Muna
Lore
February 17th, 2024
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Philosophy
Unlike the Ordis, who seek to organize the sensory world, the Muna primarily seek to structure themselves, and by extension, to attain a state of inner peace. It is when a being is able to calm their inner turmoil and turn it into an impassive mirror that they are capable of facing themselves and finding their true identity. This self-knowledge and self-awareness, which must be as instinctive as possible, in turn reinforce, through feedback, their intrinsic harmony. It is this cycle of congruence that the Muna respect and develop in the first place; a virtuous loop that then allows each being, through their mere existence, to positively influence their environment.
To achieve this, the Muna seek to master Mana, a creative energy that permeates and connects all things. While other Factions believe that each thing, whether living or inanimate, is independent and distinct from others, the Muna rather believe in the existence of a network, a strong bond that unites all of Creation into a protean and shifting whole. This holistic vision strongly shapes the Muna philosophy around the notions of exchange and sharing: without its environment, an individual is nothing, and it is only through their position in the universe, through the interaction they maintain with their ecosystem, that they can define themselves.
However, even though the Muna advocate for a robust inner strength and an immutable harmony, they recognize that the only true permanence lies in the constant impermanence of things. Any stability is precarious, any balance is dynamic. To continue to exist, each thing must evolve and adapt to its environment, which by its essence is constantly in motion. This flexibility is reflected in the continuous curiosity exhibited by the Muna: they are in a state of constant alertness, vigilantly observing new forms of life and still unknown phenomena, with the aim of integrating them into their biome and establishing interactions with them, whatever their nature may be.
The Muna aspire to total alignment with their environment: a unity of mind, soul, and body that surpasses the prism of thought or reason. Only in this way can they embrace the flow of the world, becoming one with its currents... For members of the Faction, existence stems from the moment, and reality is a wave that must be ridden. For the Muna, the Tumult is a reflection of the living beings' disruption of harmony; a symptom, not a cause. To appease it, each thing must regain its inner balance, and only then can the world stabilize in the long term.
Organization
The Muna Faction is inherently organized in a decentralized manner. The Ordis even say that their functioning is anarchic, devoid of cohesion. Nevertheless, the Faction manages to operate despite this apparent lack of organization. Some may be migratory, going where their instinct leads them, while others are sedentary, finding tranquility in immobility. The Muna did not arise around a clear ideology, but rather from a fortuitous event when Niavhe, a simple young girl, formed a bond with Kaibara, the Leviathan who made the peninsula its territory. This union caused a discharge in the Mana fabric, the Skein, which touched many individuals throughout Asgartha. All those affected awakened to this network and became aware of the existence of others like them.
The Muna naturally perceive the Skein on multiple levels. Fully conscious, they can send signals to their peers to inform them of dangers or destabilizations even leagues away, akin to a network of mycelium. But this connection to the Skein also brings them another faculty, akin to animal instinct. It is not uncommon for them to feel called to a place, without knowing why, as if the Skein had a will of its own. However, they do not assimilate it to a deity seeking worship. For them, the Skein is the reflection of a collective soul to which all sentient beings are connected.
The focus of the Muna is primarily on ecosystems. Some live self-sufficiently, surrounded by plants or animals they care for. Others are mediators or ambassadors, seeking to build bridges between species so that all can live in harmony within the same biome. But there are other Muna whose heavy task is to regulate life forms when some of them threaten their environment through proliferation. All these roles may sometimes be at odds, but there is no enmity between two Muna with divergent objectives. They know that they respond to a need for balance and that they are only links in a process of returning to stability.
Alteration Style : The Anam
While the vast majority of Alterers specialize in manipulating what the Yzmir call the Aether to modify their environment, the Muna focus their attention on the energy that binds this Aether to reality: Mana. If this force is somewhat neglected by other Factions, it's because it requires long-term work and great patience to function properly. Indeed, the Factions impose ideas on reality, but these are not deeply rooted. The Muna aim for the long term, the distant horizon. By shaping Mana, they ensure that the Aether and the substance of reality—the Quintessence—intermingle and blend durably.
This form of control, while it doesn't allow them the wonders of the Lyra or the Yzmir, makes them much more resilient to the waves of the Tumult. This is explained by their quest for identity and authenticity, which solidly cements their being and makes them less porous to transformations. The Muna practice Alteration like gardeners cultivate nature: they take the time to respect the rhythm of the universe, to let things root and acquire the certainty of their form, the only guarantee of their enduring subsistence.
But mastery of Mana allows them another wonder, reserved for those who reach a high state of inner harmony. By using this energy, the Muna can allow Eidolons to temporarily incarnate within them. When one of them bonds with a Muna, the resulting hybrid being becomes capable of affecting reality, transforming it through their will alone. The process is extremely difficult and depends above all on the closeness of the bond between the Eidolon and its host. But once a Muna and an Eidolon have succeeded in synchronizing, their demiurgic abilities can accomplish incredible feats.
Rites & initiation
It is difficult to know why some individuals awaken to the Skein while others do not. Sometimes, it requires long learning, and sometimes, this connection is natural and instinctive. When a person feels this bond, they are faced with a choice: to strengthen it through practice or let it wither away. For those who feel the need to delve deeper, the doors of the Faction are wide open. However, joining the Muna is not done in a day. The aspirant must first undertake a long pilgrimage on the island of Kirighai, passing through the nine stages of the circuit. It is an initiatory journey that takes several months. At each stage, the pilgrim can stop at a Refuge and benefit from the insight of a sage who has established their residence there.
