Church of the Scattered God
The followers of the Scattered One; the Church of the Scattered God attempts to study the strange phenomena that follows the Scattered One, as well as its enigmatic language, Scatterscript, in attempts to uncover hidden truths and elevate their power over the forces of the world.
Assets
The Church of the Scattered God has vast amounts of arcana writings and potions, often stored in hidden libraries. Its members study magic constantly, and thus the church as a whole has a vast repository of magical knowledge and formula.
Infrastructure
Temples of the church are often built as large libraries or arcane laboratories rather than actual temples, as the members are much more concerned with arcane study then divine worship. Many of these temples take the form of Wizard Towers, with the greatest of these temples being the location of the original discovery of Scatterscript, a tower in Welthrone known as the Scattered Tower.
One such temple was located in Capital Welthrone; however, an unknown disaster wiped out its inhabitants and caused the tower itself to become forgotten until it was rediscovered by an adventuring group who would later become known as the Saviors of Welthrone. They slew the ooze-like man inside and restored the temple to reality.
Mythology & Lore
The Church of the Scattered God believes that their mysterious patron, the Scattered One, was once a mortal wizard in ancient times who attempted an arcane ritual to glimpse beyond the veil and to learn the secrets of godhood, but was instead split between all the realities of the multiverse and time itself. Some seek to learn the many secrets and power the Scattered One gleamed through this ritual, while others seek to free it from this trapped state.
Divine Origins
The Church of the Scattered God begin when an ancient ruin was discovered in present day Welthrone. The explorer of the ruin stated that he was guided their by a strange, skeletal figure, and there he discovered the first symbols that would later be known as Scatterscript. As the ruins were explored, sightings of this skeletal being increased, and eventually the researchers realized that they could gain divine power from the creature, and researchers began to flock to the ruins to study the being. The ruins were eventually reconstructed into the present day Scattered Tower, and the Church of the Scattered God grew around it.
Tenets of Faith
The Scattered Gods tenets all revolve around increasing the knowledge of its followers, both of the Scattered One itself, and of the general world and of magic itself. While most are scientifically and arcane based, some follow a specific code of knowledge seeking that is as such:
- I will uncover the hidden secrets of the others, so to better hide my own.
- Everything can be learned eventually; If I fail, I must learn from the experience so that I may try again.
- To gain knowledge without effort lessens its impact.
- I will not leave ideas trapped. While knowledge can be dangerous, I will strive to make sure it is used correctly rather than hidden away.
- I will seek the Follower's In Grey, so that I can further aid the Reconstruction.
- I will be relentless in the recording of my knowledge, so the it may persist if I am lost.
Ethics
Scattorians are primarily concerned with learning about their mysterious god and other arcane mysteries, and thus most have little concerns over the ethics of their work. Many will often lean into dangerous magic in their studies, and are constantly pushing the boundaries of acceptable experimentation. The church values secrets and lost knowledge greatly; thus sharing the knowledge they learn with those outside the church without a very good reason is frowned upon.
Worship
Members of the church have less in the way of formal worship than other churches, as they seek a more formulaic method of understanding their deity. Those that are devout believers of the Scattered Ones' divinity often will lock themselves in quiet places and attempt to hear the garbled voice of the Scattered One for hours on end.
Priesthood
Priests of the church are the most fluent in their understanding of Scatterscript, and are responsible for organizing and leading projects, including expeditions to other new or obscure ruins or overseeing the day-to-day operations of a facility. Many are also responsible for recruiting potential new members to the fold. They often inscribe sigils in Scatterscript or other strange clues, and take note of those who discovers them.
Granted Divine Powers
The Scattered One dosen't grant its followers powers in the traditional sense; rather, members of the church unlock the knowledge of how to access its magic through study of Scatterscript. Such powers include briefly viewing other realities, splitting a creatures body between realities, forcefully changing writing into Scatterscript, inscribing runes of power into Scatterscript, and summoning spectral hands to perform tasks, grab their enemies, and shoot beams of elemental energy.
One can never be sure if they have the favor or ire of the Scattered One, but those in the church often often describe a feeling of disconnectedness with the world, seeing letters blend together in odd ways, or a tugging sensation at ones body parts.
Political Influence & Intrigue
The Church of the Scattered God is often sought out by governments when some sort of magical crisis is afoot, and at times even employ a member of the church as a court magician. Their knowledge of language often leads them to be hired as translators or scribes, and sometimes even spies.
Sects
The Church of the Scattered God is very fractured, with many members seeking their own methods and reasonings for following. The major factions that make up the church are Researchers, Reality Benders, Secret Keepers, and Restorationists.
The Researchers are the largest faction, and make up the majority of the church and its general members. They mostly focus on general arcane research, the study and deciphering of Scatterscript, and the operations of the church.
The Reality Benders are members solely focused on testing the bounds of time and space and peering into other realities. Many in this faction even seek to replicate the ancient rite that the Scattered One is believed to have performed and gain divinity themselves. It is this faction that most often comes into conflict with other religions due to the dangerous nature of their experiments, especially with the Church of the Beyond.
The Secret Keepers are responsible for seeking out hidden knowledge and magic, as well as hunting enemies of the church. It is this faction that is usually the ones to delve into strange ruins or travel far from strongholds of the church. They also seek to learn and maintain knowledge of the mysterious Followers in Grey, who they believe to be divine servitors of the Scattered One
The Restorationists are the most religious and devout of the church, believing that they must restore the Scattered One as soon as possible, a process they refer to as the Reconstruction. They seek knowledge of healing magic of all kind, including the use of negative energy that heals the undead, and other dangerous body-warping magic. They are the ones who primarily attempt to summon the Scattered Visage, who they believe to be the manifestation of the Scattered One.
"Seek What Is Scattered"
Founding Date
3075
Demonym
Scattorians
Deities
Divines
Location
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