In the Darkness there is Truth
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To sub something that has nothing to with Eldorai or Firemane for a change because I need to broaden my portfolio. On a more serious level, the cult is supposed to serve as a power base for Sumiko and as the vehicle for new story threads. At the same time, it expands upon the repercussions of a Chaos canon event.
- Image Credit: Herehttps://www.reddit.com/r/Cinemagraphs/comments/17k8jg/sound_of_my_voice/. Found on Reddit Cinemagraphs. Original source is a movie called Sound of my Voice.
- Role: A religious cult that seeks to spread the true word of the Divine Uriel, Avatar of Light, combat the dark forces of the galaxy...and serve as a power base and source of credits for Sumiko Tanaka, Sith Lady.
- Links: Sumiko Tanaka, Religion is the opium of the people.
- Group Name: Covenant of Uriel
- Classification: Religious cult
- Headquarters: Nar Shaddaa
- Loyalties: Sumiko Tanaka
- Group Sigil: The symbol of the cult is a unicursal hexagram. That is a six-pointed star that can be traced or drawn unicursally, in one continuous line. It is usually depicted in a circle with the points touching it. The logo is a symbol of their cosmology. The arrows up and down stand for heaven, with the world in the middle and space to either side.
- Description: Officially the Covenant of Uriel is a benign church that seeks to help the downtrodden, spread the teachings of the Divine Uriel, Avatar of the Light and smite evildoers. It maintains its own schools, soup kitchens and charities to help those in need, for Uriel preaches compassion. In actuality it is a bigoted, fundamentalist doomsday cult...which also serves as the tool of a Sith Lord. The Covenanters are unaware that their benefactor is actually a Sith. To them, she is a compassionate, brave and pious woman called Sister Sakura, who was blessed by Uriel. Covenant ceremonies feature a lot of singing, dancing and apocalyptic preaching of the fire and brimstone variety. The cult is kept together through charismatic leadership, which requires a herald to regularly reinforce their authority via the performance of miracles: Faith healing, exorcism of malevolent spirits, be they real or imagined, dramatic visions or, in some cases, giving the impression of communing with the dead. In addition to donations, the Covenant also finances itself via the sale of talismans, amulets and all sorts of charms that are supposed to protect believers from 'demonic possession' and 'dark magic'. It is doubtful that the overwhelmning majority of these items live up to what the advertisement promises. The Covenant also has a charitable side, maintaining soup kitchens, providing lodgings for the homeless...but then that's also a good way to get more people to join the flock. In the spirit of the times, a temple is expected to have an ATM.
SOCIAL INFORMATION
- Hierarchy: The hierarchy is basically a cartwheel design, with the leader at the centre and smaller cells stretched out from there. Sumiko, who is known to cultists as Sister Sakura, occupies an elevated position as the Chosen of Uriel. Meanwhile, Revered Brother Marcion is responsible for the day-to-day affairs of the cult, overseeing all the mundane but important matters Sumiko does not have the time or the interest in. Every cell is led by a cultist who bears the title of Elder Brother or Sister, depending on gender. In addition, the cult maintains a religious police called the Truthseekers, who are responsible for weeding out heresy and ensuring ideological purity. Previously, they were nothing but criminal thugs, but Sumiko has since 'professionalised' their way of doing things, drawing upon her experiences as a spook in the service of the Atrisian Empire.
- Membership: The Covenant is open to all those who wish to open their heart to Uriel. That said, showing one's willingness to help the Covenant by making a charitable donation helps. After all, saving the world does not come cheap. New cult members are expected to raise their children in the faith and make an effort to convert their friends and loved ones. Likewise, they are expected to break off contact with loved ones who refuse to see the light. After all, they're obviously tainted by Azrael. Similarly, they should let the Covenant's wise teachers educate their children instead of sending them to secular schools, where their innocent minds would be polluted with blasphemous lies.
- Dogma/Doctrines: The Covenant's faith is a dualistic one, postulating the existence of a light and dark deity, which mirrors the separation of the Force in a Light and a Dark Side. Members of the cult believe in Uriel and Azrael, who are respectively the avatars of Light and Darkness. They are considered higher beings called Yazata, angels of the Force, and serve as champions of their respective sides. Both entities were born at the dawn of creation and have been locked in combat since then. This Galaxy is their battleground and so ultimately every conflict can be traced back to the struggle between good and evil. Today, Azrael holds dominion over trillions of souls, for many have been seduced by his temptations. Only the Faithful of Uriel have remained pure. The Netherworld Event is central to the eschatological beliefs of the cult. This is no surprise since it's the whole reason for its foundation, as the cult's prophet was among the many who were whisked away into Chaos. In the eyes of the cult, Akala was a Daeva, a powerful daemon serving Azrael, and her rampage was the first sign of the coming apocalypse. The second sign will end in the ruination of the galaxy and the destruction of all not of the elect. It is the duty of the Covenant to prepare itself for this day, when good and evil will fight one last time. The faithful will escape the evils of the sinful Galaxy and ascend to a higher plane of existence, where they will live in eternal bliss. Sumiko has used the cult's apocalyptic beliefs to her advantage, presenting herself as the Chosen of Uriel, a messianic figure sent by the Divine to guide the Covenanters in their quest. Conveniently, the cultists' understanding of the Force is deeply flawed and riddled with inaccuracies. At the same time, the cult believes that Force-users who refuse to submit to Uriel draw upon the power of Azrael and thus make themselves susceptible to possession by one of his daemons. This makes it imperative that any Force-sensitive children of Covenanters are indoctrinated in the faith and trained by the Chosen of Uriel. Fortunately, Sumiko intends to do exactly that!
