Editing Religions (section)

=Other Groups=

==The Clear Prophet==

A powerful political figure has suggested that [[Diaphane]], [[Narcissus]], [[Iridos]], and the Cult of the Opaque should cease all their conflicts to create a Nation of Light. This idea has been met with mixed opinions.

This political figure is one of the few people who acknowledge the Empty Masters as a threat. He, or she, urges the citizens to purge their respective cities of this antithetical cult.

-- by shanoxilt

This is the Clear Prophet, political leader and unwilling religious figure. He is said to be a half-albino (actually a severe case of vitiligo that has progressed to over half his body) born in Narcissus, who suffered something of an epiphany as a child while apprenticed to a mirror-fisher, when he fell into a reflection and was lost for several months.

Most outsiders believe his is called the "Clear Prophet" because of his growing transparency. In fact, that is a misunderstanding -- he is called that because of his clear explanations of the interconnectedness of all magic. He speaks of translucent colors, of reflections of darkness, and other esoterica of the persistence of light. And people actually understand him. It is remarkable.

After being exiled from Narcissus for rabble-rousing, he traveled to Diaphane where he gained a following among the Spectrum youth and the Cult of Opacity. He had to flee once more, and is rumored to be in the City of Rainbows now. Others say he hides in the wastelands, hunting vampires or fleeing from mirror-wights sent to hunt him down.

Although he claims not to be a religious figure, to his followers he is a prophet, and to his enemies he is a heretic. The political movement he has left behind in the cities has become an odd alliance of many factions, united by a common philosophy, but divided by many differing goals. They cannot even agree on common symbols to recognize each other by -- although the most prevalent is an iridescent butterfly. Some of those squabblers choose an iridescent bubble as their symbol.

-- by Kakita Kojiro

Historians, antique dealers, and concerned citizens have gradually become aware of the Clear Prophet. Some citizens believe he will ruin both Diaphane and Narcissus. Other citizens believe he is their only hope.

Though the Clear Prophet is not a religious figure, he does support religions and groups that wish to unify the cities and the Cult of the Opaque. Despite his protests, the newest cults claim him as their messiah. 

-- by shanoxilt

====Rhetoric of the Clear Prophet====

"Narcissus, what do your mirrors reflect? Diaphane, what do your prisms refract? Iridos, what do your pigments reveal?

Light in its manifold manifestations! 

From the smallest flame to the mid-day sun, light warms us; light guides us. See the light of Truth. Allow its radiance to illuminate your cities and enlighten your minds. Your similarities are more potent than your differences. As the crafters of optic marvels have demonstrated, cooperation enhances the qualities of each luminous property.

Join together, so that we may form a unified Nation of Light. Like a sunbeam, our glory will brighten the world!"

-- by shanoxilt

==The Cenoby==

There is a place place dedicated to solving riddles and puzzles, a society or like minded individuals.  This is the Cenoby.

-- by stphen_dean

The mysterious and hidden Cenoby, which is areligious, is dedicated to piecing together scraps of knowledge of the pre-cataclysm ancients.

No one knows where the Cenoby is located, because it is only found by accident or fate -- it is reached by an endless number of doors that open up from many cities and places, but which are not always there. Walking through one of these doors is like entering the spirit-world, but it leads to the Cenoby, which itself is in the physical world. 

Though even the inhabitants of the Cenoby -- known as "oblates" -- do not know where it is located. It is a confusing succession of rooms and doorways, and sometimes not all the rooms are there. The oblates do not control the doors, but can predict the opening of some of them. They do so to bring in food and to recruit new members, and to go forth seeking their clues.

-- by Kakita Kojiro

The inhabitants of Cenoby travel to dangerous and exotic locales. They discover the lore and artifacts of the [[Other_kingdoms|Thousand Flowing Waters]]. Sometimes, their adventures force them to negotiate with the vampires and Blind Masters that haunt the ruins. They hide their treasures in bizarre labyrinths, so only the worthy will find them.

