Church of the Arcane Petrological
The Church of the Arcane Petrological, or "The Cult" (as it's casually referred to by those who know about it), is the most mysterious organization in the Vallandian criminal underworld. Exceptionally little is known about the Cult, only that it is the number one most reliable source of hidden information. People from across the crime world searching for information will strike up a deal with V, the ambiguous cult leader and only known member, that deal often locking them in servitude to the Cult.
Structure
The leader of the cult, simply known as V, is both the only known member as well as the only known leader. Officially, his title is the High Priest. Despite the extreme lack of information about the inner workings of the cult, it's theorized by several witnesses that there exists lesser sect leaders of separate groups within the cult. The identities of these sect leaders remains unknown.
Culture
Anyone inducted into the Cult has never returned; the new members are there to stay. For this reason, it can be inferred that the culture of the Cult is extremely sheltered from the outside world, only interacting with other cultists.
Public Agenda
Through certain deals and bargains made by V with other contacts in the criminal underworld, many believe that the cult, or at least the leader, aims to uncover the hidden secrets of powerful organizations. Whether he aims to topple or overthrow these organizations is unknown. Many have noted that V's most common target for information is the Protectors. In the last year, V has acquired much more information on the Vallandian government after the Great Blackout and the subsequent infernal chaos.
Divine Origins
To a select few, V has revealed that he started the church as a means of spreading the truth of the universe, specifically regarding a Protectors conspiracy. He posits that he was once a Protector as well, before uncovering their hidden plot for universal domination, at which point the Elite Protectors attacked, apprehended, and killed V before reviving him and wiping his memory.
Cosmological Views
In addition to the lacking information on the inner workings of the cult, a little bit is known about their beliefs. V claims to be a former Protector, known to denounce their supposed lies and power madness. According to V, the Protectors are secretly a power-mad organization, and only the Elite Protectors are in on the secret.
This big secret, apparently in the process of being uncovered by V, is that seven singularities of creation were created during the Great Partition. The seven singularities manifest in the form of magical gems, and hold immense arcane power over the universe unlike any other magical item. Each singularity holds power over a certain force of the universe, those being power, change, life, the sea, time, love, and weather. The summation of the singularities effectively grants the user omnipotence, making the singularities the most powerful items in the universe. V believes that the Protectors are currently searching for these singularities, and if they should find them, would become the oppressive, omnipotent rulers of the universe.
Priesthood
The founder and leader of the Cult, known by his criminal confidants as V, is the only known leader, officially known as the High Priest. Several witness of other unidentified cult members claim that there are lesser sect leaders of subgroups within the Cult, each represented by one of seven different colors. This has been confirmed to the Black Dawn by Aurelia Nailo, who revealed herself to be the current Deacon of the Sect of Power, as signified by her red robes.
Sects
According to the few witnesses that were never inducted into the Cult, there are seven sects of the Church, all representing one singularity from V's Protectors conspiracy. Each cultist, at some unknown point in their cult career, is assigned into one of these sects. Once divided, they either learn or acquire (unknown) spellcasting specific to the singularity they represent.
The first sect represents power, and the magic of the powerful forces of the universe. These cultists could manifest their magic in raw energy, electricity, gravity, magnetism, flame, or other manifestations of raw universal power. They are signified by red accents to their cult-classic black robes.
The second sect represents change, commonly associated with transmutation. Their magic deals with the changing of matter, from one form to the next. They are signified by orange accents to their robes.
The third sect represents life, and the magic thereof (sometimes death). These cultists can manipulate organic matter to their advantage, perhaps even controlling the forces of life and death themselves. They are signified by green accents to their robes.
The fourth sect represents the sea, and the magic thereof. Cultists of this sect have magic power over the forces of the ocean and other bodies of water, including hydromancy, underwater breathing, and influence over marine life. They are signified by turquoise accents to their robes.
The fifth sect represents weather, and the magic thereof. These cultists have control over the weather, storms, and lightning. They are signified by yellow accents to their robes.
The sixth sect represents love, and the magic thereof. These cultists deal with powerful enchantment magic. They are signified by pink accents to their robes.
The seventh and final sect represents time, and the magic thereof. These cultists, held to be the most powerful, can alter the fabric of time itself, albeit to a small scale. They are signified by purple accents to their robes.
Founding Date
Unknown, thought to be in the 560s.
Type
Religious, Cult
Alternative Names
The Cult
Leader
Divines
Notable Members
Relationship kept under wraps, Isabella Cromoni and V have only been rumored to be in cohorts.
Each sect of the Cult, the most powerful and revered of which depicted towards the middle.
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