List of Ilaseuasa
The Ilaseuasa, also called the Scion Chruches, are the autocephalous branches of the Kapuhenasa which were developed and established by Alihantapa Roasa'ahuani as a way to administer the many ethnic customs of the various Loa cultures. The scions are predominantly concerned with dispensing local legal judgement and for maintaining and codifying indigenous religious practices. More to come, heading into work
Insular Ilaseuasa
This is all a work in progress, I just vomited this up. I'll rework it. The Insular scion is one of the original four scion churches, and it is considered to be the oldest church, being closer in line to the faith of the original Incarnate. This scion is found in all of the Island Kingdoms, as well as Nisoma, being the predominant religion of the Batana Coast, the Nisoma River System and the Mi'ikuelu River System, and as such much of its mythology and cosmology is derived from these regions. The predominant goddess is Paouala, the creator goddess of the Loa, who is thought to have guided them through the previous end of the world and who originally cultivated Nagala. She is revered as the supreme guide of the Loa people, and the Katu of the Celestial Bodies. There are hundreds of shrines devoted to her in the territory of the scion, and her shrine complex is the most influential. Worship is predominantly done through sacrifices of flowers and fruit on the days of the full moon. In modern day aniconist Takatta Loa, she is associated with the icon of the crescent moon, with its empty space ringed by five stars, representing the animate stars. She is also revered as the Anticipation of the First Incarnate. However, the worship of Ba'ale'e and Ninnuekahaolo, the sea god of the Batana Coast and the goddess of the river Nisoma respectively. Ba'ale'e is worshipped as the lord of the sea, and regular sacrifices on every new moon take place, with the people offering coconut and rice mash and baked fish to aniconic representations of squid. In addition, upon reaching puberty, girls are expected to live in coastal seaward facing shacks for upwards of a year as 'sea brides'. It is thought that this blesses all children that will be born, but it also serves as a way of discerning shamans through secret and esoteric methods. These shamans will be expected to devote themselves to Ba'ale'e and conduct worship as well interpret his will in the shells and debris that washes up from the shore. Ninnuekahaolo is worshipped as the goddess of fertility and prosperity. The relatively few shrines of Nisoma as based entirely in the river as barges. The attendants and priests live as ascetics, surviving entirely off of Nisoma's bounty, and take in orphans to raise as devotees of the goddess. A festival once every other full moon takes place where worshippers pray for a good harvest and for the safety of children. In Classical Takatta Loa, this was also accompanied by conducting an idol into the river to bathe it, this renewing the power of the idol. Nowadays, household shrines are centered around a small plinth or pillar made of river stone with Ninnuekahaolo's name written upon it, which the family carries into the river to bathe.
Masa Ilaseuasa
History
The Masa scion came into being when Roasa'ahuani split the Henasa into four different Ilaseuasa in 1306, with the temple of Menehuala being ordained as the central temple of the scion. At the time of formation however, the Masa scion stretched far to the north, into modern day Cartadania. This was quickly rectified as numerous temples and shrines advocated for separation from the Masa. By 1367, the Masa had shrunk to its relatively modern borders, though with some deviation.
Fifteen Shrines Period
The 15 Wellspring Shrines have most likely existed since time immemorial, though they gained great prominence during the 15th and 16th century. These shrines are based around the major wellsprings that feed three of the great rivers of Takatta Loa and sustain millions. As such, the shrines wielded great influence in the past, with highland kings being expected to submit to the shrines. These shrines thus came to be a significant political power in their own right, establishing clerical states in the territories surrounding the shrines. The shrine states however came under significant pressure from the kingdoms of Batana, Nisoma and Kalia'ai, which were centered around rivers directly fed by the wellsprings and which bordered the shrines. The shrine states had begun constructing levees and dams around the rivers and sending mercenaries to exact tax from the trade barges on the rivers, viewing them as an extension of the wellsprings themselves. This eventually erupted into war as the kingdom of Nisoma besieged the Shrine of Eternal Peace, and the kingdoms of Kalia'ai and Batana also led sieges against their neighboring shrines. This war was ended within a year by the Loa Imperial Domain and by 1541 a peace was signed in the Floating Palace. This peace proved pivotal as it limited the power of the client kingdoms, and notably had very lax punishments for the shrines, prohibiting them from operating outside of their borders while entirely reducing the influence of the client kingdoms outside of central administration, completely stripping them of a military. This war also resulted in the severe weakening of Kalia'ai and Batana, with the latter being in a few decades by the Uelamanpu'ue Clan. For much of the succeeding century and a half, the shrines maintained a stable balance of power over the general populace.
