Unchu (Rathnir)

Unchu is a religion followed by many Koczniks, mainly in the cities of Khansview and Alua. It is polytheistic and shamanistic, and worships seven gods (Bogjal, Kokkratz, Cyldyz, Bogru, Erkekleri, Hruh and Bogjorn), their progeny and respective Humours and Elements.

Deities
The seven Unchu Gods have a strong tie to the seven Unchu Humors, and seven Unchu Elements. They also have respective aspects, relations, manifestations, and are the patrons of various aspects of Kocznik life. They are as follows;

Bogjal
Bogjal was one of the three First Gods. He created the Koczniks from mud and plant matter, and, thusly his Humor is mud. This mud became the Kocznik's flesh, and, thusly, flesh is his Element. He is the brother of Erkekleri and Bogjorn, and the husband of Hruh. He took a mistress in Akonanda, with which he had a demigod son, named Editing "Eddy" Bison.

Bogjal is the patron of all people, the Koczniks, travelers and hunters. He is also the supreme deity of the pantheon, king of kings, and one of the three monarchs of The Kocznik Host. He manifests as a tall human with the head of a stag.

The Khans who lead the Kocznik people are said to be aspects of Bogjal, and are themselves the Gods of War.

Kokkratz
Kokkratz is a second generation God, daughter of Erkekleri and Cyldyz. She is the patron Goddess of love, color, perfume, and the senses. Her Element is the spine, as this body part symbolizes and is home to the senses in Kocznik culture. Her Humor is culm, or plant stems. Kokkratz manifests as a beautiful woman clad in colorful, flowing silk robes.

Cyldyz
Cyldyz is a first generation God, but is not one of the three First Gods. They were born of the night sky where it meets the shores of the sea at the horizon, and married Erkekleri, bearing Kokkratz as their child. They have no gender, as they have no physical form, instead manifesting as an amorphous human made out of night sky. Their Humour is borage, as this was what made the eyes of the first Koczniks, and Cyldyz is God of sight. Following this trend, their Element is the eyes.

As well as sight, Cyldyz is God of the sky, stars, air and darkness.

Bogru
Bogru is the child of Bogjal, and his wife, Hruh. He is a skeletal being, with the skull of a horse and the skeleton of a gibbon. His nature as a skeleton inclines him to the Element of bones, and the Humor withy, which formed the ribs of the first Koczniks. He is the patron of death, bones, mining, caves and stone, and is said to collect the souls of brave, wise and holy Koczniks himself, to live forever alongside the Gods.

Erkekleri
Erkekleri was one of the First Gods, sister of Bogjal and Bogjorn, wife of Cyldyz, and mother of Kokkratz. She used her Humor of hyssop to bring life, free will, thought and holiness to the first Koczniks, and thusly her Element is life. Erkekleri is the oldest of the Gods, and was born before the physical world. Thusly, she has no physical form. She is the patron of life.

Hruh
Hruh was born a mortal, but ascended to godhood after making a great sacrifice. One of the first Kocznik shamans, she was born before the second generation of Gods. At that time, the Koczniks worshipped only the First Gods, as the others were not yet created. In her mortal life, Hruh witnessed the creation of Cyldyz, and married Bogjal. She bore two children, Bogru and Dramat with Bogjal, and was made shaman of the Koczniks. However, due to her children's half-mortal status, they were not immortal, and were afflicted with a terrible illness when they were young. Making the ultimate sacrifice, Hruh gave her own life to create an antidote for their mortality, which, among other things, required her own blood. Bogjal was saved, but Dramat died. Thrown into a terrible sadness, Bogjal worked with Erkekleri to revive her, and she became immortal, manifesting in the form of a pelican, a symbol of her martyrdom.

In line with her sacrifice, her Element is blood, and her Humor is pith, the blood of the first Koczniks. She is a mournful god, mourning her death and the loss of her son, Dramat. Due to this, she can be heard wailing and crying in storms and bad weather, and is patron of blood, death, tragedy, sacrifice, food and children

Bogjorn
Bogjorn is one of the First Gods, brother of Erkekleri and Bogjal. He is the youngest of the three, but is also the strongest. In line with this, his Element is muscle, and his Humor is bark, the strong outer shell of the trees that populate Akonanda. He is God of warriors, workers, leaders and brave Koczniks. He manifests as a bear, or a muscular bear-headed man.

