The Unveiling
One of the most dire blows against the divinely ordained mission of humanity was a series of coordinated and simultaneous assassination attempts aimed at orators across all of the city-states, planned and executed by the Congregation of Witnesses and known in the history books as the Unveiling.
Unborn scouts recorded the movements of orators for months in advance, creating comprehensive profiles of where they lived, what routes they took to the chapels and cathedrals and who they were with at any given time. With this information, the cult formulated the perfect times and places to strike to maximize the amount of victims.
When it came time to execute their plan, the initial moments were swift and devastating. Hundreds of barely-formed Unborn agents emerged from the shadows and underbellies of the city-states and almost all of the victims that were assaulted in these opening minutes were killed to a man, and it seemed like the cult had decisively succeeded. However, what most likely ended up saving the entirety of Nascindor were two individuals that no one could have expected to be the heroes of that dark day.
Surprisingly, the huge warriors stirred to life and began cutting down the cultists that attempted to get at the orators cowering before the door of the tower. Whether they were actually protecting them or the building they were huddled next to mattered little to the orators, whose lives were saved just the same.
In the other city-states, the damage had been done but Seekers from nearby fellowships were able to salvage that which was salvageable and drove out the cultists with the help of local guard militias.
Due to this happenstance, Druvenia suffered the least losses and was capable of not only upholding their own part in the hymn, but were able to spare orators to the other city-states to bolster their numbers until they could train more. In all likelihood, had things not happened in the way they did, there probably would not have been enough orators left to maintain the hymn at a level needed to keep the Adversary asleep.
The church assigned more resources to the defense of their cathedrals, each Seeker fellowship now required to maintain a presence in the city-states closest to their headquarters with the exception of the Penitent Guard, whose remote location and already meager numbers make it unviable for them to spread their resources any thinner.
Additionally, those who were newly trained to be orators are now forbidden from sharing this fact with anyone and are to arrive to and from the cathedrals and chapels in the company of the rest of the staff, all dressed uniformly, to prevent any of them being identified as orators. The guards in the city-states have been given more power to seize and question individuals, a move which has garnered much chagrin among the people, especially in Druvenia, which did not even have guards prior to the Unveiling.
In Onset-1, the Peacekeepers have been calibrated to detect speech patterns endemic to the Unborn, which has proved an effective method of uncovering them among the populace. The other city-states are considering adopting these robotic lawmen as well, though the S'aue are somewhat resistant to the notion of sharing their technologies.
Purpose and methods
As the orators are the individuals tasked with the actual performing of the Eternal Hymn, the cult sought to kill them, or at least enough of them, to silence the hymn and therefore bring about the awakening of the Adversary.Unborn scouts recorded the movements of orators for months in advance, creating comprehensive profiles of where they lived, what routes they took to the chapels and cathedrals and who they were with at any given time. With this information, the cult formulated the perfect times and places to strike to maximize the amount of victims.
When it came time to execute their plan, the initial moments were swift and devastating. Hundreds of barely-formed Unborn agents emerged from the shadows and underbellies of the city-states and almost all of the victims that were assaulted in these opening minutes were killed to a man, and it seemed like the cult had decisively succeeded. However, what most likely ended up saving the entirety of Nascindor were two individuals that no one could have expected to be the heroes of that dark day.
Salvation
In Druvenia, orators fleeing from their assailants happened upon the steps of the Council Hall in which resides the Sullen Council. Once they came within earshot of the twin guardians of that marble tower, the Silent Wardens, they pleaded for their assistance.Surprisingly, the huge warriors stirred to life and began cutting down the cultists that attempted to get at the orators cowering before the door of the tower. Whether they were actually protecting them or the building they were huddled next to mattered little to the orators, whose lives were saved just the same.
In the other city-states, the damage had been done but Seekers from nearby fellowships were able to salvage that which was salvageable and drove out the cultists with the help of local guard militias.
Due to this happenstance, Druvenia suffered the least losses and was capable of not only upholding their own part in the hymn, but were able to spare orators to the other city-states to bolster their numbers until they could train more. In all likelihood, had things not happened in the way they did, there probably would not have been enough orators left to maintain the hymn at a level needed to keep the Adversary asleep.
Aftermath and consequences
Severely understaffed after the grievous attack, the chapels and cathedrals of the Resounding Truth struggled to maintain the Hymn for years before new Orators could be trained.The church assigned more resources to the defense of their cathedrals, each Seeker fellowship now required to maintain a presence in the city-states closest to their headquarters with the exception of the Penitent Guard, whose remote location and already meager numbers make it unviable for them to spread their resources any thinner.
Additionally, those who were newly trained to be orators are now forbidden from sharing this fact with anyone and are to arrive to and from the cathedrals and chapels in the company of the rest of the staff, all dressed uniformly, to prevent any of them being identified as orators. The guards in the city-states have been given more power to seize and question individuals, a move which has garnered much chagrin among the people, especially in Druvenia, which did not even have guards prior to the Unveiling.
In Onset-1, the Peacekeepers have been calibrated to detect speech patterns endemic to the Unborn, which has proved an effective method of uncovering them among the populace. The other city-states are considering adopting these robotic lawmen as well, though the S'aue are somewhat resistant to the notion of sharing their technologies.
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