Chichism

Chichism is a religion established in Pikulia, a town which believes in two Gods, Pek, the representation of nature, and Man, the representation of people. There are no evil deities present, however one may be favoured more than the other depending on the believer.

Pek
Pek is a God of all that is not made by Man, He is most often represented as a Chihuahua, an important symbol for Pikulia. He is associated with Old Pikulia, and eras before the town itself, when nature dominated the region.

He is seen as all of the nature, from a string of green grass to an arid dune, he reaches and controls the clouds and the waves. He is the loudest chaos and the quietest peace. He is the dynamic and constantly flowing water as well as the still and unmovable stone. He is the bright light that shines upon His domain and the darkness that is present in it's deepest corners.

Worshiping Pek includes simple prayers or pleas during rituals held by the Grand Priest, however, sacrificing valuables considered natural is said to bring much more effect, this mostly includes the materials originally made by Pek, but can also include their variations. It is important to keep silence and calmness during sacrifices, due to the fact that it is highly valued by the God.

Man
Man is considered as a God, however, He has no body, instead, He lives inside the people. Man is the representation of all man-made and unnantural things, that includes buildings, vessels, but also wars, treaties, and other creations of society.

Man can be a helpful or a disturbing deity, ranging from the person itself. Man is dynamic, unpredictable, but also still and obvious. He is greedy and power hungry, but humble and generous. Man is the inner power and figure of a person, He can be asked for help by reciting prayers during rituals.

Man can be offered sacrifices just like Pek, however, it is important to sacrifice only man-made creations and to keep the power of life during the ritual. Growing the true faith and improving one self are also good ways to gain favours from Man. How to do so varies from person to person, just how the spirit of Man varies, it may be done by helping other people, supporting communities, but also by hoarding wealth or achieving remembrance, be it in a good or bad way.

Religious Texts
The Chichist Legends were made to make understanding the faith easier, but also to preserve the past, seen as very important and sometimes sacred by the Chich worshippers, they include:

- Legend of World's Creation

- Legend of World's Religions

- Legend of The Sick Men

- Legend of The First Chichist Temple

- Legend of The First Priest

The Chichist religion features texts which outline it's own creation and functioning, which are both covered in Pikulik's Revelations.

Temples
Chichist temples are neither huge in size nor lavish, which makes them stand out from other religions - who often create huge, grand cathedrals.

The places of worship are built with no ceilings nor walls, having a fence at most. This is because it brings the worshippers closer to nature, and thus Pek Himself. Each temple must feature a symbol of Pek, which can be created in various forms. There also must be 2 flames: The Red Flame - representing Pek, nature, and the warm, known order. There's also the Blue Flame - representing Man, human creation,said to be both cold and warm simultaneously. Between the flames, theHoly Pit is dug and decorated - at the very bottom, a small stream of water flows, in which sacrifices are thrown. It is said that these sacrifices will eventually end up in the deep regions of the World, to one day be retrieved.

The temple, however, is also not left as a lone structure. The one in Pikulia is located in the middle of a market, meaning that it is often busy. It might come as surprising because of the fact that silence during sacrifices is needed, however, Pek favours variation and the power of life, which gives strenght to Man, thus, building the temple in a busy section of town that has more than one purpose favours both Gods.

[REWORK IN PROGRESS]

Chichism is a religion originating from Pikulia and followed primarily by the Pikulik peoples. It's legendary creation is marked as around the spring of 76 TE, however, it's precursors have been present long before that. The faith is comprised of two Gods: Roi and Kha, as well as several Totem Spirits, whom are lesser Gods ruling over precisely defined parts of existence.

Chichism is a dualist religion, this is often referenced as it has two Gods, ruling over two distinct and seemingly opposite parts of existence. It also has 14 Totem Spirits, divided into 7 belonging to each God. They are further divided into 7 pairs of opposite influences, with one pair being split between Kha and Roi, and to add onto this, Chichism only has two official holidays.

