View source for Yahhada

'''Yahhada''' is a [[god]]dess of [[death]] worshipped on the [[world]] of [[Jhembaz]].  While she originated among the [[Xbonti]] people of the [[Mazewood]], the resistance that she and her faithful put up against the [[Ivory Empire]] brought her to worldwide notability, and today she has worshippers all over the [[rew (Charos)|rew]].  [[Epithet]]s by which she is sometimes called include the "Screaming God" and the "Lady of Skulls".

==Description==
Yahhada is usually depicted as a tall, thin woman with medium [[brown]] [[skin]] and long, tangled black [[hair]].  She is never shown wearing any [[clothing]], but her body is painted with bold geometric shapes mostly in shades of [[white]] and light [[blue]].  The details of the shapes are not consistent, though there are some common themes; lines of [[square]]s are frequent motifs, as are [[zigzag]] and, unsurprisingly given her [[field]], stylized [[skull]]s.  She is almost always depicted with her [[mouth]] wide open in a scream.

In her rare manifestations, Yahhada appears much as she does in her depictions.  She never speaks intelligible [[word]]s, but frequently screams, the [[sound]] and [[force]] of her screams often having significant effects themselves.  Most typically her screams bring about motion or destruction, either pushing people and objects away from her or knocking objects and structures apart, although this is not always the case.  Despite her inability or more likely unwillingness to speak, she is not of course [[intelligent|unintelligent]], and if she wishes to communicate she can do so by planting thoughts in the minds of others who can speak for her.

Yahhada dwells in a place called the [[Final Land]] in the plane of [[Orheppi]], populated by the [[soul (dream magic)|soul]]s of her faithful&mdash;and of those who did not honor her in life but fell into her clutches by other means.

==History==
First worshipped among the Xbonti, Yahhada was one of a [[pantheon]] of thirty-some gods with varying fields.  She was not made out to be particularly close to any of the rest of the pantheon, and there are relatively few stories of her interacting directly with any of the other gods—she is said to be the [[sibling|sister]] of [[Ihoba]], the Xbonti god of [[plant]] growth, but even with him she seems to have had a distant relationship.  Still, she was an important member of the pantheon; she had a small number of full-time priests, who among other things had the roles of officiating at [[funeral]]s, but even those Xbonti who spared little thought for her otherwise [[pray]]ed to and [[propitiation|propitiated]] her when death seemed nigh, or when someone they knew passed away.  Despite her somewhat eerie demeanor, she was not considered malevolent, and was not generally an object of fear; death was a part of [[life]], and it was her duty to smoothe its process.

What brought Yahhada to national prominence was her opposition to the [[Ivory Empire]].  An expansionist kingdom ruled by [[undead]], the Ivory Empire first arose in the great [[whitewood]] of [[Ar Thurippa]], but had aspirations of greater extent and power, and embarked on a program of conquest.  Yahhada was not entirely opposed to undeath in principle, and had undead servitors, but in Yahhada's doctrine the undead had their place—and that place was ''not'' as imperialist autocrats.  Thus Yahhada saw it as her duty to fight against the Empire and its ambitions, and urged her worshippers to do so, [[advalescence|empowering]] them with potent new abilities to aid them in their battles.  Her powers over death made her and her faithful very effective in combating the spread of the Empire, and while Yahhada and her [[church]] were by no means single-handedly responsible for reversing its fortunes, they certainly played a notable part.

Even after the Ivory Empire's expansion was stymied and it was forced to retreat back to its current [[border]]s, Yahhada's r&ouml;le in its defeat was not forgotten, nor were those who had converted to her worship during the [[war]] inclined to immediately leave it again afterward.  Today Yahhada is worshipped all over Jhembaz even by many who are not otherwise familiar with the [[Xbonti pantheon]] and could not name any of its other gods.  This has sometimes put her in conflict with other local gods of death who resent the usurpation of their places, but at least as often the church of Yahhada and those of other regional death gods find ways to coexist in a mutually beneficial way.

