Church of Mother Kos

Official Church of Kos, The Mindborer

Mythology & Lore

In the beginning, when the world was fresh and new from its inception, Bahamut was the first-born of the three Primordial Gods. Where his brother Moradin took domain of the ground, Law, and all that lay on and beneath the earth, and the third brother took domain of the water, life, and creation itself, Bahamut took domain of the Sky, of Morality, and Justness.
As Eons passed, eventually the Primordial of Water fragmented and vanished, replaced by two married oceanic deities. Bahamut and Moradin remained, and as Moradin took control of Creation from the vanished third Primordial, Bahamut inherited dominion over life itself.
However, while this canon history is commonly taught by most organized religions and even the Church of Mother Kos itself, they teach a vastly different series of events from what is commonly known or accepted by the world.
The Church of Mother Kos teaches that in the very beginning before reality had taken form and even before the Over deity Atlas had taken form and given birth to reality as it is known today, there existed beings who slumbered within the primordial soup of this new existence...beings so unfathomably ancient and so unbelievably powerful that the mere act of trying to understand them is enough to shatter the minds of mortal and even gods alike.
These beings, it is taught, were the Great Old Ones. Old even when Atlas came into being, these strange, eldritch lifeforms dominated early existence in the unformed cosmic soup...and although they had power no god could match and a perception that encompassed all of time and space, they were inactive things, and moved rarely save against one another.
Yet, when Atlas arrived, these Great Old Ones found themselves stirred into action by the birth of this new reality and the explosion of planets, life, planes, and life and death...so many new concepts and ideas that their many-dimensional existences had not yet fathomed and thus found intriguing.
As these creatures stirred into wakefulness, the greatest and most notable among them was a being of unfathomable power whose dreams proved enough to threaten even Atlas and his infinite power. Locked with a tomb and sealed away, this being's dreams influenced and gave birth to artists, cultists, painters, and poets of early life...and it is said that as this creature dreamed across all of time and space, and saw the new gods birthed and new life appear, it strove to emulate these narrow-minded things and improve upon their works.
So it was, the Church of Mother Kos teaches, that Kosm(As she was known then) appeared within reality, birthed from the smoky, eldritch dreams of this unfathomable existence as its daughter.
It was not for millennia until she would wake, as she cruised through the star ocean, dreaming like her father before her...soon, she crashed upon the infant world of Ea, long after life had been birthed and as cities floated through the sky, and became enamored with this new home.
In time, Kosm would explore the world she landed upon, loving her new home and taking upon corporeal form to interact with and play with her surroundings...and while her naivete and innocence was her defining trait, her eldritch nature meant her very presence shattered the minds of those she found and broke their souls.
In her innocence, she was tricked by the races of the world, captured, and bound, and driven howling mad by the experiments of mortal races...this, the Church of Mother Kos teaches, is the great sin that was committed upon their Goddess long ago. Split and destroyed, she was sent into fragments which, in time, coalesced...but, it was far too late. When they returned and took shape once more, she was irrevocably broken.
Soon, the mortals embraced her and hoisted her as a Goddess of madness and destruction...but, in time, as perceptions change and mortals die, the followers of Kosm became so numerous and so many that the dual nature of their perceptions of the daughter of Eldritch Horror sent her into a strange evolution...and soon, she emerged as too entities: Kos, the gentler side of madness who comforts and reassures, and Kosm, who seeks destruction and insanity on all reality.
Shackled to the Material and isolated from her father, Kos and Kosm now fight unending, flickering between dominance as each waxes and wanes in power.

Divine Origins

The teachings of the Church of Mother Kos come after the Maddening Divergence , the event which brought about the seperation of the Goddess Kosm into herself, now reduced in power, and her new sister, the Goddess Kos. As the gentler side emerged, she embraced those shattered and abandoned and while she held them tight with love, she whispered into their minds with comfort and serenity...and stole their worries away alongside their sanity.
These whisperings Kos was said to send into the minds of her first followers, which reassured them and taught them that life was worth living in her arms, were soon inscribed into a book of maddening proportions and given physical form in The Eldritch Whisperings.
In this way, Kos was said to rise to power as she comforted and gave homes to those broken in the violence of the times, comforting those who saw horrors vast and unending by stealing their minds away...and to those scholars who grew upset with the tightly curated and controlled libraries of the times, they found in her a wonderful and loving mother who saw the value of all knowledge, who shunned the idea of secrets and of hiding away knowledge of any kind, and who loved them utterly unconditionally.
To these scholars and wizards, they too came to love her, and embraced her as their very own and only true Goddess of Knowledge.

