Major Philosophies
The inhabited planets of the galaxy are filled with thousands of different belief systems. Here are the major ones that dominate the cultures of the known universe.
While some Philosophies have origins in the homeworlds and dominant cultures of certain Species, they have since spread far and wide throughout the galaxy. An Augmented is just as likely to be a Follower of the Eternal Current as a Piscean, while a Highborne may subscribe to the Warrior’s Code of K'Trak Niivok just as fervently as any Muk’taa.
Barricade
Origin:
No set location of origin.
"Barricade" takes their name from a now-illegal virtual reality combat game. Barricade players practiced martial arts and gunfighting skills in safe virtual environments. The growing popularity of virtual reality (and the ensuing decline of consumerism) prompted corporations to lobby for the outlawing of recreational VR, under the guise of a public health crisis.
While most VR enthusiasts moved on to other hobbies, a core of die hard Barricade fans continued the game by organizing live tournaments. Extensive funds were poured into non-lethal combat equipment to facilitate the battles.
Eventually, simulated combat wasn't enough, and they sought out greater challenges. Even military service and mercenary work proved too tedious for the fanatical fighters. Now, the growing trend is to seek out harsh environments rife with danger and light on regulation, such as the frontier worlds.
Tenets:
Your True Self is expressed through your Alias. A name is meaningless, as it does not reflect who you really are. We are given a name when we are born, but we choose our own Alias, and as we change, so must we change our Alias to reflect our new identity.
War is always on the horizon. It is the nature of things. So, we must be prepared through training and practice.
While The Game has been lost to us, it has not been forgotten. Through perseverance we may still learn the lessons The Game might have taught us.
Your duty is first to your team, 2nd to your club, and 3rd to yourself. The good of the team trumps all other needs.
Structure:
Barricade is organized into local Clubs with a Club Leader running all club activities. Within the Club are Teams, which are usually 3-5 people who work together during Barricade activities and are lead by a Team Leader.
Beacon
Origin:
Human Colony Planets
In the vast darkness of space, Beacon lights the way. Members of Beacon express their faith through charity, both for individuals and their local community. They are not against commerce for profit, but believe that the path to spiritual enlightenment can only be achieved through selfless acts.
While Beacon may not be the largest religion in the galaxy, there isn't a single populated planet that doesn't have some Beacon presence. They are often found running hospitals or shelters for the unfortunate. Beacon members are also commonly found volunteering in terraforming crews on newly settled planets.
Whatever their trade may be, they seek to use it for the betterment of others and their community.
Tenets:
Do for others what they are unable to do for themselves and you will always find a welcome port to weather the storm.
Life is precious and must be preserved.
Shepherd the lost and help them find their way.
All evil stems from an obsession to serve oneself. Through charity and selflessness, we can overturn the balance and bring peace to the cosmos.
Within the Beacon faith there is ongoing conflict about the 2nd tenet. Some members take on a Pacifist lifestyle and vow to never kill a living creature. Some members apply this only to sentient life. Others apply this more loosely in the sense of the "greater good". The last group would argue that killing a killer would in fact preserve more life and so would be justified.
Structure:
Beacon does not have a central organization, but operates on a network of local chapters that coordinate for larger projects. Each chapter is run by a Steward who coordinates the volunteer and relief efforts of the local Beacon members.
The Cosmic Cycle
Origin:
This is a faith that developed across the diverse population known as Spacers. They are not made up of any primary species, but are mainly people who live and work on the Space stations and transport ships that traverse the galaxy.
Surface dwellers live in a world of limitations. Their view is limited by the horizon. Their movement is limited by gravity. Their minds are limited to the experiences of a single world. Only those who live amidst the stars can truly understand the truth of our existence; sampling the cultures of many worlds, seeing all of the phenomena of the galaxy.
When you have seen the turning of the cosmos as we have you will see that the universe works in cycles. As a moon revolves around a planet, a planet around a star and a star around the center of its galaxy, the Universe moves forward repeating itself in an endless string of iterations.
Followers of The Cosmic Cycle believe that our future is predetermined, as we are simply living in yet another iteration of the universe, fated to repeat our lives over and over into eternity. Free will according to their philosophy is a paradox.
Your decisions are your own, and thus appear to be free will; however, the factors that lead you to your decision (upbringing, genetics, circumstances, etc.) are all the same in every cycle, thus leading you to the same decision in every iteration of the Universe.
Tenets:
History teaches us the pattern of the Universe. By knowing the cycles that have ended, we may know the cycles to come.
The cycle of your life is inevitable, and this is cause for rejoice, not dismay. Let the Cycle of the Cosmos bring you peace in it's certainty.
Take joy from the happy moments of life, and know that you will experience them again in the next Cycle.
Structure:
There are two major factions of the Cosmic Cycle. Those that accept the Cycle and find peace in the principle that things will all turn out the way they should be; and those that seek the sundering of the Cosmic Cycle. They seek to intentionally divert from the logical or expected course of things in an effort to upset the Cycle and change our fate.
Other than those two approaches to dealing with the Cosmic Cycle, this belief system is purely a philosophy and has no set organizational structure.
