Atin, Keeper of Masks
Famous for their elusivity even to the Gods themselves, Atin The Keeper of Masks is the God of Trickery in Luthaenoism. Atin is infamous for being one of the two Gods of Deceit, their sibling being the archdevil Akkolor the Perverter, and the last of the Greater Deities to agree to cast It down from the Kolaluthenut. The two siblings were separated after Akkolor became the first deity to turn to evil and actively seek to
Unlike most other Gods (especially among the Greater Deities), Atin has no sigil, no Homeland, and no singular personification. They are only represented by their mask, as seen above: a mask with a confusing expression, both laughing and weeping, smiling and crying. Sometimes, the indigo feathers of a Maletsokish bird are used alongside the mask. They are assumed to have a sizable following, especially among the remaining Marnab population in the Maletsok Territory, but this cannot be said with certainty, as their cults are deeply secretive and always anonymous.
Role in the Sacred History of Maletsok
The role Atin played in the formation of Maletsok is controversial and canonically rejected by Imperial scholars. In traditional tellings of the story, Atin is said to have perverted the greed of the Maletsokish peoples into malice and covetousness. They prodded the Pelozerians to hate the Dobrid for their vast forests which could be farmlands; they whispered to the Dobrid Lentuards of the untold riches and fonts of knowledge kept secret by the Dumadhur; and they beguiled the Dwarven chiefs to despise the wasted potential of the Halflings, twisting their love of life into a pitiful sloth. Thereafter, it is taught that Atin went and coaxed Kirien the Red to teach the folk the ways and methods of warfare.
This version of the history is heterodoxic to the Imperial Religion. Chiefly, it asserts that both mortal and immortal beings are inherently innocent and require the goading of an external force to turn to evil. As Imperial wisdom teaches, all beings are inherently capable and often willing to choose evil over good, guiled or otherwise. Therefore, espousing Atin's traditional role in the history is deemed heresy and strongly discouraged.
Relationship with Akkolor
Before creation, Atin and their twin Akkolor, the Gods of Deceit, were among the Greater Deities atop Darbreduun. Both reveled in the wonder of deception and the delicate balance between truth and falsehood. During the Sacred History of Maletsok, both deities participated by deceiving both mortals and gods alike, chiefly Kirien the Red, and bringing about the first war.
As the gods worked to help the folk of Maletsok recover after the Sacred Eruption, the twin gods sought to participate. Atin, moved by the suffering of the mortals, taught them the art of trickery and illusion, and how to use it to reveal greater truths, and identify deception where it causes one to fall. Akkolor, however, saw the power of deception and how it could be used to raise one's status in the world. Akkolor began to once gain deceive the mortal folk into serving Itself in waging war and accumulating wealth, and further deceiving numerous angelic hosts of the Luthaenel.
Seeing what Akkolor had done, the other gods convened and judged to cast It down from the Luthaenel, banishing It. Atin, in love for their sibling, was greatly displeased and tried to plead on their sibling's behalf. Their pleadings, however, only illumined the truth that Akkolor had already fallen to evil. With Atin's blessing, Akkolor was banished down from the Sacred Summit deep into the earth, forming what is today the Pits of Akkolorn.
Cult - Group of Empty Faces
The Group of Empty Faces is an organization dedicated to the worship of Atin, Keeper of Masks, and is largely a Gnomish cult. The religion is characterized by its annual holidays, usually marking the changing of the seasons. These holidays are celebrated with feasting, theatrical performances, and parades. The parades are a spectacle, comprising marching a faceless and blank doll through the streets. As the procession goes, adherents will add items of clothing and take others, so the doll is constantly changing in appearance as it is marched around. At the end of the procession, the doll is burned on a pyre with whatever clothing it is wearing when the priest/priestess calls for the end of the ceremony. Around the pyre, adherents will open gifts left for them anonymously while receiving the name of the person for whom they must prepare a gift for the next celebration.
Besides these celebrations, adherents do not participate in any formalized worship, and temples are more so the dwellings of clerics than places of worship. Instead, they participate in acts of deceit, not necessarily good or evil. The nature of these acts depends on the denomination of the adherent, which falls into three major groups. The popular Nimblereachers believe that deceiving people for a greater good -- theatre, magic, or acts of anonymous charity -- brings glory to Atin, who delights in cleverness used for good. The more scholarly Glassygazers believe that there is no distinction between evil and good actions, as Atin cares not for the outcome but rather the event of deceit itself. They tend to be good, as it is what is socially favourable however. Finally, the least popular Gloomcastes believe that the only thing Atin revels in is the use of deceit for evil measures, seemingly confusing Atin for Akkolor the Perverter. The Gloomcasters are difficult to come-by, as they are highly illegal, and association with the group can lead to deportation to a work colony. They are who give the Group, and by extension Gnomes, a bad name as they act essentially as a criminal syndicate.
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