Alítheia

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Alítheia are a cabal of Anafabulaic Blighted and their more mundane lackeys, all united by an inescapable tie to Nihilos. They have some vein of influence, from small to major, in every civilized nation on Antarok and even some further across the Planes.

Alítheia

Overview

Alítheia is a cabal of Anafabulaic Blighted. They are fixers, politicians, and sorcerers proliferating the shadows of every large nation across Antarok, even hosting cross-planar endeavors within their numerous Tumbledowns. Shades of the Nihilum work tirelessly as agents to hoard Contrivances and wealth, infiltrating and weakening institutions through murder and blackmail. They are known only to the outside world through fronts where they offer confidential services.

Their ultimate goal is to fell the Godheads and pit the greatest powers of the Planes against each other, preparing the world for Ragnærók.

History

Many cultures share the mythos of the sky fading to a world of pitch black roughly one millennia ago, the light of Aarda snuffed out for seven days as a being of the infinite nothing descended from the Aetherium. Referred to as 'Nihilos' or 'The Stranger' by those who are aware of its existence, and the 'Night Father' by its faithful, it attempted to devour the Godheads all at once before it fell into their dream and became an infinite plane of its own timeless being.

Whilst The Stranger failed to fell the current, ‘living’ Godheads in its initial Fall, it did come with a ‘Pact’ of its own; the very first Blight, Null. Over the next one hundred and fifty years, the sky would periodically darken just like it had on that fateful day– if only for the brief moments it took for Nihilos to wrest control over the long fallen Metaphors, twisting them in his image. So came to be the rest of the Blights– Devorare, Scourge, Rusalka and Nightwalker.

Their existence, however, necessitated a means to organize these warped souls and their fraying minds. And so through its insidious whispers, the Nightfather pushed its earliest children to form a system of self-governance that they would come to call Alítheia.

Alítheian Tenets

The six simple rules all Alítheians must follow; failure to do so will result in swift castigation.

I. The Veil: Keep the world ignorant of Absentia.

II. Hierarchy: All Blighted must respect the Alítheian hierarchy.

III. Hospitality: Hospitality is threefold; honor the laws of any given Alítheian demesne, maintain the facade of order in any uninitiated culture you enter, and present yourself to the Alítheian representatives thereof, or else surrender to them when they find you.

IV. Proliferation: Proliferation must be sanctified by a demesne’s Podestà.

V. Progeny: The progenitor has full control over their progeny until such time that they see fit to release them.

VI. Dissolution: The right to kill or order the death of the Blighted is only by default granted to members of the Obsidian Pentacle, Scoriada, and the Podestà of a region. To order the death of an Alítheian is to order their ‘Dissolution’.

To Be Alítheian

To be part of Alítheia is to be Blighted, Anafabulaic, or otherwise touched by Nihilos– even stumbling upon traces of these things can be enough to attract the cult’s attention. For that reason, membership is, more often than not, not an individual’s natural choice. Cursed by The Stranger’s whispers and touched by its nightmares, its members range from the Mystics who’ve happened upon forbidden knowledge, those inducted into the cult by their peers, Antidikos agents taken by force, and much more. Whilst many members become zealous fanatics in their devotion to Nihilos, many remain simply there by circumstance, adapting to their new lives and finding purpose anew.

Still, no matter the circumstance of their induction, most Alítheians will come to realise that once cursed, there is no going back– and for that reason, they will then eventually come to realise that they need one another to survive. The world ‘round them would scarcely abide such monstrosities, and thus the unifying thread that knits them all together is safety and survival. If a member’s mad mind proves incapable of rationalizing these things, they are oft subjugated or otherwise disposed of.

Sanity

Alítheia is a melting pot of madness; a shadowy tapestry of insanity. Each and every soul who's been touched by Nihilos are affected by fraying sanity without exception, though the results range from simple, additional eccentricities all the way to individuals becoming neurotic, paranoid shells of their former selves.

How exactly a character adapts to Nihilos’ influence is up to the writer; high skill in Meditation or other boosts to one’s mental fortitude may provide a character additional stability, but they can’t function to bypass.

