Followers of Grey Water

If you ask me, the Followers have all drank a little too much evua c'aici. It rots the brain. But they go crazy for anything with a genberry filling, so who am I to judge?

— Irocran Baker

The Followers of Grey Water is a religious group found primarily along the banks of the northern Aici River. They are most well known for drinking the toxic water of the Aici as a part of religious observances.

Mythology & Lore

Leland is said to be confined within its own sphere, called Vepsa. This was done as punishment for cowardice during The Great Invasion. Those who sail too far from Leland's shore are sucked into the walls of Vepsa and will only be released when the living have finally paid the price for the original cowardice.
The spirts of Leland's dead are imprisoned in The Wasteland. Much like there has been no contact with anyone outside of the peninsula in over a millennium, spirits have been barred from passing to whatever plain of existence comes after this one. The original spirts, or the benghi, poison the waters that flow from the Wasteland--the Aici River. When the waters of the Aici run clean, it is said Leland will be released from Vepsa.
Tamik, the Caretaker of Vepsa, is responsible for keeping the living and the spirits separate from one another. He allows the benghi to poison the Aici in order to keep them from becoming so unruly that they escape into the world of the living and wreak havoc. He communicates with the living through dreams and hallucinations.
Niktamism claims that humans have been cut off from the god or gods that created the universe and makes no claims as to the nature of those beings, only that they appointed Tamik to guide Leland to redemption. There will be no judgement for actions taken within Vepsa.

Divine Origins

Followers of Grey Water has its roots along the northern Aici in the decades following the The Great Invasion. Groups returning to the area following the retreat of the hordes not only found their homes and livelihoods destroyed, but also their water source poisoned by what had occurred on the other side of the mountains. Seeing this, many chose to relocate, but some chose to stay. Many who stayed fell ill with Green Aician Fever, a disease that causes hallucinations in the most severe cases.
Stories hold that along the banks of the Aici, dozens of people suddenly came out of their fevers at the same time and described a great spirit that had visited them. The spirit had showed them visions of The Wasteland, once fertile land through which the Aici flowed now haunted by those who had perished in the Great Invasion. The river was being poisoned by these vengeful spirits to punish those who had fled rather than fight for their homes. Only when the spirits thought the living had properly paid the price for their cowardice would the waters of the Aici run clean once again, but such a price would take many, many generations to account for.
Word of these visions spread, and many continued to have their own visions of this great spirit that would come to be known as Tamik.

Tenets of Faith

1. A Follower shall not curse anyone or anything for his personal suffering.
2. A Follower shall fight for that which is inherently valuable to the spirit.
3. A Follower shall not be intentionally cruel to another being.
4. A Follower shall contribute to improvement of all life within Vepsa.
5. A Follower shall not drink directly of the Aici unless called to do so.

Ethics

One of the most important rules in the day-to-day life of a Niktamist is to not drink the unfiltered waters of the Aici unless in a religious setting. Purposely inflicting sickness on one's self without purpose or proper care is considered a great sin.
Niktamists are inherently open to others regardless of background and are expected to help their communities and strangers alike. Outside of the upper Aici region, they often seek out active roles in humanitarian and political organizations.

Worship

Weekly worship involves giving thanks to Tamik for continuing to safeguard the living of Leland from the unbridled horror and chaos that would ensue should the benghi be released. Anyone who feels called to receive a message from Tamik is offered to sip from the 'tainted glass' that is passed around by those gathered. They will the be cared for by church staff for the duration of their sickness.

Priesthood

Those who feel called to the leadership of the Followers spend three years in study at Tamik's Hollow. This study often involves partaking in unfiltered water from the Aici to induce the fever state associated with Green Aician Fever, allowing the individual to properly receive communication from Tamik. After three years, the individual will anointed as a priest and sent to work in a parish under the supervision of one or more senior priests. Priests are recognizable by the three wavy silver lines tattooed across the width of their foreheads.
The leadership of the Followers, referred to as the Leaders of Grey Water, is made up of seven taimtriarchs. Six of these taimtriarchs are responsible for determining doctrine and overseeing worship practices of the Followers. The seventh taimtriarch--the longest serving of the Leaders--is referred to as Tamik's Voice. This taimtriarch regularly partakes in concentrated water from the Aici and is rarely seen out of bed as they are often overtaken by severe sickness in order to commune with Tamik clearly. Every word they speak is said to come from Tamik. The Leaders of Grey Water have a very high turn over rate.

Sects

Niktamism exists in harmony with other religions from the region, thus many sects have come into being that pull motives and morals from different sources.
In Indorai-Niktamism, for example, it is believed that Vepsa was created by Aveces to save Leland and, by extension, the Irocai from the wrath of Siempre. Tamik was appointed by Menudo to maintain order within Vepsa as he maintains order in the world of his mothers. There are some that believe Tamik is actually Menudo in disguise. Indorai-Niktamists do not actively worship the Indorai gods, since any worship will never be heard by the intended recipient, but they do study the fundamental stories and principles that the religion is based on.
There is also Agnostic-Niktamism which holds that all religions are fictitious and that the true nature of the universe will only be revealed when Leland is released from Vepsa.

Founding Date

17 SU

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Alternative Names

Niktamism
Cult of Tamik

Deities

• Tamik