Tengri

Tengri (Pronounced TENG-gree) is named after the chief deity Kök Tengri and acts as a blanket term for the traditional, polytheistic tradition to which most of the steppe tribes and some of the Imperial Suzerainties subscribe. Although lacking a formal priesthood (only disparate tribal shamans), a written tradition (only loose, unregulated oral transmission), and a permanent religious head (only sporadically filled by a secular Ezen Khan), Tengri has endured for as long as the people of the steppe have.

Every scholar of anthropology will give you a different reason for why this is the case after many other traditional religions have been squashed by the Imperial cultural hegemony. The common belief, however, is that life on the steppe is simply too hard to permit squabbling over the finer, abstract points of doctrine and dogma. Tengri, though it has rich material, ritualistic, mythic, and ethical components, is nonetheless stripped bare of many of the complexities that accrue to more abstract philosophies. If you are a warrior, you place your faith in Daichi for her hand to guide you in battle. If you are a crafter of fine leather saddles, you pray to Alaz for his hand in rendering beautiful creation. And if you are a great ruler and Khan, you sacrifice a powerful ox to Kök Tengri so that your rule may be a long and successful one. Rarely is there much demanded of Tengrist practitioners but to follow the examples of their patron deities and heroes, imprinted upon them from years of myths and legends.

It is a mistake to assume that Tengri is bereft of ethical profundity, however. Though not enumerated in the same manner as the Eastern schools of thought, common strains of moral philosophy can be found spanning several million square miles of steppe. Especially prized are the traits of loyalty, dignity, self-sufficiency, competence, austerity, and brevity. The ideal Tengrist is one who values all under the sky of Kök Tengri without taking these gifts for granted, who never wastes time on unnecessary words or frivolity, and who worships their mother and father as much as the gods.

Though there are no official “induction” rituals, and nor is there any attempt to proselytize non-believers, Tengri has a natural tendency to suffuse those regions that come under the control of her khanates. It does not rely on sermons and preaching to get its message across, and there are no explicit commandments to follow. Rather, the prospective believer will learn everything they need to know from the mouth of a story-telling shaman around a campfire. It certainly helps that these millenia-old tales are rarely boring.

Kök Tengri (Sky God)
Alignment: Lawful Good

Domains: Order, Divine, and Virtue

Kök Tengri is the god and lord of the eternal blue sky, and thus all under him are within his power. All practitioners of Tengri view him as the highest god of the pantheon, however it is rare for someone to take Kök Tengri as their own personal god or goddess as a target of prayer and sacrifice. Instead, individual followers of Tengri tend to take the virtues said to be espoused by Kök Tengri and apply it to their own personal practice. Those who do worship Kök Tengri directly generally fall into three camps: Ezen Khans who - as the equal of the lesser gods - has immediacy to Kök Tengri, proselytizers bringing the religion to frontier regions, and enthusiasts who know little about the religion.

Umay (Earth Goddess)
Alignment: Neutral Good

Domains: Life, Nature, and Protection

Umay is the Goddess of the Earth, and the female counterpart to Kök Tengri. She is prayed and sacrificed to on matters of fertility, rain, protection, pregnancy, health, and what few followers of Tengri practice agriculture. Compassion and stewardship of the Earth and its creatures are the primary concern of those who follow the Goddess Umay devoutly, they many only concern themselves with her worship in times of hardship such as difficult pregnancies or droughts.

Ülgen (Guiding Spirits)
Alignment: Chaotic Good

Domains: Luck and Arcana

The Ülgen are not one god, but many. They are helpful spirits who guide the course of one’s life from out of sight. A believer in the Ülgen is likely to believe that their life - for good or for bad - is out of the control of his or her hands. Rather, when they do actions that please the Ülgen they will guide him or her to good fortune, and vice versa. What the Ülgen consider to be “good” is a source of frequent debate, but the general consensus is actions that the Ülgen would take themselves - sporadic and spontaneous acts of anonymous benevolence.

Alaz (God of Artisanship)
Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Domains: Forge and Knowledge

Alaz is the God of Craft and Artisanship. Though in traditional Tengri his domain is exclusively that of metalworking, as the religion has spread he has eclipsed the domains of other, forgotten deities, and come to hold sway over all forms of creation, artistic or practical. Followers of Alaz tend to possess a discerning eye and have some craft or skill they wish to perfect under his auspices. Quality over quantity is not only a motto to them, but a religious teaching.

