Yfel Worship

Origins
Yfel worship was created by Yfel's followers after his defeat against Halen, goddess and patron of nature and healing. Yfel was banished from the sky to roam the ground for eternity. His followers attempted to bring him back to power by establishing Yfel Worship.

Theology
Yfel Worshipers poison plants and animals in the Everglade Forest in rebellion to Halen. All Yfel Worshipers are deeply manipulated and possessed by Yfel. In fact, newcomers to Yfel Worship must eat a cursed snake, which curses them. The only way to remove this curse is by an exorcism by a Haleninistic priest or monk. The snake infests the soul and mind. In Haleninistic exorcisms, the victim coughs up a dark red snake which the priest must kill under their heel. Yfel worshipers often skirmish in the forest with Haleninistic soldiers, citizens, and council members.

The Beginning
In the beginning, Halen created the heavens and the earth and everything in them. Halen also created nymphs, elves, and humans. Yfel, the strongest, fastest, and arguably the cleverest of the nymphs, told the humans and elves that their dominion over the earth let them destroy nature for their own gain, which was what Halen told them not to do. Halen responded by cursing humans and elves to fighting among themselves. Halen also cursed Yfel to roam about the ground for eternity. Zeilmach I, who was a rebellious elf, and his band of humans, ran off to the desert of Nieden and established the League of Yfel, which was destroyed by the humans and elves only 5 months after its creation. Zeilmach I died in the first battle of the war. His son Srekahn took the remaining Yfel Worshipers and retreated to caves underground. Yfel lived 478 years before dying in a skirmish with the Halen Worshipers, who began calling themselves Haleninistics, and their religion they called Haleninity.

Early History
Srekahn had three sons, Tyuma, Djiki, and Zeilmach II. Tyuma, the oldest, continued the League of Yfel. Zeilmach, the youngest, died at a very young age to a raid from Haleninistics. Djiki, the middle child, refused to practice the tradition of eating a cursed snake, and he instead snapped the snake's neck and crushed its scull under the heel of his boot. He was very nearly killed, but he escaped. He was apparently shot by a Haleninistic, but he surrendered to the Haleninistics. He began learning about Haleninism in the Everglades. He became so trusted that he was appointed to a "Holy Commander of Halen". He led attacks into Yfeli (Yfel Worshipping) war camps. In one battle, he wiped out the whole League of Yfel. The League of Yfel was dissolved and the Yfeli scattered across Nieden. His brother, Tyuma, was captured and executed. Tyuma had one son: Vikilu. Vikilu dissolved Yfel Worship into beta versions of many current Rathnir religions. He was also captured and executed as his father had been. Djiki died at the age of 1287 by friendly fire during training. Ancient texts claim Yfelism (Yfel Worship) largely disappeared for about 3600 years.

Himano's Rule
However, one of Vikilu's great, great, great, grandsons, named Himano, who was also a Haleninistic priest, was studying ancient texts of Yfeli and reasoned that Yfelism was the true religion. He launched a revolt, which was harshly put down by Djiki's great, great grandson, Djiki II, the ruler of the Everglades. Djiki II defeated Himano's force of approximately 12,000 soldiers with a force of about 15,000 soldiers. Djiki II was besieged by Himano, but Himano decided to charge the gate of the fort, so Djiki had troops descend from the walls as men defended the gate. The troops descending the walls flanked the Yfeli force. Himano ordered a mass retreat, in which 10,000 Yfeli soldiers were killed. Djiki II chased Himano's army. Djiki caught up to Himano's army at a river crossing, in which Djiki swept the rear guard of the Yfeli army, and Himano committed suicide. Himano's army surrendered, and Djiki put all soldiers unwilling to convert to Haleninism to death.

Zeilmach III, Cremol I and Cremol the Great
Himano had 4 sons, Zeilmach III, Rfyu, Heilru, and Gyromus. Zeilmach III reestablished the League of Yfel in West Nieden and began rebuilding strength by invading surrounding tribes and recruiting more to Yfelism. Djiki II died around this time of some unknown illness. Djiki's son, Cremol I inherited the throne of what was now called The Kingdom of Haleu. Zeilmach III invaded tribes closer and closer to the city of Haleu, the capital city of the kingdom. Zeilmach III's army destroyed the city so ferociously that the whole surrounding area became desert. Cremol took an army of approximately 5,000 troops to dispel Zeilmach and his army. Zeilmach commanded an army of approximately 15,000 soldiers plus 2,000 cavalrymen. Zeilmach won the first battle against Cremol and he died. Cremol's son, Cremol II, regrouped the Haleu forces and marched them to Zeilmach's army which was encamped atop a hill. Zeilmach's men prepared trenches and defensive structures and called for reinforcements. Cremol ordered that catapults be stationed atop a nearby hill, and that those catapults would be loaded with barrels of oil that were to be lit on fire before launched. Cremol's force was however surrounded by Yfeli reinforcements as he surrounded Zeilmach's force. Cremol built a wall around his own force to defend against the Yfeli. The oil filled barrels were lit on fire and launched at Zeilmach's camp and at the reinforcements' camp. This discouraged the commander leading the reinforcements, and so he ordered a mass withdrawal. Cremol sent his cavalry and light infantry after those who were retreating and kept a tight hold over Zeilmach's army. Zeilmach committed suicide and his second in command surrendered. Cremol put all soldiers to death that wouldn't convert. He raised an army of 45,000 soldiers along with 5,000 cavalry and 2,000 archers to conquer the League of Yfel. He marched to their territory, and his conquest was relatively bloodless, as wherever his army was, the Yfeli surrendered. However, all who refused to convert to Haleninity were put to death. Cremol left 40,000 soldiers in the lands of the League of Yfel, and returned to the Kingdom of Haleu. The people of Haleu hailed him as Cremol the Great. Kings of Haleu came and went for about 2,000 years. However, a tribe in western Nieden revolted against a Haleninistic king named Grenji. The tribe annihilated the Kingdom of Haleu, however, their nation shattered into many small nations across Nieden. The League of Yfel and the Kingdom of Haleu struggled to even gain independence from then on, and never quite achieved it. Both religions do still skirmish and battle between each other but never became the great nations they once were.