Lom is a land of grim survivors. Their ancestors were refugees and survivors from the hideous techno-theocracy that once ruled the Bleak Reach to the west, thralls of cold synthetic gods that escaped their masters and fled east to the moors and hills of what is now Lom. Their sufferings were indescribable under the rule of those artificial divinities, and their heirs swore an everlasting enmity toward all the gods and harbingers of divinity. Humanity's reason alone would be the measure for right and justice.
Lom is ruled by the Atheocracy, a
Priesthood of True Reason that rejects the idea of true divinity. The Made Gods, parasite divinities, and even the One are nothing more than mysteries of poorly-understood magic or artificial monsters, unworthy of worship and enemies to humanity. Only True Reason is to be trusted as revealed to the insight of the Atheocrat. Naturally, only the antipriests of Lom can reliably interpret the dictates of True Reason to the people.
Lom is a gray, unhappy land under the hand of the antipriests, with its towns and villages all subject to capricious laws and improvements devised by the hierarchy. Any number of commoners are casually sacrificed in order to explore new cultural orders and new arrangements of society, their worth acknowledged only as suitable subjects for experiments, all in service of True Reason and an eventual golden age of human law. That age is not perceptibly closer even after centuries of bitter sacrifice.
The antipriests take their power from the Pyre, an ancient angelic artifact seized by the first Atheocrat. Some among the antipriests carefully prepare themselves for several years before entering the Pyre; most emerge with their minds burnt away by the celestial energies, but some come out with their reason intact. Both the idiotic and the undamaged are gifted with incredible powers of magical nullification and suppression, gifts even capable of stifling a Godbound’s powers. The simple-minded victims are trained like dogs to use their powers at a handler’s command, while those who retain their minds can expect great advancement in the Holy Colloquy that rules the nation.
Unbeknownst to all but the greatest in the Colloquy, Lom is cultivated by angelic entities. These cruel lords give the Atheocrat access to secrets and ancient relics in exchange for his efforts to stamp out religion in the realm. Without the sheltering power of effective funeral rites, the souls of the dead are certain to pass into the talons of Hell, and so the fewer true religions, the better for the angels. Those who know the truth are promised a glorious place in the flames in exchange for their cooperation. By the time they’ve risen to such a position, few have any resolve to resist the angelic inducement.
The appearance of the Godbound are a source of grave concern to the Atheocrat and the Holy Colloquy. Hunter teams of simple-minded antipriests and their ruthless handlers have been dispatched into the world to seek out these troublemakers and deal with them. Their successes have been few thus far, but each encounter gives the antipriests more experience in dealing with Godbound gifts.
Within the boundaries of Lom, there are few outsiders. Traders are accepted as a necessary evil, but foreigners who would live in Lom are expected to adopt the customs of the people and abandon their former faiths. Those who try to incite worship among the people can expect a hideous death, though many of the downtrodden masses are so desperate for a better life that they are willing to pledge their worship to anything that offers aid, no matter how foul it might be.
Population
Four million, of which seventy thousand are ordained antipriests.
Government
Atheocrat Truth, the Voice of Reason, rules with the aid of the Holy Colloquy of Preceptors. Antipriests have absolute superiority over lay reasoners and their commands can only be overruled by orders from a higher-ranking antipriest.