Dramat
Dramat is the son of Hruh and Bogjal, who died when he was young. Now, he rules over the lost souls and spirits of the world, and is their King. He is also known as the Spirit King and manifests as a ghostly man with antlers, from which hang velvet and cobwebs.

Khans
Many years ago, in another plain, the son of Bogjal came to the city of Vorovlast. Named Editing "Eddy" Bison, he was an enigmatic man who performed many miracles. He created two bison from nothing but mud, fished islands from Lake Vorov, and pulled two great mangrove trees from the ground. He was venerated as Khan of the Kocznik Host, before he descended into The Maw, never to be seen again. One of the few things he left was a "Guilotine" upon the Vorovlastic hinterland.

The Otherworld
Though it is now known that the Koczniks originate for southern Altenquilia, it is believed that the first Kocznik nation was the Vorovlastic Host, which ruled over a rich hinterland in a distant world now known to the Koczniks as the "Otherworld" or "Sabadinon" (meaning Breadbasket). While the existence of the Vorovlastic Host, and Sabadinon, is disputed, the entire Third Cycle of Kocznik lore hinges around the occurrences within this nation.

The Maw
The Maw is a vast cave that stretched below the holy city of Vorovlast. Only a fraction of it is known, and it is home to many unholy creatures. It was found when a crack opened in the Vorovlastic hinterland. From this crack, tales of underground cults, cities of gold, houses of demons and vast tunnels inhabited by spider people flow. The Maw is believed to be the mouth of some ancient eldritch God, from before the times of the First Gods. Some believe it is the creator of the First Gods itself. Unfortunately, too little is known about it to be sure.

Hrabrost
"Hrabrost" is a core part of Unchu faith, and is effectively their "coming of age" ceremony. It occurs when a practitioner of the Unchu faith turns 16, and they must make a choice. They either choose "Peace", practicing a peaceful life of love and unity among all people, or "Valor", striving to win glory for their allies and bring death to their enemies, subjigating all others. Warriors and soldiers will almost always choose "Valor", while homesteaders and clergymen will often choose "Peace". This decision will steer their future and oftentimes decide their fate.

Demons
Demons are evil spirits who inhabit the entire world. They come in any form, from monsters, to ghosts, to evil humans and other races. They are said to be children of ancient, eldritch Gods, and are the eternal enemies of the Unchu faith

Spirits
Spirits are the freed souls of dead people. If an unholy person dies, they become Demons. If a holy, virtuous person dies, they live forever alongside the Gods. However, if they were neutral, as many are, they shall become spirits, who wander the world, unable to live or die. They vary in power, according to how powerful they were in life, and the most powerful of them all is the Spirit King, son of Hruh, Dramat. On certain holy days, or in the presence of a God, Demigod or powerful shaman, spirits may traverse to the land of the Gods.

Rituals
Unchu is also a religion of many rituals, some including dance, song, sacrifice of various things, and much more. A handful of rituals are;

Czeban
"Czebans" are gatherings of Unchu practitioners, in which a shaman will bless people, as well as engaging in throat singing, drumming, music, dancing, cooking, feasting, hunting and storytelling with the attendants. They often occur around fires, monoliths or well-lit groves.

Czedowage
"Czedowages" are held at the beginning and end of a Unchu practitioner's life. In these ceremonies, gifts are given, and the person is blessed by a shaman. The process of Czedowaging is often when a baby is named, and (upon death) when a person's name is spoken for the last time. After a Death Czedowage, the person should only be reffered to by "Cze-" and their surname, lest their soul be called back from the land of the Gods. If another person with the same surname dies in the community, the mourning period is considered over for the previous person, and the Czedowaging of the next person begins.

Ukry
"Ukry" is a deeply spiritual process undertaken by only the holiest of people (shamans, demigods and other holy people). Upon getting clearance to commence an Ukry from a shaman, a person would descend into a cave, where they will begin the process of self mummification. This process begins with the consumption of salt and salted meats in large amounts, before eating ceases entirely. During the entire process, they are not allowed to drink any water. From then on, they starve, freeze and dehydrate within the cave whilst reciting prayers, songs and rituals. When they felt death was imminent, they would retreat further into the caves, cover themself with a holy shroud, and begin the "Grzechot". This is a song that slowly draws air from the lungs, till the singer asphyxiates and dies. At this point the Ukry would be considered complete, and with it their journey to becoming divine. Their body would remain in the cave, immortal and undecaying, and their soul would ascend to the land of the Gods and become godlike itself.