She has guided my hand towards the truth. She has kept my vision clear on my quest towards comprehending the grandness of the world. Praise to Nisaba!—Dedication from a Tirionite encyclopedia
Nisaba (pronounced niss-AH-bah) is the goddess of writing, history, research, investigations, and education.
Edicts and anathema
- Edicts
- Seek and spread knowledge and truth, instruct others, record history, further society’s understanding of mundane, magical, and divine topics
- Anathema
- Allow false information to spread, share or create lies, destroy knowledge, withhold knowledge from others
Description
Nisaba writes with the inky blackness of the night sky, chronicling the cycles of the cosmos on her endless scroll. She searches for truth and records all she finds. Nisaba embodies the fundamental and innate drive for knowledge and the desire to learn.
In some stories of Nisaba's origins, she was intentionally willed into existence by the other gods to chronicle the process of creation. In others, she was born from the yearning of the first living beings to understand their surroundings. This divide heavily defines her faithful. In some places in Kishar, Nisaba is primarily seen as a god of scribes and historians - these regions generally prefer the first tale. The latter story, however, is emphasized by Nisaba’s devotees who see her first and foremost as a goddess of research and investigation.
Followers
Those possessed by a drive to learn frequently turn to the worship of Nisaba. Writers of all types commonly worship her, but her faith is especially widespread amongst historians and natural scientists. Mages and inventors are typical followers of Nisaba as well, as are many others whose work and lives are closely intertwined with information and writing.
Church structure
Temples to Nisaba are usually organized under regional church structures that run themselves mostly independently from each other. These churches are almost like large library systems, and exist in large part to organize and catalogue the large corpus of works they have written and collected.
Holy text
Nisaba has innumerable holy texts. All works dedicated to the goddess are considered holy by her followers, who frequently begin and end each book, scroll, or tablet they write with a doxology to Nisaba. There are several written works, however, that are considered particularly holy:
- Magic Under the Stars
- Magic Under the Stars is widely used by those taking their first steps to learn arcane magic. It is quite an old written work; copies of this text have been dated back to at least the 32nd century.
- On Investigations
- Half a manual on how to conduct a thorough investigation and half a collection of prayers, On Investigations is a lengthy tome especially favored by those that seek to unravel mysteries.
- List of Kings
- List of Kings is a historical chronicle of the rulers of Khapesh, Tirione, and Ishtar, dating back many thousands of years. Though rather dry, this ancient volume is seen as a fundamental contribution of Nisaba's clergy towards the modern practice of recording history.
Relations
Followers of Nisaba have good relations with those of other lawful-aligned deities, but especially with Hasamel's faith. While they may disagree with the methods of more chaotic religions, they believe knowledge should be shared by all, and that everyone has something to teach and learn.
Their desire to learn and share knowledge often leads the faithful of Nisaba to have a conflicting opinion of Ubellur. They understand some information can be dangerous in the wrong hands, or in anyone's hands at all, yet simultaneously do not wish to allow the secrets of the universe to be remain unknown.
Depiction
Nisaba is widely depicted as a scribe deep in her work, using ink made from the darkness of the night sky to write on a massive scroll. In some renditions the cosmos itself is her scroll, so packed with knowledge that the only parts not covered are the pinpricks of the stars and other celestial bodies.
Variations by pantheon
| Pantheon | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Aserdian | Nashira | Nashira (pronounced nah-SHEE-rah) is a goddess of central importance, especially as a deity of history - many consider her the most important figure in the pantheon, or at least the most important one that takes an active role in mortal affairs. She connects communities to their past, both recent and distant, and in doing so allows them to better understand the present. Followers of Nashira believe the teaching of others to be one of most pious acts one can take. In the Aserdian pantheon Nashira is not only the goddess of written works but also of oral histories, which are often interspersed with praise for the goddess.
