Editing The Islands of Sina Una (section)

==The Gods of the Islands==

[[File:Sina_Una_Haliya.JPG|thumb|right|400px|Haliya and her war mask of starlight]]

Rather than being omnipotent beings, the Gods of the Islands are pretty much just bigger and more powerful spirits that embody universal facets of life, like the sun, the moon, or the seasons.  Some of the more well-known are the following:

* '''Bathala''': Patriarch of the gods, and local creator deity, from whom many of the other deities are descended from, He has mostly retired, and has instead split the duties of rulership among his two eldest children.  He is still widely venerated however, especially by new fathers, as well as rulers who would rather look for peaceful solutions instead of harsh punishments.

* '''Apolaki''': God of the sky and the sun, and Bathala's eldest son from his first lover.  Apolaki is many things -- stubborn and cocky mostly -- but he is also passionate.  He is the patron of warriors, particularly those who would defend their communities against dire threats.  

* '''Mayari''': Eldest of Bathala's Moon triplets, she is the goddess of the Moon.  Despite having only one eye -- she lost the other one in a bad fight with Apolaki -- she is considered the most attractive of the three sisters.  She is constantly pursued across the evening skies by the sea serpent Bakunawa, who seeks to devour her.  Her two younger sisters do their best to ensure that this does not happen.

* '''Haliya''': The youngest of Bathala's Moon triplets, Haliya is the warrior among them, and often it is up to her to defend Mayari from Bakunawa, especially when she grew weary from the chase.  To this end, she was given a tusked mask and a gleaming sword to help ward away the serpent.  She is the patron of the balatkayo, with their visages a reflection of the war mask she wears.

* '''Tala''': The second oldest of the Sky sisters, Tala is the patron of travelers and those who use the stars to navigate.  She will often guide the lost back using these stars, and sometimes sends shooting starts flying through the night skies.

* '''Sidapa''': The god of Death and mortality, he's a bit of a recluse.  Sees himself more as a chronicler and a record-keeper than an active death-dealer, and is often times annoyed that people who try and extend their lives beyond their allotted lifetimes.