History
Although Chichism, for most of it's existence, wasn't a major faith, it was the force that has driven many of it's followers into documenting or otherwise passing on stories about it, successfully preserving it's past.

Before Chichism
During the times before it's founding, the peoples from whose beliefs Chichism would be founded on would have their heartland located in northern Adaen. At the time that their tribal religions would see more common worship, they were under the hegemony of Talawa, and although the region had a sparse Talawan population, it was still firmly under their rule.

The beliefs of those tribes were mainly centered around a few totems, which represented various Gods, Semigods and so on. A crucial part of their worship and sacrifices would be the tradition of casting symbolic items into a flame, which would often be the centerpiece of the tribe's settlement. Those objects would primarily be various seeds, foods, tools and sometimes even gems obtained through trade or raids.

Those tribes, as opposed to the Geshemi and some other races, would not face significant setbacks or repercussions from Talawa. Their isolation would become key to preserving their religion and beliefs nearly untouched all the way until the expansion of Huitca.

Early Chichism
The religion would see it's founding be simultaneous with the arrival of Pikulov, a settler from Nieden, given permission from Tlahatl to find a new home somewhere in Adaen. On his journey there, he would encounter several visions and revelations from Kha, who would guide Pikulov to what would become the future town of Pikulia. Pikulov would thus become the first Grand Priest of Chichism, after which he successfully converted the majority of Pikulik tribes present in northern Adaen.

The earliest form of the faith would be much simpler than the modern version. It would only feature two Gods: Pek (Kha) and Man (Roi), the only form of worship would be a prayer by the crowd gathering with the Grand Priest, after which all present would sacrifice items to the two flames: a red and blue one. Early Chichism would take heavy inspiration from the local tribal beliefs, which would grant it's success in local spread, however, it would never truly go past this point.

It was also during this time that the first members of the Pikulik tribes were able to write, successfully documenting and saving countless stories. Although some of those books would be later lost to time, a good majority remained, becoming the core and foundation for not only future reforms of Chichism, but the identity of the Pikulik people overall.

Intermediate Period
The next wave of reforms would arrive around 135-136 TE, being mostly fueled by the cooperation of Pikulia and Kharakesestan, resulting in Goktengrism gaining a strong foothold in the region. Sergei, serving as the ruler of Pikulia and the Grand Priest at the time, which was by now a tradition in itself, introduced several new reforms in an attempt at saving the faith from stronger rivals such as Goktengrism and Lux.

Inspirations from the west would include the addition of loosely defined Totem Spirits, inspired by the past tribal beliefs and some Goktengrist practices, as well as a new initiation ritual. During this time, the Chichist shrines would also become much more lavish - gaining much greenery and even statues of Kha on the pedestal, becoming the place where much of the town's commerce and gatherings would take place.

It was also in this age that the progress of Pikulia would come to a halt, and a period of 'dark ages' ensued, which was explained by the lack of participation and devotion to the religion. The faith would become a mere political tool, and even then being barely used or mentioned. Despite Sergei's hard work, he wouldn't be able to stop the looming threat of others outcompeting Chichism, this would cause the town to mostly abandon it as a religion in favour of many others.

Dimitry's Reform
Following the fall of Pikulia in the winter of 221 TE, it's citizens would flee into several regions of the world, Hiarlliia being one of them. Dimitry would begin looking for ways to revive the Pikulik spirit and bind the failing community back together. He'd travel to the now renamed Berkan several times in search of something that could help, eventually stumbling upon barrels filled with various books, not yet looted by the Chalonese and Caeli soldiers.

Those books would turn out to be Chichist religious texts, most still intact and somewhat readable. From these texts, he would attempt to revive the faith and make it the unifying factor of the people, the last attempt at saving a dream.

The names of Gods would be rebranded, the Totem Spirits covered in much more detail, numerous ways of worship added and new rules to be followed. All of this would be accomplished in mere days, which Dimitry would owe to Roi, whom would give him the power and divine thought to correctly carry out the reform.

