Noxism

Noxism is a faith native to the continent of Nieden, It revolves around the 6 main "Dyvrechi" who watch and protect the people of the earth. Ruled by the Gildrich of the sky and darkness Afton, the Noxists communicate with the dyvrechi by sleeping in the night and respecting the will of the dyvrechi. In its highest Noxism dominated over all the central North of Rathnir in Helmia, Khanji and the Wandering Desert.

The Noxist Vudynn is comprised of myths and tales which are passed on from mouth to ear, it is for this reason that the ideals and beliefs are vague and highly debated upon by scholars of the faith.

History
The Noxist Vudynn or Pantheon was founded in a region which today is home to the people of Simulami. After being persecuted by the natives (called Sun Worshippers), the followers of the faith with the guidance of Roris, arrived at Helmia, built the grand temple, the Aftonsal, on the city of Sovdal and dominated the land for over a thousand years.

The population dropped after the fall of the Sterling Crownlands, and after a failed crusade by a Noxvraeld driven mad by a dream, a local religion in Helmia drove the Noxist population to near 0 and destroyed the Aftonsal. The only surviving Noxists were the ones located in Kyddrosil and a new community which rose on an island off the shore of Simulami in Night Water Port which saved the faith from extinction.

After the downfall, a hand full of Noxists decided to establish a "reborned" Noxist movement and with a massive success, the Dariien Noxist movement with its three key principals: Peace, Preservation and Prosperity, achieved the repopulation of Noxists not only in Helmia but also in the wandering desert and the original Noxists homeland in upper Nieden.

Now the movement has become a fully fledged temple and many nations have Noxism as a state religion and many towns have a shrine dedicated to a Noxist dyvrech.

Core Beliefs
In Noxism there are many ideals and beliefs, but because of the nature of the pantheon, some might not agree on certain ideals, Noxism is an explanation of the nature of our world and its true colours. To be a Noxist is to direct yourself to the better of the world and to serve the Dyvrechi so they will watch over you and protect you. As every Noxist may see the core ideals different, these are the core ideals according to the author of this page, Alrond Stensar.


 * In the Noxist tongue, there is not word for "sin", when one makes a bad deed, the deed does not necessarily show the true nature of oneself and as such we must not judge purely on the action, and those who do have an evil nature, death will catch up to them and will reunite them with the truth, there is no need to get in the way of the dyvrechi, there are certain things that are frowned upon but nothing is banned.
 * The people of the earth, in the eyes of the Noxists, are equal. We all get dreams when we close our eyes at night, or when we draw our last breath, we arrive at the same place, no matter our actions or beliefs. We have faith in the dyvrechi as it is the truth, we as Noxists know who created us and we know that we were created with love which is why we treat the dyvrechi with love and respect. We are people of honour, however honour and respect does not make one better, it simply defines one's personality and mark on society, to be Noxist is to leave a good mark on society and make things for the better.
 * Once in a lifetime, Noxists are obliged to make a pilgrimage to the city of Sovdal to see the grand temple, the Aftonsal. This tradition has a couple of reasons: Firstly, this action shows respect to the ruler of the dusk skies, Afton, the ruler of all dyvrechi and to thank him for making our world the way it is. Secondly, after the rough history of the faith, going to the walls of Sovdal is a show of victory and survival and makes the faith united.

The Dyvrechi
The Noxist Vudynn is compromised of a vast amount of dyvrechi, however there are 6 main dyvrechi who are prayed upon, they are:

Afton, dyvrech of dusk and darkness
Afton is the god of darkness itself. He is revered as the bringer of night. Every dusk ancient Noxists used to burn incense and sing dark prayers to the god. He is the protector of all darkness wielders such as Magicians, Musicians and Witches, but he also cares for all while we sleep.

Afton is seen as a wrathful ruler who should always be kept happy. In fact there are tales of an ancient sky monsters which he sent to punish those who would not sleep, and it is also said that Afton himself made the creatures that lurk in the night to keep all in bed. But make no mistake, Afton is not cruel, follow his teachings and he will protect you from these creatures and even reward you.

