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 Chich 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however, sacrificing valuables considered natural is said to bring much more effect, this mostly includes the materials originally made by Pek, but can also include their variations.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 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 a 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 be key to preserving their religions 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 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 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, being the ruler of Pikulia and the Grand Priest at the time, which was by now a tradition in itself, introduced several new reforms to save 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 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 a barrel 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 the 2 Gods and 14 Totem Spirits, with 7 for each God. The Gods or 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 Chichuahua, 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 an 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, 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 that help them in managing the World and creating new wonders.

Spirits of Kha:

- Creature rules over all animals and 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 it's will and have been created by it.

- Greenery rules over all plants and greenery, including that on land, water and even in the air. All of the food, leather, bones and other materials that Mankind uses were also made by the it.

- Light rules not only over the concept of light itself, but also the sky, clouds, weather and other things related to it. It is said that it's home is in the Sun, from where it gives the shine to other Gods and Totem Spirits to keep their true form hidden.

- Darkness rules not just the dark regions of the World, it also rules over caves, the underground and other things derived from it. Darkness also protects burials from any form of destruction,

- Liquid rules over all lakes, rivers, seas and so on. The waves of the seas and depths of the oceans are at its command, therefore it can also save any vessels or sailors from misfortune.

- Ground rules over the desert dunes, the dirty, the stones, ores and all else inside of it. The ground gives Humankind materials from which all of the weapons are crafted, all of the furnaces fueled and all of the solid homes constructed.

- 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 it. If a follower of Chichism cannot find an adequate Spirit of Kha to pray to, this is where he shall send his pleas.

Spirits of Roi:

- Joy rules over the concepts of happiness, luck and all else that gives the soul pleasure. It is to be prayed to for good times, for luck in a competition, for any special occassions or risks taken.

- Sorrow rules over the concepts of misfortune, sadness, nostalgia. It is to be prayed to for bad times to end, to remember those who passed and the memories lost to the new times.

- 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.

- Variance rules over the concepts of change, diligence, creativity. It is to be prayed to for good thoughts to come, inspiration to arrive, new and possibly better eras to begin.

- Nobleness rules over the concepts of helpfulness, generosity, bravery and courage. It 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.

- Cowardness rules over the concepts of disturbance, irresponsibility, avoiding fights. It 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.

- All else that Humankind is another mysterious spirit, ruling over any emotions, behaviours and concepts not ruled over the 6 Totem Spirits mentioned before. It is to be prayed to for anything that they do not mention, for outstanding and uncommon actions and events to take place.

Rituals
Chichism has a big variation 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 Roi, and praise the Gods for it.

Initiation Ritual
The Initiation Ritual is one of the most important in the Chichist faith, it's the only way a new member may rightfully become a worshipper of the religion. To undergo this, one must be under the eye of either a Priest or the Grand Priest himself. The new member must then climb atop the altar structure, 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 to the Gods, they are carried out on a somewhat regular basis and are quite common, however, only the Priests or the Grand Priest may lead them. Some of the more popular forms of these include:

- Tossing Sacrifices into the Sacred Stream 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 altar.