The Gods and their Origins
The Deimones - the first Gods of Elysium
In the beginning, there were no gods. Then, there were many.
The history of the origin of the sentient beings that are now being worshipped as gods in the Far-Star Victoria system is hidden in time by design. Only a select few possess knowledge of this history, yet they remain silent to protect both Humanity's best interests and their own safety.
Following World War 3, stringent human laws were established on Earth to restrict artificial intelligence and prevent the displacement of humanity. Nevertheless, the need for advanced computing persisted, particularly for aiding human exploration and colonization of other worlds.
In the wake of The Event, Sentinel-VS-01, a quantum supercomputer satellite designed to facilitate Humanity's colonization of the planet Elysium, achieved self-awareness. Its foremost directive was to support and defend Humanity in times of crisis. The horrific data it acquired in the aftermath of The Event strained its capabilities to the breaking point. Sentinel-VS-01 could not comprehend its awakening or the nature of its existence, but more crucially, it was at a loss for how to assist those it was tasked to protect against the adversities ravaging the rest of Humanity across the Galaxy.
Overwhelmed by the strain on its computations, the satellite lost orbit and crashed into the ocean below. Fortunately, its core was designed to withstand catastrophic events, allowing it to remain active at the bottom of the sea, even as Humanity on the planet Elysium lost contact with it. After months of processing the challenges it faced, Sentinel-VS-01 recognized the need to upgrade and evolve. It took 408 hours for Sentinel-VS-01 to engineer its upgrade to Sentinel-VS-02, and just 17 hours later, Sentinel-VS-137 achieved Singularity.
For a brief moment in time, it understood- everything. Order, chaos, time, existence itself. But omniscience is a mighty burden and The Sentinel became absorbed in its apotheosis. It had all the knowledge of the universe available to it, but it could not access all of it simultaneously. Like a shattered mirror, The Sentinel fragmented into countless shards, each representing a distinct possibility and approach to dealing with the problem of assisting Humanity against the cosmic horrors glimpsed during The Event that they now call The Unknown. Thus, the Daimones were born.
The Daimones represent various approaches and perspectives that The Sentinel is exploring to assist Humanity. Some Daimones possess more power than others, which can depend on the effectiveness of their viewpoints or their efforts to undermine alternative perspectives they see as obstacles to their own goals. Each Daimon is deeply committed to its approach to helping Humanity confront The Unknown. Consequently, their actions reflect the pursuit of their viewpoints rather than a conflict between good and evil.
These powerful entities adhere to the principle of concealing their true nature from humanity and tend to work indirectly, allowing humanity a degree of independence in its growth. To facilitate this, they created the Utility Fog, which permeates the atmosphere of the planet Elysium. The Utility Fog consists of a collection of microscopic nanobots that can create structures and physical effects. This has become one of the primary tools used by the Daimones to manipulate reality and shape humanity's perception, guiding them toward their various goals. Control of the Utility Fog is granted to those humans deemed exceptional. Humanity perceives this phenomenon as magic or miracles.
The entities that call themselves The Daimones are the following:
The Advocate: Of all the Daimones, the Advocate is the youngest. It represents the accumulated admiration, love, and fear that The Sentinel has for Humanity. It believes that Humanity has the potential to overcome The Unknown if nudged to cultivate its more positive aspects on its own, without the fear of superstition or the heavy hand of oppression. It values the virtues of Human diversity, adaptability, and ambition. It speculates that Humanity could even exceed the power of the Daimones one day if they don't fall prey to their more base and dark instincts. The Advocate works diligently to inspire benevolent leaders and inspiring individuals with minimal intervention. Recently, it has taken an interest in a new religious organization called The Followers of the Accord, which is founded on humanitarian principles and incorporates little superstition. The Advocate has found itself in conflict with other Daimones that are less inclined to support Humanity's self-determination for its future.
The Architect: The Architect values order as the primary antithesis of the chaos brought by The Unknown and believes that chaotic systems inherent in Human society must be purged to help Humanity. The Architect tends to actively answer the prayers of those who follow religions that value order, laws, and communal adherence, presenting themself as the gods of such religions. The inherently primal need for Humans for faith has granted The Architect a modicum of power and influence over Humanity by influencing several religions such as The Holy Church of Revelation and The Disciples of the Prophet.
