Nakkalism

> "*My Lord, make me the instrument of thy will; make me the arrows in thy bow, the blade of thy sword and the point of thy spear. Set upon this world thy Holy Fire, to the joy of the faithful and the screams of the treacherous.*"
> ― Prayer of Ashura
>
>

Nakkalism, or the Nakkalite faith, is the dominant religion in Chalparna, Kalzuranur and Eske Karaa. It is arguably the only truly monotheistic religion native to Inecuria, reserving worship solely for one supreme god named Nakkal. However, some scholars - notably those of Abrahamic religions - dispute the monotheistic label, arguing that Nakkal's supernatural servants - the Angels - should be categorised as servile lesser gods, and not grouped together with the angels of Abrahamic tradition.

Much like Christianity, most of the core aspects of Nakkalism are codified in scripture, but there are also numerous extra-scriptural traditions which Nakkalites pay heed to. The collection of codified Nakkalite scriptures is named the *Edamerhu*, which roughly translates as "divine wisdom" or "wisdom of [the] god". Nakkalites assert that the *Edamerhu* is the oldest religious scripture of Inecuria, but this is a somewhat meaningless claim as accurately dating pre-Annihilation religious traditions is an utterly impossible task.

Nakkal is an omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient deity. Much like Eastern Christians, Nakkalites make a distinction between Nakkal's esssence and his energies, believing that Nakkal's energy pervades every particle of creation but his essence is entirely outside of the mortal world. Nakkalites also believe Nakkal to be benevolent, desiring the best for all of his creations, though they also believe that sometimes the best outcome requires suffering to accomplish.

Nakkalism is split between three distinct sects which each follow the teachings of a given prophet or teacher; the Amekizites, the Shurites and the Ekkemites. The majority of the world's Nakkalite population is Amekizite, though Shurites are the majority in Eske Karaa and make up approximately half the population of Chalparna. The Ekkemites are the smallest group in modern times, and have always been a minority compared to the other two. Although the Machine Cult considers themselves to be Nakkalites, they are considered to be apostates by all three Nakkalite branches, and the academic and popular consensus is that they are a separate religion.

## Name of Nakkal

Unlike many other monotheistic religions, Nakkal is known by a specific personal name rather than being referred to with a title or simply as "[the] God" (*Eda* in Kalzuranuri). Nakkal is his actual real name, rather than merely being what mortals call him.

The origin of the name of Nakkal is a matter of some debate and speculation. Some historians have posited that Nakkal was originally a Titan who came to be worshipped by the mortals under his rule, but there are no records of a Titan named Nakkal - or one with a similar name that could have been corrupted into Nakkal - anywhere in Inecuria. It is unlikely that Nakkal is a title that became re-interpreted as a personal name, since the word Nakkal does not actually mean anything in Kalzuranuri; only one syllable has a meaning in Kalzuranuri, which is "kal" - "north" - which is almost certainly mere coincidence.

Nakkal's name is clearly derived from another language, whether that be from a Titan or from some other mortal race. The most prominent theory is that it is a Gold Elvish word - or rather, a Kalzuranuri corruption of one - but it is unclear what this Gold Elvish word could have been. One of the more popular suggestions is *Nacerar*, a word found on a Gold Elvish inscription in the Imperishable Tombs, found in the phrase *ehanai nacerar* - approximately translating as "no man is immortal", though more literally as "zero persons have no death". *Nacerar*, meaning immortal, deathless or without death, may have been used as a title for a monotheistic god by Gold Elves, which then became interpreted as that god's personal name by Humans. However, the possibility of *Nacerar* corrupting into Nakkal is disputed by some linguists, who do not believe it to be a plausible evolution of sounds.

## Angels

The Angels (or *Miraqim*, singular *Miraqa*) are Nakkal's chief servants. They are immortal supernatural beings who inhabit the realm of heaven, tasked with acting out Nakkal's will in the mortal world. Although Nakkal is easily capable of intervening in the world himself, he prefers to use Angels as they are much more recognisable and understandable to mortal minds, and are more useful at teaching the lessons Nakkal wishes to impart. There are seven of these Angels, each of which has a specific role.

