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Asara is a kavkem mythology best referred to as well as translated directly as The Boundaries (from the kavkem word asar (boundary)). It borrows much of the metaphysical status quo and background from Taaravahr, but adds a layer of abstraction on top of those fundamentals that governs the flow of fate.
It holds territorial dominance on Sefusa, where it stands alone. Outside of Sefusa, it is a fairly obscure faith that few would know to name.
Cosmology
Asara is also known as the 'layer model of fate'. It was described in A Thread Between The Stars during introspective moments of Keijanai's:
The world was precariously balanced on a precipice.
It had always been balanced on an edge, ever since its proper creation – certainly not always the same edge, but an edge nonetheless. Every broad state of reality was transient; the delicate stability resisted the push from the flow of time only until the next turbulence knocked it down. A return to the previous state was metaphysically impossible without divine intervention, like trying to swim upstream in a strong current.
The edge of three cliffs lay entombed in the past, out of all mortal reach. A Thread Between The Stars: Inclination
| Edge | Description |
|---|---|
| Prenes̈taleq | The time of peace and prosperity. “Prenes̈taleq marked the world's dance on the edge of freedom, when they had teetered, without knowing it, at the cusp to the conflict with the Nayabaru. It was a time when Mekiva had still been new, when its demonic light had not yet seeped through Nekenalos in sufficient quantities to disrupt their lives.”1) |
| Hes̈italeq | The time of open conflict with the Nayabaru. Hes̈italeq was the edge of war, the time of the open conflict itself. Not all of it had been bloodshed, not all tears. Regardless, the territorial disputes had been a constant companion to the kavkema in this era, ultimately disrupted by the coming of the Karesejat and the unravelling of all of their territorial claims.“2) |
| Raas̈eltaleq | The time of loss, of subjugation, but of coherent culture. “Then came Raas̈eltaleq – the edge of subjugation. In many ways the world of Raas̈eltaleq was recognisable, relatable, tractable, a dimmer shadow of their current plight. But they had come past this mark as well, losing their numbers, losing social cohesion but in the stories the ryrhakenema desperately tried to uphold.”3) |
| Mesitaleq | The time of fragmented culture. “It was Mesitaleq – the edge of splintered memories, the edge of ignorance – that the world was poised on now.”4) |
| Khaleitaleq | The time of individual isolation - the point at which kavkem suffering is maximised. “During Mesitaleq, they still had each other. During Mesitaleq, one could count on that a kavkem was still on average friendly toward their kin. Even if they did not necessarily know the stories of old, even if all of the nateha and mynateha lay forgotten, kavkema still possessed an instinctive unity against the misery in the world. Shy͡ilun, Za'alseki, Dynash – these organisations were far from perfectly aligned. Nonetheless, Dynashgades̈a were fully willing to aid their brethren within Za'alseki, and Shy͡ilun had grown in size to large part due to its friendliness toward other groups, to countless symbioses that had metamorphosed into adoptions. And while as̈raakava – the clanless, the ones that chose to fend for themselves – were almost unheard of, they were no less cooperative if circumstance depended on them. (Of course, eternal incarceration made it hard to tell tales of traitors – but Keijanai reasoned that if they existed, surely by now at least one tale would somehow have surfaced.) Just as the world had toppled into conflict, loss and ignorance, it was inevitable that some event would eventually topple the construct onto the next rung: Khaleitaleq – the edge of insanity.”5) |
| Yeentaleq | A future time of scorching heat presumed great enough to most likely kill any kavkema still living, though perhaps not enough to purge the world of life altogether. |
| Tsejataleq | A future time stripped of all night or shadow, made of pure illumination. |
| Aderrtaleq | A future time at which the world has been stripped of all water and anything still alive will die from the drought. |
| Akyn'va | The void, after the world crumbles to dust. |
The believers in Asara used to be split between peaceful conservative and aggressive doomsday bringers, depending on what side of the boundary of Mesitaleq they assume themselves on. Those who assume the world beyond Mesitaleq have an interest in pushing the world past the remaining edges.
The behaviour of those thinking kavkem culture on Khaleitaleq had them captured by the Nayabaru in greater numbers, though, and the wild population of Sefusa (tiny as it is) overwhelmingly consists believers of life upon Mesitaleq.
Metaphysical entities
Asara believers typically don't think Tamas̈elu can protect them (though they acknowledge she has a much greater chance than they do). All in all, the progression through the layers of fate are considered inevitable.
Asara believers also consider Tkanetar to predominantly be a force of nature that pushes the world off the edges. This is a malevolent force up until Khaleitaleq and a benevolent force beyond. If presented with Tkanetar as a physical entity, they would usually assume the entity to be a manifestation of that force.
As with all beliefs, it's of course possible for the Asara belief to coincide with others in the mind of a single kavkem. Keijanai, for example, was a ryrhakenem who believed in Asara as well as the classical pantheon in a purer sense, further fueled by her interaction with Sanathi. In this mixed mythology, Tkanetar was a bystander, not the fundamental force of 'gravity' pulling the world off its edges - something of a scavenger of the chaos and pain.
Rituals and spirituality
Ryrhakenema in Asara are incredibly important, although not in any way that would grant them some kind of useful power. Instead, they are the kavkema tasked with 'remembering', in greatest possible detail, the previous states of the world as that if a force capable to lifting them back up were to appear (e.g. Garukaron), they might chart the way.
Adherents of Asara typically believe that any ring-like formations one sees when pressure is applied to one's eye are the 'growth rings of the universe', although there are no rituals that suggest actually doing this (it's assumed the vision is necessarily always incomplete). That said, some individual ryrhakenema may think to interpret what they do see as representing the one or other edge.
Competing faiths
None of note.