The Declarations of Faith and Practice

A look at The CoAR

The Declarations of Faith and Practice is a document that lists the nature, Intentions, and functions of alternative religion as it relates to the web in painstaking detail. Divided into 5 sections and intentionally written to bore the reader, the documents is heavily centered around the american constitution and the Declaration of independence.
The 12 Cults established a series of definitions and clarifications regarding alternative religion in The Web and opened diplomatic relations with the organizations in The Web. Most of these cults sought to coexist with each other and The Web, but often find themselves at odds with witch hunters, other religious organizations, and of course, the people of The Web itself.

The cults lived in secret for many generations. Few in The Web knew just how many cults there were, and even fewer understood how powerful they could be. When a strange prehuman temple rose from the ground in the middle of the Bonneville Salt Flats located in Utah. This place is now known as 12 Cults Flat

The Battle of 12 Cults Flat

Members of nearly 40 religious movements appeared before the temple on August 13th, 1999. This resulted in a remarkably quick and bloody holy war between these movements. Many organizations of The Web gathered for Operation: Jerusalem, a joint effort to deny the cults access to the power of the temple.
The white ground of the flats stained red with blood, but just as The Web moved in, twelve cults united, and the others followed suit. These twelve cults refused to fight, realizing they all shared the same goal. So long as no one entered the temple, there was no reason to fight. If they stood united, they could share the temple, and to this day consider it to be holy and neutral ground.
No one knows what is so special about the temple. No one is allowed inside. The temple has since been used as a meeting ground, and as a place to handle disputes regarding "theological territory" among the cults. This can end with a hand shake, or in a bloodbath, but it's isolated, and The Web couldn't be happier for it.

The Commonwealth of Alternative Religions (CoAR)

The alliance had many in The Web on edge. It was never possible to get so many religious groups to agree and stand together, and considering many of these movements have considerable power, that's a good thing. How it was done is a mystery, but the effects were easy to feel.
The Declarations demanded each cult to be recognized and treated with less animosity by The Web, even presenting an addendum to The nameless act itself. Most organizations signed out of fear. Others signed out of interest, wanting to know more about the movements, how they work, and the entities that worship.
Troubleshooters felt relief, happy that they no longer needed to target every cult they encounter, and some even enjoyed the privileges of calling in assistance when a cult not recognized by the Commonwealth stirs up trouble. The Commonwealth was the first organization in The Outer Web, part of The Web, but not of The Web.

Cults and The Web: A History

Cultists clash with The Web all the time. One second you're planning the next sacrifice for the autumn equinox, and the next your entire congregation is being gunned down by lunatics who failed to ask if the sacrifice was human, and not say, copious amounts of chocolate.
The cults are automatically bad to those in The Web, and the CoAR take exception to such an image. When CoAR emerged, it vowed to regulate cult activities on their own, and sought to educate The Web on how to handle this activity if they cannot. CoAR trained liasons that work in other organizations to guide them, and enforce the treaty the organizations signed. They also provide information and copies of the Declarations fir any who ask.

The only organization who failed to sign the treaty at 12 Cults Flat was Siegfried, but even they have a liaison to help point the cannon at more appropriate targets. Cults operate freely in the world, and only when they overstep the boundaries established in the treaty are they deemed hostile.

Fun Fact: Clash of The Cults

Cults operate much like a feudal system. The twelve cults fought hard on their way to the top. Under them are smaller movements. These smaller movements provide support in exchange for protection and mutual support.

This system is flawed, and leads to constant infighting, sometimes moving into an all out holy war. The reasons are varied, though there doesn't really need to be one to go to war. The opportunity to expand theological territory is usually a decent enough incentive.

Cults wage secret wars with one another in open fields and dense jungles to gain a theological foothold in the region. This gives them new sources for recruitment, new potential connections, and prestige among other cults that can be used to seal alliances.