Cosmological Views

The Church of Mother Kos teaches that in the very beginning before reality had taken form and even before the Overdeity Atlas had taken form and given birth to reality as it is known today, there existed beings who slumbered within the primordial soup of this new existence...beings so unfathomably ancient and so unbelievably powerful that the mere act of trying to understand them is enough to shatter the minds of mortal and even gods alike.
These beings, it is taught, were the Great Old Ones. Old even when Atlas came into being, these strange, eldritch lifeforms dominated early existence in the unformed cosmic soup...and although they had power no god could match and a perception that encompassed all of time and space, they were inactive things, and moved rarely save against one another.
Yet, when Atlas arrived, these Great Old Ones found themselves stirred into action by the birth of this new reality and the explosion of planets, life, planes, and life and death...so many new concepts and ideas that their many-dimensional existences had not yet fathomed and thus found intriguing.
As these creatures stirred into wakefulness, the greatest and most notable among them was a being of unfathomable power whose dreams proved enough to threaten even Atlas and his infinite power. Locked with a tomb and sealed away, this being's dreams influenced and gave birth to artists, cultists, painters, and poets of early life...and it is said that as this creature dreamed across all of time and space, and saw the new gods birthed and new life appear, it strove to emulate these narrow-minded things and improve upon their works.
So it was, the Church of Mother Kos teaches, that Kosm(As she was known then) appeared within reality, birthed from the smoky, eldritch dreams of this unfathomable existence as its daughter.

Tenets of Faith

Spread the truths of The Mother. Spread the truths of The Mother and teach all the glories of her affection.

Suffer no secrets or hidden truths. Drag all that is hidden or sealed into the light for all to see, no matter what may come of it.

Exalt the Pariah. Give love to the lost, purpose to the outcast, and safety to the suffering. Let all know of and relish in the love of the Mother.

Knowledge above all, at all costs. Never allow knowledge or information to be hidden, forgotten, or sealed away. Always be the first into the unknown.

Love is madness. Hope where all hope is lost, love no matter the circumstance, and know no doubt in your heart - let your singular focus entrust everything you are to that which you treasure until only these ideals remain; That is true madness.

