Religion

Ancestric religion
Ancestric has three places of religion, namely ancestor sanctuaries, temples and monasteries.

every home has it's own little sanctuary dedicated to their ancestors. It is a place for prayer and thought. Incense is lit when doing a prayer as a token of appreciation for the listening ear of their ancestors.

Over time, the religion has become more organisted, as tribes started building centralised areas dedicated to silent meditation, peace, and harmony. These temples require upkeep during times when the area is unsuitable for the herds and the local tribe needs to move out, and each tribe is expected to sustain both of their seasonal temples.

As the caretakers of these temples only tend to their flock for one half of the year, the other half is spent on study and silent mediation. Caretakers stay updated with regional news through messengers or carriers pigeons.

The most dedicated supporters of the temple are taken in by monasteries to help spread their beliefs. Acolytes are taken in from 12 on, and require a token of wealth to pay for their education. They are taught much practical and theoretical knowledge, and serve as Sheperds to tribes.Their role is primarily as teachers to children and to provide counsel to anyone willing to listen.

Monasteries function as forts, centers of spirituality and learning. Safe from raiders and sandstorms, they are self-sufficient and mostly self-governing. Monasteries provide a safety net for tribes in need, and train their monks to assist them as caretakers. The wide-spread presence of caretakers has made monasteries more powerful in the sparsely populated steppes, often overpowering regional rule to align their decisions with the vision of the Temple as a whole.