Gaqhaong is an overarching category of belief systems practiced by the Růmzqūse People living in the grasslands of Exhpazixh.
Overview[]
The religion is based on the flow of natural energy, and the belief that deities can be accessed and confided in by means of vazůlav, or anomalies on the flatland. These include stone formations and large plant life endemic to certain regions.
Origins[]
See The Appearance.
Customs[]
Shamans are used to teach the uninitiated how to access the divine energy. This is usually taught at around age 6 for both boys and girls. From then on, the people are free to consult with the vazůlav, and these consultations are believed to prophesize future events.
Individual clans also take it upon themselves to propagate their symbols across as large an area as possible in order to enforce territorial claims. Selectively bred trees are used for this purpose, and several large scale skirmishes have resulted in the complete destruction of several clans.
The Nōneůik Mountains are considered to be the most important vazůlav in Exhpazixh, as the peak can be seen from a very great distance. All people are expected to make a pilgrimage to the site at least once during their lifetime to pay respect to the supreme mountains deities, or face eternal punishment in the afterlife. This pilgrimage also serves a practical purpose, as the city of Olneůik is an economic center the deals in supplies, tools, and other raw goods that clan members may need. These pilgrimages are often migrations of entire clans, as crossing the steppe and desert (toto) is a physically taxing feat.