Nilthism

Nilthism as a Religion represents an organized monotheistic faith of appeasement and binding of a mad and broken god, the Blind One. Unlike other Religions where Gods are (usually) benevolent beings who bless the people, the Blind God is a broken Primeval Being that the worshipers believe will end reality and kill all living things within should it awaken. They worship the Blind One, and in their act of worship, believe that they bind and blind it, thus preventing it from destroying the world as they know it. Nilthism is currently the only (playable) monotheistic Religion in Aloria. Because Nilthism is a monotheistic Religion, it cannot be syncretized with other Religions.

Origins

The origins of Nilthism are unclear because it has somewhat existed on the back of Draconism for perhaps just as long, but far less remarkable. With the calamities of Magic and Demons repeatedly assaulting and consuming the world, it would be easy for the living people of Aloria to forget that their realm also has world-ender entities that seek to destroy existence. There is archeological evidence of Nilthist cultists in the Dewamenet, Allorn, Meraic, and possibly Seraph civilizations. While the imminent threat of the Immortal War and the Void Invasions always took the foreground, the Blind God was always present, and Nilthism as such has always existed to bind it.

Core Beliefs

Central Message

The central message of the Nilthist faith is that existence is divided between the cosmic energies of light and darkness. Light gives life, happiness, joy, experience, and growth, while darkness is consuming, evil, merciless and world-ending. Nilthists believe that while Dragons are agents of creation, that they are subject to the same cosmic opposition of light and darkness that constantly battle each other. They believe that the blind God is one of the original creators of reality and cosmic by-laws of existence, but for some reason, the Blind God became the embodiment of darkness. The faithful worship and sacrifice things of value and sometimes even their life to keep the Blind God bound so that it cannot end the world, and for this sacrifice, the Dragons lift them into an adjacent afterlife.

Faith Binding

The central activity of Nilthism is worship to silence the Blind God, to bind its arms with chains, to blind its one burning eye from being able to see and to restrain any and all intentions of this penultimate darkness to turn off the light forever. By small contributions of worship, sacrifice, and preaching at shrines to the Blind God, the faithful believe that their spiritual energy and belief are coalesced into the very chains and ritual scrolls that restrain the Blind God. An individual worshiper is not strong enough to defeat the Blind God's awakening mind, but hundreds of thousands, even millions of them, can.

Winds of Terror

The Winds of Terror is a notable concept of Nilthism because the bindings of the Blind God are not stable. Through war, famine, disease, or other outside factors, the flock of Nilthism followers waxes and wanes, or is restrained from their usual activities. The Blind God itself also exists in a state of chaotic darkness and grows in power, or weakens over time for no clear discernable reason. The Winds of Terror represent the stages by which the Blind God is awakening and the fear of the worshipers increases, as well as their desperation to resort to ever more cruel and cultish activities to keep the Blind God restrained. This is the reason why Nilthists have a bad reputation among some other religions, due to the value of a sacrifice (discussed further down).

The Afterlife

Nilthism does not have an Afterlife of its own, rather, the original prophets and priests of the Religions created an agreement with the Dragons tens of thousands of years ago, that for their service in binding this primeval that is stronger than even the Dragons, that the Dragons would bargain for the souls of the dead and dying into adjacent afterlives of other Religions. What this for example means, is that a family of Nilthists living in Nordskag among Fornoss worshipers, will upon dying have their souls carried to the Fornoss Afterlife by the Dragons (or, more specifically, Drakons made by the Dragons), where they are accepted.

The Blind God

Place among Gods

While Nilthists acknowledge the Gods of other Religions and particularly Dragons who sometimes come to their aid in the struggle with the Blind God and their faith, the only God that truly matters to Nilthists is the Blind God itself. The Blind God like The Covenant and The Everwatcher are Primeval Beings, entities that existed in a time even before the Dragons and are considered much more powerful and incomprehensible. What the Blind God's relation to the other Primeval Beings remains unclear, though there are scholars who speculate that the Blind God is the cosmic embodiment of darkness, while the Everwatcher is the cosmic embodiment of light. If that were true though, it begs the question why the Everwatcher is not acting against it's archnemesis. There are those who further this logic, and claim that all the Primeval Beings are already mad, and that The Everwatcher and The Covenant just happen to be far more benign than the Blind God would be.