Nashira's clergy are often found working in libraries or as researchers, actively attempting to further mortal understanding of the world as a facet of their prayers. Unusually for Aserdian deities, her priesthood is quite well-organized, if rather diffuse. They frequently communicate with each other in order to share knowledge and take part in each other's worship. Though it has no official status as such, the House of Treasure in Yarma is widely considered by Nashira's clergy to be one of the holiest places for their faith, and a great many of their theological works are stored there. Compared to her interpretations in other pantheons, Nashira is more of a neutral goddess in the Aserdian pantheon, with her lawful aspects de-emphasized. Nashira is typically depicted as a scribe deep in her work, often wearing clothes covered in intricate writing. She is frequently pictured as sitting amongst celestial bodies, pulling ink from the night sky between them. |
| Chaskan | Nisaba | Nisaba (pronounced niss-AH-bah) is the goddess of writing, research, investigations, and education, and in particular of history, alchemy, and mathematics. She writes with the inky blackness of the night sky, chronicling the cycles of the cosmos on her endless scroll. The goddess searches for truth and records all she finds, embodying the fundamental and innate drive for knowledge and the desire to learn.
Those possessed by a drive to learn frequently turn to the worship of Nisaba. Writers and researchers of all types commonly worship her, but her faith is especially widespread amongst historians, natural scientists, alchemists, and mathematicians. Mages and inventors are typical followers of Nisaba as well, as are many others whose work and lives are closely intertwined with information and writing. In some stories of Nisaba's origins, she was intentionally willed into existence by the other gods to chronicle the process of creation. In others, she was born from the yearning of the first living beings to understand their surroundings. This divide heavily defines her faithful. In some places in Kishar, Nisaba is primarily seen as a god of scribes and historians - these regions generally prefer the first tale. The latter story, however, is emphasized by Nisaba's devotees who see her first and foremost as a goddess of research and investigation. Temples to Nisaba are usually organized under regional church structures that run themselves mostly independently from each other. These churches are almost like large library systems, and exist in large part to organize and catalogue the large corpus of works they have written and collected. Nisaba has innumerable holy texts. All works dedicated to the goddess are considered holy by her followers, who frequently begin and end each book, scroll, or tablet they write with a doxology to Nisaba. There are two written works, however, that are considered particularly holy:
Nisaba is widely depicted as a scribe deep in her work, using ink made from the darkness of the night sky to write on a massive scroll. In some renditions the cosmos itself is her scroll, so packed with knowledge that the only parts not covered are the pinpricks of the stars and other celestial bodies. |
| Hellean | Peitho | In the Hellean pantheon, Peitho is the patron of teachers and students. Classrooms and other places of learning frequently include small shrines to the goddess, often with an idol placed so she can watch the proceedings. |
| Khapeshan | Shentayet | In the Khapeshan pantheon, Shentayet taught mortals how to write. As the Collector of Truth, most of Shentayet's followers are scribes and others concerned with recording factual information. Her temples often work closely with local government institutions to chronicle even the most mundane details of day to day life, as they believe all knowledge will eventually have a use some day. |
| Dwarven | Solnas | In the Dwarven pantheon, Solnas is the dutiful chronicler and the one who taught the practice of keeping long family histories. It is common for dwarven families to possess one of Solnas' holy texts for generations, adding their own writings to it to note births, deaths, and other major events within the family. |
| Elven | Celens | Celens (pronounced CELL-enz) is a goddess of magic first and foremost. In the stories of the Elven pantheon she taught the first wizard the secrets of arcane magic, and prospective elven wizards are still often instructed by clerics of Celens. Since the end of the era of the aeroliths and the abandonment of Eita, Celens has additionally gained importance as a goddess of history, particularly amongst Redemptionist elves.
Many of Celens' clergy fuse their divine magic with skilled use of arcane techniques. Temples to the goddess are often used as both prayer halls and schools of magic, places to instruct new generations of mages in both the teachings of the goddess and proper magical form. One of Celens' holy texts, Magic Under the Stars, is often believed to have originated in the Elven pantheon before spreading to her faithful elsewhere in the world. Celens is typically depicted dressed in the garb of an elven mage, with most pictures portraying her as in the process of casting an elaborate spell. More stylized depictions sometimes show her as a constellation. |