[center:r63rmqzv]Four Ways of the Sun[/center:r63rmqzv][center:r63rmqzv]
religion[/center:r63rmqzv]
1. BeliefsFollowers of the Four Gods worship, as their name might imply, four gods.
- Kya'-kit'-kiri-she, goddess of Dawn; goddess of healing and platonic love
- Kimi-ni-shiri-she, goddess of Day; goddess of warriors, justice, and passion
- Ik'-kiri-shi'-me, god of Dusk; god of knowledge, logic, and balance
- Nya-ki'-kyo-ne, god of Night; god of peace, death, and magic
The four gods are known by non-practitioners, and practitioners when speaking to those outside the faith, as Dusk, Dawn, Day, and Night. For ease of reference, they shall be called by these names for the remainder of this document.
The four gods symbolize, along with polarities of day, other natural "fours". These groups are called Demi-kyi'n-she, a term which translates very badly into the common tongue, but means roughly "harmonies of four". The four elements or types of substance, the four seasons, the four groups of "Mi'kan-she'i", another difficult term. It refers to the large creatures, "things with blood". The gods also represent the four basic types of profession: the healer, the warrior, the scholar, and the mage. There is curiously little attention given to merchants in the Four Ways. The reason for this is unknown, but it likely stems from the lack of widespread trade in the original kamen'kye ("The Flighted") society from which the religion stems. There are also the four celestial bodies (kamen'kye do not acknowledge the other planets): Sun, Moon, Earth, and Stars.
Dawn is, as stated above, the healer. She corresponds to the element of Air, the mi'kan-she'i of Bird, the celestial body of the Moon, and the season of Spring. Dawn is usually depicted as a song sparrow or a small fruit bat (depending on whether the practitioner is of the Iirin or Noctiy sect). If she is shown as a human, she is drawn brown-skinned, with long, darker brown hair; she typically wears a simple tunic. She is often shown with a slight smile. Dawn is gentle, but not without her own strength; it is the strength of renewal, of light where there was darkness, hope, and the joy that comes from new life.
Day is the warrior. She corresponds to the element of Fire, the mi'kan-she'i of Mammal, the celestial body of the Sun, and the season of Summer. Day is usually depicted as a hawk or large bat, likely a vampire bat or flying fox. When human, she has dark brown skin, black hair, and orange eyes; she wears light armor, and often carries a sword. Her expression is confident or enraged. Day is the most ostentatiously strong; she is fierce and proud, a protector. Her strength is the strength of fire, anger, and the burning sun; it is the passion that wakes when something precious is threatened.
Dusk is the scholar. He corresponds to the element of Water, the mi'kan-she'i of Fish, the celestial body of the Earth, and the season of Autumn. He is depicted as a swift (martlet) or large fruit bat; when human, he has a dark complexion, though lighter than that of either of the day-goddesses, and dark hair, and often wears spectacles.
Night is the mage. He corresponds to the element of Earth, the mi'kan-she'i of Reptile, the celestial body of the Stars, and the season of Winter. He is the only pale-skinned God, and his hair is black; he is depicted as a blackbird or as a white bat. When human, he is shown wearing black robes; curiously, all three species agree that his eyes are black as night, whether he is shown as bird, bat, or human.
2. Ways of worship There are four major "services" in each day, though most practitioners only observe three of them. There is one at sunrise, one at noon, one at sunset, and one at midnight. "Services" are actually more like ritual meditation--Practitioners find a place to watch the sunrise or -set, moon at the night ritual, or sky at the noon ritual, and contemplate. There is no specific subject, and it would be incredibly difficult to control if there were; it is simply a time for practitioners to reflect in silence about a topic or topics of their choosing.
Practitioners usually neglect the ritual during which they will be asleep; diurnal races do not observe the midnight ritual, and nocturnal ones do not observe the noon ritual. However, this is extremely flexible; if they happen to be awake at the time of the ritual, for any reason, they will participate in it. Some practitioners may add a moonrise or -set ritual to compensate for the missing midnight ritual, although this is not mandatory.
The rituals are intended to bring oneself back into perspective; the belief is that a sentient being, if spending too much time thinking only of material matters, will become too convinced of its own importance, leading to delusion, greed, and disharmony. Through contemplation of the universe and one's own place in it, one can find harmony and happiness, and thus altruism.
It is considered extremely rude to ask a person about their reflections during a "service"--that is information that can only be volunteered, and is usually only dispensed to an extremely close friend or relative. It's a level of sensitivity on par with asking a human when it last mated--extremely personal, and almost guaranteed to alienate, aside from a few specific contexts. Questions from those outside the faith about what exactly happens at these rituals are more tolerated, as they are more general questions and can be answered without detailing a specific personal experience.
3. Standards of conduct4. Organization of groups Worship is seen as a private, personal event; while it is not uncommon to find worshippers gathering in a choice place to watch the sun rise or set, there will be very little talking--indeed, worship is usually carried out in silence. It is not uncommon for friends or families to share worship-spots, and in some places where the religion has been about longer, worship-spots are hereditary, having been used for generations.
There are no specific punishments for disruption of a ritual; however, it is very much frowned upon, and children of the faith learn from a very young age that this is not to be done. "Punishment" is more through social relations; someone who disrupts a ritual is likely to find their relationships with fellow practitioners strained for at least a few days after the interruption. Very young children are tolerated, but to accommodate their tendency for noisiness, mothers with newborns will usually seek out a more private place until their child learns how to behave itself.
The stigma against interruption is much weaker in urban and more-populated areas, especially those where there are many non-practitioners; such groups have been forced to learn to accommodate a certain amount of noise.
5. Who may join and how?Anyone can join, regardless of race, species, or gender. Although they must be sworn in by a practicing member before they can officially be considered a Follower of the Four Gods, there are no restrictions on practicing before the actual vows are said. However, this is somewhat frowned upon, as unofficial practitioners are less likely to fully understand the principles held by the religion, and may inadvertently give the religion a bad name.
Those born into the faith typically worship all gods equally until they settle into one profession. At that point, they usually choose the patron deity of that type of profession, although cross-patronage is not uncommon.
6. History7. HolidaysThere are four major holidays in every year, though the date varies. The holidays are not based on any regular celestial phenomenon; rather, they are based on certain natural occurrences. As such, they are celebrated at different times of the year in different places, and may even take the form of multi-day festivals, as not everyone agrees on when exactly the definitive event occurred. Each of the four holidays