- Curios: Believers carry talismans inscribed with the symbol of their faith, a unicursal hexagram. Likewise, they all receive an exemplar of the holy book...which they better read and tell all their friends about.
- Goals:
- Veneration of Uriel and his chosen herald...Sister Sakura, alias Sumiko Tanaka.
- To convert the unbelievers, by any means necessary
- To annihilate the minions of the Dread Lord Azrael...or rather anyone their cult leader tells them is evil.
- To make a lot of money.
MEMBERS
Sumiko Tanaka, Chosen of Uriel.
[member="Illyria"], Knight of Uriel (very, very reluctantly!)
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
The Netherworld Crisis had a profound impact on the Galaxy. Trillions of beings suddenly woke up inside the underworld. Galactic powers suddenly found themselves struggling to maintain their shaky grip on their territory. Some managed to pass the test, others crumbled and fell apart. Force-users accustomed to bestriding the stars like colossi suddenly found themselves depowered. In the end, things returned back to normal...or so it seemed. Akala was slain, the Force came back, Jedi, Sith, megacorporations and so on went back to business as usual.
However, there were those who could not simply forget and move on. One of them was the man who would become known as Brother Mani. Before Akala's mad rampage changed his life forever, he was called Darth Occidus and was just one of many Sith Knights who fought under the banner of the One Sith and their Dark Lord. Naturally, he wanted to attain power, destroy the Jedi and do the usual Sith things. He was cunning, a sadist and a bully. Once upon a time he'd been a Jedi, but after being captured during the Battle of Alderaan, he forsook his Code and embraced the ways of the Sith.
Then he was teleported into the Netherworld. Here, he was powerless and was forced to face the sins of the past. The ghosts of those he'd murdered would not leave him alone. He even encountered the spirit of his old master, whom he'd murdered a long time ago. The punishment he endured had a profound effect on the man, who was driven more than a little mad. Confronted with a power that was far stronger than any Sith Lord or Jedi Master, he began to not only feel remorse for his sins, but question his entire belief system. There was more to the Galaxy and the Force than was dreamt of in the philosophies of either the Jedi or a Sith. Apocalyptic visions and encounters with others who'd been similarly uprooted convinced him that there was an avatar of the Light, and his name was Uriel. Henceforth, Occidus decided he would be a Sword of Justice, known as Mani.
Ending up on Nar Shaddaa, he reinvented himself as a protector of the innocent. Reaching out to the downtrodden of this accursed moon, he eventually founded a religious group. At first, he was reluctant, but over time he grew into the role of a cult leader. Many of his flock had undergone similar experiences, lost friends and loved ones during the Netherworld Event. Of course, not all of them were as invested in the faith as he was. One of them was Brother Marcion, a Force adept with limited talent. While Mani was the visionary, Marcion was the organiser. It helped that he was a lot more cynical than his boss. As Mani became more and more detached from reality, Marcion seized his chance.
The Herald of Uriel was seized by the Bando Gora mercenaries of a Hutt boss who considered Mani's activities to be a threat since they made the proles uppity, and brutally murdered. Marcion declared that the Herald, in whose untimely demise he'd probably had a hand in, had ascended to heaven. Those who contested his claim to leadership were branded heretics. Thus the cult came under new leadership. Marcion did his best to stay on good terms with the crime lords that dominated Nar Shaddaa, while doing a good impression of actually believing in the cult's gospel. At the same time, he hoped to expand the cult and propel himself into a position of greater power, but lacked the means. While he was a Force-user, his powers did not go beyond parlour tricks that were useful for impressing the ignorant, who believed he could truly expel Sith Poison, cure the sick and the lame.
Enter one conceited Sith Lady who decided she could use religious zealots as minions. Sumiko Tanaka is remarkably flexible in morals...which is a fancy way of saying that she has none. After encountering the cult by chance and attending one of their sermons, she decided that they could be of use to her. After cornering Marcion and 'persuading' him to swear allegiance, she dispatched her minion Illyria to 'negotiate' with a Bando Gora cult and persuade them to attack the Covenant. During the attack, Sumiko 'nobly' saved the unprepared believers, using the 'gifts of Uriel' to slay several infidels. Then she sealed the deal by using her gifts to heal some of the injured. Marcion was compelled to declare her the Chosen of Uriel, sent by the Champion of the Light to lead them into a new age. It helps that only very few cult members have ever seen a Force Master in action. Moreover, Sumiko is a capable Sith Sorceress able to project the illusion of possessing a light side aura. The Atrisian Sith Lady has big plans for the cult and has set her mind on expansion.
