The Color Spyral

Cave kaasht, being creatively minded, give much thought to the subject of religion. Obviously, they agree, some force beyond their realm must have their tails (or paws, or even hands) in the workings of Tryne. How else could so many breeds have come out of the Time of Madness so clearly? How else could abilities work? How else could they Walk the Spyral? Most Caves don't come up with a specific being, preferring to continue philosophizing upon the subject and never being truly convinced of anything.

Still, a few stable belief systems have emerged from the debate and they are well-followed enough to be documented by fellow researching Caves and the ever-curious Plateaus. These include, of course, the Color Spyral, as well as a general spiritism, a form of ancestor worship, and, most recently, a monotheism based on sightings of a creature made entirely of metal, the patron element of the Cave kaasht.

Kiirsaa Aiidaa
The most common of Cave-specific religions is called by researchers Kiiraa mraakaa se maa Meesaa, translated as "spirit worship of the cave", or more succinctly, Kiirsaa Aiidaa: "spirit voice". The main assumption of this faith is that there are spirits in everything, from the stalagtites of the cave to the kaasht of the cave. This is the broadest form of religion any kaasht can follow, a kind of general spiritism, and for the all-accepting Caves seems the most logical, safest route to take. This way, by honoring all things, they offend nothing.

For the most part, no communal rituals are observed in Kiirsaa Aiidaa. Individual kaasht may or may not pray or preform personal rituals to honor the spirits of the world, as they see fit. All that is truely important in Kiirsaa Aiidaa is that all things be respected and treated with care. Thus, much like Forest kaasht, a Cave following this path of faith might thank its meal before he eats it, or the stream before he drinks from it. A few clans have divised all-clan services for honoring the general spirits of the world, but these are fairly uncommon, limited to small, isolated clans, and usually not very ritual-like at all, prone to discussion, debate, and supposition more than reverence.

Kiirsaa Aiidaa is a very wide-spread phenomenon among Cave kaasht, especially because it does very little to get in the way of every-day living and it follows the general disposition of the Cave kaasht breed, anyway. It has no center, being mainly an individual faith, and is not by any means limited to Cave kaasht in following. Kaasht of any breed may be swayed to the wisdom of such a path.

Mraakaasht
Much like Mountain kaasht, some Cave kaasht have developed a system of veneration for kaasht who have gone before. Scholars call this Mraakii Kaasht se maa Meesaa, or "divine kaasht of the cave", after the Mountain kaasht fashion, and the shortened version is exactly the same: Mraakaasht. Despite the similarities in name, Mraakaasht of the Caves is a good deal different from Mraakaasht of the Mountains. The main differences are in the strength of habit, size of following, and the building of a shrine.

Cave kaasht are far more haphazard in their daily routine than Mountain kaasht, and thus the strength of habit associated with Mraakaasht is far weaker for a Cave than a Mountain. While a Mountain may have a specific time every day set aside for honoring his ancestors, a Cave may only offer up a prayer if something important is coming up, or only when he happens to think about it. Mraakaasht of the caves is also less populus in following among Cave kaasht than Mountain kaasht; Kiirsaa Aiidaa is far more popular.

The major difference between the two versions of Mraakaasht, however, is the building of a shrine. Mountain kaasht homes almost always proudly display a well-tended, prominent location in the house specifically dedicated to their ancestors, decorating it with meaningful objects and phrases, often ornamented with some form of scent. Cave kaasht, should they even bother to dedicate a location, would choose someplace out of the way and rarely seen by visitors, and any decorations would be light and artful rather than meaningful. More often than not, however, a Cave kaasht will not even think of such a place.

Mraash Mraakaa
Recent sightings of a kaasht, larger by far than any Cave but built much the same, made entirely of metal, have spurred the growth of a brand new religion. Called simply Mraash Mraakaa, or "metal god", the small but steadily growing faith is quite different from both Mraakaasht and Kiirsaa Aiidaa, being a more formal faith following a more formal deity.

The first followers of Mraash Mraakaa were a pair of wanderers, mates with kit who, in their travels in the outside world, specifically the mountains, report that they were saved from an avalanche by a Cave kaasht too large to be a Cave. He, or she, or simply it, for the kaasht had no markings of gender whatsoever, was made entirely of metal and sounded like music when it walked. The kaasht spoke to them, but in words they could not understand, then went along its way when it was assured they were safe. This pair was not the last to report such a sighting: the singing, metal kaasht was seen by several more, kaasht which the original pair hurriedly sought out and brought into the slowly growing fold of those who believed that this kaasht was a deity.

That first sighting was over four hundred years ago, and those who began the faith with the original sightings are long gone, but their legacy continues to live on in the form of Mraash Mraakaa. The religion is not widely accepted among kaasht, especially kaasht who are not Caves, and as of yet has no geolographical center. It is an underground faith, for the most part, an item for intellectual debate rather than serious consideration in the minds of most kaasht.

The practices of the religion call for meetings once a season among the followers, lead by two kaasht, a male and a female, like the original founders. The ceremony is an invoking of the Singing God's attention and affection and favors those with kit, for the Singing God is reputed to love new life more than anything else. For this reason, followers of Mraash Mraakaa often have many kits over their lifetimes, though moral behavior is strictly required, so there are few if any loose kaalaas in the ranks. Mraash Mraakaa preaches love, acceptance, and self-sacrifice, as well as service to any and all in need.


