Mishato (Religion)

Mishato is the folk religion of Lamtsu and has adherents all over the continent. Almost every resident born in Lamtsu follows the tenets of this religion, although it has become so engrained into the Misato culture that those surveyed rarely answer that they follow it as a religion, due to it being so much of a social norm. There is no single central authority over the religion, and there are many differences in belief between the many regions. The many different sects of the religion all have different heads and all follow different beliefs.

The core tenets of the religion are very much centered around the early (possibly mythical) Kingdom of Misato before 200 AD. Historians generally agree that the Kingdom of Misato could first be observed in 1200 AD in Sorano records, but there is much debate as to the historical accuracy of the religious articles. The religion is very much based around myths and legends, and many of the core tenets leave much to debate, especially concerning the usage of Galdrar.

Core tenets

The myths go regarding the Lamtsu Peninsula and how it was formed. Allegedly, there were 5 tribes who lived on the peninsula, each with their own patron element. The goddess Misha, who created the peninsula, decided to grant the Ancient Language to these beings, and gave them the ability to harness their elements through special books called Tomes. Hoping that this would help the tribes learn to understand that every one of them would have their own unique strengths, and that cooperation would be the only way for them all to prosper, the ability to use tomes and make tomes would be only randomly selected individuals from each tribe. The 5 elements were Fire, Wind, Light, Water and Anima.

However, the tribes refused to be harmonious, and of course, fighting would break out among the tribes, and this time with even more destructive power. Upon seeing this, the goddess blew huge holes in the peninsula, forming huge lakes and destroying the Anima tribe. Misha did not intend for her feelings to completely overwhelm her, and in guilt, split herself into Mihara, who was stone-cold and emotionless, and Mishato, who retained her feelings. The goddess decided to give them one final chance, and link the elements to the regions, so that any power used in hostility against another would backfire significantly. The goddess also came down to personally manage the tribes, with Mihara building her tower at Mihara and Mishato building hers at the Tai Hing plateau, seeking to minimize the destruction should she lose control again.

Yet the tribes still continued to wage war, and Mihara, unable to stand the chaos, sent a spell that turned all those who were fighting among each other into Stone, the one element that was not granted to the people. Mishato, overcome with emotion regarding this, reversed the spell. Mihara declared that Mishato was a threat to the stability and survival of the world, and declared a "Crusade" (the original word is completely not understandable) and selected 3 of the most powerful warriors to kill Mishato. The weakened goddess was quickly subdued, but due to the pleas of the 3 warriors, the decision was made to seal her away instead of killing her, giving the tribes one final chance. Mihara also sealed herself away, saying that she would wake up when the tribes once again abused their power.

Of course, people do not learn, and they erupted into conflict just 400 years after the covenant was broken. Mihara and Mishato woke up from their slumber, and another ideological battle came between the 2 goddesses. However, the most of the warriors of the time sided with Mishato, and she granted them the Galdr: songs sung in the ancient language that would allow them to wield the power of the gods, doing things like healing instantly and even bringing back those who were at death's door. They successfully defeated Mihara, and this is where the sects differ.

Sects

Sect of Misha

The Sect of Misha has the largest following among the sects, with almost 90% of the followers. When people refer to "Mishato" as a religion they generally are referring to this sect. They hold the core belief that Mishato and Mihara merged back into Misha, who watches over Misato from her tower in Tai Hing Plateau. Due to the influence this sect has, the sect did not have to pay for the land in Tai Hing plateau during the reacquisition of land by the government in 1994. Only the Apostle of this sect is allowed to the highest floor of the tower, where it is alleged that he/she is able to speak to the goddess. This has been a common point of attack by the other sects during conferences.

Other beliefs of the sect include:

• Misha continues to use the name Mishato
• Misha is no longer all-powerful and is only able to exert her influence over the Lamtsu peninsula
• The ancient language is no longer as powerful over the elements as it used to be due to humans wrecking the planet
• Only the descendants of the warriors can use Galdr, and that is a requirement to become an apostle

Sect of Release

The Sect of Release holds the belief that Mishato killed Mihara in that battle, and put herself into another sleep, abeit eternal this time. This sect is by far the most traditional of all the sects, where members of this sect are still required to learn sword fighting and the ancient language. The sect is attempting to find the full melody and words to the Galdr of Release, which they allege was given to the warriors by Misato before she sealed herself away. Although the figure of believers who subscribe to the tenets of this sect may be far higher, the sect only counts members as part of their number.

Sect of Rebirth

The sect of rebirth holds the belief that Mishato and Mihara were both destroyed in the final battle, and the Misha will come back to save the people from themselves if infighting ever breaks out again. This sect has a declining membership due to the sect's horrific defeat in the 1984 conference on the matter, where the sect lost 3 high-ranking members to the Sect of Misha after the debate.