The Cult of the Illuminated

Since the Cult of the Illuminated is going to be a prominent fixture in our chronicle, I felt it would be good to have a thread where you could find out just how much you really know about the cult as it will be portrayed in-game. I'll be adding on to this periodically as the story progresses and more of its goals and methods come to light. For now, we'll cover the basics.

First off, "cult" has a much different connotation in the world of Exalted than it does in ours. In real life, we use the word in a negative context to describe a group of weirdos who pursue a strange agenda, sometimes using religion to justify killing people or stealing their money. In Exalted, we turn to the original definition of the word to describe "formal religious veneration" and "a system of religious beliefs and ritual." These are not con-artists or madmen looking to fool the people into believing in a bogus faith. No, this is a genuine religion that, while of modest size, has strong roots in the Threshold, strong enough that it's beliefs give people hope for a better, brighter future.

Speaking of size, it should be noted that the Cult is not a far-reaching movement. It's grown significantly in the Threshold, to be sure, but it's still a small organization, spread out between a handful of temples and a scattered number of outposts. Large gatherings of cultists are very few and far between, with temples residing primarily in major cities and outposts located in remote villages. In that way, it's set up more like a secret society than your typical organized religion, mostly to protect its worshipers. This is intentional - a large religion with teachings that rival that of the Immaculate Order would garner a large amount of attention very quickly. By keeping small and ensuring that its growth is a trickle instead of a flood, they avoid the direct attention of the Order.

With all this talk of temples and beliefs, what exactly does the Cult of Illuminated teach its believers? Well, to answer that, you have to consider the plight of the common man and woman in Creation. At best, it's a form of medieval serfdom - this is all there is, and you'll never improve your lot in life. If you're a farmer, you'll be tilling that soil for the rest of your life, and so will your children, and your children's children. The faith of the Immaculate Order only reinforces this notion. "Sure, you might reincarnate as one of the Dragon-Blooded in your next life, but not if you don't appreciate your pitiful existence in this one. Your life is one giant struggle in the dirt. Best get used to that."

The Cult of the Illuminated, on the other hand, gives people the promise of change. Big change. Massive change. And not in your next life. No, this change is coming in this life. Maybe in the next decade. Maybe in the next year. Maybe tomorrow. The Cycle of Day is coming, when the Shining Ones will reveal themselves and purge the world of tyranny - from the Dragon-Blooded of the Realm, to Heaven itself - to make way for a new world, one filled with choices and options, where a lowly peasant doesn't have to dream of a better life... she can make it a reality. This is the promise of the Illuminated Kingdom, of an era grand enough to rival that of the First Age, of a world where those who have fought for these Champions of the Gods will be rewarded for their loyal service beyond their wildest imaginings.

The worshipers of the Cult don't have fancy artifacts from a bygone era. They don't have protective manses or powerful magics. They have hope for tomorrow, and that can be the greatest weapon of all.

In the first post, I talked about the Cult of the Illuminated in terms of how the average person in Creation views it. That's fine and all, but where do the Exalted fit in? To answer that, I'll talk about the Cult's beliefs in a little more detail.

The Cult of the Illuminated, as mentioned in the core book, believes in powerful entities that they call the Illuminated or Shining Ones, who would appear across Creation and make the world a better place. Specifically, The Golden Tome of Truth - the Cult's book of holy teachings - talks of the Five Promises, old prophecies that are said to predate the First Age. Three of these Promises are said to have already been fulfilled, and the Fourth Promise is being fulfilled right now. In short, the Five Promises read thusly:

The Promise of the Sword:
The Glorious First Age Will Fall and Creation Will Become Corrupted
With the death of hundreds of Exalted and millions of mortals, the glory and majesty of that great and wondrous era came crashing down. And the Wheel of Ages turns.

The Promise of the Quill:
Creation Will Struggle Onward
The Second Age begins, guided by the inexpert hands of the Dragon-Blooded, who were more concerned with power struggles than guiding the world honorably.

The Promise of the Key:
The Gods Will Not Forsake Creation
To scour the world of Fair Folk and Dragon-Blooded betrayers, the divinities agreed that Creation needed true leaders and mentors to usher in a new Age of wonder.

The Promise of the Gauntlet:
The Gods Will Send New Champions, the Shining Ones
Alone and vulnerable, the Shining Ones will be delivered from Heaven to Creation so that the Cult of the Illuminated can unite them to take back Creation from its false leaders.

The Promise of the Ewer:
Creation Will Be Restored to its Former Glory
The Shining Ones will take their place on the thrones of Creation, bringing with them a Second Great Age to Creation, but they will be unable to do so without the support of mortals.

While some scoff at these would-be prophecies, one truth cannot be denied. Absent for over a thousand years, the Solar Exalted began appearing in Creation four years ago in great numbers. Coincidence, or divine plan? To the Cult of the Illuminated, the answer is obvious - the time of the Shining Ones has come.

Okay, so the Shining Ones are being delivered to the Cult of the Illuminated in fulfillment of the Fourth Promise. How do you shelter and unite the children of the gods, though, to prepare them for their divine role? Even the largest of the Cult's temples are ill-suited to play host to an army of Exalted. What you need is something bigger and better equipped.

What you need is a training camp.

The Cult of the Illuminated has three training camps - the Sequestered Tabernacle in the North, Kether Rock in the South, and the Underground Sanctuary in the Scavenger Lands. Set apart from the body of the Cult itself, they're designed to function as training academy, dormitory, and hidden base of operations. Each camp has its own philosophy and training regimen, radically different from the others, as designated by its master. And while mortals are trained here as well to serve as their devoted followers, the senior staff is composed entirely of Exalted and gods who have a vested interest in ensuring that their Shining Ones are ready to fulfill their destiny.

While the other two training camps are a distant concern (for the moment), we'll focus on the one that is at the heart of this chronicle: The Underground Sanctuary.

Hunted as the Shining Ones are, Joseph One-Shoe, Master of the Underground Sanctuary, offers the modern Solar haven deep in the undercity of Nexus. In full acknowledgment of the realities of the modern day, Joseph teaches his charges to become the street messiahs and heroes of the common man by girding their celestial power with humility and modesty. As such, their training regimen consists less of navel-gazing or creating wanton violence and more with the safety and security of the people who call the Scavenger Lands home. They are taught to hide their divinity (with the exception of those places loyal to the Cult of the Illuminated) and work their miracles out of sight, lest they draw the wrong sort of attention before they're ready to take on their divine burden. Far from irreligious, however, the Shining Ones of the Underground Sanctuary lack the aloofness of Kether Rock's soldiers or the pretentiousness of the Sequestered Tabernacle's priests.

Compared to the other two camps, it's viewed as small, but that simply means there's room for growth. And as the Solars grow into their power, so shall the Sanctuary grow into its influence.