Sacred Order
The Sacred Order of the Golden Flame took significant issue with the 15 Shrines as they viewed them as an overstepping of local practices over central administration and as an extension of Imperial power. The order organized several campaigns designed towards weakening the influence of the shrines, with Sarau'ara himself going to each village around these shrines to lecture them on the importance and preeminence of Nagala over all earthly deities. This elicited a severe reaction from the shrines who enacted an inquisition against the populace, which proved deeply unpopular. This culminated in the Masa Revolt of 1721, in which villagers invaded the shrines and forced the shrine keepers to relinquish all governing power to the commoners, ending almost 400 years of clerical rule. The scion still maintained power in the Kingdom of Batana where the Uelamanpu'ue maintained their rule over a predominantly Insular population. However, this was soon to be challenged during the Burning of the Floating Palace.
Post-Imperial Age
After the collapse of the imperial power in 1856, the Kingdom of Batana could no longer maintain power without outside support, and by 1877 the Uelamanpu'ue were exiled to Sudmoll, Stenza and Sarolasta where they still maintain the Masa faith. Furthermore, in 1879 the leaders of every Masa temple gathered in Menehuala to discuss whether to align with the Sacred Order. The shrines heard of this and decided to raze Menehuala to the ground. This was part of a larger trend in which shrine complexes across the former empire sought to establish their supremacy over the Henasa. However, the neighboring entomarchies, having recently been condoned and supported by the Ninth Incarnate, were accepted at last by the Henasa and intervened in the 15 shrines' attempt at war. This resulted in the utter collapse of any influence to be had by the shrines, and their failed invasion convinced many of the Masa temples to agree to align with the Sacred Order to establish a Loa theocracy over all Vallos and the Kindreds. However, this movement failed in many ways, and in terms of the Masa it failed in that the temples could not agree on any one direction, and often found themselves at odds with each other. This enabled the tribal chieftains to establish their power over the clerical authorities, eventually establishing the Luitaoaka Confederacy and eradicating the influence of the Sacred Order in the Western Highlands, eventually going on on join the other eight victors of the post imperial wars to form the modern day nation of Takatta Loa.
Beliefs
The Masa scion predominantly venerates the saints of the 15 Wellsprings as well as Poaikano, the hunter god of the West Highlands as the indigenous deities of highlands. Among the Incarnates, the fourth is the most widely revered, taking the central spot in all Masa temples, often joined by the legal scholars Higanmaua and Juotoalangan. The Masa are notable in that among the four original Ilaseuasa, they have no Queen of Heaven and are the only scion in Takatta Loa to not venerate an Anticipation of the First Incarnate. Furthermore, the unique highland perspective had influenced many aspects of religious festivals and customs.
Deities
The predominant native god is Poaikano the hunter god. He is revered as the father and protector of the highland people, with the origin myths of the Masa canon detailing how he led them to Vallos separately from the Insular loa and Paouala. He is worshipped as the lord of the mountains and king of all mountain spirits, and as the god of war, valor and sport, with many martial shrines devoted to him often hosting sword games, archery contests and the like. There are two festivals in his name that occur every two years; Ansueda and Bagunasi. The former involves hunting a trained cassowary and ritualistically sacrificing it, with the clan that succeeded in felling it being honored with Paouala's favor. The latter festival is more elaborate and involves the sacrifice of sikabenuala. These sika are bathed, pampered and fed a rich diet of wine and cake, whilst also being put through a harsh training regime to hone their hunting prowess. Then, they are wedded to a Loa bride who then 'consummates' the marriage by drowning the sika and then eating its corpse. This ritual is meant to reenact a famous legend which involves how Paouala organized a great festival for two highland orphans, wedded and bedded them, and sacrificed his body to feed them. In addition, the Masa Church venerates the 15 Wellsprings, the headwaters of three of Takatta Loa's five great rivers. These springs are associated with a specific Saint who was said to do miraculous works as a result of cultivating great mana. The Masa views itself as the predominant guardian and purifier of these wellsprings and the cultivators of the great Loa civilization. As such, these headwaters are regularly purified one every fifteen lunar cycles, with one wellspring being purified a month. These festivals are highly attended and publicized, with thousands gathering around the shrine grounds to pray for the ritual's success. This ritual consists typically of praying to the saint associated with the spring and offering sacrifice to them, though this can vary based on the wellspring. In addition, the Wellspring Shrines collect prayers to the saints and then burn them on ritually prepared prayer slips so that they can be conveyed to the saint.
Indigenous Customs
The Masa has a strong focus on sacred wells, an aspect of their faith derived from the Zychy. They revere these wells and the waters that flow from within, often ascribing a unique individual goddess or god to these wells. Weekly ceremonies are hosted to praise and worship these wells, with the village all joining in attendance to offer their praise and host a communal feast. This forms the basis for much of the regular religious practices of the Masa. In history, the people of the Masa Highlands practiced regular tribal warfare to settle grievances and attain great honor. However, through the works of Higanmaua, this practice was replaced with more symbolic battles. During feasts, families and clans each bring food to share with the community, and they also participate in sporting events. The best food and the best performance awards the family significant prestige, though this prestige comes at the cost of communal honor. Thus, it is the custom for the winning family to repay back this honor with symbolic gifts of necklaces and shell jewelry. Originally this attitude of honor and remittance was cultural and not universal, but Higanmaua standardized it and brought it in line with faith. These rituals gave become heavily associated with Paouala and the saints of the Masa canon, and failure to repay prestige can be punished according to the Masa legal code.