This would soon prove to be a great success, saving the Pikulik people from completely dispersing, and although there was not yet a place to worship, the unity would be well felt. Dimitry would thus not only revive Chichism, but turn the fate of Pikulik and Pikulia all in one, giving new hope to the people.

Deities
The Chichist deity system is comprised of 2 Gods and 14 Totem Spirits, with 7 under each God. The Gods or Totem Spirits true form is unknown, as their rare appearances are blinded by lights stronger than the sun, hiding their bodies. This also means that none of the Deities have a gender nor any other characteristic to refer them to by, because it is thought that their true appearance exceeds Human understanding, however, they are most commonly referred to in a male form or by name if they possess one.

Gods
Kha is the God of nature, the past, everything that was not created by Mankind. He is most often represented by a Chihuahua, which serves as a symbol for not only Chichism but also Pikulia and the Pikulik people. Kha is associated with the older eras of Pikulia and times before that.

Kha is the overseer of the 7 Totem Spirits subject to Him. He is able to communicate with mortals via revelations, in which he appears as a very bright, white ellipse, speaking in a loud voice.

He rules over all of the nature, from strings of green grass to the arid dunes, He reaches and controls the clouds and the waves. He is the loudest chaos and the calmest peace. He is the constantly flowing oceans and rivers as well as the still and unmovable stones and boulders. He is the bright light that shines upon His domain and the darkness that is present in it's deepest corners.

Roi is the God of everything unnatural, things created by Mankind as well as Mankind itself. He is said to have no physical body, nor is He able to take form of anything or anyone. He is the symbol of Mankind's progress, the future and the current time.

Roi is the overseer of the 7 Totem Spirits subject to Him. He can communicate with mortals via thought, where He manifests Himself as outstanding ideas, pure genius and even blessings.

Roi rules over the Human spirit and its existence. He made the liveliest joy and the deepest sorrow, He is the longest peace and the most chaotic variance, He looks over the most noble and brave as well as the most terrified and cowardly. He is all else that is out of reach of the Totem Spirits, He is the now and the future.

Totem Spirits
Chichism has 14 Totem Spirits in total, divided into pairs of opposites, with 7 Totem Spirits going to Kha and the other 7 to Roi. Each of the Totem Spirits represents an important part of existence and the World that simultaneously has it's opposite. They are said to be servants of the 2 Gods and help them in managing the World and creating new wonders.

Spirits of Kha:

- Creature rules over all animals and other living creatures, be it on land, water, air or anywhere else in the World. All of the creatures with the exception of Mankind must obey His will and have been created by Him. He is to be offered raw meat, skin, eggs, leather and other items coming from the creatures.

- Greenery rules over all plants and greenery, including those on land, under the water and even in the air. All of the food, leather, bones and other materials that Mankind uses were also made by the Him. He is to be offered wood, flowers or corals.

- Light rules not only over the concept of light itself, but also the sky, clouds, weather and other things related to those. It is said that His home is in the Sun, from where He gives the shine to other Gods and Totem Spirits to keep their true form hidden. He is to be offered stained glass, terracotta and other colourful materials.

- Darkness rules not just the dark regions of the World, He also rules over caves, the underground and other things derived from those. Darkness is also the guard of burials, saving them from any form of destruction. He is to be offered coal, dirt, bones and such.

- Liquid rules over all lakes, rivers, lagoons and so on. The waves of the seas and depths of the oceans are at His command, therefore, He can also save any vessels or sailors from misfortune. He is to be offered aquatic animals, alive or dead, especially before any form of maritime voyage.

- Ground rules over all the desert dunes, the dirt, the stones, ores and all else inside of it. He gives Mankind materials from which all of the weapons are crafted, all of the furnaces fueled and all of the solid homes constructed. He is to be offered stone, deepslate or ores.

