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Kneel and present your soul to the Gods.
There are few events as important as the choosing of a Zykla’s deities. Homage to Luna and Solis is a daily companion for Zykla in all walks of life. Sacrifices, prayers, and devotions all punctuating each day. While some are more devout in their worships, a connection to one or the other is a bedrock in their culture. The path of worship begins with Peli’tanuc. Not so much a holiday as it is a momentous event in a young Zykla’s life where the path of Solis, Luna or in rarer cases Eclipse is laid out before them.
At the beginning, the youth is presented to the tribe. A shaman through story or song, will recount the rise of the sun and moon and their purposes. Followed by the creation story of the Zykla and how they fit into the celestial order; what their purpose is. In some traditions, the youth is called upon to recite devotions of worship. To convey an understanding of what it means to serve the gods.
This can range from choosing a tradition and talking about what it means to them. Telling a great myth or story that exemplifies the dichotomy of Solis and Luna. Or simply talking about what the gods mean to them. It can take many forms, but they are the first steps on the path unseen. Their ancestors are then recounted by the shaman, and their bodies are decorated in the symbols of the sun and the moon. Typically, by parents or any available family members.From this point, the child goes unaccompanied. Typically taken to a quiet room or a near by tent where no other is allowed save an Oracle. The Oracle’s affiliation does not matter in this respect as she is there purely to guide and keep the Zykla’s souls safe on their spirit walk and to keep guard of their body as they traverse the spirit wilds.
Offerings are made to the gods in the hopes of drawing their attention to the new soul being called to their service. And a cocktail of herbs (going to add what herbs are used) creating a strong sedative is set ablaze. The youth’s head is shrouded in a cloth over the bowl and they are instructed to inhale deeply. Gradually, the body starts to numb, and the mind fogs as the Zykla is dipped into a deep, dark sleep. It is then that a form of oneiromancy is used to peer into the youth’s dream. The Oracle sits as a silent guardian, ensuring the soul is not interfered with on its journey towards Luna or Solis.
There is no coddling, however. What trials and pains the soul goes through during its dream must be confronted without her aid. The only time she is to step in is should outside spirits wish to take the body or consume the soul. If it is done correctly and without incident, a Zykla will never recall the Oracle’s presence in their dream. Though at times their spectral form can be recalled. Once the dream is over, she serves as the final arbiter of the gods’ decision. Confirming whether a Zykla was chosen by Solis or Luna at the end of their journey. This is whispered to the Shaman who makes the final proclamation and presents the new supplicant to the his tribe.
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Tribal Leadership
Zykla rule from specific phases of the Moon or Sun to the next. War Games are much akin to the coliseum for gladiators. Tribes will hold ‘War Games’ amongst themselves where their Patriarch can be challenged and overthrown. This however can only be done during the specific phases of their deity. Any challenger wishing to overthrow their patriarch outside of this window will be enslaved for life. Those who seek to oppose the current patriarch must be a free Zykla. While being gifted with Bloodforce is not a requirement, never in the Zykla history has there been a non-bloodforce Zykla to win in the War Games. Female Zykla are allowed to participate in the War Games as well, but there to date one has yet to claim Matriarch.
War Games are often held for the following:
Luna:
Winter Solstice, Lunar Eclipse, Blood MoonSolis
Solar Eclipse, Summer Solstice
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Held: October 1stOur elders have carried our traditions forward when all would have easily fallen into the land of memories. Roughly meaning “Elder’s Rest” this holiday is one of the few absent of Solis and Luna’s direct obvious influence. Instead, during XiEnoc younger Zykla are expected to venerate their elders with a show of gifts or devotions. Presents can take many forms and is usually tied to the elder in question being honored. Things like beaded bracelets, trinkets and jewelry make for the most common gifts. For those who have passed on, incense is typically burned at any ancestral shrines or homages. Elders are expected to rest and be pampered; activities like chores or menial tasks are meant to be taken up by others and sometimes small parties are hosted.
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Held: December 25th & 26thEven we can know peace. YuliVaa is a time of giving and appreciation of familial ties. A day of gifts, food and good will, all territories are expected to maintain peace for an entire day and an entire night. In areas where territories butt up against each other and spats are common, any attacks are considered a heinous insult to Solis and Luna.
While the holiday is vaguely associated with Luna’s nurturing personality, it is viewed as a day of calm among both worshippers. Like parents asking their children to cease their fighting, it is during YuliVaa that Solis and Luna worshippers alike come together in honor of the things that bind all Zykla together regardless of origin, deity or creed.Gifts and Games: Sacrifices aren’t performed during YuliVaa, instead more creative offerings are the norm at shared shrines and altars as acknowledgments to the gods on this day of peace. Many choose to leave baked sweets at altars and light incense or candles. Zykla are expected to spend time with their loved ones and in some villages, small community parties are held to bring everyone together.
The only rule regarding gifts is that it must be something crafted by or killed by the Zykla themselves. Some have seen fit to go to Zykla craftsmen to get their gifts; while this can be overlooked to a degree – going to any other species is expressly prohibited. It’s viewed as cheap or low to do so. Like with many Zykla holidays, stories are a big part of the festivities. Many stories surround the creation of tribes and villages. As well as stories about the creation of Zykla as a whole.
