Taopin Apostates
"A fringe group, if ever there was one. One could say that their obsession with cycles has brewed a new one: that of lies, trauma, and despair. Unfortunately, it is outside our scope to interfere."
Apostate Statement of Intent
Statement of Intent
"By our accord, we return. In the next life, and the next, and any beyond that. In the name of our patron, Taopin, of the reincarnate promise, we seek not an afterlife of reward, but rather every life of tribulation. In our death may we be found again, and returned to the home of the apostates. May we live every life, again and again."
An Organization of Kidnapping and Apprehension
The Taopin Apostates are a fringe religious organization, viewed even by the furthest extremists as unhinged. Their patron is Taopin, the chief deity and shared patron of the Augury (the empire which the Apostates reside in). The teachings of Taopin make one thing clear: not every death leads to reincarnation, and not every death leads to the reward of the afterlife. It is said that any who die shall reincarnate until they become their true selves when their final destination can finally be judged.
With this interpretation of the god in mind, the Apostates spread their motives to all who would hear. The chief desire of each member is for their spirit to live every human life that has ever been, or ever will be. Each reincarnation must then return to the temples, where they will spend their days. What are the implications of such an organization? Well, the Apostates have made it quite clear themselves: Those who are born into new bodies must be 'acquired,' and returned to the temple by any means necessary.
The organization will spend time determining who each member will be reborn as, and upon the death of those members, a dispatch will be sent to nearby cities and towns. After asking locals and visiting churches, they will find any newborn children and attempt to convince the parents to relinquish the child, so that they may be raised in their temples. As can be expected, most parents disagree. This is unfortunately to the detriment of the family, as mercenaries tend to be the next option the cult leans towards. With authorities growing more aware of the group's presence, they have turned to less violent means via propaganda.
Methods of Acquiring Newborns
Coercion
The first method, as mentioned, is coercing the parents. Tales are spun before the parents of the fantastical life the child could live, claiming that they would be fed, loved, and given more financial help than any one man could ever ask for. Interestingly, these promises tend to be made regarding lowborn families, and it is typically only those families that the method works on. Unfortunately, the truth is not so cut and dry. Life within the temples is dull and cruel, with love not being spared for any particular member.
Another method of coercion is the threat of damnation upon the soul of the parents and child. What would the great Taopin think of those who rejected his request? What hell would the child go to if he was reincarnated in a life born to such sinful parents? These threats are a common occurrence in the cult, which hardly promotes the thought of handing your child over to them.
Threats
This organization largely exists in Fjordstrond, meaning mercenary work is entirely legal, depending on what work is being done. This makes a valuable option for the cult, should their initial attempts of sly words fail them. Often, the church pays little to those who work for them, meaning the mercenaries are rarely willing to be truly violent, but their words will say otherwise.
A handful of scandals have arisen, however. Some hires who are not of sound mind have gotten violent, murdering the parents in the heat of the moment and running with the child. The cult tends to deny association in these situations, and with little official evidence, they usually get off of any charges. In the worst cases, one cult member will take the fall. Should he be executed, the cult will simply search for his reincarnation once more.
Conversion, Propaganda
After realizing their methods rarely worked, the organization began churning their great propaganda machine, managing to become associated with the lower churches of the Ohdaufeen throughout Fjordstrond thanks to some eccentric nobles in the area. Here, they ask 'kindly' for donations, members, and support. This has worked quite well, as the uneducated in the large cities simply believe them to be in affiliation with the overarching religion under Taopin.
Perhaps the most egregious result of this propaganda system is their new "wanted" campaign, where the group will put posters around the city for their followers to view. They usually show the faces of any pregnant couples who are expecting, making sure that devout followers in the city will report to the temple when the mother is in labor, so they may get there before the parents change their mind and keep the child for themselves.
Of the Augury?
With such clear devotion to the god Taopin, patron of the Augury, surely the two organizations are integrated? Unfortunately, this idea is no more than a lie spun by the Apostates themselves. The Augury denounces the actions of this lowly cult, but how are common folk to learn of this?
The Apostates merely use the misleading "connection" between the organizations in order to wield the authority of the government against their members and onlookers. This has worked to their advantage, as the Augury refuses to deal with such a small and distant threat, presuming the primary government of Fjordstrond will take care of them; however, several nobles of Fjordstrond have fallen for their propaganda, giving the group yet another layer of protection.
All art made in Midjourney*
Comments