- All else that Humankind uses is a mysterious spirit, ruling over anything and everything that is not under the rule of the other 6 Totem Spirits before Him. If a follower of Chichism cannot find an adequate Spirit of Kha to pray to, this is where he shall send his pleas. He is to be offered any other form of sacrifice that is not used by the other Totem Spirits.

Spirits of Roi:

- Joy rules over the concepts of happiness, luck and all else that gives the soul pleasure. He is to be prayed to for good times, for luck in a competition, for any special occassions or risks taken. He is to be offered materials of yellow colour, mainly terracotta, wool or dyes.

- Sorrow rules over the concepts of misfortune, sadness, nostalgia. He is to be prayed to for bad times to end, to remember those who passed and the memories lost to the new times. He is to be offered materials of cyan colour, mainly terracotta, wool or dyes.

- Peace rules over the concepts of gratefulness, calmness and prosperity. It is to be prayed to for a good period in a nation's or town's journey, to put an end to useless war, rivalry and conflict. It is to be offered materials of lime colour, mainly terracotta, wool or dyes.

- Variance rules over the concepts of change, diligence, creativity. He is to be prayed to for good thoughts to come, inspiration to arrive, new and possibly better eras to begin. He is to be offered materials of purple colour, mainly terracotta, wool or dyes.

- Nobleness rules over the concepts of helpfulness, generosity, bravery and courage. He is to be prayed to before battles, clashes but also to help the poor, to give the sick, elderly and abandoned a caregiver and hope for a better tomorrow. He is to be offered materials of red colour, mainly terracotta, wool or dyes.

- Cowardness rules over the concepts of disturbance, irresponsibility, avoidance of important fights. He is to be prayed to save the community from such people, to stop the rule of unfit rulers and give an opportunity to those deserving it. He is to be offered materials of orange colour, mainly terracotta, wool or dyes.

- All else that Humankind is another mysterious spirit, ruling over any emotions, behaviours and concepts not ruled over the other 6 Totem Spirits mentioned before. He is to be prayed to for anything that they do not mention, for outstanding and uncommon actions and events to take place. He is to be offered materials of magenta colour, mainly terracotta, wool or dyes.

Rituals
Chichism has a large and diverse number of rituals, most stemming from old Pikulik practices as well as those from Kharakesestan. They are the main and most important way of worshipping the Gods, for they complete what the Gods want - the community to gather, enjoy what was given to them by Kha along with Roi and the Totem Spirits, and praise them for those gifts.

Initiation Ritual
The Initiation Ritual is one of the most important in the Chichist faith, it's the only way a potential new convert may rightfully become a worshipper of the religion. To undergo this, one must be under the eye of either a Bishop or the Grand Priest himself. The new member must then climb atop the pavilion, run in the Red Flame, then to the Blue Flame, and finally extinguish themselves in the Sacred Stream. After this is done, the person that underwent the ritual is officially recognised as a worshipper of the Chichist faith.

Regular Rituals
Regular Rituals are those which are held to pray and give thanks to the Gods, they are carried out on a somewhat regular basis and are quite common, however, only the Bishops or the Grand Priest may lead them. Some of the more popular forms of these include:

- Tossing Sacrifices into the Sacred Stream, which is a common form of worshipping and satisfying the Gods. To carry it out correctly, a line of worshippers must form and throw in various sacrifices into the Sacred Stream in the pavilion. These sacrifices, contrary to the ones of the Totem Spirits, are required to be of important value - gold, armour, weapons, brews and even artefacts. Then, the worshippers present must chant prayers and praise the Gods together with the leading person. This ritual can be done with other ones to add onto it's main purpose, which is to reach the Gods good side and plead for favours.

- Running and Dancing around the Flames is another way that the faitful may express their joy and thankfulness to the Gods. In order to do so, the person leading the ritual must order how the dances take place, this includes the speed of running, the direction, how much jumping is required, change of direction and so on. The lenght or quantity of such dances is to be decided by the person running the ritual, this can also be coupled with other rituals that serve the purpose of asking the Gods for favours.