Culture

Alítheia’s culture is shaped by and broadly hinges upon the strange semblance of order its leaders have managed to thus far cobble together. Such order was established by a strict hierarchical structure carefully devised to give each member purpose and to self-police, resulting in a cruelly efficient internal organization despite the darkness that churns within each member.

As they are forced together by their shared curse, Alítheians do vary in their opinions of Nihilos. Some are fiercely devoted, others fear the dark deity, some resent it; there are even those who somehow remain aloof and uncaring towards the Night Father. It is generally stressed to members that despite what vast differences, disagreements and so on between one another may exist, the Tenets must be followed and those granted authority must be respected.

Covenants

Members of each Blight tend to congregate with one another as covenants of the same name unto themselves beneath the Alítheian umbrella. The unique quirks of each Blight lean towards each covenant having shared traditions and tendencies; to see more, read covenants.

It is possible for individuals to possess multiple Blights, though this is exceedingly rare since surviving the initiation into even one is exceptionally lethal. The rare few who do possess more than one Blight are generally accepted into covenant-specific affairs of either Blight. It is, however, much more difficult for these individuals to gain titles meant to represent the interests of individual covenants.

Bonded by Absentia

All Anafabulaic are tied to Nihilos, and thus, to some degree, to one another. Nihilos’ influence generally manifests in subtle sways; whispers, nightmares, and the like are most common, though rarely, Nihilos may pull those it has touched into itself, trapping or transporting them this way. In turn, the Anafabulaic may, with focus, reach out to seek the Night Father’s counsel.

The other way this manifests is as a bond between Blighted progenitor and progeny. The exact nature of the bond varies by Blight, with Devorare resulting in the most noticeable ties between parties. However, there are some unifying facets:

• The progeny is always beholden to the will and commands of the progenitor.
• Progenitor and progeny cannot escape from one another unless death parts them; they each possess an innate, instinctual sense that may be used to guide one in the general direction of the other– all one needs to do is focus their thoughts enough with the other in mind.

Structure

Below, the roles given to individual Alítheians are listed, each created to organize, police and mobilize their forces if necessary, on top of striving above all else to maintain the integrity of what they call the Veil. And whilst each individual Blight may influence its members into being better suited for one role or another, most roles are open to all who prove capable of handling them.

Generally, those occupying the most powerful positions are the eldest of the Blighted, but this is not a hard and fast rule. There are exceptions in place to allow for the truly extraordinary among their number to rise into roles which suit their skillsets.

Nihilos

At the pinnacle of Alítheia sits The Stranger; see Nihilos.

Obsidian Pentacle

Containing five members, the Obsidian Pentacle consists of one representative from each Blight, each beset by the burden of steering the proverbial ship. The eldest of a Blight is generally given this role unless their sanity is so dashed that they are not to be considered, at which point one travels down the line of seniority until somebody suitable is landed upon.

• Null: Polypora Salazar Herrera
• Rusalka: Hyacinth Blooms-In-Twilight
• Devorare: Unknown
• Scourge: Rhurok
• Nightwalker: Duane fyn'Kjær Ulrik

Veil Keepers

Veil Keepers are those tasked with maintaining Alítheia’s core Tenets and enforcing order. Most commonly but not always Rusalka or Devorare, these individuals are sworn to make sure all fellow Blighted follow the Alítheian Tenets. This can often prove to be a daunting task, as both the Veil Keepers and their fellows are all in possession of fraying sanity. For this reason, only the most steeled minds are granted positions of such import.

There are several roles beneath the Veil Keeper umbrella, listed as follows:

Scoriada: The Scoriada are a trio, with seats usually occupied by Rusalka, Devorare or Scourge– Null and Nightwalkers are rarer, but those with tempered minds may still serve in these roles. L'Ombra is largely charged with organizing reconnaissance and logistics whereas L'Eliminatore pulls the strings to carry out due punishment and Il Pulitore is their cleaner; he spearheads the ‘clean-up’ strategies when the Blighted misstep.

• L'Ombra: Beibhinn
• L'Eliminatore: Melissande
• Il Pulitore: Albert Reid

Străjer: The Străjer report directly to the Scoriada; they are devoutly loyal to all three, but bound to one each for efficiency’s sake. In many cases, they are the direct progeny of the Scoriada and groomed for their respective roles.

