Faith of the Light

[Yanahalqah]

Please bear with me, this is the first faction I ever wrote up, so everything is a little chaotic... Also I am bad at making up names, so the Rank names are kind of meh. I like the Prism though (suffice to say I did not come up with that one).


Faith of the Light
In essence, the Faith of the Light is a group of Yludih who worship the Mother Crystal Ydria and the light she radiates, rather than Syroa or Aelig. Mostly because neither of the Immortals seem to care all that much about the Yludih. In fact, they believe that the two Immortals have malevolent intentions, tormenting the crystal people instead of supporting them. The Nulliem, they say, were created and placed in Uleuda to hinder the Yludih, to make sure there was no safe place for the race to retreat to. However, the mother crystal is different. She radiates a soothing light that calms Yludih, setting them at ease. Her shards can be fashioned into weapons that can kill the Nulliem, her body grew roots which formed and shaped into a city. Even during the genesis of Uleuda, Yldria was there, illuminating the void, keeping the Nulliem away.

All Yludih enter Uleuda by spawning near the Mother Crystal, basking in the brightest of her light. They are warmed by it, comforted by it. It envelops the new arrivals, comforting them, washing away the problems of their life on Idalos. The cult finds this to be really akin to a mother’s womb; hence why they refer to Yldria as “the mother crystal”.

The Cult deems all Yludih to be impure, though they do not blame themselves for it. Everyone is flawed, none is free from sin. Only a newborn baby is, and only by reverting to a state of peace and tranquility, soothed by motherly warmth, can one achieve enlightenment. Sins will be washed away, impurities removed. Not forever though, as they cannot remain in the light indefinitely. They stay basking in the light as long as they can, always hanging around Yldria unless they have other business to take care of.

Worship is fairly straightforward, with the Yludih engaging in meditation first, cleansing the mind while the body is cleansed by the light. Then they pray to the mother crystal, thanking her for her marvelous gifts to Yludih-kind, as well as praying for their kinsmen. Mediation and prayer can last as long as the Cultist likes, though when one of the Refractors or even the Prism has decided to join and guide a group, they decided. Usually, when leaders attend, the faithful will gather after prayer to listen to the Refractor or Prism preaching, after which more prayer follows. Oftentimes, after that, the cultists spread out to recruit new members, doing their best to convince them of their beliefs, sometimes going a couple steps too far. Yludih arriving in Ulueda for the first time usually are the easiest to convince, and the vast majority of the faithful does consist of such Yludih that have grown up.

New members are assigned to an older member, a Lens, who initiate them into the inner workings of the faith, and if the new member is a Yluidh new to Uleuda, they show them around. In essence, those members act as mentors and guides for the newly recruited, for that is the purpose of the Faith: to guide the Yluidh race into an era of enlightenment, free of sin, fear and Nulliem. For that reason, many of the Faith are core members of the Uleuda defense force, spearheading border patrols and clearing the Nulliem out of the forest. Others specialize in crafting the weapons necessary for this. While the Faith deems the Mother crystal holy, and frown upon forcibly removing shards in order to make weapons, they are not averse to using shards that have broken loose, or are on the verge of detatching. To this end, many members check the crystal every trial, tending to it lovingly.

Initiation is a relatively simple process. The initiate is taken to the headquarters of the Faith, where they are seated in the middle of a room. This room is positioned in such a way that it catches and amplifies Yldria’s light. The caught light is reflected off the walls and ceilings, resulting in a very bright and warm room. It is designed to reproduce the sensation felt when spawning in Uleuda. A Refractor and a selection of Lenses enter the room as well, sitting down in a circle around the initiate. The initiate is told to close their eyes and meditate, allowing themselves to drift in the Light’s embrace. The Refractor and the Lenses chant and hum verses to aid the Initiate in opening their mind. This usually goes on for several breaks, though neither of those inside the room notices, as all of them fall eventually into a trance induced by the warmth, the Light, and the chanting and humming.

There are four ranks within the Faith, ordered from highest rank to lowest. There also is a fifth rank which refers to those not belonging to the Faith.

Prism
The Prism is the highest ranked member of the Faith. The Prism is rarely seen by anyone else but Refractors, whom are often given instructions from the Prism. There is only one Prism; the Ancient Omequh.

Refractor
The Refractors are the most commonly seen leading figures of the Faith, often times preaching and leading ceremonies. They are the eyes and ears of the Prism, executing their instructions and if necessary doling out punishment. Most of the Refractors have found themselves already, their shape defined and colored. A few others are well on their way there, but not quite. Refractors are also the ones to tend to the Mother Crystal and lead initiations. There are only ten Refractors currently, which may fluctuate depending on deaths and promotion of a Lens (by the Prism). Usually, the number of Refractors does not exceed fifteen and does not drop lower than seven.

Required skills: Mediation 60, Discipline 50, leadership 40, persuasion 30, rhetoric 20, teaching 10

Lens
The “normal” members of the Faith. These are the vast majority. They have been members for some time, having displayed enough discipline, inner peace, and insight to be elevated from their status as initiate.

Required skills: Meditation 30, discipline 20, persuasion 10

Glass
The new initiates. They know nothing. Their form is unrefined. The light only passes through them without much change, but in doing so, the Glass is given the chance to change the light. Bend it, break it, focus it. In time and with training, the Glass might be shaped into a Lens.

Required skills: none, anyone can join the Faith.

Reflector
The lowest rank in the eyes of the Faith, this is what they call those that do not belong to the Faith. They are called this because they, in their disbelief, do not absorb the cleansing light, nor let it pass through them. Instead, they reflect it, thus being unable to be purified. Because all members of the Faith once were of this rank, they do not view these people with disdain, but merely with pity. Their drive to reform them stems from this pity, the members truly believing they need to be saved.
It is noteworthy though that a reflector is not a mirror, but rather a highly reflective glass. It is because the glass does still let a small amount of Light through that they can be initiated into the Faith.



NPC

Omequh

Name: Omequh
Race: Yludih
Rank: Prism
Skills: Meditation 90, Rhetoric 80, Leadership 70, Discipline 60, Persuasion 55, Teaching 50, psychology 30, Manipulation 20

Omequh is the founder and current Prism of the Faith of the Light. He is one of the Ancient Ones permanently dwelling in Uleuda, mostly spending his time in meditation or guiding his Faithful. He considers all members of the Faith to be family, with him being the elderly grandfather who shows up every so often. Though he finds he should be treated with respect, he does not demand it, finding that respect should be earned. He is soft-spoken and gentle of voice, but possesses a deep rumbling laugh. His most outstanding features are his thick crystal beard and slouched stature. Omequh is a pacifist and always tried to see the best in any Yludih. He has no fondness for the fleshlings of Idalos though, often seeming to loathe them if they are brought up. Other than that he is hard to anger… or maybe he is just good at hiding and subduing any possible outburst.

[Genuvah]

I had a little hand in this, instigating the thread in which this is set to appear, although Yana did most of the work, admittedly. The entire write-up, in fact. I think a few of the titles might have been mine.

Anyway, I wanted to make a token addition, and see if it sticks:

"Advancement comes through either conformity to the humming and chanting of the ofttimes nonsensical language they use, or through warping their mind enough that they just start randomly spouting nonsense. The former are frowned upon as pretenders and usually targetted for reeducataion and immersion in the light. The latter are often valued for their insights, which the Lenses see as a focal point for raw interpretation of the light, although they are barred from higher levels if they can't exemplify a greater understanding. The higher leadership levels are reserved for the secretive Prisms, who as mentioned are rarely seen or known be lesser members."