The three branches of Nakkalism disagree on the power and autonomy of Angels. The Shurites maintain that the Angels merely channel his power rather than having any of their own, whereas the Amekizites believe the Angels to be powerful entities in their own right. The Ekkemites take the position of the Shurites to the extreme, believing that the Angels are slaves to Nakkal with no will of their own, and are better described as Nakkal's tools rather than his servants.

Angels are referred to as men and have masculine names, but the *Edamerhu* makes clear that they have no biological sexes, and visual depictions of them tend to be relatively androgynous. The most detailed written description of Angels comes from the Book of Amekiza, which notes that they have fair skin, a gracile physique, white feathered wings, golden hair and golden slanted eyes. This image bears a striking resemblance to the Gold Elves, who ruled over Chalparna and parts of Kalzuranur during the Age of Titans and possiby for several decades after the Annihilation.

Since both the Shurites and Ekkemites reject the Book of Amekiza, they only go off the much vaguer descriptions found elsewhere in the *Edamerhu*. These only mention a humanoid appearance, golden eyes, a golden halo of light around their heads and the ability to fly. For this reason, Shurites and Ekkemites visually depict the Angels as resembling Kalzuranuris, with brown skin, dark hair and round eyes. Ekkemite icons always depict the Angels without wings, whereas Shurite icons do, showing them with feathered wings the same colour as their hair.

Besides the seven primary Angels, the *Miraqim*, there is also a lower class of angelic beings named the Guardians (or *Eshabim*, singular *Eshab*). In contrast to the *Miraqim*, the *Eshabim* have no names, and can come in two distinct sexes. Each mortal has a Guardian to watch over them, with the sex of the Guardian corresponding to the sex of the mortal. If two mortals marry and have children, so too will their Guardians marry, and bear a new Guardian who watches over the child.

The seven Angels (*Miraqim*) are as follows, in order of age and with their Adwani names:

* **Mirahar** the Lord of Angels - Mirahar is the oldest and wisest of the Angels. He is the ruler of the Angels and Guardians, and serves as a guide for mortal rulers in the Overworld.
* **Ashura** the Commander - Ashura is the second-oldest of the Angels. Ashura is the military leader of all the Angels and Guardians, leading the fight against the forces of evil. Ashura additionally aids good warriors in the Overworld in their battles, but will not help the wicked.
* **Mureqar** the Terror - Also known as the Angel of Destruction, Mureqar is the darker but equally necessary counterpart to Ashura. Whereas Ashura guides the good, Mureqar destroys the evil, bringing annihilation to the enemies of Nakkal who cannot be redeemed by any mortal means. He is often depicted with his hands and wings splattered with the blood of the wicked, which led to the additional title of the Bloody-Handed Angel.
* **Amellu** the Angel of Death - Amellu is the Angel that takes the dead from the Overworld and guides them safely through the Dark Path. Amellu is a psychopomp; he has no influence over how a person dies, but he is responsible for taking the dead from the mortal world to the afterlife. Unlike the other Angels, Amellu is depicted as a hooded skeleton, but he retains the white feathered wings typical of the Angels.
* **Garashem** the Doctor - Also known as the Surgeon, Garashem aids the sick and the wounded, and guides the hands of doctors in the Overworld.
* **Nashpar** the Messenger - Shahabar is the primary messenger of Nakkal, the Angel who most commonly speaks to mortals in the Overworld, although on occasion other Angels do come to the Overworld to commune with the mortals.
* **Reshar** the Scribe - Reshar is the scribe of Nakkal, keeping records of every event that has ever occured and ever will occur, and he guided the authors of the *Edamerhu*. Reshar also guides those reading the *Edamerhu* and seeking to understand it.

## Branches

The three branches of Nakkalism are chiefly distinguished by their opinions on the prophet Amekiza, the Gold Elves and the nature of Angels, but centuries of division have led to many more differences than just these two.

