Children of the Storm

May the fury cleanse my soul and the tempest empower my psyche. I surrender myself to the storm. I seek the eternal union. Let my body dissolve to amber, freeing my mind to join the ethereal brotherhood.

— from the invocation of the Children

For every terrible thing, there are always those who choose to embrace it. Perhaps it is because they feel powerless and claiming association with the disaster gives them a sense of influence over fate. The Children of the Storm, rather than (or perhaps in addition to) fearing the red blizzards, welcome them. When the skies turn crimson, the Children seek each other out, if possible, and meet to invoke the spirit of the storm, inviting it to take them into the amber towers. If one of their number succumbs to the laughing pins , it is a cause for rejoicing.

Structure

There is no meta organization. Cells often form in places recently hit by red blizzards, but there are large, stable cells in most major cities.

I stay behind to help you, Mahanta. God leaves some select to guide the rest to salvation.

— Mahant Jubran, leader of the Samavran cell

Cult members refer to themselves as Children or Seekers and address each other as Mahant (muh-HAHNT), which is "sibling" in Vessunan. There are no official leaders, but in practice some Seekers are more equal than others. Cells tend to have loose structure with an informal leadership who take on the responsibility of organizing meetings and proselytizing. In Marun, where the cult is illegal, leaders must also coordinate members to avoid scrutiny.

Public Agenda

May the storm unshackle me from corporeal burdens and the sky's red tears release the yellow purification already within me.

— excerpt from a cultist's journal

The Children believe that the red blizzards were sent to liberate the worthy from their bodies, and they seek to prepare themselves to be taken into the amber towers. Different sects vary in the specifics, but some generalizations can be made.

• Any sapient may be chosen by the red blizzard.
• Worthy are defined by their intellect, wisdom, and learning.
• The path to being chosen is often study, but sometimes those with unknown wisdom are accepted.
• One must fully embrace the storm to be allowed to transcend.

In some areas, the "gift" of the laughing pins is said to come from an as yet unrevealed god, and only those who have been taken into the amber towers may know the face of this god. But in many places the cult has attributed the storms to a specific god. In Gepesh, for instance, the Saveen who entreat the red blizzards call upon Balthial, god of information and philosophy.

Religion

The goal of every Seeker is to contract the laughing pins. As such, they gather whenever a red blizzard appears and chant at the sky, usually in circles with joined hands to represent that knowledge is strengthened by numbers. Some cells disrobe entirely while others have ceremonial robes for the event.
In the main Gepeshien cell, a sacrifice is made. Though some argue that it is technically a blood sacrifice and should therefore be outlawed, cult members believe that it is instead a sacrifice of intellect. Under the storm, a sapient has a long nail driven into their skull, causing brain damage. The resulting incapacitated individuals are cared for by the cult. (In one tale, this sacrifice subsequently developed laughing pins. Opinions within the cult on this are mixed. To some, it represents the ultimate sign that the sacrifice was accepted. To others is blasphemy to suggest that a mentally impaired individual would be accepted into the towers, and repeating this story draws the censure of the cell.)

Amber does not die.

Type

Religious, Cult

Alternative Names

The Children
Red Fools (derog.)

Symbol

Multiple meanings: an eye to represent knowledge, an inclusion suspended in amber, a person with arms stretched up to the sky

Notable Members

Jubran Dawar (Gherau, Samavra)
Tasarathi Nirab (Lashe, Hamat'e)
Mirza Gal Jun (Maajit, Gepesh)

Legal Status

The government of Marun has outlawed the Children of the Storm. Officially this is because deliberate attempts to contract laughing pins have been characterized as reckless endangerment of society. But since the disease has never been proven contagious, it is clear that the real reason is that the practice of worshiping red blizzards is seen by most people as horrifying and a blasphemy against the natural order of the world.

Yeah, dirt doesn't die either. Doesn't mean we aren't dead when we turn into it.

— a skeptic