The journey ends at the Spindle, the seat of the Bark Refuge. It is under the canopy of this world tree that the ceremony will take place to officially integrate the aspirant into the Faction. For this, they must climb to the top of the gigantic tree to collect vines or stems, and descend to gather some roots. Using the fruit of their collection, the aspirant must weave the Namkha knot themselves, which will become the sign of their belonging to the Muna.
But the most important rite of the Muna is undoubtedly the Musubi. Only the Muna can celebrate this ceremony. All Alterers and Chimeras who wish to bond in this way are invited to the Bark Refuge so that a Muna priest can intertwine their essences, so that at the end of the ritual, they become one. But Musubi is not only reserved for Alterers and entities of the Tumult. Two individuals can unite for many reasons, whether it be love, friendship, or mutual interest. However, this marriage should not be taken lightly, as this communion is profound and inherently transformative. Those who bond become like two pieces of the same puzzle, fitting perfectly together. They complement each other, like yin and yang.
Iconic Locations
The Katkera
The name given to the vast forested expanse covering the sacred peninsula of Kirighai is the Katkera. From its rugged shores to the heart of its primeval forest, everything appears harsh and inhospitable at first glance. However, the Katkera is teeming with unsuspected treasures, revealing themselves only to those who know where to look. Its biodiversity is incredibly rich and flourishing; its panoramas, far from human influence and strongly marked by the winds of the ancient Tumult, are imbued with wild beauty... A maze of shaded undergrowth, rocky chaos, and natural pools with crystal-clear water unfolds with splendor. One can encounter bears and majestic deer, mischievous elementals, trees—maples, pines, or oaks—covering its wild spaces with their branches... Katkera is a sanctuary, a nature reserve where humans rarely have the right to stay. This is the subject of the pact sealed between humanity and Kaibara. The latter would provide support in exchange for the promise that the island of Kirighai would remain inviolate.
The Refuges
The Muna Alterers do not recognize a true Bastion for themselves, preferring to see Nature as an infinite and borderless home. However, they have erected Refuges within the Katkera, isolated sanctuaries that serve as their interface with the rest of the Asgarthan populations. These embassies lost within lush nature allow the Muna to converse with other Factions, and for the creatures of Nature to dialogue with humans. While the Refuges are havens of peace and tranquility, accessing them is no easy task. It takes days to complete the loop that connects them all together. Each of them is affiliated with a particular element: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Bark, Musk, Mana, Quintessence, Aether; and the Muna regularly undertake a pilgrimage, visiting each sanctuary as stages within their journey.
The Spindle
The Spindle is a tree like no other. Its canopy blooms high above the tops of other trees, even those of the gigantic sequoias. For the Spindle is a world tree, an ecosystem in its own right. Its trunk rises high towards the sky to the point of touching the clouds, like a vertical axis connecting the heavens and the earth. Visible for miles around with its branches covered in pink leaves swaying in the wind, it could be compared to a beacon erected within the forested expanses. There is no place more sacred within the Katkera. When the Muna access the Skein, they can see that the dendrites of the Mana network gather at this location, creating a pulsating node of energy. The Spindle is literally the heart of the forest, and all beings living there are connected to it in one way or another. However, the Spindle has been sick for many years. Some of its branches are slowly dying, and its leaves are inexplicably wilting. The Muna are concerned about this decline and are seeking to save it at all costs.
The Mugen
Linking Nisan and Kirighai, the Mugen is a wooden bridge consisting of nineteen arched sections hopping between numerous islets of various sizes. On each island stands a torii at the foot of which resides an altar dedicated to a specific Eidolon. It is incumbent upon every visitor to make a stop there to honor the spirits of Kirighai, with each step corresponding to a moment of reflection and communion. The Mugen is regarded as a sacred place, a gateway to the pristine sanctuary of the Muna. This bridge was created by Yong-Su, a Muna Alterer, with the aim of supplying Arkaster when a Tumult singularity prevented the capital from being replenished with food and essential resources.
Current objectives
The Guardian Spirits
The Muna actively seek to rediscover particular creatures: the mythical Sarwa. These guardian spirits of nature, glimpsed by some primitive peoples during their migration to Asgartha, are said to reign over the wild expanses, far from human enclaves. No one knows their true nature, whether they are still unknown entities or beings similar to the Leviathans. But regardless of the case, the Muna believe that these creatures could be the missing piece to hope for lasting stabilization of the world. If, as legends say, the Sarwa preside over ecosystems, granting them the gift of Alteration could accelerate the appeasement of the world. For a long time, the Muna have wondered why humans are the only species capable of this wonder, and what could be achieved if other creatures awakened to this faculty.
The Skein
The Muna are vigilant sentinels of the Skein, striving to capture all its subtle variations. It is through this connection that they can sense when an imbalance is emerging within reality. They stand ready to intervene when an ecosystem is threatened in any way, whether by the Tumult or the excessive proliferation of an invasive species. With time and the rediscovery of the world, the Muna hope to expand their awareness to new horizons, connecting new biomes to the Skein and spreading their perception far beyond current limits.