“As the Wind had shaped the world, so too had They shaped me.” Wisdom of Ninos 17:13
Greater Divinity, Deity of Divine Breath, Primordial Will. The Ancient Wind is a unique figure in Cahyalic Religion. Due to Dahabi imperialism, worship of the 14 was brought to nearly all corners of Cahyali, but in the lands of the Oxis Alliance, a peculiar faith had sprung up in the ashes of the fallen empire. Ninism is the sole monotheistic faith in Cahyali that reveres a higher divinity that created the world and breathed life into it. This Ancient Wind is the divine ruler of all things, and it is believed that They once took mortal form as the prophet Ninos. The faith was outlawed under Dahabu rule but grew to become the predominant religion in Arenti and Shinneok.
As taught by Ninos, at the dawn of time, there was nothing and then from nothing came a great gale of wind. This Wind used its power to create the world in a primordial, formless state. The Ancient Wind acted as the great current that flowed over Creation, forming mighty mountain, abyssal oceans, while making a domain for itself in the form of the sky.
While this creation was good, it was empty, save for the Wind, so the Primordial Will took the dust of the earth and the water of the sea and breathed life into it. First it made the plant life that covered the land, then beasts that roamed, and then it created Mortalkind to shepherd their creation. The Ancient Wind then took a more passive role, letting mortals make what they wanted of the world the Wind gave them.
The Ancient Wind blessed Their creation with free will, for it trusted and loved them enough to grant Mortalkind dominion over the world of Cahyali. As a consequence, Mortalkind would be able to go against the benevolent will of the Greater Divinity and choose to do evil. This is best exemplified when the kingdom of Dahabu launched its conquest against the rest of Cahyali. “The Great Conqueror”, as it is called, brought war and death to every corner of the world. The Ancient Wind thought it could subtly guide Dahabu away from its expansionist ideology however it knew that the empire wouldn’t abandon it without more thorough intervention.
Mortalkind had become locked in an endless cycle of violence and suffering with Dahabu waging a never ending war all for the sake of its own dominance. It preached a creed of national supremacy over every nation it conquered, subjugating the people and turning them into second class citizens in their own home. These prayed out to the gods forced upon them, they begged for freedom, they pleaded for grace, yet freedom never came and it seemed that the Gods would ever their prayers, but another being listened. The Ancient Wind knew all too well of the great evils of the Dahabi Empire and it simply could sit back any longer. They would incarnate Themselves as mortal flesh, so that They both can teach the righteous path and to truly understand what life was like for mortal kind.
Trekking through the woods was a human hunter by the name of Tenebrus. She went out on her daily hunt for food when she came across a half-human, half-elven baby boy. Taking pity on the baby, she brought the baby back to her village. She presented the baby to the village leader, Peregrinus, a Dahabi elf, who allowed Tenebrus to keep the child and promised to raise the baby. The two agreed upon the name “Ninos” for the child, meaning “Stranger”. Not much is known of what happened during Ninos’ childhood other than that Peregrinus and Tenebrus had married, had a daughter named Seherine, and he was childhood friends with a hunter by the name of Julius.
At the age of 30, Ninos said to his mother and father that he wished to see what the outside was like. See this village was made as a haven for people persecuted by the Dahabi Empire, but he knew that there were people who lived underneath this brutal regime and he could not stand by while so many suffered. That day He left with Julius from the village that they would never see again. Countless tales exist of Ninos’ various miracles and teachings but they all had an overarching theme. Ninos told the people of the Oxis what they’ve felt for centuries, that Dahabu unjustly stole their and subjugated them into servitude. He repeatedly spoke of a day of judgment that would arrive and erase the evil so that justice could reign. The religious authorities admonished Ninos, for how could Dahabu occupation be so unjust when it was ordained by the gods.
Thus came Ninos’ greatest challenge to the Empire; He said that there gods were no gods at all, but merely facets of a Greater Divinity. They had made the world, shaped it and breathed life into the dust. A deity he only referred to as ‘the Wind’ had neither ordained nor even approved of their conquest or any other conquest, for this god was a god of life, justice, and peace. Ninos’ words would become the rallying call of the Oxis people as due to his influence, they began to rise up against their oppressors.
Ninos was no longer just a heretic, which alone would have had him executed but he was seen as a figurehead of these rebels. This revolution was so pervasive and vicious that it reached the attention of the Pharaoh, Maatkare II, herself. Enraged that a once pacified province had now started full on uprising, her majesty pledged that the land of the Oxis would be rendered to nothing but dust and ash. To carry out this mission, she sent out her most vicious commander; a woman whose reputation was so fearsome that she is only remembered by what her foes called, the Iron General. With her she brought a vast and mighty fleet with a vicious army who reveled at the opportunity to put these apostate rebels in their place.
It would be dishonest to call what followed a war; instead it is known, by both sides, as the Second Subjugation. The rebellion was crushed with utmost brutality and efficiency, as for Dahabu, this was every bit a message as it was conquest. Though the Oxians were quelled, the Iron General was not satisfied as this land was still brimming with heretics led by the false-prophet Ninos. It is said that any who professed faith in Ninos were rounded up and executed en masse, with Ninos’ capture being their highest priority.
The prophet Ninos had gone into hiding for sometime because his leadership was considered an invaluable asset to rebel’s cause. His very presence was able to boost their morale tenfold and it seemed that they would endure Dahabu’s onslaught until the end, but Ninos himself was deeply disturbed by the carnage. The Second Subjugation took away much from him, as the Iron General burned his village, killed his Father, and punished so many innocent people all because he dared to challenge their cruelty. At this time, it is believed that one of Ninos' own disciples, Aremakh, had betrayed him and turned him over to the Dahabi military.
The execution of Ninos was held in front of Pharaoh Maatkare where he was repeatedly burnt to near death and healed from dawn until dusk. Before the final inferno that put an end to his mortal form, Ninos gave one last warning to the Pharaoh, “If you do not end your cruelty, you shall burn the way I have burned.” His physical form then crumbled away until there was nothing left but dust and ash that then blew away with the Wind.
The Day of Solar Wrath was the turning point of Cahyalic history, Dahabu’s empire fell over night as a great flame fell upon them. None know the cause and countless explanations have been given and none proven, but to the Oxians, and Ninites especially, the answer was clear as the sky above. Dahabu had been judged unworthy of their might and power. The Ancient Wind is a benevolent and forgiving god, but even Their mercy has limits, because they had given the empire chance after chance to mend their evil ways but they had rejected redemption at every opportunity. Thus the Wind sent upon them the Conflagration to end their reign for evermore.
Saint Anpu, the Martyr
Saint Vahrun, the Missionary
Saint Aremakh, the Repentant
Saint Marutuk, the Just