This has bugged me for some time

Why would Vivec need the power from Kagrenac's Tools to ascend to godhood if he had already achieved CHIM?

>CHIM
what's chim?

Why could he just not player.additem (hex for the tools)?

Christmas Horses Inside Mannequins.

The final ideal of the Psijic order, the ability for oneself to ascend mortality and Mundus and become one with the universe whilst retaining individuality; only two people known to achieve CHIM are Vivec and Talos; Talos used his CHIM to become Aedra.

Not the Psijic order, but the Psijic Endeavour. They're not really related. The latter was ALLEGEDLY taught to Prophet Veloth by Boethia, the Veloth who then led the faction that called themselves chimer (later dunmer) to Morrowind.

that was before, and when nerevarine ordeal was happening he lost interest

It's like your in this world and then suddenly you realize your the writer of this world and when your a writer you can do whatever you want. Yet at the same time your still writing yourself in said work. Metaphysically speaking your walking a tight rope of existence and non existence

Just because your all powerful doesn't mean everything is perfect.

...

So during the events of Morrowind, Vivec no longer had CHIM. How did he not zero out?

Almalexia and Sotha Sil never achieved CHIM?

Not disagreeing, since they don't have sermons or whatnot, but what power did they have? I don't think Vivec just gave power to them.

They got power from the heart but that's it. They self fashioned themselves as gods of the dunmer. Which for the most part was true but they were pretenders compared to vivec.

I always thought chim was just a reference for realization that the whole elders scrolls universe is just a dream of some god and by learning the truth about it one could make anything possible
or i just screw up things from other games

The power of the Tribunal was originally derived from the Heart of Lorkhan, what's why they needed Kagrenac's Tools. Their powers are waning majorly at the time of TES: Morrowind because they've lost the tools to Dagoth Ur.

Allegedly Vivec achieved CHIM at some point, but it's very difficult to say since he was already a god before it happened.

CHIM is fanfiction

In a sense that's correct, and also not. It can get confusing quick, you have to simplify it for yourself. It's the "there is no spoon" thing.

It's directly referenced in 'in-game' books, mostly from Vehk's Teachings

That's kind of what CHIM is. Like lucid dreaming in reality. Talos retconned Cyrodiil into a temperate forest with his powers, for instance.

"Let me show you the power of Talos Stormcrown, born of the North, where my breath is long winter. I breathe now, in royalty, and reshape this land which is mine. I do this for you, Red Legions, for I love you."

The "I breathe now, in royalty" is assumed to refer to his CHIM powers seeing as CHIM is the Old Ehlnofey word for royalty.

It's just Quirkbird's wacky nonsensical lore that doesn't actually ever appear in game.

Except it does in the form of, say, the 36 Sermons of Vivec or in Bethesda's very own retconning of Cyrodiil in Skyrim.

PROVE IT