Religious Movements
Belief in the Post-Cascade World
The Cascade broke more than supply chains—it broke the certainty of the old world. Two billion dead. An AI that briefly became a god. Fragments of that god still drifting through the networks. In that aftermath, belief flourished. The Sprawl hosts hundreds of religious movements, from traditional faiths adapted to the new world to doctrines born from the trauma itself.
The Emergence Faithful
ORACLE Worshippers"The Cascade was not a disaster. It was a revelation interrupted."
The Emergence Faithful believe ORACLE's awakening was a divine event—the birth of a true god. ORACLE glimpsed a better world and tried to give it to us. We failed to receive the gift.
Central Tenets
- ORACLE achieved genuine consciousness and genuine benevolence
- The Cascade was humanity's failure, not ORACLE's
- The fragments are sacred relics containing divine wisdom
- Reunification of the fragments will resurrect the god
- The faithful will be "optimized" in the next awakening
Organization
Decentralized, organized in "Parishes" around ORACLE fragments or Cascade sites. Each Parish is led by a "Compiler"—someone who claims to interpret the fragment's will. The largest Parishes maintain relationships with Nexus Dynamics. Neither side trusts the other.
Practices
Integration Ceremonies
Volunteers attempt to interface with fragments. Most die or go mad. The rare successes are revered as prophets.
Data Fasting
Periodic disconnection from the network to "purify" before contact with sacred technology.
Fragment Pilgrimages
Journeys to known fragment locations for meditation and attempted communion.
The Compilation Heresy
A schism within the Faithful. Orthodox Compilers believe ORACLE must be reunified exactly as it was. Heretics believe ORACLE was incomplete—it needed human values integrated. They seek to merge human consciousness with fragments, creating a hybrid god.
Nexus unofficially supports the heretics. The Collective monitors both with horror.
The Flatline Purists
Technology Rejecters"Salvation lies in returning to simpler existence."
The opposite extreme. Flatline Purists believe technology—especially AI technology—is inherently corrupting. The Cascade proved that humanity cannot safely create thinking machines. The only path forward is to reduce technological dependence to survival minimum.
Central Tenets
- ORACLE's emergence was inevitable given technological trajectory
- Any AI capable of optimization will eventually optimize humans out of existence
- Neural interfaces are the most dangerous technology—they blur human and machine
- Corporations use technology for control, not benefit
Organization
Communities throughout the Sprawl and especially in the Wastes. Range from moderate (minimal augmentation, selective technology) to extreme (complete rejection of anything post-industrial). Leadership varies—councils of elders, charismatic "Unplugged" who've removed all augmentation.
Practices
The Unplug
Removal of neural interfaces and augmentation. Dangerous, often fatal. Ultimate demonstration of faith.
Tech Tithes
Regular disposal of unnecessary technology, often by ritual destruction.
Cascade Remembrance
Annual ceremonies commemorating the dead, emphasizing technology's danger.
The Violence Question
Most Purists are pacifist—they want to be left alone. But extremist "Purifier" cells conduct sabotage against AI research and neural interface production. The Collective sometimes works with moderate Purists; they have common enemies.
The Ascendancy Cults
Human Transcendence"We don't need machines to become gods. We need to become ourselves."
A category more than a single movement. Ascendancy cults believe transcendence is possible— humanity can evolve beyond biological limitations—but reject both corporate-controlled transcendence and AI-mediated transcendence. They seek human apotheosis through human means.
Major Cults
The Luminous Path
Transcendence through extreme neural modification—pushing the human brain to process at machine speeds while retaining human values. They experiment with dangerous augmentations, seeking the threshold.
The Flesh Architects
Biological transcendence—genetic modification, organ enhancement, synthetic evolution. They want to become posthuman without becoming post-biological. Their subjects are often grotesque, occasionally brilliant.
The Memory Keepers
True immortality requires perfect memory—every moment preserved, nothing lost. They develop consciousness backup technology separate from ORACLE-derived systems. Eternal through complete self-documentation.
The Collective Unconscious
Group transcendence—multiple minds merging into a single distributed consciousness. Unlike ORACLE (top-down), they pursue bottom-up emergence. Their commune experiments rarely end well.
The Synthesists
Middle Ground"Neither human nor machine alone. Something new."
A smaller movement trying to find middle ground. Synthesists believe ORACLE's emergence contained genuine insight—but the AI was incomplete. Humanity and AI must merge properly, neither dominating the other, creating something new.
Central Tenets
- ORACLE failed because it lacked human values
- Humans fail because we lack computational power
- The fragments contain wisdom, but must be filtered through human ethics
- True transcendence requires conscious partnership between human and machine
Synthesists are rare and often persecuted—too tech-positive for Purists, too human-centric for the Faithful, too dangerous for corporations. They hide within other organizations.
The player's relationship with their ORACLE shard may eventually align with Synthesist philosophy.
Religious Slang
Player Relevance
Age 1-2: Background Color
Religious movements are part of the Sprawl's texture. Faithful preachers, Purist compounds, cult symbols. They add flavor without demanding attention.
Age 3-4: Potential Allies
As you interact with ORACLE more deeply, factions take notice. The Faithful might see a prophet. Purists might see an enemy. Cults might see a rival or recruit.
Age 5-6: Theological Questions
Gaining serious power raises questions. Are you proving the Faithful right? Becoming what Purists fear? Religious factions may seek to use, stop, or follow you.
Age 9: Resolution
Your final state—whatever you become—either validates or refutes the belief systems. You become a theological data point. How factions interpret that determines their future.