==Tenets==
The church of Yahhada preaches that Her clergy preach that death is an important part of existence and one to be respected but not feared.  Nor is it to be accelerated indiscriminately; the faithful of Yahhada shun unnecessary violence, though they are not pacifists and may fight in self-defense or for good causes.  [[Poison]], in particular, is anathema to the church, and not used by its adherents in any capacity; to the church of Yahhada it represents a [[blasphemy|blasphemous]] arrogation by mortals of the powers of death.  (This is, at any rate, true of poisons that are potentially deadly; there may be more allowance for poisons that sicken but do not kill, but few Yahhadans would be fully comfortable with those either.)  Yahhada makes few demands of her worshippers, and most of those that she does make are more in the nature of proscriptions than prescriptions.  In addition to the prohibition of poison, Yahhada forbids the desecration of the dead or of their memorials or places of interment, and especially the creation of undead for martial or frivolous purposes.  

==Symbology==
The most famous symbol of Yahhada is a stylized skull like the ones usually painted on her body, but it is not the only one.  Other symbols of Yahhada include zigzags, square [[spiral]]s, and [[Y]]-shaped trilineations.  [[Animal]]s and [[plant]]s associated with Yahhada&mdash;not all for particularly obvious reasons&mdash;include [[maggot]]s, [[hummingbird]]s, and [[mongoose]]s, and [[moonflower]]s.

==Holy Places==
While her worship was still confined to the Xbonti, Yahhada had no [[temple]]s or other permanent large structures.  Graveyards were considered holy places to her, but aside from those her only holy places were occasional [[shrine]]s marked by roughly [[meter]]-long square [[Yahhadan stake|stakes]] planted vertically in the ground, either painted black or fashioned from dark [[wood]] or [[stone]], with symbols of Yahhada added in white or pale blue.  These shrines are always erected where someone or something of significance had died, and often became used as burial sites if they hadn't been already.

After Yahhada's spread to worldwide prominence, some of her urban faithful began erecting larger temples in her honor.  A common [[architecture]] for these temples quickly developed, of narrow somewhat [[pagoda]]-like [[tower]]s with the floors alternating square and round in shape; the origins of this plan are now obscure, but it became widely adopted.  Temples of Yahhada generally have cemeteries on their grounds, and almost always have [[columbarium|columbaria]] and/or requietories within.  They also offer services including grief counseling, funeral officiation, and often even coronatorial investigations.

==Worshippers==
As was the case among the Xbonti, many who worship or honor Yahhada do so only situationally and nonexclusively, entreating her when the occasion calls for it but otherwise devoting themselves as much or more to other gods.  There are, however, those who ''do'' choose Yahhada as the main object of their worship, either as lay members or as [[clergy]].  [[Cemetery]] keepers, [[undertaker]]s, and those who frequently fight undead often name Yahhada as their patron, showing their devotion by painting their bodies—especially usually exposed parts such as their [[hand]]s and [[face]]s—with symbols and patterns similar to those Yahhada bears.

The actual clergy of Yahhada fall into three main categories.  The [[wandering priest of Yahhada|wandering priests]], as the name implies, wander the world, doing Yahhada's bidding and providing their services (as funeral officiators, fighters against the undead, or anything else within their purview) to those in need, in return for which they are often given donations they use for their subsistence.  Before Yahhadi rose to worldwide prominence, they wandered only the lands of the Xbonti, but now their journeys take them all over Jhembaz.  [[Local priest of Yahhada|Local priests]] are each associated with a particular holy place to Yahhada—a shrine, a graveyard—which they tend to and protect, and generally have a home nearby.  Finally, [[temple priest of Yahhada|temple priests]] are a new phenomenon arising only after Yahhada's spread beyond the Xbonti.  They live in, maintain, and provide services to visitors to the temples to Yahhada in [[city|cities]]; drawing from the wealth of the temples, they are often richer than other kinds of priests, but are less likely to be granted powers by their goddess.  In some areas, priests of Yahhada, especially local priests, go otherwise naked in imitation of their goddess (who may grant them subtle powers that let them better bear extreme [[temperature]]s to facilitate this).  More usually, however, they wear black or brown robes decorated to mimic Yahhada's bodypainting.  In either case, they always paint their bodies with their goddess's symbols as well, even if most of those paintings are hidden by the robe.