Ethics

To the powerful Church of Mother Kos, no sin is greater than that of "keeping secrets" - most commonly defined by the faithful as hiding or sealing away knowledge or keeping and hiding secrets - To the clergy, both are acts they consider sins of the highest order to be corrected at any cost. Even if a secret or scrap of knowledge, should it become public knowledge, would spell the downfall or death of thousands...to the clergy, it doesn't matter - to the faithful of the Mindborer, the potentials of what may be should never hinder what that thing is allowed to become or be used for; much like they themselves who are often saved from poverty or a destitute life by their Goddess or who found faith from the dregs of society, they detest something being judged for the preconcieved notions of others even to the point of madness. To the faithful, the only true justice is freedom - all secrets should be known, no information should be restricted, and everyone should have the ability to know everything at their disposal no matter the circumstances.
As one might expect then of such a church, Ignorance and Secrecy are considered great sins of equal nature - ones that the church seeks to correct at all times. Depending on how "extremist" a sect or parish of the faithful may be the methods by which this is achieved are many, and can range from teaching and peaceful advocacy to peel back the veil on that which is hidden to terrorism, theft, and kidnapping to forcibly implant and give knowledge unto others at any cost. As a result of this doctrine which sees the church fall into extremism more often than not and even the simple zeal with which they pursue that which is hidden, the Church is often a highly reviled thing in highly civilized and lawful areas...for where secrets are kept, they seek them out and release them to the public, an act which is especially damning for very developed, secretive, or bureaucratic nations.
To this end, this fascination with secrets and that which is hidden has led the faith to develop a cult-like fascination with eyes - to the faithful eyes are not only a symbol of "truth", but an equal inversion that represents the falsity of one's senses; Eyes on the Inside is a common phrase used to refer to those who have become truly "enlightened" and who have sought the truths of the cosmos such that they have become irrevocably touched by that very information they have obtained - or more generally, simply one who has proven themselves a seeker of the truth. Many view the implantation or manifestation of more eyes as a holy notion or symbol, and believe that by implanting them into themselves or others, knowledge can be forcibly transferred from person to person.
Beyond this hatred for that which is hidden, however, lies a deep and profound love as well as a desire to spread that love to others - few members of the faithful, as one may expect, truly classify themselves as insane; instead, a common theme throughout the church regardless of the extremism various parishes of that faith is that of love - to them, that which others term as insanity is simply a purity of conviction that they cannot fathom. The Faithful believe in absolute, unwavering trust in the words of their goddess above all else - not to question where their lives may lead them in her service, not to fret the pain or suffering it may bring, not to worry whether her decisions are right or wrong...the faithful believe that it is not madness or insanity to leave such fundamental concerns behind, but a deeply profound trust that signals a love of the deepest sort; they believe in accepting things as they are for the simple reason that their beloved Mother Kos said it was so, in trusting in her words, and so on - even if they are told to perform the same task a hundred times, each time failing worse than the last, the faithful care little for the result...merely that it was what they must do, and so it must be done.
For this reason, the faithful often are associated with erratic and "insane" actions that those who consider themselves "sane" simply cannot understand - to the faithful, however, they are merely following the course their beloved Mother Kos has asked them to follow no matter how little they understand it; to them, to act even in the absence of understanding and undertake the duties of Mother Kos anyway is what it truly means to love her and act in her service.
The faithful should rarely be considered mindless, however - just as the instructions of the mother are not constant, they believe that it is their honored responsibility to not only properly interpret the meaning of the often confusing and vague dictations of their mother(Though the degree to which different sections of the faith allow this interpreting varies), but also and more importantly to spread their love and the love of Mother Kos to those in need. To the faithful, the outcast and the pariah are as close to the Mother as one can get, and they take great care in delivering the same love that so often saved them to others who they view as requiring it - which can often make them seem to be truly kind and loving people, depending on the degree of "force" by which they deliver their love.
Because of this, the more benevolent temples to Kos and her faith are actually accepted into civilized societies, though such a thing is rare. But, with their genuine belief of benevolent aid and what they do brings healing and salvation, they can be a powerful force for love and deliverance should they be motivated enough...though they can be just as likely to devolve into "forceful uplifting" and more nefarious acts such as mindboring.

Worship

Worship of Mother Kos can come in a myriad of ways and forms thanks to the incredibly variety and divisiveness of her faithful, but the most devout ritual to pay tribute to The Mindborer is sacrifice. However, in most temples, what is sacrificed is not a creature or a sentient being; It is the mind of such a creature. Holes are bored into the skull, hymns are sung, and chants are given in the unholy name of Kos as the squishy, eldritch eyes of the faithful is rooted to the creature's brain or skull to "enlighten" them to a greater truth.
In common and more mundane practice, worship of Mother Kos is done through exposure of secrecy and uncovering of knowledge, but often supplemented by rigorous prayer and devotion. Despite their chaotic nature the clergy often each have their own unique rituals they do for the sake of their precious "Mother", which they believe she demands of them specifically - each of them viewing her in various ways, though seeing her as a girlfriend, wife, or mother are most common and influence their "rituals" appropriately.
Below is a common chant or phrase associate with worship of Kos, the full stanza of which is used by clerics of Kos during rituals:

As you once did for the Council of Nine...grant us eyes, grant us eyes!
Plant eyes on our brains that we may be cleansed of our beastly idiocy!
O Kos, grant us eyes! Show us your love and illuminate our way!
Take this offering as proof of our faith,
Take their minds to show them your love,
And line our heads with eyes to show us salvation!

Often, "Grant us eyes" is the token prayer given by the clergy during their daily prayers, or rarely entire lines of the above should they feel particularly faithful.

