Nyoka (nee-oh-kah)
The Broodmother, the Holy Dragon Empress
Goddess of dragons, dreams, and elements
Nation: Holy Dragon Empire
Allies: None
Enemies: None
Temples: Anywhere the dragons dwell
Worshippers: Arcanists who focus on one element, dragons, those wracked by insomnia
Sacred animal: Reptiles, especially salamanders
Sacred colors: All
Holy symbol: The roaring face of a dragon
[DnD 5e] Domains: Light, Tempest
Nyoka has been asleep ever since the end of Nyoka's War of Aggression , on the 79th of Winter, 375. At the time, some mistakenly thought this would be the end of her influence upon Domhan. They could not have been more wrong. When she was still awake, Nyoka showed great arrogance, even for a Veika. She believed herself to be the foremost child of Ako, and thus she created the dragons in her image, giving her shape to the Ryu and her strength to the Drakes . This arrogance left her wide open to manipulation, thus causing the War of Aggression. But it also caused her to fail to understand one of the most fundamental principles of being a Veika, something that Ako had realised long ago: for all their power and influence, they are not invincible. Indeed, Nyoka's arrogance was such that she pushed herself beyond the limits of a Veika, and drained her internal resources to the very last drop. By the time she had realised her mistake, it was too late; and she was forced to retreat from her war, and went to rest. She never awoke from that rest, and her body turned into the mountain range that is known as Nyoka's Bed. Regardless of her current state, Nyoka is still able to communicate with her worshippers and Domhan at large. She exercises the same power over the elements that she did before, manifesting great storms or boiling the seas to show her displeasure; and all dragons know who their progenitor is, and make sure to show proper reverence to her, lest they attract her anger. But she has gained a new way to contact her followers and influence the world: dreams. In her slumber, Nyoka has gained a great measure of mastery over the manipulation of dreams, an art known as oneiromancy. Thus can she contact people the world over, demanding worship or giving her blessings or curses. Dreams sent by Nyoka are known to be particularly powerful, and their recipients always remember them to the last detail; her nightmares are equally as influential, but they manifest in the form of Elementals who wreck the world in their rage. Nyoka's slumber has also instilled a certain amount of humility upon her. She still believes herself to be the perfect being, Ako's favoured child, and encourages her children to think of themselves as closest to perfection as they can be; but she now tempers this arrogance with patience. Indeed, she now waits for someone to restore her energy, sending messages throughout Domhan to any that she believes could help her. Many work against the fulfillment of this goal, for they do not know what Nyoka's intentions are once she awakens. When she was alive, Nyoka took on the form of a massive Ryu, whose scales were as black as the darkest night usually, but she could manifest echoes of her own physical form that bore other shapes and other colors. It is said that a type of dragon was created to match each of these colors. Worship of Nyoka is mostly one of arrogance and power. Dragons worship her to ask her to impart a part of their power upon her, and to thank her for making them in her image, lest they incur her wrath. Dragonkin worship her to ask her to give them guidance, or to show favor for one dragon over the other. Said worship often takes place wherever it can be done, and involves blood sacrifices of animals - and, sometimes, Emberi.
