Approved Lore Nija {Path of the Gods}

[ToKola Bakari]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: To flesh out the most prominent religion of the Sandali.
• Image Credit: N/A
• Canon: N/A
• Links: The Sandali

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Religion Name: Njia
• Religion Type: Polytheist
• Influence: Solitary
• Symbol: Link
• Description: The Nija, The Path, The Path of the Gods, The Sacred Walk, is a polytheistic religion that is based around the actions of Walkers. A walker is, essentially, any person, thing, or place that is capable ot making changes, large or small, to the known world/galaxy. The religion does not inherently mark all actions as positive or negative, but merely classifies them by the effect they have on those around them. A good action can have bad effects, a bad deed can yield good endings, and so forth. The religion itself has three major gods.
  ​Maisha: Once the greatest of the Sandali gods, Maisha is an extrodinarily benevolent individual. His blessings are known to improve the quality of life. It is by his power that forests, animals, and all living things have come into being. Maisha is known for being extremely quiet and wise, while also being a formidable warrior and a practiced gardener. His curses are ignorance, gluttony, and indifference. All deeds that effect those for the better, empower Maisha.
• Qifo: The sister of Maisha, Qifo is an extremely beautiful woman who is known for being short tempered and deviliously keen. She is an excellent problem-solver and her blessings aid individuals in dealing with things that would otherwise hamper their lives. Her power brings forth power, celestial creations {Stars, moons, planets,etc }, and the ability to formulate a plan, without her blessings life would be dull and boring. She is a skilled archer and enjoys puzzles and tests of strength. Her curses are frustration, intolerance, and superiority. All deeds that effect those for the worse, empower Qifo.
• Usawa: Usawa is the youngest of the three primary gods. He appears as an extrmely young boy who spends most of his time watching others. His blessings are known to improve one's ability to understand things. His power brings forth deep thought, concideration, and knowledge at it's base level. Without his blessings the walkers would be unable to learn from their path. His blessings allow walkers to structure their path based on what they had learned and done. His curses are lonelisness, confusion, and obsessivism.

SOCIAL INFORMATION

• Founder:
  ​Unknown: The first of the Sandali Kings is believed to be the first High Priest of the Nijan faith, however it has been lost to time. Most living Sandalians stand by this belief, however some beluieve it was an off-worlder who showed their people the Nija.

[*]Membership:

• ​Birth: The most prominent way of being a member of the Nija is by being born into it. A person born into the Nija is believed to always partake in it through their actions. Although their actions may benefit one god or another, in the end all roads lead to the Great Gods.
• Participation: For an outsider to join the religion, they must choose a deity of the religion to idolize and show faith in. Through prayer to that deity they will be accepted along his path, however to officially be entered into the faith you must dual with someone who walks the Nija, bringing honor to both of your gods and officiating yourself as a walker.
• Passivism: Even those who do not officially become members of the faith, unknowingly walk the path of the gods. As all actions correspond to one god or another they will always be followers of a faith, as there is even a god for those who do not believe.

[*]Sacred: Those who follow the Nija themselves are considered sacred, as it is their actions that shape the path before them. Each person is a single ripple that can still effect the whole, so their actions are thought to be an important force, as their actions empower the gods.
[*]Dogma: The four tenets:

1. Honor the Warrior: Live life through battle, never shy from a fight and always be prepared to accept a loss. Learn from your failures and make them the keys to future victories that bring honor to your god.
2. Honor the Spirit: Maintain a powerful connection with The Gods {The Force} through meditation and ritualistic combat.
3. Honor the Dead: The bodies of the dead are sacred vessels. Honor them in their last moments by dipping them in the sacred waters to be purified before having them set to flame and their ashes spread.
4. Honor the Child: Have children to pass on the way of the Gods, always be sure they know the tenets of their faith so they too may become powerful warriors who honor the gods.

• Reputation: This religion exists in obscurity, most do not even know if it's existence and those who do often find it uninteresting or unimportant.

MEMBERS
[member=Cardinal Vi'dreya]

HISTORICAL INFORMATION
The path of the gods is believed to be walked by all children of Sandala. A religion that ties directly into the The Force, the Nija has been walked by every warrior of the Sandali people. While the people of Sandala believed in glory and honor in combat, they were not without faith. The ways of the Nija revolve around living in harmony with the ways of war.

The founding of the religion dates back to the first High Priest of Sandala and the Warchief he advised. These two were among the first to master the ways of the Force and believed it to be a gift from the gods. The Light and Dark Side of the Force are embodied by Maisha and Qifo, while Usawa is regarded as the deity of balance between them. Oddly enough the religion has a number of gods, many of them serving under the main three. Following the death of the first high priest the Nija was openly taken on by all of the Sandali clans.

 

[ToKola Bakari]

[member="Srina Talon"]
[member="Irajah Ven"]

Move to Codex, please.

Mayelfa!