There is an ancient Noxist temple called Aftonsal in Sovdal dedicated to him which has been resurrected by its citizens. Modern Noxists always keep a light on their shrine alongside some coal or flint to appease the god.

There is a Noxist legend revolving around Afton defeating the sun, who had declared war against the night, and later abducting his son, Auron as his own.

Luna, dyvrech of the night sky
Luna is revered as the night sky itself. She is the incarnation of the moon and the stars. She is the protector of all night workers, police, prostitutes, chariot drivers, medics, tavern keepers and also sailors.

She is said to have used her powers to create a bright light in Afton's domain, later known as the polar star, which lead the Noxists north, where they would be safe from oppression.

She is a very peaceful goddess and likes to honor those who serve her. Ancient Noxists used to care for beautiful flowers that would bloom at night for the goddess. This practice has survived to the modern times, as Noxist often have Lilies of the valley at their houses, gardens and shrines.

The Myth goes that Luna sacrificed her eye so she could protect her followers and see them at the night, her eye became the moon and because of that she wears a vail over her face to cover the hole that has opened.

Auron, dyvrech of the the day sky and crops
Auron is the son of the sun itself, ruling over the day sky, the clouds, fire, crops and sunflowers.

Auron was not always part of the Noxist pantheon, he is, after all, the son of the sun. Once he was seen as a god by those who worshiped the sun, but as the sun lost a war against Afton, Auron was taken to reassure there would be no further conflict.

He once tried to recreate the feats of his father, but failed, and created the red planet which was named after himself.

He is a lustful god who likes to party but only after a hard day's work. He is the protector of farmers, bakers, traders, builders and mercenaries. At dawn his followers rang a massive bell to symbolize his arrival. It is also believed that ancient Noxists practiced a hedonistic ritual for him, involving ale and rum. Today, only the bell ritual is practiced.

Aeder, dyvrech of the oceans and winds
Aeder is the dyvrech of the sea and the weather. He roams the seas, every step he takes waves appear, every sound he makes,when he crosses the land, rain starts to fall, he walks years on years, never to stop.

Aeder is a mysterious god and the least worshiped out of the six, he is considered to be quite and very emotional, he often shows his emotions with the weather that he casts, great winds as a sign of anger or heat waves as a sign of stress.

Often he roams around the world, anytime he does so, he brings rains and storms with him.

Aeder is the patriot dyvrech for sailors, fishermen and boatbuilders.

Baldemar, the bringer of dreams
Baldemar is the bringer of dreams, dyvrech of foresight and the ruler of the dream world. He is also regarded as the one who deals with all things humans and intelligent creatures.

Baldemar visit the people of Rathnir every night to bring them dreams, regardless of whether or not they believe in him.

He was once known as the god of mysticism by the ancient Noxists, giving people the power of seeing both the dreamworld (the land of the dead) and the land of the living. Now that power has long been abandoned as it brought it's user closer to death.

He is often the patriot dyvrech of scholars, spies and physicians who wish to learn more about the world. People can sometimes sense his presence while sleeping, but nobody has ever seen him in person, though at very rare circumstances, he may leave gifts for his faithful followers, never expecting anything in return.

Some believe that lightning is Baldemar traveling down to the earth, staying for several days at times. Some believe this is foolishness, stating that he would not make a noise that loud if he wanted to bring people dreams.

Every night, Baldemar walks by the streets of every town and collects their souls. Before leaving he stops for a sip of water at the burial mounds while the souls take a bite of the offerings that their families have left for them in their shrines.

It is said that falling stars are souls trying to escape from him, but few ever succeed.

A long time ago, Baldemar used to grant those who followed him the power to bring back a soul to it's body for the duration of no more than three days, but this was later forbidden by Afton, as he saw this as cruel.

Roris, dyvrech of protection and warfare
Roris is the dyvrech of protection and warfare, of bravery and honor.

According to legend she and the nomadic people she led claimed the island of Errenfeldt, which they were led to by the goddess Luna, when she was leading them away from the southerners who were unable to tolerate them. There she built a large temple known as Aftonsal in honor to Afton.

