Shender Encan

The Shender Encan (Lænc for "Shining Path"), alternatively called the Encan Faith or Cult of the Encan by non-practicioners, is a Hesperdian cult that has recently made its way to the west of Rathnir. The Shender Encan centers around the life of Txakao the Silent Teacher, a blind and mute Krævan man who was said to be blessed with a miraculous ability to communicate within the hearts and minds of others.

The cult of the Encan alleges that all, everything that is real or imaginary, is the emanation of the Encan ("that which shines"), a divinity that cannot be fully described or comprehended. Its followers, also known as the Encan, seek to lose themselves in the Encan and become one with all, with the movement prioritizing meditation and introspective rituals over a grander organized rite (although there are some cases of larger-scale rituals).

Though vastly different in practice and teachings, the Cult of the Encan bears some similarities to Huitcan Cardinalism, perhaps due to the shared roots of the Huitca and the Krævan.

Etymology
The etymology of the word "Encan" is highly disputed. It has been proposed by Ærashmo Podrion that it comes from Intka, the sun god of the ancient heathfolk of the Hesperdin northeast. This is further attested by Atxas's Codex Hesperdianis, which, despite predating the Shender Encan by several centuries, makes mention of a god "Ynt'kah" that was worshipped by the native Hesperdians in the Krævan conquest.

The usage of the term has generated confusion from non-initiates, as it is applied to the divinity (which described as nameless) and the followers alike. The reason for this is that "Encan" is merely a participle roughly equivalent to the English "shining," and since the followers believe the Encan in its ineffable nature encompasses everything, the term is therefore not reserved to any one being or group.

Txakao Ba'rrut, the Silent Teacher
Txakao Ba'rrut (cha-KA-o ba-ROOT) was the first teacher of the Encan, as the leaders of the faith are known. Born a decade after the death of Esh Kerrin during the Txashikan Period, Txakao was born to a poor family in the city of Matxo Petxa (MA-choh PEH-cha). By the time he was 20 he was of great wit and an even greater ambition, willing to do anything he could to rise the social ladder.

One day he met a beautiful woman of noble personage, who, seemingly smitten by him, offered to help him rise above all men should he give her anything she asked of him. Filled with pride and arrogance, he assented, and the woman, actually a manifestation of Wargatxan (Xoalcoatl), took from him his eagle eyes and his silver tongue.

Txakao lost count of how long he spent lost, disoriented, wandering, grieving. Finally, one day, he heard a voice beckoning him. He started walking, guiding himself with his left hand outstretched. He walked for years, until he, starving, beaten, withered, exhausted, found he could not walk any further. As Txakao took the last step he could, however, he felt a second wind. Only now, he did not walk on the earth, but inside himself.

Now lost within himself, Txakao walked for immeasurable time, only to fall into a burning throbbing lake. Drowning in his pain, his sorrows, Txakao reached out his right hand with his final burst of strength, and found a cord. Pulling it, the burning lake became a throbbing river, flowing upwards to a steep peak. There, beaten, drained, dying, a miracle happened. For the first time in his life, Txakao saw the deep darkness before him shine. It touched him, enveloped him, and Txakao was lost in shining darkness. Txakao became one with the Encan.

The Encan blessed Txakao with the ability to talk without words and to see without sight, and he set about spreading the knowledge of the Encan all around the Hesperdin. Thus the Shender Encan began.

The Encan and its Manifestations
The Encan as a concept proved difficult for many followers to understand, given that the divinity is ineffable, or impossible to fully describe with words. Because of this, Txakao the Teacher and others after him have presented the Encan as a corporeal allegory, each part of which representing a different side to its nature. The manifestations of the Encan are as follows:


 * txawadxæpan (cha-wa-JE-pahn), Left Arm of the Encan: The Left Arm is calm and gentle. This arm embodies reflection and clarity, as a left arm holds and moves the surface on which the right arm writes. The Left Arm represents flowing and gradual growth, and guides the Encan on the path to their divinity.
 * Mækrawan (maeh-KRA-wahn), Right Arm of the Encan: The Right Arm is active and direct. It embodies decision and agency, as the right hand looses the arrow that flies. The Right Arm represents the moment of enlightenment, and opens the floodgates that withhold the divinity.
 * Wareshen (wa-REH-shen), Legs of the Encan: The Legs are willful. They embody determination and perseverance, as the legs of travelers keep them on their path. The Legs represent the endurance required of the Encan on the path to their divinity.
 * Wargatxan (wahr-GAH-chan), Head of the Encan: The Head is understanding and transcendent. It embodies the incomprehensible miracle of the Encan, as it is blind and mute, yet it sees and sings with a beauty incomparable. The Head represents the transformed nature of the Encan upon losing themselves in the divinity.
 * The Heart of the Encan: The nameless Heart represents all. It embodies the presence of the Encan in all creation, and is warm and loving and waiting for us to approach. The Heart is the sign of the Encan in everything.

Founding Texts
Given the mystical communicative powers of Txakao Ba'rrut, the Encan had no initial need to codify or record the faith on paper, since the Silent Teacher himself communicated directly to the hearts and minds of followers without words or pictures. As the religion spread in the years after the Teacher became lost, however, the Encan began spreading his teachings through songs, chants, and recitations. The written word was still avoided, though, out of respect to the concept of the ineffable central to the cult.

With the turmoil in the Hesperdin in recent years, more and more Encan have begun recording the traditions of the Shender in text, concerned that the diaspora will hinder the spread of the cult and its followers will die without passing on the teachings. In Rathnir, Mayus of the Dawn is currently involved in translating traditional chants to Huitcan and the Common and recording them, so that the peoples of Rathnir may enjoy and understand the nature of the Shender Encan.

Place of Worship
Though the cult of the Encan does not require a place of worship, many followers have chosen to incorporate centers for congregation so as to allow for a more communitarian approach to the Shender. These buildings are called encades in the Common and eraktago encan in Lænc. Encades in their modern form developed at the peak of the Txashikan Period, when war was an ever-present and chaotic reality of the Hesperdin Northeast. As such, the function of encades went beyond faith, and they soon became known as havens of peace, centers of thought, and even centers of trade.

The standard style of architecture for an encade typically involves a square form with a slightly narrower base, and with each side featuring detailed reliefs from folklore and legends, as the nature of the Encan escapes iconography. In fact, it is reminiscent of the Neo-Andean school developed by Freddy Mamani in some ludicrous imaginary place called Earth. It is often common for the interior to feature areas inspired by the life of Txakao or the manifestations.

As more and more encades where built, some began organizing and coordinating in regional groups. The larger and more populous encades of such groups were at times called "grand encades," or patxaco encan in Lænc, and though the inherently decentralized nature of Encan thought prevented any group or grand encade from completely dominating its peers, these larger structures served as sorts of "centers of centers."

List of Encades in Rathnir
Encade of the Arrival - Xipitl/Wepetx, Huitca Federation (under construction)

Similarities with Cardinalism
Though their rites and teachings are distinct, the Shender Encan and Cardinalism share some commonalities, perhaps stemming from a distant parent religion. Both share the motifs of balance and divisions of the world in four parts, each governed by a divine being. In fact, it is likely that the names of these beings and manifestations share a common ancestor, seen below: The presentation of these as pairs of opposites and their etymological similarities serve as evidence to the common roots of both religions. Similarly, the element of balance between the four corners and the treatment of the manifestations as a unity lead to both religions focusing on an element of plurality and unity without one god reigning supreme.