ALIS

ALIS, as she naturally appears to most

*"FALLACIOUS! Mottled mind and soul! For there can be no life without falter!" - ALIS, addressing Caligula when his mind started to leave him in 38 AD.*

*"Besiege with hate his progeny and all his race to come! Make this your offering to my dust! No love, No pact must be between our peoples!" The last words of Queen Dido of Carthage before killing herself, drawn forth by ALIS. Roughly 780 BC.*

*"Opting out of this world is far more painless than changing it." ALIS to Ernest Hemingway in a dream, 1961.*

What is now known as **ALIS** is the deity ascribed to madness, insanity and mental folly. Including everything from severe mental illness to simple lapses of reason. ALIS was known by many monikers leading up to the 19th century. Notorious for having the inability to write or read, she misspelled "Alice" and thus she became known as "ALIS".

## Birth and Backstory

Contrary to normal belief, ALIS did not always exist such as the other diety's of Earth. She was only recently conceived along the Tigris river some short ways from Babylon around 6000 years ago ("recent" in godly terms, at least.) in what is now modern day Baghdad. It's unclear what exactly created her but legend tells that she was born from the distraught laments of the king Gilgamesh upon the death of his companion, Enkidu, and from there gradually grew in power until becoming recognized as a diety.

ALIS is her current moniker, but both in the past and even now, Mania/Maniae was a far more recognized term. The reason for changing her new name is unknown.

As the centuries passed ALIS power grew as the kingdoms of man became more and more complex and varied, and civilization and it's customs became more complex and ruly. In this period of time, it is described man had fought a war with ALIS by attempting to civilize themselves, only to be distraught in the realization that it only made them more susceptible to her influence. As incestious lines of royalty began to mentally fray, and as the situation of man became more and more dire, ALIS grew in strength. At one point climbing to her station as god, although the date of this point is totally speculative.

What ALIS does now is unknown. The last official record of ALIS was in the united states after a 1943 news article, featuring a missionary living in China, raised a rumor that Japanese soldiers were eating the dead in Nanjing, and caused a panic throughout the states.

## Physical Appearance and Personality

ALIS is, by far, the hardest god to officially keep records of or postulate upon. For starters, there is no common myth or story shared about her doings and accomplishments. This, and furthermore, is also because almost all sightings and tales told of ALIS are done so by the insane or mentally defunct. Because ALIS is only seen, heard or perceived by those under incredible states of mental stress and insanity, it's impossible to tell what parts of their accounts are true and what is just a byproduct of their madness itself.

From what we can generalize, it's often the case that most accounts of ALIS are dishuman or animalistic in nature. ALIS is the only god that is said to have a form that is not in the shape of man. Most describe ALIS as some beast of various characteristics and forms. Almost all cases describe ALIS as some mass of amalgamated, matty hair with dog-like complexion. Hence, the nickname of the Hound. Reports however vary wildly and ALIS has been described as a dragon, a nebulous void, a break in perception (such as objects shifting into a certain form) or just a voice.

It's also important to know that, because of this break between what of ALIS is true and what is hallucinated, it's unclear on her relationship between madness itself. Some speculate that people become mad, and only when they are insane do they perceive ALIS. Others however believe that perceiving ALIS makes one insane, and that is why ALIS is only viewed by those who are mentally unsound.

However certain things do remain constant, and allow individuals to identify her from hallucinations and other sorts of insanity. One of which is her voice and accent, which has been described as "cruelly unique to her." It is also known that ALIS is known to have a unique personality only described as persistently pernicious and virulent. To her, it's not enough alone to be cruel, but to be ever constant. This is the greatest pain of interacting with ALIS. She is not one to touch and go, and it is a well documented fact that ALIS sees herself as a malicious companion that haunts her select victims persistently, 24/7, and is present at every waking moment.

It is possible to dispel ALIS, but just as it takes years for one to overcome mental illness and just as it takes constant alertness and attention to keep mental disease at bay, ALIS too can only be dispelled when constantly fought against, even when she is not present. Many who are afflicted by her form will go to the grave with her, laughing in their ear, and to this day there is not a single soul who has fully banished her from their lives.

It's also worth mentioning that, because multiple people around the world can fall victim to her hauntings at the same time, it's postulated that ALIS is not a singular person but rather a collective natural force with singular knowledge and intent. Like a octopus, with each tendril grasping at her victims.

## Worship and Religion

ALIS is strange in that ALIS does not have any religion, alter or form of worship to herself. As she is understood, the mere act of making a mental dis-judgement, being victim of illusions, of acting outside of one's character schemas and of acting... Well... Insane is worship to her in of itself. She has no alters and no followers, and yet the dregs and mentally tortured souls of this world are her flock.

However, it's unclear if ALIS does have certain champions or not. Some debate that ALIS does, in fact, has champions as ALIS does pick out particular individuals around the globe to haunt and follow. Others however debate the liberal use of the word champion, as ALIS isn't using these people to accomplish goals or do her bidding, she's only torturing and toying with her "champions" with no agenda in mind.

## Powers

**Omniperception** - Not to be confused with Omniscience. Because ALIS roots in all sentient minds capable of emotion and reasoning, ALIS perceives everything that a sentient being does. In effect; anyone with two eyes and a personality becomes her eyes and ears, and virtually anything that has been witnessed by anyone has been witnessed by her as well.

**Mental Torture** - Bending the mind, ALIS is capable of clearing or creating any perceptual illusion and making her followers see, hear and feel whatever she wishes. For her champions, this means that her select few can sometimes rarely gain insight or see through an illusion. However, because of ALIS' nature, this also means ALIS' champions are *constantly* suffering an illusion of some sort.

**Mental Construct** - Because ALIS is theorized to be a large part just a mental construct within one's own head, she is almost impossible to kill or even ward away. It's rare ALIS is even in physical form, and although she can be killed easily in such a state, even by physical means, it's rare she stays gone for longer than a few minutes.

One speculates that, if all men were suddenly without stress and mental illness, she would be gone to everyone and she would subsequently die... But such a thing would be impossible, surely.