Isaya
Central to the religion of the Isalina Syukaya is the Isaya. Derived from the Kayastayu / North Laguardan word for Saviour, it is the title bestowed upon those who are journeying to make the ultimate sacrifice for the South-Sea Merfolk.
Upon the Isaya's pilgrimage they are expected to perform a rite in each city that they approach, collecting the lost souls from each place that they visit to take back to the lands beyond with their own sacrifice. It is a mournful moment but also one of great gratitude for the people that believe.
History
Originally the title was given as simply an expression of gratitude for the weight of the act about to be played out. It was only over time as more and more small anachronisms turned into traditions and the common folk invented new ways to express their genuine gratitude that the title itself became a weight and a position of incredible power and purpose.
Cultural Significance
For the Laguardans and for most South-Sea Merfolk the significance of the Isaya is bar none. They are the salvation, the sacrifice, the needed and divine nessecity for their world to continue to spin and for the life to continue as it is. There are books written, both fiction and non fiction, about them, tv shows that document the journey, little kids pretend to be them in their playing sessions. It's core and central to everything they do. In the back of their minds, in a photograph or statue in their homes, to whom the candle burns for.
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