– M –
Most of what is known about the new Sykan faith is by word of mouth. It is a strange time where the celestial beings that once walked Sirin have faded to the edges of society and the secret places of the world, and those who shared the world with the Spehirikin are also now long forgotten. The stories that used to be told everywhere barley even exist on page and seem retired to a small section of the Library of Liretika only.
As the various authoritarian figures of the unlemun world fall to corruption, the Sykan faith has started to emerge in the city of Elmadel as people long for the powerful and unbound beings of the ancient world which were never governed by mortals.
While looking to find ways of summoning ancient beings and magical power back into the world, the Sykan faith seems primarily focussed on self-development and empowerment. The careful use of hallucinogens is used to induce dreams and trances believed to open the mind and the “inner eye”. As one aware of the dream realms, elementals and arcane ways; it is fascinating to me that unelmuns do seem to be tapping into the different forms of mana.
Perhaps as the Engeline beings slowly fade from the world, a new form of being will evolve. The bloodlines of Spehirkin that were once concentrated in the dawn of life have become watered down and mixed into the blood of the unlmuns. It isn’t impossible to believe that this would allow for even the mundane of this world to evolve from those ancient bloodlines.
The self-titled “Priests of Syka” are often ignored by society and considered insane for their ideas of ethereal realms existed alongside the physical realm, and of celestial beings that created the world from a dream. The story of how the world was created is a fantastic work of art spanning many books titled “The Sirin Chronicles” and definitely worth a read, as it would take far too many words to try and include that here, nor could I do the original work any justice.
The Emperor is unable to directly challenge or prosecute the Priests of Syka, as it is well documented throughout history that the Empirical line is descended from the Engels of Vosundelr, and to cause harm to followers of a path which entails His own heritage would cause him more trouble than it would solve. Many people also suspect that his eldest daughter, Sefyra, is an engel re-incarnate, and she has great popularity throughout Elmadel itself, and the whole of Astasi.
There is speculation that the arcane secrets, which are now only known to the Library of Liretika, are actually spread by Sefyra, and it is she who I have travelled to Astasi to find. Though I’ve yet to meet her, I have discovered that she takes great delight in continually undermining the Emperor in any subtle way she can find. I also suspect the various hallucinogens have been developed by Sefyra who would, if she is truly an Engel, have the inherent esoteric knowledge to create something of such potency.
While those of the Sykan faith are protected to a certain degree by the history of the Engeline line, and by Sefyra herself; any attempt at building shrines and places of worship seem to come to all manner of chaotic ruin and destruction from “unknown” sources. This doesn’t stop the priests from re-building every time however, and their following is growing rapidly with it being whispered about as far away as Nirin.
The image of the wolf has become quite noticeable around the city as the new Sykan faith grows stronger. As the Empirical family name “Leto” means “of the wolf”, the wolf has become a symbol of protection, or a ward even, against the unknown assailants. Ancient statues of wolves are throughout all of Astasi, and as with going openly against his lineage, the emperor is compelled to actively protect anything adorning the image of the wolf.
Among the followers of the Sykan faith are the artists, the storytellers, and the scholars; all who refuse to give up their craft and their work. It seems like the faith has become a spiritual home for them as they are displaced from society by the laws slowly encroaching on their freedoms. What might have started out as people desperate for a source of hope and of guidance has grown into a fully-fledge system of belief based upon our ancient world.
While I’ve previously written about much of what the Sykan faith is now evolving from, I’m intrigued to see how it is perceived from unelmuns who only vaguely understand what Engels could be, and who have never encountered Spehirikin or the wild, untamed magical energies that used to flow freely throughout Sirin.
*
Primarily, only beings with celestial blood in their veins will be able to use one of the two forms of mana without any kind of aid, and only engels are able to use both naturally. Historically, unelmuns were never able to utilise either kind of mana, nor could they access the ethereal realms. However, in recent years, and with the help of carefully blended substances and the use of crystals, unelmuns have begun to access the higher powers once associated only with the spehirikin.
Training is usually an instinctive and personal journey for each individual while supervised by a master. This in itself is specific to Elmadel, and the “masters” come from the Guild of Hunters (assassin hunters) which have connections with both Liretika and Tenalue. What is taught to the followers of the Sykan faith is still shrouded and mystery – perhaps as I stay here longer and gain their trust, the priest I have been talking with may tell me more.