- Pilgrimage to the Holy Sites is a form of worship that sometimes requires the faithful to cover great distances. By visiting the Holy Sites, the pilgrims can experience how the most important parts of the World looked like during the times of great people like Pikulov, for they are to remain unchanged for any amount of time. It serves as an opportunity to see the religion through the eyes of its past worshippers and important figures, to understand how it functioned and how life worked. The pilgrimage must always be led by either a Bishop or the Grand Priest, and may be coupled with the other rituals.

- Feasting and Using the Holy Sites serves as an additional form of worship if one decides to join a pilgrimage. The faithful spend up to a few days in the Holy Sites, where, if possible, they sleep, hold feasts, participate in joint prayers, listen to lectures and so on. By 'using' the Holy Sites, the pilgrims can develop a deeper connection and understanding of what happened there in past times. Spending time together as a community of 'nomads' who live in relative poverty can give the worshippers good fortune and favours from the Gods.

Some of the various ways to 'use' the Holy Sites include resting and praying together inside of palaces, holding large communal feasts in temples, meditating for long periods of time in the wild nature, and others depending on the place and possibilities of each Holy Site.

Shrines
One of the most important parts of Chichism, as nearly any other religion, is a well established place of worship, where the community may gather and praise their Gods together with the Bishops as well as the Grand Priest. Chichist shrines represent all of the values, ideas, references and other parts of the religion, making them extremely symbolic.

Structure and Appearance
[IN PROGRESS]

Beliefs and Values
Followers of Chichism hold a number of important values and beliefs that are core to the religion. These range from the cycle of life, the importance of certain parts of existence, characteristics and sites in nature being considered sacred as well as much more.

Creation
Chichists believe that, before the World existed, Kha has had a long dream, in which He envisioned how the entire future shall look. Some day, He had woke up from the slumber, and decided to begin recreating what He had seen. He had first summoned into existence the Totem Spirits, to whom He gave parts of his power of Creation, He had made 7 for Him, and another 7 for Roi.

Soon, the World would become a garden for the Gods, they'd create seas, jungles, plains, deserts and much more. Then, using the Totem Spirits, they would decorate the World with utmost detail, from huge mountain ranges to specks of sand.

Then, Man had awoken, and He, lacking the power of physical creation, would ask Kha to create one unique creature for Him, over which He could rule. Kha would think long and hard, but none of the things that He put into existence or dreamed of could fit this role, so He decided to create something new, Mankind.

Using the last bits of the power of Creation, He gave it to the first Men, and Roi would then give Men His gifts. Thanks to the power of Creation that was given, Humans would then go on to conquer the known World and put into existence countless beautiful creations.

Astrology
Chichist worshippers have a number of strong beliefs regarding astrology. Whilst they do not worship the Moon nor the Sun, they still play important roles in the religion.

The Sun is believed to be where Kha and the Totem Spirits under His command live. It is from there where They oversee the World and from where their creations take form. It represents the brightness of nature, the liveliness of the World, the past which we remember fondly.

The Moon is believed to be where Roi and the Totem Spirits under His command live. It is from there where They oversee the World and from where their will takes form. It represents the opposite of true nature - Mankind, as well as the dark that hides the image of the future.

The Stars are believed to be where those who had passed go to rest. Each star represents one family, and the stronger it's shine, the more members it has. Since they are where the past members of Mankind are, they appear during the night, however, they give a little more light to the World, just like tiny Suns.

Other Faiths
Chichists believe that other faiths are either incorrect interpretations of Kha and Roi, or they are simply headed by false prophets, seeking personal gain. They do not see any other deities as legitimate, and they usually understand the heads of other religions as cunning or sly people, wishing to warp the image of Gods in their favour to fool and control the people.

Pek and Man cannot stop other faiths as they have decided to give free will and the freedom of action to Mankind. Thus, They are only able to hint humans towards the right path. The duty of spreading and protecting Chichism thus relies only on humans and nobody else, for only they are able to change the reality of Mankind directly.

