Cystianism

First formed 21/08/2018

Overview

Cystianism is a small faith taken up by various members of the PirateCraft world. This small religion holds a strong belief that the player Cysteen is more than a jack-of-all-trades, but the human embodiment of of the supreme deity, Hyla the Merciful, sent from the Heavens to save the physical world from the destruction of existence in an event known as the Great Calamity. While often shunned or mocked by other players, believers of this faith are strong-willed and unswayable from their faith.

The Legend

The legend holds that Cysteen is the god Hyla, the God of Mercy and Sight, in human form. Summoned by GodsDead to save humanity and physical realm from the demon, Castrophe, the Divider and bringer of the Great Calamity. To prepare the world for the devastating event, Hyla, masqueraded as the merchant Cysteen, created the Two Chains that link the three realms of the world: The Cities of Man, The Wilds, and The Seas. With the world linked, existence was granted the ability to stall Castrophe and delay the Calamity. Now the world awaits to mass a force great enough to drive Castrophe back to Hell and end the prophecies of the Great Calamity.

The Two Chains

According to belief, in order to unite the various realms of the overworld, Cysteen took great inspiration from Man's ability to communicate. She assigned a creature from each realm to act as a harbinger and assigned each a human messenger, except for the Cities of Man. For the Wilds, Cysteen selected the iconic Moosicorn, a great stag gifted with a third antler in the shape of a horn, to be the Harbinger of the Wilds. A nearby farmer was saved from a pack of ravenous ghouls by Cysteen and was gifted the ability to hear the Stag's call, and was tasked to relay messages from the Harbinger of the Wilds to the Harbinger of Man. In the Seas, Cysteen found a mighty Narwhal, bleached in ghostly white, and named it the Harbinger of the Seas. On the back of the ghostly Narwhal, Cysteen struck down a Leviathan sent by Castrophe, saving a doomed sailor, the sailor became the Narwhal's Messenger for the Seas. As for the Cities of Man, Cysteen appointed a central figure to receive the words of the Messengers, bonding the Two Chains from the Wilds and the Seas to the Cities. With the Chains bonded, Castrophe saw the division he created was undone, and hid himself away to plan for the Chain's destruction, which would allow him to bring about the Calamity without anyone seeing.

Traditions and Customs

Believers of the faith refer to themselves as Cystians, and hold a deep respect for Cysteen. At her passing, members would greet her with the hand gesture: t(o-ot), which does not express the common feeling the gesture is often associated with.

Members would also often be seen wearing a carved gourd, as the magical properties of the mask are said to grant wearers with a unique sight, revealing agents of Castrophe and those who have the potential of aiding him.

Shrines and statues of Cysteen and the Harbingers can be found at believers' establishments.

Members are also very wary of others, especially ones of toxic nature, as they are usually more likely to help bring about the Chain's disposal, opening the world to destruction.

As in many religions, fire is viewed as a cleansing agent. Many harmful entities, be it monsters or men, are disposed of by fire in hopes to end all chances of worldly harm.

Those of strong faith also believe that when they pass, they enter the Singing Isles, an ethereal realm created by Cysteen to preserve her closest and most valiant followers.