Preacher Comstock

Elijah Moses Comstock, commonly known as Preacher Comstock to those of his flock, is a human religious figure active since the late Second Interstellar Period, controversial for his leadership of what many view as his own cult of personality.

Early Life and Rise to Prominence

Elijah Comstock was born on Chesapeake, originally an Ancient American Refuge World established during the Wormhole Rush. This was a harsh planet, achieving a sustainable existence in an alien ecosystem using the crude technologies initially available was no easy feat, Chesapeake's colonies struggled along until it was recontacted by fellow Americans from Columbia, eventually becoming a founding member of the American Federation, one of the Second Interstellar Period's great powers.

It was in this situation he grew up. From a young age he began making claims of divine revelation, and many people grew to consider him especially holy, even a prophet. (These claims may have been embellished by his followers in later centuries.) This culminated in his teachings, a pseudo-Protestant, pseudo-evangelical blend not part of any previous Christian denomination, and drawing heavily from Americanist history and ideals. His charismatic preaching style drew throngs of followers and turned him into an interstellar sensation, though his true breakout success only came in the wake of the apocalyptic Age of Strife.

Present Day

Among the remnants of Americanist society which survived the relativistic slaggings of the Second Interstellar Period's final wars, Elijah Comstock found fertile ground for the seeds of his teachings. In firey broadcast sermons, he blamed the Federation leadership's lack of faith for the existential catastrophe which wrecked human civilization, and his followers grew their numbers as society rebuilt. In modern times he is the leader of a flock numbering in the billions, a nontrivial fraction of Starweb space's American-descended population, making him a political titan to be reckoned with for better or worse.

Personality

Near as anyone can tell, Elijah Comstock is a sincere man who believes what he preaches down to the last word. Literal decades have been spent by his enemies in attempts to dredge up some scandal surrounding him, to little success since his most controversial opinions are already known, and because his followers are quick to deride and attempt to shut down such efforts. This tendency, along with the general reverence his followers have for their leader, cause many outside observers to consider his movement a cult of personality. He has been banned from traveling to several nations, such as the Guadalupe Commonwealth.

He has no known children, has never married, and takes periodic rejuvenation treatments to extend his preaching career across centuries.

Species

Human