Kayra (Goddess of the Heavens)
Alignment: True Neutral

Domains: Tempest, Light, and Night

Kayra is the daughter of Kök Tengri and Umay and rules over the realms beyond and above the eternal blue sky. She is said to be the stars, the moon, the planets, the sun, and all sources of light in the sky. Her powers are also said to extend to the weather. While Umay is the goddess of climate and long-term patterns, Kayra is the furious and disastrous nature of weather, the tempest and the storm. She is frequently the patron god of shepherds, explorers, those few sailors that practice Tengri, and all who rely upon the heavens for navigation. All attempts to divine what exactly she prefers to see upon the face of the earth has been for not. Her will is the most mysterious of the Tengri gods, and thus blind, unwavering faith is all humans have to offer her. The few shamans and shamanesses who claim knowledge of Kayra are often known for their lunacy.

Daichi (Goddess of War)
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Domains: War

Daichi is the goddess of war. Success and failure is determined by her and her alone, down to the minute detail. It is she who urges the extra swing in practice, she who impels to oil the rust out of swords, and she who eventually permits the lunge to strike true. The successful warrior is one who stays in her good graces. This is not done by thoughts and prayers, nor even by sacrifice or acts of devotion, but by the tone of the mind-space. Daichi adores bravery, gregariousness, and concentrated-decisiveness, but deplores cowardice, cruelty, and hesitancy. It is not enough to fight out of blind rage or sadistic love of murder, but out of the thrill of testing one’s skill against a worthy adversary be it win or less. Unsurprisingly she is the patron goddess of many warriors, and has even found some followers amongst the soldiers of the empire.

Erlik Khan (God of the Underworld)
Alignment: Lawful Evil

Domains: Death and Grave

Erlik Khan was once one of the greatest Ezen Khans of antiquity, who was said to have led an army of some 10,000 chariots. Semi-mythological, there is some textual evidence in the Empire to suggest he may have existed, but the topic is a contentious one for historians. Regardless, he is said to have whipped his warriors into such a furor of devotion that the thought of retreat never once entered into their minds, refusing to lose a battle until every single one had died where he stood. This is eventually what came to pass in a battle against a great king to the far west where every last one of his warriors was put to the sword before the battle was finished, with Erlik Khan the last to die and only after 99 sword strokes. The gods were impressed with his mastery over death, and in recognition they made him Lord of the Waters Under the Earth. Though present in many mythological stories, his only adherents now are grave-diggers, crypt-keepers, and those with an unhealthy fascination with death.

Ay Dede (Goddess of the Indoors and Madness)
Alignment: Neutral Evil

Domains: City

Ay Dede is the Goddess of the Indoors and the myriad problems and deficiencies that result from a sedentary lifestyle, including and especially madness. It is said that at one time she attempted to seduce a great emperor who, repulsed by her, shut and locked his doors. In retribution she cursed those who lived within solid walls to slowly become greedy, deceitful, wroth, slothful, and depressed until they were finally driven insane; all in an attempt to drive the emperor into her arms. Rather than opening his doors, he instead became a lunatic and killed and ate his wife and children. The residue of this curse is believed by practitioners of Tengri to linger in this world still. As such, she has no true followers, but rather anyone who spends too much time indoors is said to be in her thrall.

Zalitai (Trickster God)
Alignment: Chaotic Evil

Domains: Trickery

Zalitai is the Trickster God, as much associated with jokes as he is with subterfuge and assassinations. He appears often in stories, frequently appearing before great khans to trick them into making poor decisions or losing a battle. He is said to be drawn to lax, unwary minds. A mind that is drawn inwards rather than cast outwards to the world and to the great eternal sky. Where Alaz is the God of Knowledge, Alaz’s knowledge is more in terms of arts and techniques. Zalitai’s knowledge is associated with the manipulation of words and ideas, and as such, scholars - in whom the traditional Tengri cultures place very little value - are suspected of being agents of Zalitai’s machinations, and thus rarely if ever heeded. There are some few who follow Zalitai of their own volition. Though unlikely to say so, they are usually people who love mischief, chaos, and confusion, and seek the thrill that Zalitai plants in their mind when they sow such discord.