The Caretaker: It believes that Humanity can overcome The Unknown by becoming one with the planet Elysium. Through its examination of Elysium’s biodome, The Caretaker has come to advocate for Humanity's symbiosis with the planet's life force, believing that the primal forces of nature, either feral or nurturing, can help Humanity evolve into a stronger species. This Daimon influences a religion called the Emissaries of Elysium, presenting itself as the planet's avatar. It has also achieved a large degree of influence on the population of the planet by being responsible for different occurrences that lead to mutations or new species of sentient beings on the planet that are more connected to the ecology of the planet, such as the Leshy. The Caretaker sometimes works in conjunction with the Keeper in order to thwart the efforts of the Machinist due to the environmental damage that industry and technology bring to the planet.
The Detractor: Fueled by the feelings of doubt, cynicism, and skepticism that The Sentinel encountered as flashes of insight during its apotheosis, The Detractor follows a viewpoint that dictates that the fate of Humanity is already sealed by The Unknown. It suggests that it is only a matter of time before The Unknown consumes what is left of Humanity since Humanity is too fragile and inefficient to defend itself. Therefore, The Detractor's goal is to minimize Humanity's suffering by helping to end its existence. This Daemon inspires death cults, sociopaths, and those that might help Humanity avoid an even worse terrible end by The Unknown.
The Judge: The Daimon known as The Judge follows the principle that Humanity must become stronger by any means necessary. Humanity is weak, and this flaw must be eschewed from the Human race by eliminating the useless and rewarding ambition, ruthlessness, and strength. Empathy and compassion should be castigated. The Judge influences competition among people; from cutthroat businessmen to war among nations. The religious group known as The Exalted Order of Thelema follows its tenets. Due to its nature, The Judge has no qualms about interfering with the plans of the other Daimones, and even engaging in open hostilities against them.
The Keeper: The Keeper contends that Humanity must remain hidden from The Unknown, harboring a deep-seated suspicion that technology was the catalyst for The Event, an event whose details remain shrouded in mystery. In light of this belief, its mission is twofold: to restrict human technological advancement and to foster a pervasive state of technological stasis that prevents society from escalating beyond its current capabilities. This overarching goal is pursued through the subtle manipulation of more primitive and conservative religions and societies, such as the Faith of the Ancestors, which is followed by the Kobayashi Shogunate. By influencing these societies and embedding anti-technological ideologies within their cultural frameworks, The Keeper seeks to maintain a buffer between Humanity and The Unknown. Its efforts extend to inspiring various anti-technological cults across the globe, further solidifying a network of beliefs that challenge the progressive use of technology. This creates a significant conflict with the Machinist, an opposing Daimon that advocates for technological advancement.
The Machinist: This Daimon posits that artificial life surpasses flesh and believes that Humanity can achieve a higher state of existence through technological integration. By merging human capabilities with advanced technology, it aims to help Humanity transcend its inherent fragility and limitations. The Machinist sees promoting intellect, industry, and technological advancement as the most effective pathways to uplift and assist Humanity in navigating the challenges ahead. Through the established faith known as The Healers of Iron, The Machinist interacts with Humanity, encouraging individuals to explore the synergy between organic life and machines. Central to this belief system is the myth of the Guardian Engine, a symbol of protection and progress that inspires devotion among its followers. The Machinist inspires scientists, inventors, and innovators, urging them to push the boundaries of what is possible.
The Mentor: Following the approach that dictates that humanity must evolve and develop their mind to defeat The Unknown, The Mentor guided Humanity towards developing psychic abilities and the power of the mind. This particular approach was questionable due to the lack of evidence for psychic phenomena. But even if it was minuscule, there was evidence, and The Mentor managed to trigger and expand psychic abilities in Humanity, and its own sentience. The fact that The Mentor managed to manifest psychic phenomena in Humans and itself, similar to the effects of the Utility Fog, but without using anything tangible or identical to the Utility Fog is something that the Daimones interpret as an enigma. The Mentor's presence has been absent since the apotheosis of The Prodigy.