Blinded Dreamers

Nilthism is a Religion that is transferred from word of mouth between believers, and so it has a stable worshiping population, but the Blind God also infrequently appears in dreams and visions of seemingly random people across the world. With the real threat that the Blind God poses to the world, is is as if the world itself is making sure that the living know of the peril they face. Random people are either born or chosen by some invisible hand to be Blinded Dreamers, who receive visions of the Blind God and possible futures in which it ends the world. It is through the visions of the Blinded Dreamers that the followers know of the Winds of Terror, because when the Blind God stirs to awaken, it is the Blinded Dreamers who receive these visions in agony first.

Blindspawn

Where the Blind God itself exists, is unclear. In a similar way that The Everwatcher and The Covenant have never been witnessed in person, this Primeval Being likely exists in a plane of reality that mortals cannot grasp. Their bindings made with faith hold the Blind God in place and prevent its eye from seeing the world. However, the Blind God is not powerless to fight back, and it does so through the so-called Blindspawn. Blindspawns are wells of chaotic darkness that spawn in random locations, wherever the Blind God can break through its own blinded dream state to touch the real world. Such Blindspawn are difficult to find for anti-Mages, because being a Primeval Being, all of the Blind God's actions are made with Primal but highly corrosive and deadly energy. It is the Blinded Dreamers (and sometimes, Draconist Oracles) who perceive the appearance of a Blindspawn, and gather allies within and outside of the faith to bind these Blindspawn through rituals, defeating whatever mad horrors it spawns until the Blindspawn is burned from reality with faith, usually with believers chanting the Verse of Sleep, while their allies protect them from the horrors that seek to end their ritual.

World Status

Nilthism is not a very popular religion in the world, though it has a stable and sizeable worshiping population in all continents, even among some peoples of Aloria who are not widely known to the civilized world as it is seen in Regalia. Within Regalia. Nilthism is legal, but some of the more desperate practices its worshipers engage in during Winds of Terror are not. To many other faithful of other Religions, Nilthists are cultists who have no actual proof for their beliefs. It is easy to dismiss even the Blindspawn as the work of a Demon. To the Nilthists however, faith does not need complete logic reason and acceptance. The risk is just too great for them to doubt their own belief or the visions they have been given by some greater hand in need. After all, the Nilthists can get it right a million times and never notice anything, but the Blind God only needs to wake up once to end everything. Some would say this is too great a calamity or peril to spend time doubting the faith over.

Priesthood

Despite its cult-like reputation among other Religions, Nilthism does actually have an organized priesthood with a structured hierarchy. At the head of the Nilthist Templehood is the Grand Seer, who does not have religious authority, but rather manages the flow of currency and resources where necessary. This is usually a collection of donations and commitments secured from nonbelievers and believers alike that are meant to combat the Blindspawn when they occur. Beneath the Grand Seer are the Far Seers, which are a group of particularly strong Blinded Dreamers who have blinded themselves to be able to see their dreams more clearly. it is the collective of Blinded Dreamers that usually warns of the Winds of Terror changing. The rank-and-file priesthood of Nilthism is called Walking Seers, who usually undergo several years of religious teaching training, as well as self-defense arts, at a Hallowed Sovery, a kind of religious warrior-priest temple. All Nilthist priests are warriors of some kind because Blindspawns are not the only threat that the Blind God poses to the world. Occasionally. Blind Tears will be shed by the Blind God, which births Blind Rippers, monstrous creatures that stalk specifically Walking Seers to try and kill them and thus reduce the faith's reach. Unlike other Religions, Nilthist priests are permanently hunted by these Blind Rippers and must be alert and able to defend themselves when one appears, as they always do. The Walking Seers have a high mortality rate, but priests who survive a long time are called Sovist Seers, a mark of respect.