Another class of mortal servant of Yahhada is the so&mdash;called [[disciple]]s, who devote themselves to serving Yahhada and wander all over the world to do so.  While very similar to wandering priests&mdash;and often confused with them&mdash;disciples hold no formal clerical position but are nonetheless highly respected in the church, their r&ouml;le more [[monk|monastic]] than ministerial.  Disciples almost always go naked, though a few dress in traveling clothes typical of their home cultures; like Yahhada's priests, they always paint their bodies like their patroness.

When it suits her to do so, Yahhada may grant special powers to her faithful&mdash;especially to priests and disciples, though she has occasionally empowered laymen who have proven their devotion by extraordinary means.  The most common powers granted by Yahhada are her [[screams of Yahhada|screams]]&mdash;like Yahadda herself (though less potently), those so empowered are able to emit loud screams that have magical effects.  There are different kinds of scream that Yahhada can grant, and a particular individual may be granted only one scream or any combination.  The most common are the [[driving scream]], which simply impels objects away from the screamer; the [[shattering scream]], which can damage people or objects; the [[banishing scream]], which can [[translocate]] people or objects to other places and perhaps even to other [[plane]]s; and the [[stilling scream]], which [[pexis|transfixes subjects in place]].

==Holy Days==
The most important holy day in the church of Yahhada is the [[Day of All Death]], on the fifth [[Ukalik]] of [[Thapha]].  This commemmoration is less sinister than the name makes it sound; it does not involve people actually dying, but rather going through a ''simulated'' death to prepare them for the inevitable actual event.  People go in processions on this day representing the progress of the soul to the Final Lands and the trials it must pass there; often this is preceded by mock funerals, but this is not a required part of the ritual.  Once the procession is over and the celebrants have sacramentally reached the Final Lands, the [[holiday]] culminates in [[feast]]ing and revelry, foresignifying the joy the righteous and faithful are expected to experience in Yahhada's realm.

Other holy days often observed among Yahhada's faithful&mdash;or even by outsiders where her worship is popular&mdash;are the [[Day of Sovenance]] and the [[Abjuration Day]].  The former, held on the second [[Bodik]] of [[Agwetha]], is devoted to remembering and honoring one's ancestors and other dilect departed.  The latter, on the last Bodik of [[Ikoti]], is rather a [[day]] of warding and preparation against evil [[ghost]]s that may act in defiance of Yahhada.  [[Offering]]s of [[silver]] and [[bone meal]] are also commonly given to Yahhada and her clergy on the first [[Adthi]] of each [[season (Jhembaz)|season]], but there are no widespread customs on those days beyond that.

==Servitors==
In addition to her mortal worshippers, Yahhada has several varieties of [[magic]]al servitors she can send to aid her faithful or otherwise do her bidding.  These do include [[ghost]]s; Yahhada may send some of the souls from the Final Land temporarily back to Jhembaz in undead form to help when needed.  But other Yahhadan creatures are of far more inhuman form.  [[Idowali]]s are small creatures with [[cat]]-sized [[quadruped]]al bodies and skulls for heads, which may be sent as [[familiar]]s, or in large numbers may be dangerous combatants.  [[Ugubird]]s resemble wraithlike avians with long, narrow bills; they are often sent merely to scout or observe, but do have powers over spirits and darkness that they can employ when useful.

Some of the most devoted and accomplished of Yahhada's disciples and other mortal agents may choose to defer their deaths and their journeys to Yahhada's realm in order to linger on Jhembaz and aid her cause in an altered form, becoming willingly [[eremization|transformed into inanimate objects]] that grant great power to Yahhadans that wield them.  These [[telesm]]ata are called [[soulstock]]s; there are at least fifteen known, but may be many more, each unique in form and function and each once a living [[human]], or a member of some other [[folk]].
[[Category:Death gods]][[Category:Gods of Jhembaz]]