Historically, one who studied at Liretika or went to the Acadamy at Ajae Javi would also be partnered with the master most suited to their individual gifts. Several years would be given to intense focus on the understanding and development of their powers. Alongside that, they would be taught a highly detailed history of Sirin, and the genealogy of the unelmuns and spehirkin beings.
Meditation was utilised to learn and develop their inner self and to isolate their talents within them. This was particularly useful to orphans who came to Ajae Javi at a young age and were unaware of their gifts and powers, and for those whose powers were tied to the ethereal realms which can be accessed through both meditation and intentional lucid dreaming.
It was of paramount importance that the spehirikin learnt mastery of their powers, as abuse and misuse of their powers would lead to corruption of the body and various wasting illnesses that would occur from too much exposure to mana.
I imagine the way of the Sykan faith follows a similar training system, with the addition of hallucinogens being used to open portals within the mind that are a natural part of the spehirikin psyche. I still feel there must be something else. Daemuns and demuns, though born from unlemuns, were created within the dreamworld. They were gifted to chosen unlemuns, and their blood was infused with the aura of a specific crystal – which denoted their appearance.
In the time that engels walked Sirin and were the rulers of both Kata Jinja and Vosundelr, they were always looked up to and revered for the celestial heritage and magical abilties – and even though the engels of Kata Jinja brought about their own destruction and were destroyed by their own powers, the spehirkin that followed, though of lesser power, were still above unelmuns.
*
The Sykajume: Celestial dragons known as ajukaras
Unelma – dreams, life, creation.
Anje – science, medication, transformation
Raketselka – chaos, destruction, death
Sarasan – protection, patience, time
Aetshiran – spirit, wisdom, intuition
Realms of Existence:
Sirin – the physical realm
Unelmalin – Dreamworld (light)
Fethralin – Dreamworld (dark)
Shynasekae – Underworld (realm of the dead)
Liretika – While primarily bound to Sirin, Liretika itself crosses multiple worlds.
Classes of Spehirikin:
Daemuns/Demuns – demi-celestial beings born from unlemuns.
Engels – Notable characteristics: Pearlescent skin; white, silver, or pewter hair; glowing eyes – the colour is dependent on their soul.
Jume – Living stars.
(Kata, Vae, Syka – Jume which have been identified.)
Kaelin – Daemuns or demuns with lesser magical ability that lend themselves to crafting items of profound power instead.
Spehirikin – demi celestial creatures. A broad category covering both Mejran and Talvaen creatures.
Unelmuns – The mundane mortals of Sirin.
Sub-Classes of Spehirikin:
Mejran – the life born from Tseva; the First Engel created from the Unelmalin. Associated with new life and creation.
- Daemuns – demi-celestial beings of light energy born from unelmuns.
- Wolves
- Syndal
- Trolmaus – highly mischievous mice with hyper-intelligence and magical ability
Talvaen – the life born from Lilin; the Second Engel created from the Fethralin. Associated with death and destruction.
- Demuns – demi-celestial beings of dark energy born from unelmuns.
- Astasian Foxes
- Butterflies
- Dreamweaver
- Khavinas
For those who take to the “Path of the Sykan”, several guiding principles have come out on how a person should behave, with the first two being more of a mutually agreed and unwritten law that has arisen to directly oppose the Emperor’s impositions against creativity and anything born from emotion.
The freedom of other’s should be respected.
The fight for justice and freedom of speech should always be above the law.
One should always be accountable for their own mistakes.
One’s body is inviolably their own.
One should think and act from compassion and empathy.
One should refrain from wrong speech, and from false speech.
One should refrain from taking any life.
One should refrain from the misuse of substance and sense.
While the taking of life is something the faith advises against, meat is still a huge part of the followers’ lifestyle and diet. Hunting is a sacred and ritualistic experience where they will go out with wolf dogs and embody the spirit of the wolf. The killing must be quick and clean, and whoever made the kill will give thanks to the prey and offer words of guidance for the soul to move on. Reverence is given to the fallen creature from the moment of its death right up until all parts have been used.
Letter to the Metsaeri
Journal Entry (from M)
Family Life in Elmadel and Astasi
Notes
