Niteara
Goddess of What is Not
Niteara is the secretive goddess associated with secrets, puzzles, hidden doors, and mazes above all else. She is considered brilliant, an intellect that rivals experts even in their field, but she is known to hold many secrets and never volunteers information. This has led to her being the established rival of Cique, and is why she does not reside in the Pantheon of Knowledge. It is Niteara that has constructed the vast mazes of the ethereal cosmos, which act as shifting locks, barriers, and endless pathways as the first defense against all manner of Celestial Beings that would impose themselves upon Isekai and the realms of other deities. Niteara is currently the pinnacle of one pantheon, the Pantheon of Trickery, and is the puzzle maker to end all puzzle makers to the point that even the Sphinxes voice frustration, though it is from her that they derived their love of purposing knowledge into riddles. Niteara's form is understood to be consistent with a female draped in silver cloth and constantly covered in glittering smoke that obscures her face, save for bright lights that emanate from her eyes. This goddess is often depicted as just her disembodied eyes, bright and starlike as they pierce through curling and glittering smoke that bears similarities to the nebula in the night sky. Many depictions show her in the background of other murals, whether they be scenery, maps, artistic landscapes, and sometimes she is hidden in the depictions of other gods with whom she has good relations, such as Ivala, Lycana, and Olik.
Her tenets and standards involve mystery, expression, secrecy, and patience with a desire to walk in the secret ways that shall never be known to others. The personality of Niteara is best described as aloof and curious. She is worshipped by a variety of people, from explorers to Rogues, to magicians who specialize in illusion. The majority of her worshippers come from the Avian and Aquatic species, as they have access to places that the rest of the species in Isekai will seldom have the opportunity to visit. She is often recounted as the one who worked with Varell to establish the defenses of Isekai on the cosmic level. It is said that the entirety of the planes connected to Isekai resides in an ethereal maze littered with untold dangers, temporal prisons, and secrets from the time before the gods came to find the realm of Isekai.
Divine Domains
Niteara is involved in only one domain, though she is popular among many who attend the theater or perform on stage, which extends her influence beyond the Trickery Domain. While not directly entreated by those who make mazes and traps, her imagery is often used near dangerous areas or to lead eyes astray from secrets that have been hidden in laboratories and dungeons. There are instances in the world where someone may stumble upon one of the 'old' ruins, dungeons that were made by Niteara or devout worshipers of her that had an intense interest in creating the most elaborate traps and puzzles. It is said that in the old days, she would pick one mortal that stood out to her and give him the 'sight,' a means by which to not only see hidden things but also the means to see how to hide something for thousands of years. It is because of this that certain Scholars have tied her influences to certain applications of seals and wards.
Trickery
Niteara is considered the pinnacle of the Pantheon of Trickery. She is the embodiment of secrets, hidden passages, and puzzles that melt the mind. She is the Goddess of What is Not. As the pinnacle deity, she wields the most power in this pantheon, and her followers will often spread her likeness in hidden places to include inside other pieces of art that were not meant to contain her likeness originally. Her presence is enigmatic in and of itself, presenting an obstacle to those who would suppose complete knowledge of all that is, with questions of how long she has travelled the cosmos and what things she has secretly witnessed. All other gods of Trickery are considered more specialized, and their powers are often amplified or their expertise is entreated by Niteara herself as she sees their skills to be of great use and no small amount of fun. When it comes to Trickery, her focus is on the mystery itself and the preservation of it so that knowledge, places, and items can be concealed for personal desire or for the greater good.Holy Books & Codes
The religious text of Niteara is called the Cipher, a text that is filled with ancient knowledge and detailed instructions on how to purpose magic and mechanisms to hide things. It contains secrets about how the psychology of mortals works, where the eyes look, how the mind thinks, and alludes to things beyond the greater cosmos. About things that are and things that are not, and cannot be, though much more is inferred by what is not written. The text is divided into two parts, one that reads as the musings of a being that is passing on notes about how to accomplish certain things, how to hide things, and how to lock them away from prying eyes. This first section references things and places that do not exist on Isekai; they are from the great beyond that lies far outside the protective bounds of where mortals call home. The second part of the text describes her plane of existence, the Empty Mirror. This part of the text reads like a journal or a detailed map of where to step and what to avoid. It is said that true explorers with a love of the unknown will someday journey to her realm and discover the hidden secrets that lie in wait there. Niteara's Cipher is summarized to be incomplete; every hundred years or so, the text is added to by way of 'finding' more parts to it. These have been verified by devout worshippers and Scholars. As it stands, the Cipher references many things and passages that have yet to be obtained. Those who can find these hidden scripts and writings from Niteara are said to be blessed with keen insight and an inquisitive mind, with no small amount of luck guiding their actions.
Divine Symbols & Sigils
The primary symbol of Niteara is the hood, shrouded in smoke that sometimes bears her eyes and sometimes does not. Often, this imagery is depicted with finely crushed gems or crystals that give the cloak and the smoke a glittering quality. Others have gone as far as to align metals or gems so that they reveal a certain color or a certain message only when viewed under certain lights or at certain times of the year. The cloak is generally a silver to gray color, while the smoke is always a lighter purple. When the eyes are depicted, they are inside behind the smoke using emeralds or lightly colored green gems. It is said that Niteara's cloak and the smoke that surrounds her are completely unpierceable by blade, magic, and arts that let mortals see hidden things.
Holidays
The holiday dedicated to Niteara, known as the Day of Improbabilities, is the 5th of Spring's Evening, which is celebrated by those who follow the goddess and those who are merely curious about her existence. The country that holds the largest celebrations for Niteara is the Fairy Kingdom, where it is said that a grand event is held that allows mortals to wander through the great woods as they bend to the whim of the Fairy King to create a moving maze. Those who participate in this holiday use it as a time to show their creations, whether they be illusions and shows of misdirection or plays and songs that deal with political conspiracies and murder mysteries. This is a time to celebrate the genius of others and puzzle through the unknown or rediscover the things that were supposed as general information but lacked greater context or were shrouded in misdirection. Children are encouraged to participate, moving among festivities and winning prizes for guessing simple riddles or completing small games, while the more adventurous will participate in escape rooms or social deduction games.
What an interesting goddess. I love the idea of the Fairy King making a grand maze in his wood in celebration of her festival.
Explore Etrea | WorldEmber 2025