The Order of the Founding Fathers

Who are The Order of the Founding Fathers?

The Order of the Founding Fathers is a religious organization whose ethos is based on tenets they claim to have been written by a sect of devout cartographers said to have been a part of the same group of explorers that first mapped Delta Space. According to legends told by The Order of the Founding Fathers, once the cartographers had completed their initial mission of mapping the galaxy they settled down on the planet Ethenos and began to write out their scriptures of faith. These devout individuals allegedly founded what would eventually be called The Order of the Founding Fathers - this is debated, many believe that instead the group either found old copies of the tenets on Ethenos or made them up wholesale.
It is told, that they wrote out this list of tenets because that they felt having guiding laws in place would bring the galaxy to harmony, and that they had based their decisions on experiencing the grandness of what would become known as The Delta Space. These tenets, at first, were benign and were of general good faith and practice but would eventually the goals of the order would become a bit more unhinged. Eventually, the order was said to have realized that the galaxy was lost and devoid of faith, corrupted by the burgeoning trade and travel suddenly available. This is when The Order of the Founding Fathers made their discovery.
Buried in the basement of their home church on Ethenos, they found an ancient piece of scripture, one that predated even their own tenets. It spoke of a being, one of immense power and scope. The scripture called it The Universal Spirit, an entity that watched over all of existence and its people, judging them for the end of time. It went on to say that if the Universal Spirit judged the people of the galaxy of good faith and clear mind they would be saved from the cataclysmic end of the universe and taken away to a plane of pure energy where they could live eternally in bliss. But, if they were judged as poor souls of dubious character, they would leave to face the cataclysm alone.
The Order of the Founding Fathers quickly took these writings and codified them into their own tenets, deciding that this spirit would be their guiding light of faith. That it would be their job to spread the word of its ever-present judgment, and that it currently has a neutral stance on the galaxy. But, if the galaxy continues to go about its selfish ways, it would become too late for saviours and they will all be left to perish in the end times.

Becoming Unhinged

For hundreds of years, the actions of the order were benign, often they were a welcome sight and many happily engaged in conversation with them despite their warnings of an unproven cataclysmic threat. However, all of that changed when one of their priests, whose duty was to scan the stars using a high-powered telescope for signs of the apocalypse, or even signs of the Universal Spirit saw something of concern. For a fraction of a moment, he saw a tendril of energy lashing out many light-years away before disappearing without a trace. The young priest, in a panic, decided that this must be a sign of their impending doom, whatever this oncoming cataclysm was must have temporarily breached this reality. But the Universal Spirit had decided it needed more time for judgement and forced the tendril back to whence it came, or at least that is what the order decided when telling the story.
Since then, the teachings of the Order have become a bit more frantic and extreme, the order itself adheres itself to strict protocol now with each member having to follow their tenets faithfully and if they don't they are punished. These punishments range from old-school floggings to long stays in sensory deprivation tanks, and to outright maimings. Worse yet, the order no longer travels the galaxy spreading the word of their teachings, no, instead they travel the galaxy in large groups, often heavily armed, and conduct judgement on behalf of their Universal Spirit, believing that those that aren't worthy, or are deemed too sinful should be pruned from the galaxy before their ultimate judgement. This is done both to please the Universal Spirit, making his ultimate job easier, and to help the Order's chance of survival upon the Universal Spirits decision on who dies and who doesn't during the cataclysm.
Over the years, the Order amassed a large number of followers and an even larger fortune. They have built themselves a fortress megachurch on their home planet of Ethenos, and even have a fleet of warships that travel the galaxy doling out judgement to the masses. When they prune people, they even take their possessions, money, ships, weapons, anything to help fuel their growing madness. This has obviously made the Order of the Found Fathers a dangerous force, one that is not a welcome sight in the Delta Space anymore. Most people consider these crazed priests a cult and not a religious order nowadays.

Type

Religious, Cult

Ethenos

The Order of The Founding Fathers was allegedly founded on the planet of Ethenos, the clergy building a small church to conduct their teachings there. This church apparently still stands but is now in the heart of a sprawling megachurch.