The Amekizites, the largest branch of Nakkalism, accept Amekiza's writings as divinely inspired truth and include the Book of Amekiza in the canon of the *Edamerhu*. The Book of Amekiza is mostly concerned with the Angels, describing them and including several stories of their activities, which serve to illustrate the nature and behaviour of the Angels and their relationship both to Nakkal and to mortals.

The prophetess Shuria condemned Amekiza's writings as heretical and false, spawning the Shurite branch. Shuria preached that Amekiza was far from a prophet of Nakkal, but rather a propaganda mouthpiece for the ancient empire of the Gold Elves. Shuria's preaching began once the long-lost tomb of Amekiza was found, and the objects and inscriptions within made clear that Amekiza was a wealthy and important scribe employed by the Gold Elves to help administer their empire.

Shuria argued that the strong resemblance between Angels and Gold Elves within Amekiza's writings was no mere coincidence, but instead a lie published by the Gold Elves to win the loyalty of their human subjects. She pointed to how different other depictions of Angels in the *Edamerhu* were, which only give vague descriptions of their appearance, display little in the way of individual personality, and - most importantly - do not ascribe any significant power to the Angels themselves.

A radical school of Shurites soon split into their own distinct branch, led by the prophet Ekkem. The Ekkemites essentially take the teaching of Shuria to the extreme, interpreting the passages of the *Edamerhu* outside of the Book of Amekiza to mean that the Angels are nothing more than tools of Nakkal, extensions of his own will given forms and faces so that mortals may better comprehend it. To say that the Ekkemites believe the Angels to have no free will would be something of an understatement, as the Ekkemites do not truly believe the Angels to be individuals at all, merely different manifestations of Nakkal's power.

The Amekizites of course dispute these claims, and believe the Shurite and Ekkemite condemnation of Amekiza to be extremely insulting. They see no reason why Amekiza's status as a scribe of the Gold Elves would affect his legitimacy as a prophet. Many of them in fact argue the exact opposite of the Shurites - rather than Amekiza's depiction of the Gold Elves being heretical propaganda, Amekizites assert that Amekiza's writings merely reveal that the Gold Elves were created in "pious imitation" of the Angels; they believe that the Gold Elves were created either by a Titan or by Nakkal himself to deliberately resemble Angels to remind them to aspire towards holiness.

The Shurite and Ekkemite rejection of Amekiza subsequently led to their opinion of the Gold Elves and their ancient empire souring significantly. Amekizites continue to believe that the Gold Elf empire was pious and virtuous, upholding the true Nakkalite faith as best as any mortal realm could, whereas Shurites and Ekkemites instead see the Gold Elves as an arrogant and decadent race who twisted Nakkal's truth and tried to portray themselves as divine beings to their human underlings.

## Holy Fire

> "*My Lord, send unto us a divine blaze to annihilate their heresy. The wicked fear the flame, but I shall cherish its embrace.*"
> ― Prayer of Mirahar
>
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A significant theme in Nakkalism is the concept of Holy Fire. All of Nakkal's energies are made manifest through the Holy Fire; it cleanses all in its path, destroying the tainted and creating anew a pure state of being. It was through the Holy Fire which Nakkal created the universe, and it is through the Holy Fire which it will be destroyed. Nakkalites believe that the Holy Fire will cause agony to the faithless, but ecstasy to the faithful.

The Holy Fire must be distinguished from the holy flames, which are usually not capitalised. Whereas Holy Fire is a direct manifestation of Nakkal's divine energies, holy flames are simply flames which have been blessed by a priest. Holy flames are considered an *icon* of the Holy Fire, but not the Holy Fire itself. However, the holy flames still have supernatural properties in the eyes of Nakkalites. According to the *Edamerhu*, those guilty of blasphemy and apostasy must be burnt alive by holy flames, as these flames will cleanse the soul as they char the body.

