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Kopesk Th'akh

The Torn Cities were once the magnificent States of Kopesk, a theocracy governed by a sect of Th'akh worshipers now known today as Kopesk Th'akh. The former opulent states made their renown as fishermen of remarkable talent, with well-developed techniques in aquaculture that were highly guarded by the Guild-clan families and passed down over many generations. Many citizens of the Kopesk followed a practice of Th'akh that claimed the sea as being an integral part of life, for both unathi and spirits.

The Sacred Seas

The oceans are sacred and to be protected in the eyes of the Kopesk. Thus, routine prayers are observed before meals, especially those including the ocean's holy bounties. Any time guildsmen were to reap profit from the sea, it would only be done after a proper prayer to appease the spirits of the ocean for taking from it. Nothing was to be wasted from the sea, and thus bones were ground and used as compost for plants in aquaculture, or even turned into divining items; scales were often stripped and incorporated into trinkets after a proper blessing was laid on them; the organs of fish were prepared and eaten alongside the meat, unless they were poisonous. Knowing these practices was required for any guildsman working with aquaculture, the ocean, or even just preparing food; not knowing and reciting them could result in licensing for these jobs being revoked.

After the destruction of the Coalition (which the Kopesk States joined), the religion was thought to become a sparse minority. Bitter resentment for the fractured Storm Heralds caused former Kopesk to become agnostic or simply atheistic, though the rise of the Marine Messiah has brought prominence and credence to the faction once more.

The Storm Heralds

Quite literally the "Harbingers of Tsunamis" in Sinta'Azaziba, the common shamans or Storm Heralds of this religion were usually chosen as children. Children that had unnatural birthmarks or discolored or rare azure scales were indoctrinated and trained from a young age to know the faith inside and out. By the time most are 14, these children seen as being "blessed by the sea" had matured enough to a point to become Kopesk shamans, despite not being legal adults among most of Moghes.

On top of their normal duties as shamans, Storm Heralds had many other auxiliary duties. Shamans of this variety were often consulted by rural farmers when weather reports seemed unsure of their outcome. The blessing of a shaman was an unspoken requirement before someone took to the seas by boat. Storm Heralds were also consulted and sought out whenever large quantities of products are gathered from the sea, for an extra blessing over the harvest and to prevent spirits from becoming misaligned for these actions. These priests got their name from olden days; Storm Heralds used to play a vital role in predicting or even subverting the "Ocean's Wrath," which were usually seen through the three forces or outlets of energy from the seas: air, lightning, and water. Natural events such as lightning storms, hurricanes, tsunamis, and flooding were all under a Storm Herald's purview to try and prevent. The role of predicting these storms became exceedingly uncommon for them before the Contact War as modern technology largely helped predict whenever storms would pass. However, Storm Heralds in the Torn Cities try to predict whenever these events might occur through divining means, or trying to fend them off through daily, strenuous rituals. It has even been claimed recently Storm Heralds have protected Wasteland settlements from lightning storms and tornadoes, though no recorded proof outside witness testimony is found, especially in the Izweski Hegemony.

In the Kopesk States, most citizens were not allowed to vote. It fell under the role and responsibility of nearby Storm Heralds to vote in their stead towards the High Tranquility: the head of the Kopesk Church. The Church appointed people to govern cities, organizations, and bureaucratic functions as they themselves kept their rule to a broader scale, like a federal government ruling over individual states.

The Marine Messiah

Born as Nzra Vindek in 2437, the Marine Messiah was a frail child that had been blessed with azure scales. The Vindek clan of Sai, a small rural clan continued the old ways of aquaculture, lived life as a quiet clan. They became rustboys of a different variety after the war: the sea shores were privy to scrap metal, which was reclaimed by the Vindek as they cleared out their fish dens, that they sold to the Hegemony for profit.

An outing of three siblings, Nzra, his brother, and his sister, made their way out to sea on a smaller boat to collect scrap floating in. However, the ship was accosted by powerful spirits, or so the story goes. After thought to be long dead, Nzra washed up on the shore two days later, the rowboat in tact. Barely alive, it was seen to already be a miracle of the spirits above. The recovery having finished though, Nzra started to speak strangely, claiming the sea had spared him to spread its message. He spoke vastly of former Kopesk Th'akh beliefs, such that the family and neighbors never exposed him to. It was said that this knowledge was instilled in him by the spirits, to help revive the rightful religion.

At just the age of 11, Nzra took on the last name of Dramos'krutii, or "Storm Calmer." Due to the lack of proper Storm Heralds, the Marine Messiah has taken to traveling the Torn Cities to find disciples and train them as a new generation of Kopesk shamans. He has retained a following of seven though that he trusts as his closest that journey with him through the Wasteland.

Only recently in the Hegemony has his existence come into the limelight, though, as previously his time in the Torn Cities made him isolated and far off. The influx of trading with the Hegemony, in addition to word of the miracles he has performed, helped carry his message beyond the Izweski walls.

Doctrines of Note

Most of Kopesk Th'akh follows the doctrines of the Th'akh religion, with some notable deviations.

The Kopesk believe prosthetics do not inherently maim the soul. They still retain the notion that Aut'akh are heretical due to claiming the flesh should be replaced. Generally, however, Dramos'krutii advocates that prosthetics should incorporate reclaimed metal from the seas of Moghes as it is blessed by the ocean's power.

They also believe religion should be directly paired with government. A lack of morals from traditionalists and Izweski alike is what caused the Contact War to become so dishonorable; they maintain the fact that their nation's bidding in the war and before was as perfect as it could get for unathi.

Nature should be heavily preserved in the eyes of these unathi. Those that follow this religion often have negative opinions of corporations like Hephaestus Industries for destroying Ouerea, or the former Coalition for dropping the first nuclear weapons and sparking the catalyst for destroying most native life on Moghes.

Burial rites are largely replaced by aquatic burials. As all things have come from the sea, all things should find their way back to it. This can be any ocean or sea, not just the ones on Moghes, however. The rest of the burial rites remain similar to Th'akh.

The creation myth for Kopesk Th'akh is a tale of the universe being a vast sea, devoid of life and light. The spirits constantly squabbled and bickered to pass the time. The first acts of creation came when spirits mingled with one another, the best of the lot turning into stars to shine light in the void. Then, more congregated to form other things in the cosmos, populating it with planets, each with water and land. The rumor goes that even in their new physical forms, the spirits still bicker; natural disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes, and lightning storms are attributed to the fact that the spirits inhabiting the world are fighting. These primordial ghosts eventually evolved back into a semblance of life, and their squabbling began anew as these animals hunted one another, the plants grew and competed, and the first unathi grew and were shaped in the image of the spirits.

Rituals and Prayers

The Kopesk have rituals they consider and observe that distinguish them notably from other Th'akh worshipers.

The prayer of bounty is observed and done before and after a meal, which is usually a quick verse to thank them for the spirits giving up form to put food before a unathi. This is almost entirely universal among this religion. It is seen as extremely insulting to a unathi if someone does not do this prayer before that unathi eats. As a result, unathi often mutter this prayer quickly for meals served to those who do not share the faith, much to the confusion of other species or even other religions.

The renown ocean's chant gained a lot of fame for being a commonly muttered word by the Marine Messiah and his closest followers. In a now dead dialect of Sinta'Azaziba, Storm Heralds often use this prayer before they or someone they are blessing goes into battle or a duel. Some witnesses report a "tempest wind kicking up" with storms not too far behind them, others say. Translated, it is usually spoken like so:

         The water gives me fortitude,
         The wind gives me swiftness,
         The lightning gives me strength,
         And the life in the depths drives my blade.