The Popular Religions of Far-Star Victoria
The following are descriptions of the more popular religions among the populace of Elysium. These religions have been shaped by the astonishing events that have occurred throughout history since Humanity first arrived on the planet. Some of these are descendants or continuations of religions brought from Earth by their believers. Others were born here on Elysium, the unavoidable result of bearing witness to the unexplainable in Far-Star Victoria.
Dogma:
Edicts preach of the upcoming end times, destroy that which has outlived its usefulness, put the suffering out of their misery
Anathema artificially extend something’s existence or lifespan, spread hope
Areas of Concern apocalypse, empty places, oblivion, ruins
Devotee Benefits
Divine Ability Strength or Charisma
Divine Font harm
Divine Skill Intimidation
Favored Weapon war flail
Domains darkness, destruction, nightmares, void
Alternate Domains decay
Cleric Spells 1st: phantom pain, 5th: crushing despair, 9th: disjunction
Dogma:
Edicts foster psychic abilities, learn arcane secrets, help others unlock their true potential, observe the mysteries of life
Anathema Grant knowledge to those who cannot use it responsibly, Withhold your understanding of a portent, Choose to follow ordinary paths instead of mystical ones, Become addicted to a substance
Areas of Concern psychic phenomena, the mind
Devotee Benefits
Divine Ability Wisdom or Intelligence
Divine Font harm or heal
Divine Sanctification can choose holy or unholy
Divine Skill Arcana
Favored Weapon staff
Domains destruction, knowledge, magic, secrecy
Alternate Domains glyph
Cleric Spells 1st: force barrage, 2nd: embed message, 3rd: levitate, 4th: flicker, 5th: telekinetic haul, 6th: wall of force, 7th: warp mind, 8th: quandary, 9th: detonate magic
Dogma:
Edicts bring civilization to the frontiers, earn wealth through hard work and trade, follow the rule of law
Anathema engage in banditry or piracy, steal, undermine a law-abiding court
Areas of Concern cities, law, merchants, and wealth
Devotee Benefits
Divine Ability Constitution or Intelligence
Divine Font harm or heal
Divine Sanctification can choose holy or unholy
Divine Skill Society
Favored Weapon crossbow
Domains cities, earth, travel, wealth
Alternate Domains duty
Cleric Spells 1st: illusory object, 4th: creation, 7th: planar palace
Dogma:
Edicts guide civilization to grow in harmony with nature, live sustainably and according to natural cycles, preserve areas of natural wilderness, protect the balance of nature, protect endangered species
Anathema cause damage to natural settings, kill animals for reasons other than self-defense or sustenance, remove an element or indigenous species from a natural area, encourage imbalance in nature, allow abuse of natural resources
Areas of Concern veneration of the natural world
Devotee Benefits
Divine Ability Constitution or Charisma
Divine Font harm or heal
Divine Skill Nature
Favored Weapon sickle
Domains healing, might, nature, protection
Cleric Spells 1st: summon plant or fungus, 2nd: entangle, 6th: tangling creepers
Dogma: Central to Thelema is the concept of discovering and following one's True Will, a unique purpose that transcends ordinary desires. Their central axiom is "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law". This principle emphasizes personal freedom and the pursuit of one's desires, by any means necessary. Selfishness and the pursuit of power are virtues for them.
Edicts: Negotiate contracts to your best advantage, do not suffer the weak, show subservience to your betters, seek power and perfection
Anathema: Helping the undeserving, disgracing yourself, breaking oaths, willful ignorance
Areas of Concern: contracts, pride, ambition, and tyranny
Devotee Benefits
Divine Ability any
Divine Font harm
Divine Sanctification must choose unholy
Divine Skill Deception
Favored Weapon Dueling Pistol
Domains confidence, fire, trickery, tyranny
Alternate Domains duty, glyph
Cleric Spells 1st: charm, 4th: suggestion, 6th: mislead
Dogma:
Edicts honor your ancestors, protect nature and society from corruption and destruction, bring prosperity to your community
Anathema abandon a companion in need, dishonor yourself, parlay with truce breakers, separate lovers
Areas of Concern ancestors, honor, the sun, and swordplay
Devotee Benefits
Divine Ability Strength or Wisdom
Divine Font heal
Divine Skill Society
Favored Weapon katana
Domains duty, perfection, sun, vigil
Alternate Domains sorrow
Cleric Spells 1st: true strike, 4th: reflective scales, 5th: summon dragon
Dogma: The Followers of the Accord aspire to follow a path of generosity, nurturing, truthfulness, and selfless courage. They oppose evil everywhere with words first, and when necessary, with gun sword and flame. They believe in justice, equity, compassion, and the inherent worth and dignity of every person. They see Victoria (the sun) as a god figure or archetype to direct the worship of their faith. Some of the younger members of their religion claim to hear the voice of Victoria.