Law
The Masa bases its legal corpus around the three scholars Higanmaua, Juotoalangan and Aladuinara. In addition to establishing common ground with other legal schools, the three were predominantly focused with matters of inter-tribal warfare, the status of the sikabenuala and scion influence in governing. These three scholars have together contributed just under half of all judgements in the legal codices, while the other half is derived from the consensus of several thousand scholars across centuries. In addition, the Anahuenna of the Fourth Incarnate is especially revered due to her having come from the Masa Scion.
Higanmaua and the Fourth Incarnate
Higanmaua was the younger brother of Selauin, a prominent clergy member in the port city of Ku'umata. They had emigrated there from the village of Magauelana, now the Shrine City of the Fourth Incarnate. The brother and sister were in particular fascinated by the Islamic faith practiced by the Kiravian traders. Selauin eventually attracted the attention of the High Fane, who examined her life more closely and declared that she must be the Fourth Incarnate. Although all the Incarnates are supposed to be nameless and their past forgotten due to having mantled the Perfected Mana, it is an open secret that Selauin became the Fourth Incarnate due to her close relationship with her brother. For a time they both studied in the High Fane, with the Incarnate pushing for the integration of many aspects of Islamic theology into the Kapuhenasa due to her ardent belief that Islam and the Kapu must share the same divine origins. Higanmaua shared her views and at times directly influenced her thinking, but in 1339, he had to return to their home village after his father died, given that the eldest child was unable to conduct mourning rituals as a result of becoming a goddess. It is in his legal work in the Masa scion and the many neighboring Ilaseuasa that his influence can be felt. He directly challenged the original legal system that operated differently depending on regional traditions and continuously pushed for cooperation in establishing a universal standard based on scripture. As a result, his rulings have affected every single scion, but he also issued many judgements for his own native Masa branch. It is in his direct judgments that the identity of the Fourth Incarnate is known, as he refers to both her and Selauin almost interchangeably. These judgments concern many things but the most influential is that of inter-tribal warfare. Higanmaua viewed it as a direct hindrance to establishing governmental rules and as such issued a great host of rulings related to wars for honor or sport. He explicitly condemned these tribal wars and made many rulings in favor of other methods of repaying grievances or honors. This has given rise to the feasts, kosa and sporting festivals of the Masa scion.
Juotoalangan
Juotoalangan lived a few decades after Higanmaua, having been born in 1401 and being predominantly active during the 1440s. She was one of a trend of scholars that challenged the authority of the High Fane over the Ilaseuasa, and her legal work was largely concerned with justifying local customs and especially the sikabenuala. It was custom in much of the Loa Highlands to use the domesticated sika as hunting apes and sacrifices, but this practice was hotly contested by the Insular scion who did not have any such traditions, viewing the highland customs as inhumane and cannibalistic due to the fact that the sika are tool using, near human apes closely related to the Kikpari. Juotoalangan did not try to deny the qualities or sapient nature of the sika but instead emphasized their closer relation to Nagala due to being less human, and thus cannibalizing them or sacrificing them is a sacred act and as such must be practiced. Although her ideas were contested by the clergy, she submitted many tens of thousands of rulings and judgements based on every single sacrifice in the Masa scion across a decade, enough so that it eventually became entirely unfeasible to overrule them all, with the matter of the sika being the single largest subject matter in the legal code of the Masa. It is estimated that following standard procedures, it would take over 50 years to overturn all of these judgements, and as such 'ape worship' is enshrined in the innate governing and legal bodies of the Masa.
Aladuinara
The scholar Aladuinara lived during the late 1800s and early 1900s, and was instrumental in shaping modern day Luitaoaka. Called "the great apologist of secular rule" by contemporary scholars, clergy and the Sacred Order, Aladuinara held great sympathy for the chieftains. Having served as a soldier in the imperial military and as a monk in the halls of the High Fane, he had seen the immeasurable corruption of these institutions. However unlike the Sacred Order, who thought secular rule tainted the institutions and that a pure theocracy was the righteous solution, Aladuinara thought that secular rule was stained by theocracy. He derived this belief from the fact that the Imperial Clan was descended from the Second Incarnate and utilized that to justify their rule and to garner the support of the High Fane. As such, much of his life was devoted to fomenting division in the Masa Scion, and emboldened the chieftains to establish the Luitaoaka Confederacy through his many rulings that diminished scion control. He maintained a great deal of contact with the queens of Nisoma and Isahotainao, the Regent of Kusama and the Totowa Confederacy, and is often credited as the 10th founder of modern day Takatta Loa.