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Held: January 1stAt the end of each year, the Zykla were scared that the world would come to an end, therefore the most impressive and important of all festivals was held in these periods. Widely known as the New Fire Ceremony, this Zykla festival involved the putting out of the old altar fire and the lighting of a new one, as a symbol of the new cycle of life, represented by the dawning of the new era.
On the day of the New Fire Ceremony, all the fires were extinguished before sundown. In mass, the Zykla would journey to a temple several miles away resting upon the highest hill closest to the stars, following the lead of their oracles or shamans. On this hill the oracles lingered, waiting for a celestial sign coming from any direction as the firmament of the stars could be observed quite well from this spot. The sign would signify whether the world would end or whether a new cycle would begin.The marrow of this ritual was actualized when the constellation known as the Pleiades passed the zenith enabling life to go on as it had. Had it failed to do so, the sun, the moon, and the stars; which the Zykla knew to be the souls of their ancestors would change into ferocious beasts who would thereafter descend to the earth and devour all the Zykla. Then an earthquake and eventual tidal wave of flames would finish the destruction.
In each year, once a favorable interpretation of the celestial signal was made, burning torch-light were carried by runners all through the valley to rekindle the fires in each house.
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Held: October 25th - 31stA Zykla holiday that takes place the last week of October and bleeding into the first dawn of November when the wind starts to chill. It is believed to be the day when the veil between the living and the dead is at its most thin and the denizens of the spirit world can mingle with the living. Primarily, it serves as a day of remembrance for family or someone personally connected to them. Festivities usually involve celebrants making offerings of food to their ancestors. This offering can take place at a gravesite, in a home or anywhere important to the deceased in question. A blood offering is made in their name to the deceased patron's respective deity. Zykla usually takes a cleansing bath and are adorned in ink sigils. Faces are typically painted in skeletal motifs; some painting their entire body. It is also a time when spirits roam closest to Zykla. Oracles will often be seen cleansing temples and offering wards and fortunes to tribal members. Spirits and apparitions are believed to take over bodies: leading people astray and causing havoc wherever they go. Many try to ward against themselves, burning sage and other herbs near entryways and hanging wards from oracles over thresholds. There are many tales of foolish Zykla being spirited away on a Xi’caulka night never to be seen again.
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Every year, coming with Winter's leave and the arrival of the Spring Solstice, is the celebration of Zyklan holiday SoliLua. A traditional celebration symbolic of the Zykla's pledge to their worshiped Deity (Luna or Solis), typically demonstrated in the form of self-sacrifice and discipline. This ritual is typically demonstrated in the way of extreme fasting and sleep deprivation; both acts thought to prove their allegiance to their god; as well as push them one step closer into a trance-like state to better communicate spiritually.
Some details change from tribe to tribe, but the usual constants and hard fast rules are as follows:
• There can be no rest during the Zykla's fasting period. They must remain awake at all times.
(In extreme circumstances, resting periods no longer than 30 minutes are permitted for the elderly, youth and those in poor health)
During periods of extreme fasting, demonstrated in both Young and Mature adults (10-20 days), the Zykla is allowed a single shot of diluted juice once every 3 days. This juice is typically made from the rarer dark-fleshed fruit found in the participating Zykla's region; Blueberries, Gooseberries, Black Chokeberry, Black Grapes, etc. Different age groups begin their fasting at different times, with the Matured Adults beginning the ritual and the younger Zykla joining in later into the celebration. This staggering of age groups is so every participating Zykla's fast shall conclude on the final day of the celebration.
MAXIMUM DAYS:
• Young Adults =7 - 10 days maximum (Age 25 - 40)
• Adults = 20 days maximum (Age 40 to 120)
• Elder =4 - 7 days maximum (Age 120 and beyond)
The holiday reaches it's culminating peak on the final day of fasting; whereupon every participating Zykla gathers in a pr-determined location of importance. Typically these are large bodies of water, such as lakes and oceans, when either the Moon or Sun are at their highest point in the sky, to easily illuminate and reflect their deity's radiance and light. (In respect to their chosen deity).
Contending tribes set aside their differences in the form of a mutual peace treaty and truce throughout the duration of the Spring Solstice fast and celebration. Not out of respect for the rival tribe, but rather to ensure they are left to their own peace and safety; bettering them to focus on their own sacrifices and rituals.The ritual consists of a mix of self-bloodletting, scarification, and gift-wrapped sacrifices all let to bleed into the water and blend with the light-kissed ripples of water. The body of water is also typically decorated with a mirage of floating candles.
While SoliLua is typically held in mass among tribes during the Spring Solstice, it is not unheard of or uncommon for a Zykla to carry out the ritual on their own during other times of the year. The fasting ritual is usually conducted in a similar fashion, though for other reasons that might require them to prove themselves through sacrifice: self-punishment, seeking the favor of their deity, restoring their faith, and seeking forgiveness are all reasons well established that a Zykla might perform the ritual privately on their own. When the Zykla in question has either committed an act believed either against their Deity or their tribe, it is often a way to atone for their transgressions and purify themselves to begin anew.