Followers of the Eternal Current
Origin:
The Piscean Home World
The currents of fate are ever changing, and one must be watchful for their shifts. Those who watch the current and follow its path are blessed. Those who fail to see the changes in the current are left behind.
Tenets:
The currents of fate are ever guiding. Be watchful of their signs and ready to follow the opportunities they present.
Tribulation and strife are signs that one has abandoned the Current and is becoming Dead Weight.
It is never too late to reenter the Current. The Current is ever present and forever providing new opportunities.
The Current embraces all things. Those who travel it without a unified school cannot fully benefit from its power.
One must shed their Dead Weight before it drags them and their school from the Current's blessings.
Followers of the Eternal Current do not believe in an afterlife, but rather that this is the only existence; thus one must make the most of it while they can. The Long Game is a ruse that fools the slow minded out of taking advantage of the more immediate opportunities that the Current provides. True followers of the Current live incredibly ambitious and risky lives, with few emotional connections.
Structure:
The Followers of the Eternal Current don't have a set philosophical structure; they operate on a set of terms and strategies for individual success.
Strong Swimmer - The state that every Follower of the Eternal Current is trying to achieve before the end of their life. It represents a particularly successful and savvy individual or school. If you encounter a Strong Swimmer, bring them into your school if viable, but beware that they might treat you as Dead Weight. Also used to describe someone who is more successful than you are.
Follower - One who demonstrates that they follow the Current and the opportunities it provides. These are the majority of people you should be willing to deal fairly with. An individual or school who is following the Current should at least be in this state. This term is also used to refer to peers and those who are at a similar level of success to you.
Long Gamer - A derogatory term for one who ignores the immediate opportunities the Current provides with the mistaken idea that one can predict where the Current will go in the future. They are playing what the Humans refer to as the “Long Game”.
Dead Weight - Whether they are in your school or sitting on the other side of the negotiating table, Dead Weight is someone who has fallen out of the current and will only drag you out with them. Take what they have and leave them behind. They are only useful as ballast to move more quickly through the Current.
K'trak Niivok - The Warrior's Code
Origin:
The Muk'Taa Protectorate
A warrior must be as cunning as they are strong. Strength of body is required to wield a weapon, strength of mind is required to guide it. Only by testing ourselves may we become stronger in either. From raw ore, we are cast, forged, shaped and honed. A true warrior thrusts themselves into danger and adversity, so they may emerge on the other side, scathed. Through healing and reflection the warrior is left stronger than before.
Tenets:
The first phase of a warrior's life is training. Learn to fight, learn to survive. A young warrior must shed themselves of cowardice and become skilled in the martial and mental arts before they can become a true warrior.
The next phase of a warrior's life is testing. Through the cycle of testing and reflection the true warrior becomes stronger. A true warrior must shed themselves of weakness and become indomitable. Not all will survive these trials, not all are capable of becoming indomitable. Those who die as a warrior are graced in the afterlife, but those who fight and survive become honored as a member of the Aged.
The final phase of a warrior's life is teaching. What an Aged warrior may have lost in vitality they make up in wisdom. It is the responsibility of the Aged to train the new generation and ensure they become strong.
Structure:
Every major Muk'taa clan has it's own school of K'Trak Niivok with their own tests and standards for moving up in status. Some humans in the Core planets have formed their own schools as well, but most who seek to join this philosophy try to join a traditional Muk'Taa school. One is either a Student, Warrior or Aged. The Aged lead individual schools as a council, teaching the students and putting them through their tests. When one becomes a warrior, they leave their school to seek their own testing and growth until they feel they are ready to return and face the trials required to join the ranks of the Aged.
Sanctus Syngian
Origin:
Core Human Planets
May the elements of the cosmos guide us in their infinite wisdom. The entropy that infects the physical world also infects our souls, and without purification we descend toward evil just as the universe descends into chaos if not kept in order.
By attuning ourselves to the purity of the elements we may keep Entropy at bay. Followers of Sanctus Syngian believe that each person is attuned to a specific natural element, such as carbon, hydrogen, plutonium, etc.
By understanding the element that one is attuned to, one can understand more about themselves. Carrying their element on their person, along with certain purification rituals, is necessary for warding off evil and reversing spiritual Entropy.
Tenets:
Life is a constant struggle between Order and Entropy. We all fall into Entropy sometimes, but with 2 steps forward for every 1 step back, we can keep Entropy at bay.
The elements represent perfect Order. Emulate them in your lives.
Find your element and keep it present with you. Your element is the North star that will guide you.
Sanctus Syngian is the most prevalent religion among the Aristocracy of Mars and the Core Planets and has varying degrees of piety. Casual followers of the faith usually just carry trinkets like necklaces or other jewelry with their element like a luck charm. The average follower at least maintains a household shrine where daily or weekly purification prayers can be performed. The very devout and fanatical can go to great lengths to rid themselves of the Entropy of their misdeeds.
While there are varying interpretations for each individual element, some basic principles that hold true consistently are:
Those attuned to metallic elements such as Iron, Copper, and Zinc tend to be down to earth, reliable, and practical.
