The Alusi
Mythology & Lore
When the cosmos were nothing, there was Chukwu.
He watched the nothing become something, as other powers were born, created, and died. He watched as that which separated the somethings was destroyed, and something became everything.
He watched as beings without power were born, grew, built, lived, laughed, cried, feared, hoped, and died. He watched as the beings with power warred.
He watched as things came from farther away than he could watch to destroy both the beings with and without power. He watched as they progressed, then failed.
He watched, amazed, as the beings without power were not destroyed. They crawled out of their chains and sought light.
It was then he acted.
He pulled from the everything around him to create Ala. He gave her the power of death, and earth, and beauty, and told her to hold the people to her and guide them toward the light. So she did.
He pulled again from the everything around him and created Amadioha. He gave him the power of justice, and thunder, and unity, and told him to teach the people about the light. So he did.
A third time, Chukwu pulled from the everything around him and created Anyanwu. He gave them the power of life, and fire, and leadership, and told them to show the people the light. So he did.
The people were safe and strong and filled with Chukwu's light, and the praised him for all he had done for them.
Chukwu took from the everything a fourth and final time to create chi, and Ikenga, and Ekwensu, and Agwu Nsi, and Njoku Ji to protect and nourish the people.
Divine Origins
The first people to worship Chukwu and his Alusi were the illithid survivors in the mountain range now known as the Ummiati Kinngait. Ala came to them in the desecrated underdark to soothe their grief and and guide them toward a new life. So many of their kin were dead or destroyed, and many of their early rituals and practices involved burial and guidance to the
Ancestral Plane. Basilica culture is still largely death-centric. Ala's worship across the Kinngait involves burial and faux death.
Once these survivors had become more established, agriculture, law, leadership, and sport took on religious connotations as the practices of Anyanwu, Amadioha, Njoku Ji, and Ikenga grew and developed. Because the culture and religion are so deeply ingrained, everyday rituals typically serve a spiritual purpose as well.
Priesthood
Chukwu has no formal clergy; the faithful of his Alusi interpret his will through the lens of their deity. Additionally, aspects of chi, Ikenga, Ekwensu, Agwu Nsi, and Njoku Ji are interpreted via the service of the greater deity.
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