Heitherins have an intimate and visceral connection with the Wave Walker. An androgynous being, the Wave Walker is said to have created Khakii-II and all born from it. Heitherin faiths dictates that long ago, Khakii-II was an ocean paradise, with waters that bore many beautiful and terrible species of plant and animal. The distant ancestors of the Heitherin clans cultivated their island homes, living in harmony with their watery surroundings, never of need or want, for the planet provided all.
But this was not to last. Many of the Heitherin clans grew fat and lazy in their fortune and began to exploit Khakii-II for its natural resources without a care for the consequences. Some clans openly distanced themselves from the teachings of the Wave Walker and blamed their deity for all of their misfortunes and lack of notoriety among their peers. The Wave Walker noticed this heresy, and cursed Khakii-II’s oceans to slowly dry up, leaving only a dry, desolate world in its place.
The Heitherin clans suffered then. Stripped of almost all of their natural resources, their numbers quickly dwindled, until only a few small clans remained, scrambling for sustenance across a desert world. Neña (NEN-nya), the spouse of the Wave Walker, felt immense sorrow at the plights of the mortals, and, unable to convince their partner to spare the Heitherins total annihilation, they wept. It is said that Neña' s tears splashed onto Khakii-II's parched surface, and sprayed water onto its desert sands, forming the vast network of rivers which nurtured the planet back to health.
Since that time, the various Heitherin clans have learned that there is great reward in humility, patience, and sustainability. They now shape their lives around careful cultivation and honoring all of the Wave Walker’s creations. They believe that each clan is descended from the ancestral families that scorned the Wave Walker, and as such, must pay penance for their predecessor's crimes. Though they were blessed by Neña's pity, the Heitherin clans believe that if they stray from the path again, Neña's eternal sadness may run dry, and with it, the planet's rivers. As such, it is highly advised that one makes note of specific symbol(s) and religious beliefs when interacting with a particular Heitherin clan. Incurring a Heitherin clan’s wrath, even by accident, is a fate best avoided.