Religious Mechanic

The Nilthism Religious Mechanic is quite unique, in that it is a time-based rotational Mechanic. Over arbitrary periods, the Winds of Terror change direction through four distinct quadrants. Each quadrant represents a stage of further awakening of the Blind God, starting with the Winds of Calm, to the Winds of Stirring, to the Winds of Breaching, to the Winds of Horror. Each increasing step represents an increase in desperation among the faithful, which can be used by Players to roleplay out their own Characters becoming more aware of potential impending doom, and the urgency for them to act against it. The Winds of Terror change at random intervals, and change to random directions, though a Wind of Horror is always followed by a Wind of Calm, which can be sped up depending on the amount of additional power sources contributed to the cause. Outside of this Mechanic, the Winds of Terror change during every Server Staff Q/A Session (because they appear at random too, and this makes it easier to remember for Staff to change the Winds). The below image always shows which wind is active. the active wind is colored, while the inactive wind is grayed out. The Mechanics associated with each Wind direction are listed below the image.

The Winds of Horror represents a period in which the Blind God is actively awake, and trying to break free from its bindings. In this state, the faithful are full of horror and anxiety about the time to come, and show true desperation to re-fit and mend the bindings, to prevent the unpredictable Blind God from breaking free.		The Winds of Calm represents a period when the Blind God is fully restrained, and there is absolutely no need for concern. In this period, the faithful are at ease, and festive, as they have cause to celebrate and relax. it is also during the Winds of Calm that the faithful recover from past escalations of the Winds of Terror.
The Winds of Breaching represents a period in which the Blind God is waking up, a period in which the faithful become more aware of how imminent the threat is. In short burst periods of wake-ness, Blindspawn can appear, as well as Blind Rippers being much more active. This is on the precipice of the Blind God waking up.		The Winds of Stirring represents a period in which the Blind God is not yet awakening, but stirring in its slumber. This is usually the onset of a period of escalating concern and fright, so the faithful become uneasy and start preparing for the possible struggle to come. If anything, this wind is considered a dark omen.

Mechanics during Calm

These Mechanics are only active if the quadrant of Calm (Top Right) is lit up with color (as seen above). If it is grayed out, your Character does not have access to these Mechanics.

During the Calm, those fighting Darkness are not in any immediate need of more power. During this period, the faithful may choose one of the Mechanics of any Religion including Evolism, and add it to their own Mechanics. This choice is permanent when the Winds of Calm begin, but each time when a Wind of Horror switches into a Wind of Calm, a different Mechanic may be chosen to replace the previous one. This will only ever result in one Mechanic.

Mechanics during Stirring

These Mechanics are only active if the quadrant of Stirring (Bottom Right) is lit up with color (as seen above). If it is grayed out, your Character does not have access to these Mechanics.

During the Stirring, the Mechanic from the Winds of Calm is retained (see Mechanic above). Additionally, the faithful gain the Divinium Summoning-related Mechanic from the Winds of Breaching (see below).

Mechanics during Breaching

These Mechanics are only active if the quadrant of Breaching (Bottom Left) is lit up with color (as seen above). If it is grayed out, your Character does not have access to these Mechanics.

All worshipers of Nilthism gain +1 Attack Stat (breaking cap up to 11) for the duration of this Wind. This represents their desperation to seize what is needed to repair the bindings of the Blind God.
All worshipers can benefit from Divinium summoning that they are present at, as if they were the one offering up the Divinium, thus receiving the same amount of attention from the Gods as the summoners.

Mechanics during Horror

These Mechanics are only active if the quadrant of Horror (Top Left) is lit up with color (as seen above). If it is grayed out, your Character does not have access to these Mechanics.

