Cult Glossary

[Ark Covenant]

"The Ark Covenant is one of the oldest religious organizations in Orvonia, and was founded by the Almighty Primordial at the start of the Golden Era. Once comprised of the Almighty's most powerful Angels, it was corrupted by Seraphic at the start of the Dark Era and transformed into a twisted mockery of its original self. "

"The Ark Covenant worships Seraphic as the Lord of Light and Blessings, and believe "Him" to be the sole ruler of Orvonia and the inheritor of the Almighty's will. Members belong to all Races apart from the Demons and Devils, even welcoming Vampires amongst their ranks. The majority of Ether users in the world are concentrated in the Ark Covenant, though they have Ascenders of all Affinities. Apart from Seraphic, the Dread Three and Polydorus are canonised as Saints of Seraphic, and "His" envoys in the world. "They" are the only other Gods acknowledged by the Cult."

"The Ark Covenant is opposed to much of the world's religious Orders, ranging from indifferent to outright hostile. They despise all Orthodox Gods, the Blood Coven and Altair of Darkness intensely, but are more welcoming towards the Illuminate Order and Soul Searchers. The primary dogma of the Ark Covenant is that after the Almighty perished, "His" spirit crystallised into Seraphic, then further shattered into tiny fragments that rest in the heart of every lifeform. By piously following the Lord of Light, rejecting material desires, living the life of an ascetic and enduring under the persecution of the Orthodox Churches, the Ark Covenant they will ascend as Angels upon their deaths and forever be apart of the Almighty's Divine Kingdom."

"Despite proclaiming acts of temperance and tranquillity, they engage with numerous brutal and horrific acts every year against innocents, all in the name of revenge against the Orthodox Gods, who Seraphic slanders as traitors and usurps of "His" rightful throne. Towards anyone not of their own belief, the Ark Covenant are merciless and barbaric slaughterers (believers of Ingrid and Chanteur are sometimes spared). All members are fanatical to the point of insanity, and will commit suicide rather than face capture of defeat. Members cannot be reasoned with, and should be killed on sight."

"During the Fourth Era, the Ark Covenant was the official religion of the Borealis Continent and Yareli Family. The organization was dealt a heavy blow in the Great War and forced underground, but still maintains a significant danger in the modern day. Three Sovereigns are confirmed to exist within the Ark Covenant, and it is rumoured to be helmed by a Sacred Ascender. Seraphic is also known to frequently respond to prayers and offer aid to "His" believers, being one of the more active Gods in Orvonia."

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The book went on the list the tragedies the Ark Covenant claimed responsibility for over their long history, of which Sky Cross' was amongst them. Altair found it very interesting, especially since each and every incident was chaotic and bloody. While not as creepy and bizarre as Fallacy's or Jester's acts, the Ark Covenant was no less extreme. The trail of blood and destruction they had left eclipsed even the Blood Coven and Altar of Darkness. Altair could image the Ark Covenant marching off-world if given the chance, pillaging one world after another in the name of their God. They were no strangers to jihad, and Altair associated them with his own death troopers, which was jointly lead by Eris and Hybris along with himself, engaged across the Main Universe in a never-ending campaign of conquest and ambition. 

'The craziest God indeed. I wonder how my own legions are doing now that my main body has perished. Heh, who am I kidding, they are obviously having the time of their lives fighting in this war against the Infinite Universe. Eris and Hybris would have helmed them well in my absence.'

Altair shook his head as he focused back on the book, reading the casualty numbers. Seraphic seemed determined to bleed the world dry of any faith that wasn't "His" own, and offered no quarter to "His" foes. And to still proclaim "Himself" as the Saviour and Benevolent God after doing all this...Altair doubted any other God was as thick-skinned as Seraphic. Or did "He" truly believe "His" own boasts? Turning the page, the next Cult to be covered appeared. 

[The Wandering Circus]

"The Wandering Circus is a minor organization founded by Jester sometime between the end of the Third Era and beginning of the Fourth. The exact date and details are unknown, but the Wandering Circus was operating by the time the Yareli Family ruled Borealis. At the time however, it was simply known as the Church of Jester or more uncommonly, the Circus Troupe. After the Great War and Jester's defeat, "He" renamed the Church in a self-deprecating reflection of the organizations' current state: forced to wander from place to place, forever hunted and shunned. It was a regional religion in the Yareli Empire, considered a branch of the Ark Covenant worshiped in several isolated regions but not outlawed."

"The Wandering Circus worships Jester as the God of Games, Wishes and Pandemonium, believing "Him" to be the representation of the Almighty's youth and joy. All Races are excepted, even Devils and Demons, though Humans are the majority. The Wandering Circus has no known headquarters and its members are scattered across the world, numbering very few but each one being dangerous and skilled. Some members share faith in Seraphic, Daemon and Fallacy but the majority solely worship Jester. Members of the Wandering Circus are all crazy to some extent, and also highly fanatical to their God. They have no moral qualms and will do any act that is required of them, or simply seems entertaining."

"The dogma of the Wandering Circus is that life itself entails pain and misery, and that only by laughing in the face of Fate and struggling to find entertainment in suffering can you truly enact revenge on the cruel world. They are hedonists and sociopaths that are motivated solely by pleasure and entertainment, with nothing less than "addiction" being able to describe their enrapturement of the concepts. Since they believe life is just pain anyways, they have no hesitation in killing or tormenting others and are all insane anarchists. Each member has a specific dream or ideal that motivates them, and follow Jester in an attempt to realise that dream. They also believe Jester will gather their souls after death and reincarnate them, causing members to lose and fear or hesitation towards death."