As thanks to her service, leading people to safety in a time of panic, Afton granted her the powers of a god.

She is the patriot deity of soldiers, knights, guards, pilgrims, armorers and hunters. She expects her most loyal followers to dedicate to her a shield, that they themselves may use to protect others. She is also known as the main deity of the Rorian Knights and the Noxist members of Aurora.

Minor Dyvrechi
Apart from the six main dyvrechi, there are also minor ones with less influence on the world, these are:

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Angels
Each of the six main Dyvrech has an army of angels who carry out the will of their divinity, the most important of each army is an archangel who responds directly to the Dyvrech. Today we only know the name of just one of these archangels and it appears in the Noxist book called the Apocalypse of Alexios.

Holy books
Throughout history, texts have been written by people who sometimes were commanded to write by the Dyvrechi and other times by their own vocation. Here is the list of texts currently recognized by the clergy:


 * Book of Ulkimash - The date of writing cannot be defined, the text is written in proto-asteri and this makes it datable to the first millennium BTE. The text was found in the library of the Silver Citadel by a Noxist priest and, not knowing how to translate it because he did not know the language, he gave it to Aeraron Caraenerys because he knew the Asteri language. During the translation it was discovered that the text told the story of the Noxist tribes and how they had migrated from Nieden to Helmia under the leadership of Roris and Ulkimash, a human from outside the Noxist tribes who abandoned the gods of the Soleannan tribes after an encounter with a archangel of the Dyvrechi who gave him the task of leading the people of Roris to a land far from their enemies. After arriving in their new land Ulkimash ordered the creation of an altar for the Dyvrechi and then met in council with the elders and Roris to decide who would become the leader of the cult, those who were there heard a voice that proclaimed Ulkimash. The book ends with Roris's death and her ascension from the Dyvrechi.
 * Apocalypse of Alexios - Text written between 266-268 TE by Alexios Sidero in Neo-Hiddic, and later translated into Neo-Asteri by Aeraron Caraenerys. The text shows three visions that Alexios had: the first in which he witnesses the eternal punishment of the wicked, the second where he is taken to the gates of the abode of the Dyvrechi where the righteous rest with them and finally a vision where Rathnir will be struck by earthquakes and stars that fall from heaven to earth and of the inhabitants of the nations who flee.

Sects
In Noxism's long history, there have been different beliefs in the structure of the dyvrechi and their power.

Bernish Noxism
Founded by the people of Luel Bern, Bernish Noxism believes that Luna and Afton share the same duty of ruling over the dyvrechi and protecting the people.

Aulder Noxism
Found in the island of Aul Aer, Aulder Noxism believes that Auron, being the son of the sun, holds a similar amount of power with Afton.

Auronism
Founded in the northern district of Sovdal and later moved to what is now known as "Auron's Peak", believes that Auron has surpassed Afton in power and is the sole ruler of the dyvrechi.

Dariien Noxism
An offshoot of traditional Noxism with the addition of 3 key principals: Peace, Prosperity and Preservation which hold everything together.

Temples
In order to pay homage and respect to the dyvrech, Noxists build temples dedicated to a dyvrech. The temples are used to communicate directly to the dyvrechi, unlike dreams which are the way of the dyvrechi to communicate with us.

Burial Grounds
In the darkest hours of the night, after the living body gives up, Baldemar shows up to take the soul of the body to the dreamworld for an enternal sleep.

Death is eternal sleep, and to sleep peacefully, a comfortable surface is required, for this reason Noxists build in their towns Burial Grounds with beds to lay the lifeless bodies to rest in peace.

Personal Shrine
In a bedroom without a bed, Noxists are encourged to build a personal shrine with a light source and food in order for the guest to be able to communicate with the dyvrechi if the need arises.

Instructions to build a Noxist temple
The temples have generally a round shape. The primary block should be quartz which can be mixed with diorite or birch logs.

The prominent feature of the temples should be some big arches surrounding the building.

In the center there can be anything from a tree, statue or tower. This main feature is normally surrounded by a small wooden building.