All worshipers of Nilthism gain +2 Attack Stat (breaking cap up to 11) for the duration of this Wind. This represents their desperation to seize what is needed to repair the bindings of the Blind God.
Any worshiper can sacrifice Static Divinium for a large amount of faith-binding, or negotiate for the sacrifice of Auto Divinium by someone else for a small amount of faith-binding.
Worshipers can abduct anyone who has Magic of any type. If they can imprison and hold this person for 24 hours without them being broken out, then they can sacrifice the connection of this individual for a small amount of faith-binding. If successfully sacrificed, the abductee loses their (non-CRP Ability related) Magic for 7 days. Custom Kit Holders instead count for a medium amount of faith-binding. Any of these targets can also willingly/be negotiated to sacrifice their Magic for the same effect.
Worshipers can attack those with Artifacts to leech power from the Artifactspark. If/When they a regular Artifact holder, they can either pick up the Artifact, or leech from the Artifactspark. Choosing to leech, will block the artifact from being stolen from the original holder for the next 72 hours (including in this fight, it cannot be picked up, even by allies of the faithful), but also remove the Artifactspark for that period. The same can be done for Tenured Artifacts, though they obviously cannot be stolen even without leeching. The Artifactspark always returns, but either way, the leeched Artifactspawn is worth a small amount of faith-binding. Artifact holders can also be convinced to voluntarily have their sparks leeched.
The Faithful gain a Light Avatar Transformation (Magical being made of light) that acts as a Disguise. While normally removed upon reaching 0 HP, this Disguise cannot be forcibly removed from the faithful, though because Light Avatars are unique, it does give a clear indicator to those fighting or being around Light Avatars, that they are Nilthism followers who are actively hiding their identity. This Mechanic mostly exists to help the faithful do questionably immoral things.

When faith binding is applied, please send a ticket to lore staff to record the number. When a certain threshold is met, the Winds of Horror will change to the Winds of Calm. If a certain higher threshold is met (as Staff will delay a reaction), additional bonuses may apply to all Nilthism followers for a short period, like for example temporary Mechanics, Abilities, or even Artifacts. If you acquire multiple faith bindings at once, please wait several days before making a ticket so you do not need to keep Staff up to date every hour on the gain-rate. Winds of Horror will always last several weeks at least.

Expanded Lore

The Expanded Lore section contains additional contextual information about the Nilthism faith. This section is not necessary to read to get a good understanding of the lore, just the background information.

The Value of Sacrifice

The struggle to keep the Blind God bound is one that is carried by the faithful their whole lives. Each to their own means provides towards this task. Some of the weaker faithful will mend only with prayer and small offerings what they can spare, while wealthier faithful might bring vast sacrifices and offerings to appease their terrible God's slumber. In times of trouble however, the morality of the faith becomes questioned, due to the desperation of their acts. While faith in itself is a powerful spiritual essence in Aloria, it is sometimes not enough, and the faithful must seek additional contributions. These can be found in blood, magic, memories, and sometimes even souls. Nilthists sometimes sacrifice their memories, relations, emotions, souls, or even children to keep the Blind God bound, a fact that is made all the more tragic by the idea that most of the world will never see or appreciate their sacrifices. Human sacrifice is illegal in Regalia, for obvious reasons, and also why Nilthists are considered cult-like to others. With no clear threat to face, their sudden devolution into a sacrificial cult seems random and crass at best, though outsiders are not privy to the terrible visions that the faithful have of impending doom. Some would claim that the Blind God is in fact just a hungry Demon, but then this accusation towards Nilthists isn't consistent with why the Dragons are helping them.

Trivia

If the Blind God is meant to be darkness, and the Everwatcher light, then The Covenant does not really have a clear identity in the scheme of cosmic by-laws. This has led some to believe that the idea of the Everwatcher and the Blind God being related is false.
The Blind God is immensely powerful, and some faithful are actually seeking to chip a bit of the Blind God's power off it for themselves. It is said that is actually possible for those who contribute a lot of faith binding, to drain some of the Blind God's divine power from it in return for empowering themselves.
Blind God Magic users are often mistaken for Void Mages due to the over-abundance of orange, yellow, gold, and red in color theming, as well as fire being a strong visual presence. Blindspawn always appear with a levitating flaming eye from which the Blind God can see, ergo much of the Religion is considered Void related to the uninformed.

Accreditation

Writers	MonMarty

Last Editor	MonMarty on 08/5/2024.

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