M'Taerowl

"Many paths lead to Aetheria my kitta, and many lead away,what mortal can decide which ones another should take, why should I accept the doctrines of some wing'd smoothskin over the wisedom of my family Matriarch, who has seen more life than any church bureaucrat in silken robes." - Pantheri mother.

It is widely known in many circles that deities most often worshipped by the Katta of Aelyria are the god Jalat, and the goddess Carmelya. A Katta is born with a deep respect for the cycle of life and death, a cycle and belief that is reinforced in everything they can see, smell, hear and touch. It was always Carmelya, the last of the elder gods (other than Ioannes) and the mother of nature who would command the deepest love and devotion from one of the newest races. From their uninspiring beginning, the Katta have grown into a great race and thank Carmelya that they were allowed to continue and not wiped out by the other races.

The respect that Katta hold for Jalat is not love, but it is no less deep or reverent than what they hold for Carmelya. The closeness of Katta to the earth that bore them means that the cycle of life and death is all to them. Wilderkatta especially tend to believe in the reincarnation of the soul, and that how you live your life will affect the judgment of Jalat.

For many eras, it has been common to hold Jalat and Carmelya as dual deities, the king and queen who preside over all life and death on Telath. In their duality, in the yin and yang aspect of worship, they are often called M'Taerowl by many devout katta. M'Taerowl being the word that signifies holy union. M'Taerowl is never depicted as male or female, but as an androgenous god, holding the both the beauties and wonders of life in one hand, and the terror and finality of death and pain in the other. The figure is often a silhouette, backed by a spoked wheel. Cheeky katta artists sometimes give M'Taerowl a katta physique, but this is frown upon, especially in areas where the Aelyrian Church is strong. In Kattaria, the M'Taerowl theories and belief are strong and many, with the leading religious figures casting off the importance of the Aelyrian doctrines, free to follow their own paths.

Indeed, the M'Taerowl theory is thought to be extremely heretical by many leading church figures, although the Archprelatess has yet to comment on the vaildity. The M'Taerowl concept leaves no room for the Goddess Diana, nor any of the other Aeternians or Aetherians. When I questioned one particularly devoute Leopardi on his M'Taerowl beliefs, some reasoning as to why this was came across

"Why would we need them? Everything is encompassed within life and death. Everything else is but a part of these two most sacred things, everything else is but a function to fulfill life and death in a more perfect, or less perfect manner in the eyes of the M'Taerowl!" - Anonymous leopardi interviewee


The M'Taerowl and the Reincarnation of the soul

Many katta fiercely believe in the reincarnation of the soul, and as such use this concept to justify what is known as 'walking the path towards enlightenment'. Everytime you walk on Telath, you are to improve yourself, and everytime you are returned on the wheel, your improvements will have carried over. They believe that it is only when the soul has gained perfection that M'Taerowl will allow it to enter Aetheria. Souls that fall into the very pits of katta existence, doing the most vile acts, and entering into sloth and waste, are said to be cast into Aeternia, where they will never gain another chance at life. What constitutues 'improvement' is the subject of many philosophical debates, especially in the halls of the Zharaiaan sects, the only thing that the Gurus have so far agreed upon is that 'waste' is the most deadly of all things to a katta's soul.

M'Taerowl, the forms that worship takes

The most unique thing about the church of M'Taerowl is that there is no set form of worship. In fact, there can't really be said to be a church at all! Katta that follow a religion are often said to live their religion rather than follow it. The reverance for life and death can be seen in everything they do, especially in such ceremonies as the 'Death of an Honored Infant' where the death are returned to the ground from whence they came with the full honors of an adult. This is so they may return in their next incarnation with good karma, although they have not had the chance to live the life yet. ( cf. Family Life in the katta, by Professor Mware of Medonia)

The respect for their god fills everything they do, it is so deeply ingrained in the katta psyche that it does not even appear to be a religion. As one human remarked "Oh, thats just like a katta", when referring to a katta soldiers respect for the fallen. The respect I have detailed does not reduce the katta to shuddering wrecks of grief however. As much as they respect death, they are more apt to understand it, and accept that it must happen. Their respect for the living is much greater, as well a their joyful thanks for the gifts that evolution (and Carmelya) gave them, and for the quick wits and perfect souls that their Lord Jalat improves with each new birth.