Perhaps, the mirrored maze beneath [[Narcissus]] is just one section of a greater, underground complex. While Cenoby is not a part of the spirit world, their study of the spirit world and knowledge of foreign magics inspired the oblates.

They must predict the doorways because the doors appear according to a mathematical pattern. Unfortunately, those who knew the pattern have either died or forgotten it. Some mathematicians suggest that they may use the Mandelbrot set.

-- by shanoxilt

==The Carricade, wandering cult==

The Carricade is a wandering tribe or cult that claims to be a remnant of the ancient culture of the Twin Sisters. They travel the lands in large caravans of huge wagons pulled by a variety of [[megafauna]]. Although they travel for cultural or religious reasons, they also transport goods as they do so, and so are the best means of trade outside the caravans organized by the hegemonies of the three cities. In addition to transporting goods for hire or speculation, travelers often join caravans of the Carricade on their journey – and it is not uncommon for those with wanderlust to join permanently.

Carricadists claim to have been a religious sect who lost their god – they do not now know which it was that they followed, although they still preserve many of the rites. So now they wander, searching for clues to their god in the religions and customs of others. Children especially anticipate the arrival of caravans of the Carricade, for their entertaining displays of religious showmanship are as good as circuses. These performances of ritual spectacles are not only the last remaining part of their religion, but are also required by their magic, as is their constant journeying.

The wagons of the Carricade are large and varied – some large enough to be multistoried, but all enough to house an entire family within, plus cargo. Each clan within the Carricade has its own distinctive wagon design, just as each specializes in the [[megafauna]] which they tame. Within any caravan, there are typically only a few families of each clan, so the caravan’s livestock can be astonishingly diverse. The spells that Carricadists use to tame these megafauna also require their periodic religious exhibitions – on the unfortunate occasions that their [[megafauna]] have been taken from them, they reverted to being wild and went on a rampage in short order.

Occupations: Driver, Performer, Teamster, Trader
Suggested Skills: Animal Handling, Driving (wagon), Navigation (land), Teamster, Theology
Social Background: Phersic (native language), Glossa (fluent language), Literacy
Suggested Quirks: Broad-Minded, Congenial, Nosy
Sample Contact Groups: Caravan, Clan
Suggested Spells: Tame [Megafauna] (IQ/Hard)
Rumor: “The Cult of the Sun believes that the mystery god of the Carricade is actually their sun god in his aspect as god of the horizon. They are eager to expound upon the similarities between the Carricade’s religious spectacles and their own Immaculate Principle of the Sublime Joy.” 

-- by Kakita Kojiro

==Flesh Men==

There is a small, charismatic cult that wanders aimlessly through the world. They quake and have bouts of glossolalia. Nobody knows what causes these "fits". Some claim that it is the work of a god or spirit, that the cultists are madmen, that they have discovered a new, ecstatic practice, or they are simply fools.  Even the cultists disagree on the origin of their fits.

Opponents of the cult spread rumors that they worship Ewenoctugal, the Madness of the Flesh.

-- by shanoxilt

==The Vandals, Gods of Thunder==

This group of dissidents hate all those mirrors, and especially those trees. They are a group made up of people from the outer tribes or poor citizens who could never seem to make it up in the world, and are led by an leader called Shatter. Shatter is a musician who likes to play music loud, and really likes to break glass, mirrors and just about anything else. He is the also the leader of a cult called the "Gods of Thunder" and all the members where elaborate white and black facepaint, big leather boots and lots of spikes. They are currently inside of a series of caverns, plotting a series of musical strikes to wake the population to the power and possibility of loud crude angry music. Teenagers of the cities secretly listen to the music, but most grow out of it. those that do not end up becoming the traveling underground bards called Roadies, telling tales to the poor villages and smaller cities outside of the central cities. There is an open bounty from the cities on there heads, but the call of Thunder is hard to silence.

-- by stephen_dean

Shatter and The Gods of Thunder sometimes travel with the Wanderers of the Waste. Their revelry could collapse entire buildings, if not properly monitored.

-- by shanoxilt