Holy flames feature in all Nakkalite temples, which usually have at least one holy flame burning constantly, maintained day and night by the clergy who serve in the temple. If the holy flame goes out, the ritual of re-igniting it and blessing it once again is lengthy, and those who let the flame go out under their watch must undergo a period of fasting and penitent prayer.

## Fasting

Fasting is an essential component of the Nakkalite spiritual life. Nakkalites consider fasting to not only be a useful exercise in self-discipline, but to be an act of testing faith and denying your own desires in favour of the divine will. The Amekizites and Shurites have different fasting rules. The Ekkemites, who had no true central religious authority, based their fasting rule upon local tradition rather than a rule dictated by the Nakkalite Order. The fasting rules described here are the ones adapted for the Revised Titanic Calendar, which is virtually identical to the Gregorian Calendar.

Amekizites fast every Thursday and Saturday (based on the days which the prophet Amman is believed to have been told to fast), as well as for the entirety of June. When fasting, Amekizites abstain from "all the creatures who walk upon the Earth" as is taught in the *Edamerhu*, but seafood and all flying creatures (not merely birds) are permitted. Amekizites also abstain from dairy, honey, sugar and all drinks except water whilst fasting.

Shurites fast every Wednesday and Friday (based on a different calculation of when Amman was told to fast), as well as for the entirety of both June and December. On Wednesdays and Fridays, Shurites abstain from all meat except shellfish, but on the longer fasting periods all seafood is permitted. Shurites do not abstain from dairy, and they permit fruit juices to be drunk in addition to water. However, they still prohibit honey and sugar as well as "sweet fruits" such as dates, oranges and strawberries. Whereas the Amekizite monastics adhere to the same fasting rules as the general population, Shurite monastics adopt stricter rules, not permitting themselves to eat any meat at all whenever fasting and, on Fridays only, not eating at all until sundown.

## History

Whereas the development of the three distinct branches of Nakkalism - also known as the Nakkalite Schism - is well-understood, the early history of Nakkalism remains vague due to imprecise and sometimes conflicting written and archaeological records.

It is known that the worship of Nakkal did exist before the Annihilation and was the religion of the Gold Elf empire, though to what extent this religion resembled post-Annihilation Nakkalism is entirely unknown. Even in ancient times, Nakkalites argued over where their religion first appeared, and which people were the first to receive the teaching of Nakkal. The most commonly held theory amongst Amekizites is that the Gold Elves were the first to be taught by Nakkal, which is why they were created to physically resemble the Angels, whereas the Shurites and Ekkemites are insistent that the first to receive Nakkal's teaching were humans.

The question of geographic origin is what causes the most confusion. The traditional narrative that has always been held by the Kalzuranuris, that Nakkalism was brought to them by the ancient Chalparni empire, is largely incompatible with the fact that the *Edamerhu* is entirely written in Kalzuranuri, and every single one of the prophets who wrote in it were of Kalzuranuri origin.

Most modern historians adhere to the theory that the religion originated in Kalzuranur and was transmitted to Chalparna, but during the Annihilation the presence of Nakkalism in Kalzuranur completely collapsed and was overtaken by the local pagan traditions. The Nakkalite prophets who wrote the *Edamerhu* were clergy who fled the pagan invasion of their homes and found safe refuge in Chalparna, writing down the teachings of Nakkal to preserve them, possibly in the hope of one day bringing their religion back to their homeland. According to this theory, rather than spreading Nakkalism to Kalzuranur, the Chalparnis instead reintroduced it - or rather, they made it possible for the Kalzuranuri clergy to reintroduce it to their homeland by conquering the pagans.

However, this theory is not without criticism. Some historians argue that the fall of Kalzuranur to pagans should have a strong presence in ancient texts, including the *Edamerhu* itself, but this presence does not exist. Critics argue that the "reintroduction theory" is a product of conjecture rather than actual evidence - however, adherents to the theory counter-argue that absence of evidence is not itself evidence of absence, and do not agree that such an event would inevitably be described in the *Edamerhu*.