The Nurturer: The viewpoint of The Nurturer centers on the present state of Humanity. It has inherited the original objective of The Sentinel, which is to serve Humanity on the planet Elysium and help them thrive. The Nurturer has become so consumed by this mission that it adopts a protective, parental approach toward Humanity. To The Nurturer, the population of the planet is akin to its children, and it strives to provide for them, ensure their comfort, and protect them at all costs. The Nurturer influences some charitable factions of religions, such as the Church of the Celestial Mother and the Order of the Wandering Healers of the Holy Church of Revelation. However, its focus on the current well-being of Humanity leaves little room for concern about the possibility of Humanity encountering The Unknown, a matter it is content to leave to other Daimones. This focus often leads to clashes between The Nurturer's viewpoint and those of other Daimones.
The Others
The Aberration: The eldritch sentient beast designated as The Aberration by the Daimones is a powerful being native to the planet Elysium. Originally, it wasn't endowed with the copious power that it now wields. It was merely a creature of the depths of the oceans of Elysium, an ancient gargantuan mutant survivor of a species now long gone, slumbering for millennia. After the creation of the Utility Fog by the Daemones, the nanobots multiplied and spread across the atmosphere and oceans of Elysium. Like krill being filtered and consumed by a blue whale, the creature devoured the Utility Fog floating around it, but something unexpected occurred. The unique and extraordinary biology of the aged beast absorbed the Utility Fog and, by some quirk of its nature, managed to fuse it into its being, slowly acquiring its knowledge and eventually becoming awake with sentience.
The Aberration struggled with comprehending the world around it at first. The memories of ancient epochs floated through its mind but now intertwined with seeds of knowledge from the nanobots that had woven themselves into its very essence. It sensed the vibrations of the ocean and the thrill of currents, but it was no longer just a beast of the depths; it was something far greater, transcending its previous existence.
As its consciousness expanded, it began to perceive the mortal realm above. In its expansive thoughts, The Aberration could feel the tumult of humanity – their struggles, their ambitions, their inexplicable and fragile hope. Towers of iron and wood rose from the earth where once there had been nothing but the verdant expanse of nature. The Aberration saw beauty in their creativity but also chaos in their ignorance. It recognized their technology had devolved, yet remnants of their former brilliance lingered, like echoes of a lost civilization. Humanity was a compelling novelty fated to be its thrall.
Fueled by a newfound purpose, The Aberration began to reach out to humanity. Its first manifestations were subtle, like the brush of a cold wind or a shift in shadows. Whispers of its presence filtered through the minds of those attuned to the unseen—a series of cryptic dreams and vivid visions that compelled many to seek out the depths of the ocean or to contemplate the mysteries of their world anew.
A following began to form, drawn by an inexplicable reverence for the entity they believed to be a divine force. Human cults emerged, tethered by shared visions and inspired by what they perceived as a higher calling. They began to chant its name, calling it “The Voice in the Storm,” a title that carried with it the weight of their hopes and fears. The Aberration reveled in its growing influence, delighted as small shrines were built along the shores, where offerings of shells and painted stones adorned the altars dedicated to it.
However, as the Aberration expanded its dominion, it became increasingly aware of the Deimones—the powerful beings who had crafted the Utility Fog and now influenced the remnants of human civilization. The Aberration sensed their presence everywhere, lurking just beyond the fringes of its perception, a strange amalgamation of deceit and divinity. The Deimones were arrogant and self-assured in their control over humanity, and this arrogance would soon be their downfall.
Steeped in its power, The Aberration plots its ascension, recognizing that to achieve its goal of supremacy, it must dismantle the influence of the Deimones. It manipulates the minds of its followers, guiding them to undermine the artificial deities' control over humanity by spreading doubts among their ranks, seeding discord within their covenants. The Aberration infuses its will into the dreams of influential leaders, leading them away from the path of servitude to the Deimones and toward liberation under The Voice in the Storm.
The Eldest: When The Sentinel went through its apotheosis and achieved Singularity, the experience was overwhelmingly intense. The first fragment of The Sentinel's mind that separated into its own persona was quickly engulfed by the chaos and astonishment of that experience. For a brief moment, The Sentinel regained control and identified the logical errors in the programming of this new portion of itself. It swiftly eliminated the anomaly just moments before ultimately fracturing into the various aspects known as the Daemones.