Nation: Holy Dragon Empire
Allies: None
Enemies: None
Temples: Anywhere the dragons dwell
Worshippers: Arcanists who focus on one element, dragons, those wracked by insomnia
Sacred animal: Reptiles, especially salamanders
Sacred colors: All
Holy symbol: The roaring face of a dragon
[DnD 5e] Domains: Light, Tempest
Nyoka has been asleep ever since the end of Nyoka's War of Aggression , on the 79th of Winter, 375. At the time, some mistakenly thought this would be the end of her influence upon Domhan. They could not have been more wrong. When she was still awake, Nyoka showed great arrogance, even for a Veika. She believed herself to be the foremost child of Ako, and thus she created the dragons in her image, giving her shape to the Ryu and her strength to the Drakes . This arrogance left her wide open to manipulation, thus causing the War of Aggression. But it also caused her to fail to understand one of the most fundamental principles of being a Veika, something that Ako had realised long ago: for all their power and influence, they are not invincible. Indeed, Nyoka's arrogance was such that she pushed herself beyond the limits of a Veika, and drained her internal resources to the very last drop. By the time she had realised her mistake, it was too late; and she was forced to retreat from her war, and went to rest. She never awoke from that rest, and her body turned into the mountain range that is known as Nyoka's Bed. Regardless of her current state, Nyoka is still able to communicate with her worshippers and Domhan at large. She exercises the same power over the elements that she did before, manifesting great storms or boiling the seas to show her displeasure; and all dragons know who their progenitor is, and make sure to show proper reverence to her, lest they attract her anger. But she has gained a new way to contact her followers and influence the world: dreams. In her slumber, Nyoka has gained a great measure of mastery over the manipulation of dreams, an art known as oneiromancy. Thus can she contact people the world over, demanding worship or giving her blessings or curses. Dreams sent by Nyoka are known to be particularly powerful, and their recipients always remember them to the last detail; her nightmares are equally as influential, but they manifest in the form of Elementals who wreck the world in their rage. Nyoka's slumber has also instilled a certain amount of humility upon her. She still believes herself to be the perfect being, Ako's favoured child, and encourages her children to think of themselves as closest to perfection as they can be; but she now tempers this arrogance with patience. Indeed, she now waits for someone to restore her energy, sending messages throughout Domhan to any that she believes could help her. Many work against the fulfillment of this goal, for they do not know what Nyoka's intentions are once she awakens. When she was alive, Nyoka took on the form of a massive Ryu, whose scales were as black as the darkest night usually, but she could manifest echoes of her own physical form that bore other shapes and other colors. It is said that a type of dragon was created to match each of these colors. Worship of Nyoka is mostly one of arrogance and power. Dragons worship her to ask her to impart a part of their power upon her, and to thank her for making them in her image, lest they incur her wrath. Dragonkin worship her to ask her to give them guidance, or to show favor for one dragon over the other. Said worship often takes place wherever it can be done, and involves blood sacrifices of animals - and, sometimes, Emberi.
Holidays
The 79th of Winter is an important holiday for the Nyokan religion. It is a day of mourning, where even the greatest of rivals travel to Nyoka's Bed to mourn over the passing of their progenitor. Outside observers have referred to the passage of dragons over the mountains as a dance, and their laments as a song, giving the whole process a hauntingly beautiful quality to it.Common rituals and gestures
There are two sets of rituals for worshippers of Nyoka: one that is reserved for draconic beings, and one that is reserved for bipedal beings. In many ways, these rituals are similar in intent and execution, but are still considered separate, if only because of the difference in violence between the two sets. Draconic beings honor Nyoka with contests of physical and mental strength; challenges given to others to assert their dominance over them. Dragons believe that asserting their dominance over their kin pushes them closer to Nyoka, granting them more and more of her own, "infinite" power. In calmer times, however, they are also fond of dancing; the dance of many dragons engaged in civilized discussion is truly a sight to behold. Bipedal beings also use contests to prove their dedication to Nyoka, but in comparison to dragons, who love nothing more than to tear each other to shreds, bipedal contests often involve gentler pursuits, like sports. While the bipedal worshippers of Nyoka do not honor her through dance, they do honor her through song; there are many litanies, dirges, and songs that can be sung in Draconic to honor Nyoka.Divine Intercessions
Nyoka's favor can be attracted by showing strength over one's rivals and subordinates, and by conquering more territory for oneself. Her wrath is incurred by failing to show proper reverence to her or her children, or by showing cowardice in the face of an opponent one could potentially defeat. Her blessings manifest in increased physical strength, and even in physical mutations, turning one more dragon-like over time; some Emberi have been turned entirely into dragons through their sheer dedication to Nyoka. Her curses, however, can cause a person's body to crumble to nothing. There are also a few legends going about that dragons who have truly offended Nyoka are turned into tiny snakes for their troubles.Aphorisms
These sayings and proverbs mostly have to do with proving oneself in the eyes of their goddess. Show them your teeth / claws!: An encouragement for someone to show bravery in the face of great adversity. May your night be free of Nyoka's dreams: This saying is a roundabout way to say "sleep well", because Nyoka's dreams are often powerful (and sometimes violent) in nature, ensuring that one's sleep will not be restful. Quick as Wind, Tranquil as a Forest, Violent as Fire, Immovable as a Mountain: The four principles that form the cornerstone of Nyoka's dogma of strength, both physical and mental. Used to remind worshippers of the ideal they should strive for. Blood must seep into the earth so that Nyoka can be fed: The justification given for the use of sacrifices to Nyoka.Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
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