Tishal

Tishal is the Supreme God of Nedira. They are the ultimate divine force and creator-God who will judge all souls for their moral worth at the end of days. This is the Empire of Calazen's cultural understanding of the Architect known more broadly as The Chimera.   Tishal is also called Tishalla when they are in a "feminine stance" of Preservation and Creation. The masculine form is used for worshipping Tishal as a monarch and as the Divine Father of Ghavi, but the feminine form is used for worshipping Tishal/Tishalla as the original creator of the universe. Tishal is understood as being both simultaneously, as they are a god of many faces. They are often literally depicted as being multi-headed or multi-faced for this reason. Tishal is used in this article as it is the slightly shorter name.   Tishal is worshipped in Nediran religion in a semi-monotheistic manner, not as the only god but as the supreme god. Tishal is the monarch, parent, and lawgiver for all other spirits and gods, so anything of supreme importance should go to them. Prayers about small matters are diverted to local spirits and gods out of a sense of respect if anything: helping your field would be a better fit for a field-level spirit or god that is loyal to Tishal, rather than the Big Boss themselves. But your ultimate judgment at the end of days? That is a matter that fits Tishal's direct judgment.   As a note, Tishal is the fictionalized or culturally-interpreted God-concept while The Chimera is the actual physical deity. This is an important distinction. Tishal is believed to be an active and powerful divine force who believes in law and justice, but the Chimera is neither active nor particularly interested in those things. Much of the mythology around Tishal is also based in cultural beliefs and stories and not the actual deeds of the Chimera.   Tishal is agreed to be many-faced and many-headed, and each face represents a different aspect of their divinity and power. Worship typically focuses on a different aspect of Tishal, though it is important to remember that each aspect still connects to the larger divine will.   First, there are the two genders of Tishal. These genders can also apply to Tishal's other aspects - Tishal as the river God can be feminine or masculine depending on their role.   Tishalla, the primordial feminine aspect of Tishal, is Tishal as a force of creation and preservation. While the world is said to have come from resonance between the ancient forces of law (Enerad) and chaos (Sangshi), it was Tishalla who transformed that resonance into true creation. Tishalla is given sacrifice and worship in preserving things, for bodily protection, fertility, and general plenty. Tishalla is also given thanks for creating the universe as we know it. She is considered the "most elite" or high-status of Tishal's aspects.   Tishal, the primordial masculine aspect of Tishal, is Tishal as a force of justice, intervention, and judgment. Tishal is the aspect that impregnated the ancient queen Yena with her demigod child Ghavi, creating the imperial bloodline. Tishal the masculine will judge all people at the end of the world and intervenes in this world to destroy evil, reward good, and pass judgment. One prays to Tishal for forgiveness for sins, for judgment upon one's enemies, for justice, or for the destruction of evil.   Tishal and Tishalla are not distinct personalities and are often depicted as two near-identical people sharing a back to emphasize their unity.   There are three aspects of Tishal/Tishalla that act as their three faces: God of Waters, God of Earth, and God of Magic (also fire and lightning). Each of these aspects has a slightly different role and disposition, but all of them are fully part of Tishal.   Tishal-Shenon is Tishal the Water God, master of rains, rivers, floods, and seas. Shenon is the creator of all animal and plant life (so every mortal species but the Prisms and Solars) and is understood as the master of all fertility and agricultural spirits. They are given worship and sacrifice for general abundance in agriculture, hunts, weather, fishing, animal husbandry, and foraging. Local spirits tend to local areas, but Tishal-Shenon decides whether the great rivers flood or whether there is a great drought. Tishal-Shenon is also the master of fortunes for this reason and the lord of luck. Who gets rich and who remains poor, who gets sick and who keeps health, all matters of luck are the domain of Tishal-Shenon. All random hardships are trials of faith that will be rewarded with more favorable judgments after death.   Tishal-Arzan is Tishal the Earth God, master of stone, material wealth, stability, soil, and strength. Arzan is the creator of Prisms and the one who dictates the abundance of their foodstuff. Arzan is the great teacher and the source of all non-magical skills: smithing, weaving, building, carpentry, sailing, glassblowing, mining. Prayer and worship is given to Tishal-Arzan for mineral abundance, fertile soil, prosperous and competent children, and capability in action. Arzan grants gifts of certainty and resilience and is often prayed to for these things.   