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--- gods:ancientwind [2024/05/07 18:24] – onermedwolf
+++ gods:ancientwind [2024/08/20 15:46] (current) – [Ceremonies] onermedwolf
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 ====== The Ancient Wind & Ninism ======
-“As the Wind had shaped the world, so too had They shaped me.” Wisdom of Ninos 17:13
+“As the Wind had brought me, so too had They brought this uprising.” Wisdom of Ninos 18:13
 Greater Divinity, Deity of Divine Breath, Primordial Will. The Ancient Wind is a unique figure in [[settings:cahyali:religion|Cahyalic Religion]]. Due to [[settings:cahyali:dahabu|Dahabi]] imperialism, worship of the 14 was brought to nearly all corners of [[settings:cahyali|Cahyali]], but in the lands of the [[settings:cahyali#the_oxis_alliance|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 [[settings:cahyali:arenti|Arenti]] and [[settings:cahyali:shinneok|Shinneok]].
-===== Story of Ninos =====
+==== Nature of Divinity ====
-==== Ninite Creation Myth ====
+Ninism all but rejects standard Cahyalic views on gods and divinity. Instead of the existence of 14 individual gods, it is believed that there are 14 aspects to divinity: life, death, light, dark, fate, land, sea, emotion, justice, change, knowledge, mind, body, and soul. These are manifestations of the Ancient Wind's will on this world and for Ninite priests who are able to perform divine magic, they draw power from the Greater Divinity through one of these aspects. Each one of the great saints is seen as the patron of one of these aspects.
-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.
+==== Ninos, Lord of Gales, Father of the Uprising ====
+For thousands of years, the Oxis was subjected to a brutal occupation by the Dahabi Empire where they had their culture and practices solely erased as their occupiers forced their religion on the populace. Out of this oppression, arose a warrior who would challenge the Great Conqueror. Ninos was equal parts revolutionary and teacher who’s military mind and wisdom was able to turn the disparate clans in the Oxis into a united front against their oppressors.
-==== The Great Conqueror ====
+To followers of faith, Ninos is ‘wind made flesh’, the divinity of the Primordial Will made manifest. He was made to free the Oxis and ultimately the world from Dahabi occupation which was fulfilled on the Day of Solar Wrath. Ninites claim that Ninos was the only person in history who was able to use divine magics from all aspects of divinity which many use to explain why his rebellion was able to put up a fight in face of overwhelming force.
-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.
-==== When Sky became Flesh ====
-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 [[gods:rudri|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, [[gods:ra|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 [[gods:atena|Seherine]], and he was childhood friends with a hunter by the name of [[gods:osiris#julius|Julius]].
+==== The Book of Three Wisdoms ====
+The central religious text of the Ninite religion is a collection of teachings that was compiled by St. Thoth in decades following Ninos’ execution. The Book is split into 3 sections: Ninos’ Wisdom, Druid’s Wisdom, and Dahabu’s Wisdom. Ninos’ Wisdom is focused on the life of Ninos and what he had taught during the Oxian Uprising. The Druid’s and Dahabu’s Wisdom is stated to be Thoth’s study of the theological heritage of Ninos’ teaching. Druid’s wisdom was written during his mission in Vervand and Dahabu’s Wisdom came from his study of the Orthodoxy of the 14.
-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.
+==== Modern Day Church ====
+What was once relegated to underground religious communities has now become one of the most organized religions in Cahyali. The Ninite Church has a well defined dogma and hierarchy where regional variations have been replaced with official canon. The Church is predominant in Shinneok and Arenti as well as being a minority religion in Vervand. Ninites rarely proselytize outside of the Oxis as they revile Dahabu's policy of forced conversion.
-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.
+Structure
+The Church follows a strict hierarchy and districting. Within each country where Ninism is practiced, the lands of the faithful are divided into many Councils who administrate and lead the faithful. Each Council is further divided into Sanctuaries whose authority is centered at a Cathedral.
-==== Dust and Ash ====
+  * Ninos: He is considered the founder and eternal leader of the church from where he rules over it from his divine realm.
-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.
+  * Hierophant: The mortal head of the Ninite Church who is to act as Ninos’ emissary and representative here on earth. They reign from Macutan City. They are elected by a High Council and reign until their death.
+  * Archpontiff: They are the leaders of their council and would be their representative when a High Council is called. When running their councils, they act as first among equals and do not have explicitly more authority than the rest of the pontiffs.
+  * Pontiff: They make up the remainder of their local Council and each hold authority in their respective sanctuaries. The seats of their power are the Cathedrals.
+  * Vicar: The lieutenants of pontiffs who handle much of the administrative tasks of their sanctuaries. Pontiffs often name one of their vicars as their successor but anyone could be chosen.
+  * Priest: These are the rank and file clergy of the Ninite church who run their parishes and act as the spiritual leaders of their communities.
-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.
+==== Saints ====
+The 14 Great Saints are the people whose holiness and reverence is exceeded only by Ninos and the Ancient Wind. These are the followers and friends of Ninos whom he held in highest regard. Each of the Great Saints have an associated priestly order where upon being fully initiated, they are bestowed power from one aspect of divinity.
-===== Modern Day Church =====
+=== Peregrinus, Father of Ninos, and Saint of Light ===
+He was said to be a deserter of old Dahabu, who fled into the lands of the Oxis with a unit of fellow deserters. They went into the mountains of the Oxis where they built a community for anyone who sought to flee Dahabu. Peregrinus is among the most revered figures in the church with only Ninos being held in higher regard. He is known for his sacrifice, buying his people precious time to escape, when the great conqueror came to his village.
-=== Structure ===
+=== Tenebrus, Mother of Ninos, and Saint of Night ===
+She was a Shinnean hunter that wandered the outskirts and the woods of the Oxis. A dissident from the beginning, she always flippantly objected to any order that Dahabu tried to impose. The hunter was known to disappear as swiftly as she arrived for she always made certain to encourage disobedience amongst the people. After the razing of Piccolucia, she’d pledged herself to making sure that the resistance stayed alive.
-=== Beliefs ===
+=== Seherine, Sister of Ninos, and Saint of Fate ===
+=== Anpu, the Gravekeeper, and Saint of Death ===
-===== Saints =====
+=== Vahrun, the Missionary, and Saint of the Sea ===
+=== Aremakh, the Repentant, and Saint of Change ===
+=== Marutuk, the Militant, and Saint of Justice ===
+=== Julius, the Right Hand, and Saint of the Land ===
+=== Thoth, the Scribe, and Saint of Knowledge ===
+The one who penned the Book of Three Wisdoms
+=== Aset, the First Hierophant, and Saint of Life ===
+=== Arakh, the Lost, and Saint of Emotion ===
+=== Zepherin,  Guardian of the Weak, and Saint of the Body ===
+=== Vormaxia, the Theologian, and Saint of the Mind ===
+=== Almar, First of the Choir, and Saint of the Soul ===
-==== The Redeemed ====
-Saint Anpu, the Martyr
-Saint Vahrun, the Missionary
-Saint Aremakh, the Repentant
-Saint Marutuk, the Just