Those attuned to elements that are liquid at temperatures close to room temperature such as Mercury, Bromine, and Rubidium are versatile and skilled at many things.
Those attuned to gaseous elements, such as Hydrogen, Helium, and Oxygen tend to be flighty and idealistic.
Those attuned to low or non-reactive elements such as the Noble Gases, Helium, and Platinum, tend to be independent, introverted or shy.
Those attuned to highly reactive elements such as Sodium, Chlorine or Oxygen tend to be very gregarious and outgoing.
Those attuned to radioactive elements such as Uranium or Plutonium can either be highly creative and intelligent, or criminally insane; or both.
Structure:
Sanctus Syngian maintains a strict hierarchy of the members of it's faith. The Elemental Church, the main central church of the faith, is located on Mars and lead by the Supreme Elemental. The Supreme Elemental is advised by a council of 4 Divine Elementals. Each Divine Elemental is in charge of a quadrant of the Galaxy. Each quadrant has a number of sectors lead by an Elemental who is over the planetary Sanctificants who are the leaders of the church for an entire planet. Below the Sanctificants are Prime Directors, who oversee groups of churches on a planet. An individual church, and the region it covers, is lead by a Director who preaches to and guides their followers. Directors often have Syngians, who are assistant staff that also preach and guide the church members in their area. Individual followers of the faith are known as Seekers, as they are seeking purification through the eradication of Entropy within themselves.
Scholars of Divinity
Origin:
The lost planet of Alexandria, originally the main planet of the Highborne and Augmented
We seek out the mysteries of the universe, so we may solve them and come closer to the Creator. The Creator lives in the ever-shrinking gaps of our knowledge of the Universe. Once we solve all of the mysteries the Creator has set before us, the Creator will reveal themself and allow us to join them in the next Universe. It is known in our faith that our current Universe has a catastrophic flaw known as Entropy. Gradually the Universe approaches Heat Death, where Entropy progresses so badly that it can no longer sustain life.
If we fail to complete our mission and do not solve the Creator's mysteries in time, all life shall perish and be forever unable to move on to the next Universe. Scholars of Divinity see the attainment of knowledge to be a sacred duty for the good of all.
When the Highborne first returned from Alexandria, and reconnected with Humanity, they were governed by an oligarchy made up of High Scholars of this faith. Their teachings spread into the core planets, and it is said Sanctus Syngian was originally an offshoot of this religion.
Tenets:
The purpose of Life is the pursuit of knowledge and the resolution of the mysteries of the Universe.
Follow the doctrines and discipline of the Scientific Method in all aspects of your life.
Willful ignorance is a slight against the Creator and endangers our divine mission. The uneducated can be easily taught, the Willfully Ignorant refuse to learn and actively hinder scientific progress. They must be purged so that our mission may continue unimpeded.
When the Highborn originally returned from their colony planet, Alexandria, humanity rejected what they considered to be unethical practices the Highborn had developed, such as selective breeding and biomechanical implanting. Citing the 3rd tenet of of this faith, the Highborn attempted a purge of humanity that eventually led to The Galactic War.
Structure:
The Scholars of Divinity are lead by a council of High Scholars who oversee all areas of research and study. Beneath them are numerous Majors which are areas of study. Each Major has its own leadership structure as the members of the Major see fit to maintain. The tendency is that a Major is lead by a Dean, who has faculty underneath them to manage the various facets of research of that Major. This does not apply to all Majors however. Some have no leadership structure, and other have radically different structures.
The Yeoman
Origin:
Earth.
Nobility is not inherited, nor can it be bought. But it can be earned. Nobility is an independence of spirit that sets one apart from the petty masses and the "cultured" dilettantes scrambling for useless baubles, and striving to conform; trapped in the ever-turning rat race.
The Yeoman reject modern excess, and seek to live a simple, honest life. They are drawn to the outer colonies and the frontier planets with dreams of a hard working community free from the constraints of government and corporate oversight. The Yeoman faith is one of the oldest remaining human religions and originated from Old Earth during the time of the blockade when Mars and the outer colonies cut off all trade and communication to Earth. The founding members of this religion eschewed the politics of that age and sought out the remote corners of Earth to escape it.
Tenets:
Don't suffer the yoke of The Man. Work with others, but work for no one. You are your own boss, but you are not alone in this 'verse and we all have to work together to survive.
Don't fall for the lures of The Man. The Man will tempt you with bread and circuses. The Man will fatten you up, and pat you on the head as you are lead to the slaughter house. Enjoy life, work hard, laugh with good friends, but keep a wary eye for the control systems of The Man.
Be worthy of trust. Your word is your bond, and you are only as noble as you can be trusted.
Defend those who cannot defend themselves, never leave a comrade behind.
The Yeoman faith is found most often in the colony planets and Near Edge Planets, as the tenets of the faith are best suited to planets that are outside the bureaucracy and oversight of the core planets. Yeoman do not hold to specific prayers or rituals, and consider their beliefs to be more of a way of life than a religion.
Structure:
The Yeoman have no religious organizational structure. Every Yeoman is a priest of the faith, and preaches by living the tenets rather than trying to shove them down someone's throat.