Idris Chayhroud

Idris Chayroud was a sailor, mystic, and prophet in the beginning of the 3rd century. He lived in the area now occupied by the Ciotterman empire and was responsible for the unification of the Cajra faith. He wrote the first book of the Hikmet: "The book of Divines" and participated in coversion efforts in the early Ciotterman empire. He is a significant religious figure for the Cajra faith being their main prophet.

Before the Hikmet

Idris Chayhroud was born in the year 312 to a merchant family in the Chananzala archipelago, little is known about Idris’ early life other than what is described in the Hikmet. When he was still a child, his parents were taken by a tsunami off the coast of Naomidi after failing to heed their child’s warning of a drowned god’s incoming wrath, according to the Hikmet, this was the first sign of Idris’ prophetic ability. After washing up on shore, Idris was found by an early group of Poseitune worshipers in a fishing village in Naomidi Bay. He was taken in by them and taught how to use the sea for sustenance, it was also there that he was taught of the great divine war, described by the Hikmet as a war raged by the great gods and divines of the area, He was taught this war was raged since the dawn of humanity and would be raged till it’s end. Historians believe this great divine war was likely a metaphor or explanation for the period of tribal warfare and religious disunity in the ciotterman region before its unification.

Idris joined the Poseitune worshippers and began to learn more about Poseitune worship and quickly became influential in the areas surrounding this village. Despite his deep appreciation of Poseitune and its religion, Idris felt limited by some of their religious doctrines and troubled by Gavi’s continued reign of terror in the region. In the year 330, after a religiously significant dream, Idris was inspired to seek out fluorescent algae to perform a ritual described to him in said dream. Despite intense protests from other Poseitune worshippers, during the summer solstice, Idris consumed the fluorescent algae tea and walked into the sea. 2 days later, Idris emerged from the sea. During Idris’ rite of submersion he claimed to have communicated directly with Poseitune who made him his pupil and gave him his holy mission:

“To make the brutes bow at wisdom’s feet, to have so chaos and order meet, to form a divine trinity and bring about the age of peace, the war of the divines must cease”

Following this revelation, Idris Chayhroud began the first book of the Hikmet, the main source for his life’s story.

The book of Divines

After his rite of submersion, Idris met with Barzin, an influential follower of Poseitune and tribe leader, to discuss how to pursue his quest. He was informed most followers of Kermanish were merchants on the Moatr Coast, and so he set sail, instructing those he left behind that should they need guidance from Poseitune they were to perform the rite of submersion in ten years.

As he sailed around what today is the Ciotterman coast, he recruited apostles from all the religions in the area at the time. The ship in which he sailed still exists and is preserved in the Ciotterman National Museum in Zabolrah. By the time Idris reached Moatr Coast, tales of his communing with Poseitune had reached the Church of Kermanish (known at the time as The coastal church). Upon landing, Idris was promptly arrested for false prophecy. Idris Chayroud was sentenced to a sailing trial, during which, Idris’ ship was caught in a tornado. After failing to escape the tornado, the prophet decided to charge into the eye of the tornado. He wrestled with the wind and when his ship had nearly been taken by the tornado and was beginning to take flight he lowered his sails and anchor, he’d reached the eye of the tornado. The sun shone down on his ship and he was struck by a deafening silence. Above him he saw kermanish.

“Those who enter my domain are worthy of my respect, say what ye seek”

A shining cloud loomed above Idris, and above it stood Kermanish. Idris upon the face of the divine, retained his courage and made his plea. He asked for his aid in forming a holy peace to unite the land.

“Your bravery betrays you, for you know not what ye seek;If ye wish for peace, ye must make Gavi bow at your feet; Yet reward I have offered and so I shall grant; I shall lend ye strength when ye make your stand”

Kermanish also informed him that he was now his pupil. Following Kermanish’s promise, his cloud lifted towards the sky and as it did, the tornado expanded until it dissipated, Idris remaining unharmed in the middle. Holy men of the coastal church were in awe, and set sail to meet with Chayroud. His survival of the sailing trial had proved his claims of prophecy and after informing them of his status of Kermanish’s pupil and of his holy quest, the devout of the coastal church offered to join him. They informed him that he would find Gavi in the Broken coast, and whilst he would face scarce followers of Gavi, the drowned god would do all in his power to stop him and his quest

Whilst sailing towards the broken coast, Idris faced increasingly difficult challenges, his food would rot sooner than expected and he would need to stop to resupply multiple times, his sailors would fall ill and many died and finally a large tsunami nearly sank his fleet as he arrived on the Broken coast, however, through clever manoeuvring he managed to make it sure alive. They tracked along the banks of the Thir river to a tall waterfall. The holy men that followed Idris’ informed him that at the top of the waterfall he would find the drowned god. And so he told his followers to wait as he ascended the mountain alone.

When he reached the peak of the waterfall, the sky turned gray, the birds would not chirp and the dirt would pull him in, yet he persevered. Idris called out to the drowned god:

“Ye who owns misfortune, who inhales death and exhales chaos; I faced your challenges with bravery in accordance your ethos; I have reached your domain with a task, so in essence; My actions demand your presence”

From the water rose the figure of Gavi, described as a humanoid squid. And so it spoke:

“If it’s peace that ye seek; then your quest is in vain. So that I challenge the weak; War must remain”

To which Idris replied:

“Faith is stronger than the lack of is frail; your challenges’ purpose is for one not fail; War may grant power but peace grants much more; if I prove ye my faith, will ye end this war?

The drowned god nodded, and so Idris jumped from the top of the water. As he fell, Kermanish came to his aid, he blew the winds upwards so that they may slow down his fall and Poseitune called for the fishes to form a circle below Idris so that he may land safely. The book of divines ends by declaring that a peace was forged between the Ocean Divines named after the one who caused it: “Chayhra”.

Later life

After the book of Divines, Idris went on to spend most his efforts in converting the people of the newly formed Ciotterman Empire into Cajra and also practiced mysticism, which is now believed to have been a form of early medicine, for those who were ill or injured.