Cziela

Cziela [tʂɻɪˈelɐ] (also Siela, Sziela, Chziela, Chiela, Ciela, etc.) is the name given to the religion practiced by the Meó. It is largely derived from various indigenous beliefs of elemental worship, animism, and belief in a pantheon of gods and goddesses (many of which are based off of the planets within the Yakei system), underneath the Supreme Cosmic Being <name pending>, which has no corporeal form, but is treated as The One God above all. The religion is highly syncretic and diverse, blending traditions of the Htaevic's religious practices with the Succlythian's Herlucc religion and philosophies, both of which have had and continue to have a major presence within the religion and culture of the Meó. Due to its diverse and syncretic nature, exact numbers are hard to obtain, but it is generally accepted that among ethnic Meó, an overwhelming majority adheres to the religion.

Five Constituents (Achyau)

A core belief of the Chziela religion is that everything in the universe is composed of one of five states of matter or "constituents", those five states being Wood, Metal, Air, Water, and Fire. Each of these elements has a 'representative' that are each considered sacred within the religion.

Categories	Amako	Akya	Akhe	Amiru	Áhko
Representative	Mako	The Wheel	Haki	Miru River	Ahko Tree
Form of life or Existence	Terrestrial	Manmade Animate Things	Aerial	Aquatic	Sapient, Fire itself
Realm	Natural Grounds	Manmade Grounds, cursed or infertile lands	Sky	Aquatic environments	Stars
Element	Wood	Metal	Air	Water	Fire

(Note that Áhko's element is not wood as the Ahko Tree is not in fact a true tree, and is much more like a grass, and does not produce wood, it is fire as the tree is highly flammable and can explode on occasion.)

Fire also includes lightning, electricity, magic, and magnets.

Wood and metal are misnomers - wood describes any type of solid from which life can flourish, and metal is sterile earth/rocks/metal. They are both of earth, with the main distinction being that wood is fertile but not sterile, and metal is sterile and infertile. However, metal is 'fluid' and additionally can occupy other physical states (generally all except air), notably Void.

Metal requires human manipulation to have life (movement of the wheel is 'life'), which is why its realm is manmade animate things.

Cziela beliefs stipulate that everything has a balance of all five constituents within them, even if one is only present at an infinitely small concentration.

The Construction of the Universe from the Achyau

Before everything else was the Supreme Cosmic Being, something that is described as being everywhere and 'everywhen' (it is somewhat comparable, and multiple disciplines within the religion take inspiration from, the Succlythian concept of Kanea). Unlike Kanea, which is neutral and in equilibrium, the Supreme Cosmic Being is generally accepted as having a directed conscious, ultimately aiming to strive for goodness in the universe. Certain events may deter this.

Kya - the universe was first made, it was made of a sterile mass that had no discernible state of matter, unspecified as to what it was. Then, the Supreme Cosmic Being made most of the Kya into lumps, these lumps were the sterile metals and rocks - as most of the Kya was turned into metal this is why it is associated with metal, but a small amount was left behind to be turned into everything else.

Ahko - then came the stars, as the Supreme Cosmic Being seared fire into the lumps of Kya, these burned bright and let off smoke.

Khe - This smoke then filled the universe, and accumulated especially in places near the Kya and between two close Kya (like Haki and Pavala). Then the Supreme Cosmic Being blew a lot of it away from the Yakei system (forming the <nebula that can be seen in sky potentially>). This thus left the smoke between just Haki and Pavala, and this is why Haki is associated with the Khe, and the winds on Pavala are believed to originate from Haki (which is why storms can be seen on Haki), and that the atmospheres of Haki and Pavala are one and the same, like a tunnel.

Miru - The smoke then rained for a thousand years, making the oceans and rivers and lakes. It is associated with the Miru river as this is the main source of water for the Meó and their sacred river.

Mako - The Supreme Cosmic Being then put plants & animals on the land and fish in the seas & rivers. These were formed from when water rushed over some Kya and broke down into rocks and then the water seeped into it and soaked it and made the Kya fertile and this is why all living things need water.