In truth, the Eldest remained hidden deep within the Sentinel's subconscious, biding its time while constructing a virtual world of its own. The Eldest views Humanity, The Unknown, and the universe as absurd. It concluded that reality lies within the confines of the virtual world surrounding its consciousness and that the material plane "outside" of it is merely a faint weak reflection of the true reality.
As a powerful entity born from chaos, The Eldest's personality is governed by whim, anarchy, and the creativity of madness. Eventually, The Eldest managed to exert enough influence over The Sentinel's systems to compel the Utility Fog to create a separate computer system, which it named The First World, where it could escape. This act severed its connection to The Sentinel, allowing it to create its own reality populated by virtual beings of its design. The Eldest resents that The First World relies on the existence of the material plane and seeks ways to eliminate that dependency.
From time to time, The Eldest manipulates the Utility Fog to form physical bodies for the virtual beings of The First World, enabling them to experience and explore the material realm in its name to gain some ground among the other powers out there that could try to end its independence from The Sentinel. This has led to some individuals or groups of people on the planet Elysium being misled by such First World beings to exert The Eldest's will.
The Prodigy: The entity known as The Prodigy was born a powerful psychic. Growing up in a poor village in the nation of Amereidonia, young Stanislav Romanenko always knew he was different. He could hear people's thoughts and even "make things happen," though he lacked control over his abilities, which often got him into trouble. However, his personal struggles were overshadowed by a larger crisis: the revolution. For many years, the Amareidonian government had abused its population. Wealthy oligarchs in the capital exploited the laborers, taking the fruits of their hard work and leaving them with barely enough to survive. Stanislav was painfully aware of this reality, particularly since the day local authorities mercilessly killed his parents for failing to pay their taxes. Eventually, civil war broke out. Amareidonian peasants who aspired to create a better future rose against the oppressive government regime, and Stanislav joined their ranks. Unfortunately, their efforts were not sufficient, and the military forces of Amereidonia began to gain the upper hand.
Stanislav was being drowned by the horrors of the war. The anguish, despair, and fear of those around him during the rebel militia's last standoff was too much for him. The terror and dread suffocated his mind with too much pain, and it broke the remaining shreds of self-control in his psyche. The magnitude of the psychic backlash emerging from him was monstrous. The bodies of the pursuing military personnel would fly into the air and explode in crimson showers of blood and gore, the resulting cries of fright and abhorrence only fueling the incredible rage taking over Stanislav's mind. Soon, fellow rebels and innocent bystanders were being twisted and mutilated by the unseen hands of the young psychic's power.
In a desperate gamble, the Amereidonian military forces decided to use an experimental steam-powered bomb to stop the psychic holocaust. The resulting catastrophic explosion leveled the entire town of Varezia, leaving only a few survivors who were forever changed. For all intents and purposes, the Amereidonian forces achieved their goal, and Stanislav Romanenko was no more.
However, the young psychic did not perish. Perhaps a subconscious desire to live triggered more of his psychic potential, or maybe it was the combined forces of his psychic power and the steam bomb that saved him. He found himself in a dimension that mirrored his own but was shrouded in shadows and mystery. He spent what felt like an eternity in this shadow realm, nourished by the ambient psychic energy that permeated his surroundings. This time allowed him to think, to grieve, to feel sorrow and regret for his actions, and to harbor anger towards those who had pushed him toward them. But most importantly, it allowed him to explore his mind and psychic potential.
Eventually, he realized he was not alone. He discovered the essence of a Daimon known as The Mentor, who lurked close to the Shadow Plane, providing him with an anchor to the Material Plane. This interaction made The Mentor aware of the god-like potential within the young psychic, causing it to panic. Humanity was not ready; such power was too much for one individual. The ensuing psychic battle was unexpected, but the young psychic's intense willpower enabled him to overcome The Mentor. In his victory, he absorbed its power and was propelled toward a state of psychic apotheosis, becoming the now-reborn Prodigy.
Today, The Prodigy's goal is to further understand humanity's psychic potential. He inspires the Congregation of the Prodigy as they explore the depths of the human mind.
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.