Edicts Defend civilization from chaos, live an honest and just life, provide aid to the sick and wounded, seek and allow redemption
Anathema tell lies, deny a repentant individual an opportunity for redemption, fail to strike down evil, abandon those in need
Areas of Concern healing, honesty, redemption, and the sun
Devotee Benefits
Divine Ability Constitution or Wisdom
Divine Font heal
Divine Sanctification can choose holy
Divine Skill Medicine
Favored Weapon Gun Sword
Domains fire, healing, sun, truth
Alternate Domains repose
Cleric Spells 1st: breathe fire, 3rd: fireball, 4th: wall of fire
Dogma: The Healers of Iron believe that The Guardian Engine watches over everyone, hidden in the skies of Elysium. They promote the advancement of technology, creativity, and intellectual pursuits. They seek to heal and improve Humanity by making it one with machinery. Many of their non-artificial members have artificial limbs or organs created with Steam technology. They believe that all individuals in a community are important and valuable, like cogs in an intricate machine, everyone has their purpose in life. Artificial life forms are seen as particularly favored children of The Guardian Engine.
Edicts advance the development of artificial intelligence, encourage understanding between artificial and organic life, craft new creations
Anathema treat artificial life as lesser than organic life, fomenting distrust between artificial and organic life, carelessly destroy others’ creations or research
Areas of Concern artificial life, free-thinking, intellectual apotheosis
Devotee Benefits
Divine Ability Constitution or Intelligence
Divine Font harm or heal
Divine Skill Society
Favored Weapon polytool
Domains creation, freedom, knowledge, perfection
Alternate Domains ambition, lightning
Cleric Spells 1st: floating disk, 3rd: hypercognition, 6th: wall of force
One of the largest religions on the planet is Elysium. The followers of this religion call themselves "witnesses", and they seek to be enlightened by virtuous moral living. Currently, it is led by His All-Holiness Patriarch Tiberius Arvina. The church was started by a man named Ignatius Smith. His church originated on Earth. According to its founder, after finding himself at the lowest point in his life, being a recently divorced alcoholic who lost everything to gambling, he was visited by angels of the Lord and given a "True Revelation" of things to come; Humanity on Earth was judged to be irredeemable sinful and thus, the Earth would not be saved from Humanity's folly. Ignatius Smith was to become the 13th Apostle who would shepherd the faithful out of Earth to seek salvation.
According to their beliefs, it was revealed to Ignatius Smith that the planet Elysium would become a new holy land for Humanity. Ignatius Smith and his followers arrived at Elysium five years before The Event. At the time, they were considered a fringe group of religious fanatics that settled in the city of Nova Aurora. Those years before The Event were trying times for the church. Their apocalyptic message, their conservative dogma, and the low religiosity of the population made their proselytizing difficult and turned them into outsiders in society.
Then, The Event happened. To Ignatius Smith and his followers, it brought authenticity to their faith, or at least a level of plausibility among the masses that were more willing to listen to them now. The chaos and destruction that followed The Event, along with the fact that it did appear as if Earth was erased from existence, brought great numbers of converts to their faith. They were people looking for explanations to what happened, clinging to a faith that brought them answers. To their credit, they successfully used their increased numbers to organize missions that would help the needy during the trying days after The Event. Since then, the Holy Church of Revelation has become a popular religion among the populace of the planet Elysium.
A few years after the death of Ignatius Smith, some of the more faithful members of the church started having epiphanies in which they would claim to have been visited by Saint Ignatius. Miracles and wonders would be accomplished by those blessed by Saint Ignatius. As time passed, more holy individuals would come forth to bring miracles and heal the faithful.
Under the leadership of Smith's successor, Patriarch Simplicio Conte, the church managed to start a settlement of its own that quickly grew into the independent theocratic nation of Italica. He also implemented many organizational changes to structure the church into a well-defined and strict hierarchy. Nowadays, the Church of Revelation has become one of the most, if not the most, influential church on the planet Elysium. Counting their followers in the millions worldwide. Their influence is particularly stronger among the less technologically advanced territories on the planet.
Since establishing their state, Italica, the church created a militant branch known as the Order of Virtue. They serve as the military and officers of the law in Italica but are known to have members serving as private security on their churches across the globe.
Dogma: Their beliefs run along the more conservative spectrum of Western religions; only men are allowed to be ordained, but women can join active roles in the church as nuns. They favor a high level of morality and traditional views about family and social behavior. In more progressive cities, these rules tend to be more relaxed. Their holy book is commonly known as the "Smith Edition Bible". It contains chapters written by Ignatius Smith, which he claims are the Word of The Lord, dictated by The Lord Himself. In the added chapters, it talks about the sinful nature of Earth, and the Grand Change to the Great Plan of God to give Humanity another opportunity to exist as part of Creation.
Edicts: Obey The Lord's Commandments, fulfill your duties, keep the peace, protect the community, bring others to Salvation
Anathema: disobey the church, choose yourself over your community, tarnish your reputation, tell lies, indulge in sinful behavior
Areas of Concern: Justice, law, austerity, and healing
Devotee Benefits
Divine Ability Constitution or Wisdom
Divine Font heal
Divine Sanctification can choose holy
Divine Skill Medicine
Favored Weapon Repeating Crossbow
Domains healing, sun, truth, zeal
Alternate Domains duty
Cleric Spells 1st: sure strike, 2nd: Radiant Field, 4th: fire shield