All Species: The Color Spyral, The Path, and The Three Moons Wreoo Shraackn'n Single Species: Mountain Kaasht Cave Kaasht Beach Kaasht Valley Kaasht Tundra Kaasht Isle Kaasht Greater Minena Back to Religion	Cave kaasht, being creatively minded, give much thought to the subject of religion. Obviously, they agree, some force beyond their realm must have their tails (or paws, or even hands) in the workings of Tryne. How else could so many breeds have come out of the Time of Madness so clearly? How else could abilities work? How else could they Walk the Spyral? Most Caves don't come up with a specific being, preferring to continue philosophizing upon the subject and never being truly convinced of anything. Still, a few stable belief systems have emerged from the debate and they are well-followed enough to be documented by fellow researching Caves and the ever-curious Plateaus. These include, of course, the Color Spyral, as well as a general spiritism, a form of ancestor worship, and, most recently, a monotheism based on sightings of a creature made entirely of metal, the patron element of the Cave kaasht. Kiirsaa Aiidaa The most common of Cave-specific religions is called by researchers Kiiraa mraakaa se maa Meesaa, translated as "spirit worship of the cave", or more succinctly, Kiirsaa Aiidaa: "spirit voice". The main assumption of this faith is that there are spirits in everything, from the stalagtites of the cave to the kaasht of the cave. This is the broadest form of religion any kaasht can follow, a kind of general spiritism, and for the all-accepting Caves seems the most logical, safest route to take. This way, by honoring all things, they offend nothing. For the most part, no communal rituals are observed in Kiirsaa Aiidaa. Individual kaasht may or may not pray or preform personal rituals to honor the spirits of the world, as they see fit. All that is truely important in Kiirsaa Aiidaa is that all things be respected and treated with care. Thus, much like Forest kaasht, a Cave following this path of faith might thank its meal before he eats it, or the stream before he drinks from it. A few clans have divised all-clan services for honoring the general spirits of the world, but these are fairly uncommon, limited to small, isolated clans, and usually not very ritual-like at all, prone to discussion, debate, and supposition more than reverence. Kiirsaa Aiidaa is a very wide-spread phenomenon among Cave kaasht, especially because it does very little to get in the way of every-day living and it follows the general disposition of the Cave kaasht breed, anyway. It has no center, being mainly an individual faith, and is not by any means limited to Cave kaasht in following. Kaasht of any breed may be swayed to the wisdom of such a path. Mraakaasht Much like Mountain kaasht, some Cave kaasht have developed a system of veneration for kaasht who have gone before. Scholars call this Mraakii Kaasht se maa Meesaa, or "divine kaasht of the cave", after the Mountain kaasht fashion, and the shortened version is exactly the same: Mraakaasht. Despite the similarities in name, Mraakaasht of the Caves is a good deal different from Mraakaasht of the Mountains. The main differences are in the strength of habit, size of following, and the building of a shrine. Cave kaasht are far more haphazard in their daily routine than Mountain kaasht, and thus the strength of habit associated with Mraakaasht is far weaker for a Cave than a Mountain. While a Mountain may have a specific time every day set aside for honoring his ancestors, a Cave may only offer up a prayer if something important is coming up, or only when he happens to think about it. Mraakaasht of the caves is also less populus in following among Cave kaasht than Mountain kaasht; Kiirsaa Aiidaa is far more popular. The major difference between the two versions of Mraakaasht, however, is the building of a shrine. Mountain kaasht homes almost always proudly display a well-tended, prominent location in the house specifically dedicated to their ancestors, decorating it with meaningful objects and phrases, often ornamented with some form of scent. Cave kaasht, should they even bother to dedicate a location, would choose someplace out of the way and rarely seen by visitors, and any decorations would be light and artful rather than meaningful. More often than not, however, a Cave kaasht will not even think of such a place. Mraash Mraakaa Recent sightings of a kaasht, larger by far than any Cave but built much the same, made entirely of metal, have spurred the growth of a brand new religion. Called simply Mraash Mraakaa, or "metal god", the small but steadily growing faith is quite different from both Mraakaasht and Kiirsaa Aiidaa, being a more formal faith following a more formal deity. The first followers of Mraash Mraakaa were a pair of wanderers, mates with kit who, in their travels in the outside world, specifically the mountains, report that they were saved from an avalanche by a Cave kaasht too large to be a Cave. He, or she, or simply it, for the kaasht had no markings of gender whatsoever, was made entirely of metal and sounded like music when it walked. The kaasht spoke to them, but in words they could not understand, then went along its way when it was assured they were safe. This pair was not the last to report such a sighting: the singing, metal kaasht was seen by several more, kaasht which the original pair hurriedly sought out and brought into the slowly growing fold of those who believed that this kaasht was a deity. That first sighting was over four hundred years ago, and those who began the faith with the original sightings are long gone, but their legacy continues to live on in the form of Mraash Mraakaa. The religion is not widely accepted among kaasht, especially kaasht who are not Caves, and as of yet has no geolographical center. It is an underground faith, for the most part, an item for intellectual debate rather than serious consideration in the minds of most kaasht. The practices of the religion call for meetings once a season among the followers, lead by two kaasht, a male and a female, like the original founders. The ceremony is an invoking of the Singing God's attention and affection and favors those with kit, for the Singing God is reputed to love new life more than anything else. For this reason, followers of Mraash Mraakaa often have many kits over their lifetimes, though moral behavior is strictly required, so there are few if any loose kaalaas in the ranks. Mraash Mraakaa preaches love, acceptance, and self-sacrifice, as well as service to any and all in need.