Priesthood

The learned and powerful church of Kos is as divided as its god, many even actively opposing rival temples and members of the same faith. As she is worshiped by all sorts of scholars, clerics, wizards, and the mad, Kos's more organized followers are almost entirely those who hold a vested interest in knowledge or are dedicated to the gathering of it and the unveiling of secrets in all forms, especially those who hold a strong dislike for organized institutions such as the Scholastica Lexicanus , who often lock away knowledge deemed dangerous or too high risk or other organizations that are rife with secrecy and scheming. However, one should not mistake such people to be her most populous followers - indeed, the outcast and the pariah and those who fall into her worship across the planescape because they find themselves hopeless and in need of love are her most numerous followers; though they rarely organize to the same level as the former category.
Rank within the clergy, when they bother to organize in a notable way, is determined almost purely by knowledge and power, with the former being more important in benign temples and the latter taking precedent in the more malevolent ones. Most commonly, this rank is represented by the number of "eyes" one possesses - a common term used by the faithful who believe that eyes represent and contain knowledge and truth, and frequently associate the acquisition of eyes or the implantation of them to signal greater knowledge. Thanks to rituals and techniques utilized by the clergy, members of the faith often implant odd eldritch eyes within their heads so as to expand their minds and learn things hidden and locked.
These "Eyes on the Inside" are directly linked to rank within the church, and the clergy commonly believe that by planting them within their heads, they are granted sight into things hidden from mortal ken and into the great eldritch beyond, where all knowledge lies and true enlightenment waits. Often wearing skullcaps, robes, and hoods in dark purples and blacks, the faithful of the Church of Mother Kos often bedeck their temples, their clothes and themselves with flowing eldritch designs that often involve eyes, eldritch shapes and beasts, and other unfathomable things not of mortal make.
As there is little distinction between the ranks of the faithful outside of accumulation of knowledge, love of their goddess, power, or "Eyes on the Inside", they are often a very open and communal faith united by their unwavering love of their Goddess. The temples of Mother Kos often contain great stores of knowledge lined on shelves of stone...many tomes of which contain secrets that would either spell destruction for entire nations or would shatter the minds of mortal folk. To the clergy of Mother Kos, neither matters.

Granted Divine Powers

No blessing is as iconic, widespread, or highly desired within the ranks of the faithful as that of "Eyes". To be granted eyes on the inside is to be granted knowledge, power, and sight beyond sight to see things none but you can glimpse. These eyes are incredibly coveted, and though ways exist within the faithful to forcefully implant them, the greatest and surest sign of Mother Kos's blessing is to receive the gift of eyes, whether for a particular powerful secret or scrap of knowledge you recovered or perhaps a highly successful speech that roused many to the cause and the faith.
Besides that, Kos often shows her blessing in the finding of places long hidden, locations sealed, and knowledge thought destroyed. When an ancient tome is found by whimsy or chance, when the seals on an ancient tomb falter and fail, and when scholars delve into things thought heretical...all are signs of Kos's blessing, and her love.
Often, Kos will show her favor to the faithful by relieving them of their minds, and their worries. When a scholar delves into his studies for so long and fails such that he debates suicide, it is the touch of Kos that steals his worries away and allows him the luxury of unshackled thought, and true liberation.
In the simplest form, these blessing take the form of moments of inspiration based in madness or mania, bouts of unhinged thought that lead to success, or experiments that are based in cruelty or insanity yet yield great fruit.

Political Influence & Intrigue

The clergy and faithful of Mother Kos are almost never interested or drawn to the world of politics, as they are almost universally abhorrent to them due to the secrets that are kept, schemes that are made, and the hidden things kept from the line by those who play in the grand game.
Almost always, when the clergy choose to enter the realm of politics is the moment they choose to break such systems down and expose all the secrets of such a system for the world to know.

Bless your children, Grant us Love!

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Alternative Names

The Church of Mother Kos, The Eldritch Children

Demonym

Kosite (Kahs-ite)

Divines

• Kos, The Revealer of Secrets

Controlled Territories

• The Psychotic Spires

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