Ahnleh

Serpiente dancers wear a coin bearing the symbol Ahnleh to represent both their profession, and their spiritual allegiance. So what is Ahnleh?

At its simplest understanding, Ahnleh is Fate. More important, it is a representation of all the major powers, and of the moment when free will has the ability to alter the course of fate.

Ahnleh begins with sheni, which is time. It moves in a constant line, Namid (birth and beginnings) at the start and Brysh (death and endings) at the end. It flows from o'she, the past to a'she, the future. It is unstoppable.


Sheni crosses through the center of Mehay, that which is eternal: all that ever is, was, will be, could be, or could have been. At this intersection is she, the Now. This intersection is what is, right now, this instant. It is the only physical moment. It is Kain'Kaya, where the twins of lightning and thunder dance. She is also the only moment at which the course of Fate can be altered.

Within sheni and she are the powers of Ahnmik and Anhamirak. Ahnmik touches sheni, and moves in the general direction of the she, but is also capable of reaching in new directions, beyond even Mehay, and into Ecl: the void, that which never is, was, will be, could be, or could have been. Ahnmik here is represented by the line moving right from the base of sheni. Anhamirak's power is more potent as she moves toward a'she, after the moment of decision, and so it is shown as connected to Mehay.

Though the pantheon of Ahnleh is fully represented at this point, the symbol is missing one key component: the circle, drawn in the upper left hand side, that represents the power of free will. Though part of Mehay, free will is shown as separate due to its ability to fundamentally effect everything. It creates ripples in the powers of Ahnmik and Anhamirak, shaping the motions of Fate.

So at last we have Ahnleh:

Religion in Nyeusigrube

Several people have asked about religion for Macht witches as Sarah says 'Goddess' in Shattered Mirror. We've expanded the answer to include more species.

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Many Nyeusi refrain from engaging in much in the way of organized religion. A lot of the older ones are jaded; they've often seen the gods they worshipped be forgotten. Also, some of them have masqueraded as gods, and after having done so, they're less likely to be faithful.

The Vida "religion" has, like much religion, fallen a bit by the wayside by modern day. The family dates back to a shamanistic/paganistic path, but then, the family does date back thirty thousand years. Who were your ancestors worshipping thirty thousand years ago?

The Vida teachings include certain spiritual beliefs, but they are mostly constrained to this world- how one should live, etc- instead of focused on the next world. Most Macht witches, if they are religious, follow some form of Paganism, but that might have something to do with the fact that any religion that has evolved from the Old Testament includes caveats like "thou shalt not suffer a witch to live," and that doesn't go over well with a family of witches. However, just as humans raised in a Catholic family don't always remain Catholic, Macht witches don't always hold to the religious teachings of their parents.

Among the younger- mortal- Nyeusi, religion is more common, but they tend to follow solitary paths. Few Nyeusi form close community ties with humans. It's too dangerous to be honest, but impossible to truly engage in a community while lying about one's nature. Young shapeshifters are the most likely to belong to a church (compared to witches and older shapeshifters); older shapeshifters tend to choose paths that rely more on their own communion with God/dess/es; and as said previously.

A few notable exceptions to the rule that older Nyeusi are not religious include Xeke Catene, his bloodbond Ash, and Alexander Weatere, all of whom hold strong religious beliefs.