• Domn: The Domn are notable Străjer granted authority over their fellows. These are usually point leaders, with the role only lasting for as long as any given assignment; however, receiving this role at all is considered an achievement, and many Străjer strive to receive it more than once as a point of pride.
• Măcelar: Specialized agents tasked with destroying those who have spent more than a year marked to undergo Dissolution. Even within Alítheia, the Măcelar keep their identities secret. They are permitted to act beyond the confines of Alítheian laws, and if their peers scrutinize them, Nihilos will intervene with whispers of permission.
• Ochiul Nopții: Eyes of night, these individuals are reconnaissance agents tasked with spying on their peers and reporting any tenet breaks to their respective Scoriada.
• Dublură: Deep-cover Străjer who are specially trained in the art of mimicry. They will be assigned to shadow, study and eventually, replace individuals for any manner of clandestine reason. They are employed mainly as a measure of internal security, though some are granted the dangerous task to spread Nihilos’ influence within civilizations the world over.

Podestà

The Podestà is the regional lord of any given Alítheian demesne. On Antarok, they are elected by the demesne’s Voievod every fifteen years and hold absolute authority over their respective demesne. They may be re-elected with no cap on terms served. Within other Planes, the Null who is responsible for that Plane’s Tumbledown is usually afforded the role if possible– if not, the former rules apply.

It should be noted, however, that despite the myriad and oft vicious flavors of rule enacted by each, none of the current Podestà rule with an unbending iron fist; ignoring the counsel of their confidants and the Voievod is the fastest way to never be re-elected and also earn the disdain of all of their peers once their term ends. Former Podestà return to their titled positions once their terms end.

Typically, a ‘demesne’ copies the borders of other nations. For example, nations like Ælheim and Arcanis would have one Podestà each. Planes aside from Antarok, however, also tend to only have one Podestà per; their demesnes at minimum consist of the Plane’s respective Tumbledown. For more information as well as the name of a region’s Podestà, see here: Alítheian Influence.

Conducător: These are the right-hand men and women of each demesne’s Podestà. Oftentimes, they are multi-specialist savants able to tend to any whim of their liege, in others they are wise sages serving as advisors and confidants. Though their title entails they serve loyally below their Podestà, some are, in actuality, the true ruler of the demesne, acting from the shadows with their elected official as the more charismatic front.

Săgetătorul de Sânge: Though they are a step below the Conducător in terms of power, they are singular in their purpose: the Săgetătorul de Sânge are assassins, specialized in hunting and killing Blighted marked for Dissolution. The amount per demesne varies by both the physical size thereof and its overall Alítheian influence, though the total is usually not more than five.

Boia: The Boia are, effectively, extensions of the Podestà’s will; these agents do as their leader says without question, whatever that may be. Though they are all formidable in one form or another, their skill sets vary heavily; one might be a hulking wall of muscle tailored for intimidation and crushing the skulls of those who cross the Podestà, whilst another may be a smooth talking swindler specializing in convincing others to part with vital information.

Because of this vast potential for variance, the Boia of any given Podestà are oft to gain a reputation of their own reflective of their leader’s ruling style.

Vestitor: Messengers of the Podestà, Vestitori are Mystics specialized in Scrying and Familiary. They may also be Exodii, sometimes in possession of further Arcana specialized to enable quick travel or information dissemination.

Sacerdote: A zealous spiritual guide charged with leading the most faithful to Nihilos per demesne.

Mystagogus: Each demesne has a handful of Mystagogi who are charged with seeking out and guiding new, inexperienced Blighted as they adapt to their new lives.

Voievod

Voievod are elected officials representing the will of each Blight per demesne.

How a Voievod is decided upon varies, taking into account both the temperaments of their respective Blighted as well as the overall culture of their respective demesne; if no other rules exist, seniority is often defaulted to with the eldest, wisest, or most powerful Blighted being granted the role.

Excoriare: Each Voievod has no more than a handful of Excoriare; these are their most loyal lackeys similar in role to the Boia of the Podestà.

Artisans, Sorcerers & Scholars

Consummate crafters, extraordinary sorcerers and visionary scholars are afforded accolades of their own within Alítheia.

