Mother Akasik is the henotheistic religion of the Akasi humans of Northwestern Sarhal. While exact traditions vary across the region, the core belief is that the Mother is both the literal and spiritual representation of the Akasik Mountains cradling her followers through their lives. While some religions claim that the genies are each from a separate elemental plane, the Akasi believe in only a single elemental plane which is the source of divinity. Just as the four primary aspects compose Mother Akasik -- just as our plane is home to many gods who interact and disagree -- there is only one source of divinity outside of our realm, but many manifestations of that divinity.
The Manifesting of Aspects[]
The primary means of worship in Mother Akasik is the aspectual celebration of the 12th Summer Solstice. Every dozen years on the 20th of Suren, the Manifesting of Aspects occurs, during which it is traditional to splash water, dance, and recite poetry. This celebration marks the transition from the focus of one aspect of Mother Akasik to another which will then hold prominence for the next 12 years. Because it takes 48 years for a full cycle to complete, the Manifesting of Aspects is also a time of reflection on the passing of human life. Not all of those celebrating will live to see the passing aspect celebrated again.
Aspect of Justice[]
The celebration of the Mother’s justice is marked by a willingness to act. During this dozen year period, the Akasi are more strict in upholding the common law both upon themselves and upon others. This dozen year period often sees a swell in military service as worshipers compel themselves to right past wrongs. However, this also tends to increase diplomatic tensions as the Akasi are less willing to compromise on matters of moral imperative.
Aspect of Resilience[]
The celebration of the Mother’s resilience is marked by a steadfast resolve. During this dozen year period, the Akasi tend to behave more stubbornly in their aspectual adoration. It is not advised to wage war against them at this time if it can be avoided, as besieged Akasi have been known to hold out until the last man starves rather than concede defeat. While this stubbornness has its benefits, celebration of resilience has been known to presage “dark” decades where the arts are stymied, because there is less willingness to engage in new ideas, preferring instead to rely on tradition.
Aspect of Compassion[]
The celebration of the Mother's compassion is marked by social openness. During this dozen year period, the Akasi seek out charitable opportunities and abstain from violence unless in self-defense or the defense of others. The gnollish invasions have been known to disrupt the calm that otherwise distinguishes this period from the others. Generally, though the celebration of compassion is a time for letting one's guard down and attempting to better understand the motivations of one's enemies.
Aspect of Reciprocity[]
The celebration of the Mother's reciprocity is marked by trade opportunities. During this dozen year period, the Akasi actively seek out the ideas of others ranging anywhere from the banal to the outright heretical. Though the interchange of ideas should not be mistaken with the acceptance of opposing view points, the open sharing of otherwise incompatible beliefs has led to frequent social innovation during this time. This is also the time when most trade deals are established in Akasi culture and new trade routes sought out. Due to the increased travel and argumentation of ideas, this also tends to give way to periods of instability, especially leading into the celebration of justice when wrongs are expected to be righted.
Creation Myth[]
In the elemental plane beyond time, there existed a unified will and the many servants who attended to its needs. The unified will yearned to create, but, outside of time, creation was impossible as all that ever could be both already was and already would be. So, the unified will projected itself into our plane of existence. In doing so, it was split into the four embodied elements and so were the servants split into efreet, djinn, marid, and dao.
At first this brought conflict as the embodied elements each struggled against the autonomy of the others. This conflict gave rise to the continents, the oceans, the skies, and the sun, each fighting for supremacy. Eventually, seeing the wonders that each had made, they found common purpose in their original desire to create.
First, the embodiment of fire attempted to create a semblance of itself on our plane, but without fuel this quickly fizzled out. Second, air made the same attempt, but the result was too ephemeral and dissipated just as quickly. Third, water created a being more solid than the first two, but it could not hold its shape and washed away just the same. Finally, earth created its own semblance and this was able to hold its shape. In this way, the embodiment of earth became the Mother of primordial man and Akasik their place of birth. But primordial man was unthinking and unliving. In response, the other three embodied elements joined with the embodiment of earth. The embodiment of fire provided the spark of intellect and emotion. The embodiment of air provided the breath of life. The embodiment of water provided the coursing blood to convey life to intellect and vice versa. These three together within the vessel of earth brought about humanity as it is known today. Satisfied with their creation, the four embodied elements ceased their projection into our realm.
During this time, the genie servants developed a will and freedom of their own. They did not possess the original will to create and so warred against one another without end. In the absence of the embodied elements, the genies created gnolls and elves and every other being and animal as a mockery of humankind. Unsatisfied, they next enslaved humans as the genies developed their own unifying desire: to rule without subservience. The genies warred for uncountable millennia with the djinn establishing a hegemony across the world. In their victory, the djinn banished the efreet, the marid, and the dao back to the elemental plane. This was their downfall, though, as the unified will recognized the imbalance and projected itself once more into our plane in a great reckoning that ended the rule of the djinn and prevented their further projection into our plane. Thus, the terror of the genies came to an end.
Still, the unified will occasionally projects itself into our plane to ensure humanity's continued success. It is these periodic bursts that create the planetouched as the embodied elements are temporarily in disharmony upon projection. Similarly, the gods of Halann are truly individual within our plane, but they are all projections of the unified will. Humanity can never truly be unified with the Mother as they are beings of a separate plane. They must strive for unity in all things so that they might better understand her nature.
Ascetic Practices[]
A sect of Mother Akasik colloquially referred as the Earth-Borne, believe that most possessions are a distraction from unity with the Mother. These adherents gather in simple societies towards the tops of sacred mountains. Although these settlements are relatively isolated, isolation is not their creed and they often rely on the charity of nearby villages for food and other necessities. The ascetics will travel in processions to these villages for supplies and trade crafts that they produce. This ritual is important for adherence to the Mother’s reciprocity, and such processions are more common in the dozen years celebrating that aspect.
Planetouched who worship Mother Akasik often make pilgrimages to such settlements to pray. They tend to be air or earth planetouched given their prevalence in the Akasik region, but all elements are known to make the journey.