Tishal-Ritsabitalla is Tishal the Spirit and Magic God, master of magic, miracles, souls, knowledge, wisdom, ritual, and celestial bodies. Ritsabitalla is the master of law, scholarship, magic, prophecy, and spiritual guidance. They are simultaneously a god of authority, tied in with government, and a god of justice that grants rewards and punishments to the commonfolk. Tishal-Ritsabitalla is worshipped to ward away supernatural evil, grant wisdom, and receive divine guidance.   In Nediran dogma, Tishal is the manifestation of Dinikem or cosmic justice. Dinikem is the intersection of truth and harmony - it is the world both as it should be and as it could be. It is the best of all possible things and the movement of the world towards maximal contentment and justice when enabled by moral behavior. This is not to say that Tishal is reliant on mortal behavior themselves - they operate on a higher level - but they are simultaneously the moral paragon and the system of morality they champion. They will judge and reward souls at the end of time because that is the basis of their nature.    So Tishal is this frightening, powerful, impossibly big god that is always watching and judging your behavior for punishments or rewards in the end times. They are perfectly just but also unerring and almost mechanical; they rule as a perfect authority, impartial and impersonal. You don't pray or ritually interface with Tishal lightly. It is perfect and it demands perfection. Prayers to Tishal are common but formulaic to avoid mistakes: they focus on forgiveness for sins, acquiring wisdom, and invoking Tishal's power to create a more just and good world. Asking Tishal to do a non-good act angers Tishal, so one must be very careful in petitioning the great God.   The "purer" Tishal is, the more rigid and dangerous they become from a spiritual perspective. The avatars like Shenon or Arzan are considered more diluted and forgiving in their specific and material nature.    That is the role that Tishal is formally taught to have, anyways. Some traditions once taught that Tishal was a conquering, vengeful, petty, demanding god that must be appeased and distracted. Some rituals and communities still frame them that way. The tradition of Tikrit, common in the Northeast, has an entire fourth aspect of Tishal that directly interacts with people in a charismatic and individual way: Tishal-Malaho, also called the Reckoner. This is Tishal the Destroyer-Renewer, who oversees the end times and seeks to redeem and empower mortals to survive and become superior beings during those end times. Apocalyptic prophecies aside, the Reckoner represents a kind of parental and personal aspect of Tishal who is much more animated, mystical, and present in people's spiritual lives.    Tishal as a character is infallible, authoritative, and unquestionable in mainstream Nedira. Older stories sometimes framed Tishal as all-powerful but not all-knowing or all-wise, but those stories have largely fallen out of favor and use.   Tishal has many symbolic depictions: as a man or woman with pure white-and-black skin and body features, as an ivory Sudraco-like river dragon, as a crystal dragon-headed prism, as a peacock-feathered serpent or masked monarch. They are often depicted as chimeric to emphasize their multiple aspects. A figure that splits at the waist to become an ivory man on one branch and an obsidian dragon-headed woman on the other, for example, or a dragon with three different animal heads to represent the three aspects.    Tishal often is also connected to local religious traditions or foreign symbols, as they are said to be the divine sovereign of all lands who takes many shapes and names. The Nediran Temple even outright claims some foreign divines as aspects of Tishal: the draconic 'Chiminaros' of The Final Choir of Vetevism, for example, is seen as an aspect of Tishal that has been misinterpreted by the local Nafenans. The Nediran Temple similarly claims that the Divine Dragon of Asalay is Tishal. Some even claim that Kemegi is an aspect of Tishal, though that claim is strengthened by distance - things like the Divine Dragon and Kemegi are more about fitting a draconic/monstrous pattern than anything else.    Etezja is considered a holy site of Tishal, where they manifested as a Human to aid and sleep with the ancient Queen Yena. Tusuan and Athona, two neighboring underground towns known for hosting the great Mavara and for once hosting Onyx (ancestor of the Zethko), are also considered holy to Tishal. The city of Yadra, original home of Jade Atharzen, is also considered a holy place of Tishal.