Szimisce: A universal title granted to all Ascendant-tier sorcerers as well as those who have mastered a minimum of three, Szimisce are universally respected by their peers.

Vivisce: The unifying trait of Vivisce is that they are fleshcrafters, though they often play different roles. Earning the title requires either Grandmaster Malediction or to become a Carnifex. Some are chirurgeons and healers, others are vivisectionists and torturers, but most are curious, scientific minds pursuing both the betterment of Alítheia and their own nefarious goals.

Nerezce: These are Grandmaster Alchemists, Artificers, and other crafters that serve Alítheia’s grand designs alongside their own.

Vrăjitoare: Grandmaster Mystics and Ensorcellers, they devote themselves to arcane study.

Venator: Consisting of Grandmaster Animists, the Venator concern themselves with training vast swathes of beasts and cultivating immense floral and fungal gardens to bolster Alítheia’s strength.

The Untitled

Any Blighted who do not fit the above categories are made use of one way or another.

Coteries

The majority of Blighted are not trusted to be able to manage their curses and fraying minds on their own; for stability, independent Blighted are generally pushed to join small groups for the simple purpose of finding safety in numbers. Most of the time, individuals choose their own coterie, though the youngest Blighted are occasionally grouped together per the Podestà’s orders or through an agreement decided upon by their progenitors.

Some titled individuals may also wish to form coteries amongst themselves, though they often shed this practice as they rise in power, gaining confidants and servants to fill the void instead.

Covens

It is not uncommon, in particular for Rusalka and Devorare, to make covens of Alítheians whom are bound to their will through one of several means, the only core requirement being that a coven has its own self-contained hierarchy (covens are, of course, still beholden to Alítheian law as a whole). This can most easily be done through the progenitor-progeny bond, though permission to Proliferate must be granted by the desmesne’s Podestà. Rusalka oft use their Dominate spell to forcefully bend the knee of their coven’s core, and then through them enforce their will upon others. Universally available options such as Malediction and Gramarye are utilized to craft and control covens by the other covenants.

Even if a Blighted only has a singular progeny and no additional numbers, they may still dub that their ‘coven’ and thus all unreleased progeny are within this tier, unable to gain titles on their own until such time that their progenitor pushes them from the proverbial nest.

Iobag

The second to lowest rung on the totem pole, iobag are, in simplest terms, servants, foot soldiers, and fodder. These include a variety of things; Blighted who are too far gone to think for themselves, Blighted who’ve broken rules but were spared from Dissolution, Blighted who are otherwise considered useless, and individuals cursed with Anafabulaic knowledge who do not themselves possess Blights– many subjugated Antidikos end up in this position at first.

Endless

The Endless are the lowest entities within Alítheia, ghosts of those who are trapped beyond time to experience the infinite nothing, charged with facilitating the impossible goal of collapsing cosmology itself into Absentia. Those who are given Anafabulaic insight go to Absentia and become Endless when they die, rather than Avernus. Members of the Alítheian cult thus serve even in death. Anything that is a soul without a body will become an Endless upon being given Anafabulaic, stripped of any Anchors and given a new purpose.

Endless may progress like ghosts, though they always start at the equivalent of a Trace unless given special circumstances.

Ragnærók

Dissolution for all, ultimate entropy– that is Ragnærók.

There are many legends about the sky dimming, the light of Aarda being snuffed out as a sign of entropy’s unending crawl. Whensoever the sky blackens in this fashion, pockets of the world will descend into chaos; people shifting to monsters, losing their minds, falling ill or into comas. These symptoms are caused by Metaphoric instability and an influx of Absentia, that in itself due to Nihilos’ meddling. The Stranger’s goal is to first twist the fallen Metaphors in its image, and then move onto the Godheads that still pulse with power, intent on dissolving Them into nothing but raw potential– raw Absentia– thereby empowering Nihilos itself.

These signs and this name were coined first when Nihilos sprang into existence, returning– if only briefly– each time the The Stranger minted a new Blight. The establishment of new Tumbledowns also regionally begets these symptoms. Many have come to believe that each time these sickly signs make manifest, it means that the universe has drifted ever closer to its demise.

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