Time
Chichism puts a strong emphasis on time, mainly the Past and the Future, which have drastically different meanings.

The Past is seen as something good, regardless of the events that took place. It is seen as the 'good times' where the World was simpler, better and more enjoyable to Humankind. From the Past, Humankind gains important knowledge, memories, friends and so on. Even the horrific events that took place benefit someone later on.

The Future is seen as something mixed at best, and more usually as dangerous. It's where all of the unwelcome actions take place. All of the plots, betrayals, wars, conflicts, falls and much more are hidden to strike a person when they approach. The only shield against the Future is the Past, it gives Mankind the ability to stop them using it's knowledge. The Past supports the person with experience, connections and preparation, whilst the Future poses new challenges.

Nature
The very existence and core of Chichism is heavily tied with nature and it's wonders. Uncommon and special parts of the landscape as well as animals, events and so on would play a big role in creating the identity of the Pikulik tribes as well as the deities they prayed to.

Landmarks such as lone oases far from any other life, singular mountains either representing something with their unparalleled form or simply putting the viewer in awe simply with their huge size. They would become a place where tribes could go to and pray to their deities as well as offer them sacrifices, for nearly each of those was unique for every community.

Animals or plants seen only in the very local region controlled by one or a few tribes would also become a factor in making them distinct from others. Those animals would be sacred, or they would be used as a very lavish way to plead the gods for favours and victories during sacrifices. They would range from huge birds and herbivores, through colourful insects with rare fish to grand hunters or simply graceful scavengers.

In Chichism, animals that are to be respected are Dogs, especially the tamed ones, for they help Humankind and are the symbol of Kha.

As for sacred plants, Chichism sees all varieties of alcohol as important. It is said to open oneself to not only the wonders of the World but also the Gods Themselves. A common belief is that locating a bar next to a shrine brings good luck and the favours of Gods.

Chichism highly values nature overall. It usually stands against any major attempts of drainage, terraforming or creating artificial structures meant to replicate it. However, it sometimes even encourages minor changes, such as creating new streams, lakes, making hills accessible, buildings paths up mountains a well as creating buildings and digging mines.

Traits
Chichist worshippers have a set of traits that are considered as examples to follow and those to look up to, as well as those that hurt the World and that one must be wary of. These beliefs stem from the importance that Chichism puts on the wellbeing of the local community as a whole.

The list of traits seen as righteous includes:

- Diligence, being the main factor in creating, upkeeping and expanding both the community and oneself.

- Loyalty, making it possible to upkeep order and rid the group of any disloyal members.

- Honour, seen both as for oneself as well as the community, it's necessary to build a good image both for the outside groups as well as the members.

- Devotion, necessary to carry out bigger and harder projects, even if there's not much support.

The list of traits seen as wrongful includes:

- Cowardice, being the main reason why battles are lost, honour is forsaken and more vile events follow.

- Treachery, being why nations fall, people suffer and grand creations are left to the enemy.

- Dishonesty, leading to treachery, hiding broken creations that need repair, seen as similar to cowardice.

- Selfishness, the main reason for all above, the biggest poison of Humankind, stopping not only projects, nations and communities but also life itself.

Communities
The Chichist faith puts a very strong focus on communities, especially the smaller ones like towns or minor nations. They are seen as the building blocs of grander projects, grander nations.

The community is an integral part of Humankind, for one is always a part of some group, whether they wish to or not. It is only thanks to the smaller groups like families or towns that it is possible to create provinces and empires. Communities are also extremely diverse, nearly like the individuals who build them. They are, in fact, extremely similar to people - they have their traits, they have values and morals, they have a history and so on.

It is thus essential to work for and protect those groups, while putting a halt to those who wish to destroy them without reason. One must be diligent and loyal to their community, actively support it and it's members, stay loyal to it even in the darkest times. Chichism, however, does not disapprove of infighting or putting some groups to trial - since they behave just as an individual, it only makes sense that they are put to the same laws as one is.