"The Wandering Circus has Ascenders of all Affinities in its ranks, but Soul and Gravity Ascenders are especially prominent. Their predecessor, the Church of Jester, partook in the Great War and was destroyed, but caused many tragedies and inflicted numerous acts of terror on their enemies. They were particularly adept at destroying the morale of enemies, and served as excellent spies and saboteurs. The Wandering Circus retains these skills to this day, and are rumoured to have deeply infiltrated various governments and the Adventurer's Guild despite no proof every appearing. An additional fact, which makes them unique amongst all other organizations, is that the Wandering Circus is primarily made up of children, orphans whom Jester adopts and raises as his own kin. This has been attributed as an attempt by Jester to create another person like "Himself" in the world. Jester is known to respond to "His" followers semi-frequently, being one of the more active Gods."

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The crimes the Wandering Circus had committed was extremely varied and ranged from simple arson to serial killings and terrorism. They truly did whatever they wanted with no clear connection or motive, or perhaps the act itself was all the motive they needed. Members were highly individualistic too, often operating alone and groups rarely exceeding five or six. Infighting seemed to be common, though Jester kept a bare minimum level of peace amongst members. Altair found the Wandering Circus to be much closer to home than any other organization he'd met so far, as their hedonistic behaviour matched his own very much. Unlike the Blood Coven which was motivated by stupid ideas of "blood purity" and stifling in its etiquette, and the Altar of Darkness which was the opposite and far too dirty, the Wandering Circus was much more pleasant for Altair.

[Marauders of Fate]

"The Marauders of Fate are a minor organization that was established in the middle of the Fourth Era by Daemon. Established after the rise of the Yareli Family, they were branch of the Ark Covenant in the Borealis Continent and operated in obscure and minor regions of the land. The organization participated, and was officially destroyed, in the Great War after the fall of the Yareli Family. Unlike the Ark Covenant and Wandering Circus, the Marauders of Fate never recovered and now exists as a scattered collective of believers, with groups sparsely communicating with each other. Each group serves as its own dominion, headed by an Oracle of Daemon."

"The Marauders of Fate believe in Daemon as the God of Bargains, Deceit and Theft. All members are criminals and thieves, with almost all petty criminals praying to "Him" for guidance. However the Marauders of Fate are unique in that they do not worship Daemon due to faith, but rather have a transactional relationship. Daemon pays "His" followers with unique Skills and wishes, and they obey "His" commands in turn. No other organization operates like this in Orvonia."

"The dogma of the Marauders is that all things in the world can be quantified into physical value, and nothing is truly sacred but your own life. The motto of the organizations is: "If it exists it can be traded, and if it exists it can also be stolen." Members trade lives, wealth, favours and emotions with others, and do all sorts of tasks like the Wandering Circus. Marauders have no piety towards the Gods, though they do respect and fear "Them", and Daemon encourages "His" followers to even try and steal the very Divinity of the Gods. Daemon is very active towards "His" followers and frequently issues orders."

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[Esoterics of Destiny]

"Allegedly founded by Fallacy in the early Fifth Era, very little is known about this organization other than that it exists and has ties to the Ark Covenant, Circus and Marauders. What little information is known comes from various sources from the Great War, and is treated as fairy tales rather than actual evidence. Legend dictates it is a branch of another organization that worships Fallacy, the Heralds of Dawn, that was created in the Third Era. The Esoterics of Destiny are said to be a doomsday cult, that believes the world will be destroyed by a malicious external force and that only Fallacy can save them. The Esoterics are opposed to the Orthodox Gods, whom they claim are too weak and selfishly stalling Humanity's progress and ability to fight against the Apocolapyse."

"The Esoterics of Destiny worship Fallacy as the God of Mystery, Secrets, Horror and Madness. Their dogma is that only by exploring the deepest reaches of both the world and their own minds, can they break free from the predestined destruction of the world. Their motto is: "Peaceful are the ignorant, mysterious are the enlightened. With knowledge comes realization, and with realization comes horror." The Esoterics believe that to unravel the mysteries of the world, madness and horror are inescapable obstacles to be overcome, and by doing so will your soul ascend to a higher state. They teach not to fear the bizarre and unthinkable, but to respect and explore it. Needless to say, this school of thought results in numerous deaths and monstrous transformations."

"Any acts or rituals this Cult has carried out has been lost from history, possibly erased by Fallacy. The size of the organization, Affinities of its' members, where they operate from or end goals are all unknown, though the latter is suspected to involve the so-called "Apocalypse" they preach about. Because of the mysteriousness surrounding the Esoterics of Destiny, it is unknown if Fallacy is active in "His" support towards them."

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Altair stared at the chapter on the Esoterics of Destiny for a while before silently turning to the last chapter. He didn't expect much information on Fallacy's Cult, but got a surprisingly large amount of information. It seemed Fallacy was quite aware of the war waging across the Main Universe, and seemed to be preparing for its inevitable arrival on Orvonia's doorstep. And from Altair's standpoint, "His" rhetoric was right: Orvonia as it was now stood no chance against the invading armies of the Main Universe, and its presiding Gods were too busy strangling each other to notice. Orvonia was withering on the wine and only Fallacy seemed to be trying to fix it. The Denizen-turned-Mortal knew, the only way for Orvonia to survive was to nurture another figure at the Almighty's level. And for that to happen, the Gods needed to die. Only then would there be enough Mana to support the rise of a Great God.

But Altair's thoughts moved on from Fallacy upon seeing the new page, the one on Weaver's Cult. Looking at the plain black ink, and the words beneath it, he frowned and rubbed his forehead. "This...is very strange."