usually done at the start of the year or a solstice, but can happen whenever if ur life is In Shambles like Ember’s)

- Part of this decision also includes whether you will display this choice in the traditional way or not (perfectly fine either way) but this display is different for each Goddess.

- If you devote yourself to Delta, you’ll wear your hair long and unstyled, where devoting to Venn requires you to shave your head completely, and devoting to Vii means you cover part or all of your hair with cloth. Luma asks that you get a symbolic piercing with a permanent ring for every year you devote to her. And Lib asks for an ever-growing tattoo, starting at the small of your back.

- Fun fact tho, Erra doesn’t really ask much of display, she’s just all about ~bein natural and vibin~

- And, finally, the High Priestesses of Mayhism usually choose a Goddess once in their youth and continually devote themselves to that same Goddess until they die. Currently, the High Luma Priestess has 75 piercings all over her body, and she’s been Devoted since she was 25. is she the most badass looking priestess?? possibly. Lib’s devotee is pretty close, tho

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thank you again so much for the tag!!!

i just realized i missed a tag from @raevenlywrites a few days ago, so i figured i’d do this now!!! thank you so much for the tag, friend!!!

These are the last two lines from my world building notes!! (which are the only thing ive written recently ;alksjdf)

 Most people can name the Goddesses off the top of their heads, and one would be hard pressed to find anyone who actually disputed their existence.

However, knowing that they exist is a separate thing from worshiping them, believing that they are gods, or even that they are the only gods.

Hi, Hunter!!! Happy STS to you too!!!!

I’m happy you like him!!!

For anyone who sees this and doesn’t know, his full name + title is Divine King Tieling Evergreen, and he’s the main villain of Firebreathers book one! I’ve also got a portrait of him in the WIP intro!

To answer your questions:

About 950 years before the events of Firebreathers, one of the Priestesses of Nimia (a bit more on them here and here) began speaking a Prophecy that basically predicted the end of all magics in existence. Which, y’know, would be a very bad thing, considering how much the world depends on it. She predicted that this would be part of the Decay that was already on it’s way.

About 30 years later, Tieling Evergreen was born to another one of the Priestesses. Not wholly uncommon; there were a few other kids that year, as the Priestesses were trying to get as many prophecies as possible for guidance. His mother, however, was speaking another Prophecy, relating to the Decay, and who could stop it. Prophecies are pretty vague, usually, because it’s hard to translate the language of Ehl itself into, like, a language you could actually understand, and so Tieling was determined to be the Chosen One, since his birth was what triggered the prophecy to start in the first place.

Because of this prophecy, and the general belief that he was the one to stop the Decay, he’s become kind of a demigod to a lot of people. That, coupled with being immortal (learn more about how that happened here and here*), has really made him both a mythic figure, and a major part of the Ehlven sects of Mayhism.

* tldr: he completed his quest, and the goddesses smote a city to grant him and his partner in the journey immortality, while still keeping some semblance of balance

Thank you so much for your questions!!!! I hope you don’t mind me adding my taglists, I realized I haven’t talked about him much, and he’s really important from both a worldbuilding and story standpoint!

thank you for the awesome ask, @writingamongthecoloredroses!!!

There.... isn’t really a concept of Pride on Ehl? Gender and sexuality are pretty fluid almost everywhere, and those places where they aren’t are still much better than the real world, so there hasn’t ever been much need to protest/riot on behalf of the LGBT community, so I doubt it would have ever started.

However, there are definitely a few other festivals, especially in places that are primarily Mayhist!! Mayhism is one HELL of a celebration-savvy religion.

The first example we see in Firebreathers is the Festival of Magic, which is held in Aree every year starting in the beginning of summer, and lasts for about 3 months, usually ending once the Godwoods’ leaves start turning. It’s a very important celebration, both in terms of religious relevance, and also in the fact that it’s one of Aree’s biggest tourism moneymakers. 

The Festival of Magic consists of a night market filled with local artisans, creators, and smiths of all kinds, a weekly firework show, nightly Central City Circus performances, and magical entertainment of all kinds. Masters are invited to perform weekly, showing off their skills and the possibilities of magic. Libraries often show off their textbook collections on the machinations of magic, summer camps and school extracurriculars educate kids about all the different ways magic can manifest, and local temples are full to the brim with Venn’s Priestesses and followers.

Another interesting note: due to the nature of this month-long holiday, most protests in favor of Dark Mage rights happen during the festival. The common talking point of the nature of magic is really helpful in getting the point across to the public.

Worldbuilding taglist:

@charles-joseph-writes ; @adaparkwrites ; @vioaeon

Thank you for the ask, lana!!!

I’ve talked a little bit about the Ruins of Fahrial in a previous WBW ask, but I haven’t really talked about them since! And Fahrial is vastly significant on Maelani, and to anyone who practices Mayhism on Ehl!

At the most basic level, Fahrial was the capital city of the Ehlves, and it was founded around 1500 PCL (about 2500 years before firebreathers takes place) when Ehlves first found their way to the Maelands.

Note the past tense.

When Tieling Evergreen and Arthur Coldstone completed their divine journey, they were blessed by the Goddesses to live forever. But, in order to maintain some semblance of balance, a smite fell upon the city, killing all 50,000 people in it - except for Tieling and Arthur. Everything within a three mile radius of them was killed almost instantly - they were the only survivors, and since they’re immortal, and it’s been almost 1000 years, their word is the only thing anyone has.

But since Tieling and Arthur are considered Divine in Mayhism, and are generally accepted as at least a little god-like, their word is never challenged.