Difference between revisions of "Disciples of Anu"
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The Exalted teaches that all human souls are perfect, but individual humans with their flawed biologies often fall far from perfection." | The Exalted teaches that all human souls are perfect, but individual humans with their flawed biologies often fall far from perfection." | ||
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==Synod of Yearning== | ==Synod of Yearning== | ||
Revision as of 04:48, 24 November 2020
Disciples of Anu missions aka Walkthrough
Contents
In-game cinematics
The Disciples of Anu were a mystery.
Where others saw the devastation, they saw hope. Where others saw the end of the world, they saw a new beginning.
Their leader called herself the Exalted, and she claimed to believe in humanity. She preached that the human soul was perfect, that the root of our problems was our insufficient evolution.
The Pandoravirus was a threat, but it was also an opportunity to change ourselves. To become better humans. To mutate.
We knew that humanity needed to adapt. There was no other way to survive. The Disciples offered a solution... but what was their endgame? There was something beyond their hierarchies and their rituals.
The Exalted had a secret.
FAQ
Who are they?
A cult formed from elements of many older religions, worshipping Anu, the Dead God.
Who is their leader?
The Exalted
What do they think caused the downfall?
Humanity's insufficiently evolved nature; flaws in our very biology. Original Sin not in a spiritual, but in a biological sense.
What is their official goal?
Using the mist to help humanity ascend to a higher level of physical evolution. Eventually resurrecting Anu, the Dead God.
Important notes
The Disciples are mysterious and weird, but not evil. They are very inclusive and they have a positive vision for humanity. They’re not lying when they say we can evolve. Think of the Disciples as Druids of the new ecology. Not evil monster-priests, not crazy cultists, but people who think we can learn from the mist and become better.
Info from Research
Before research: Said to have been a series of cultist sects before the Third World War, the Disciples of Anu have grown to become one of the greatest powers in what is left of our world. Not much is known about their religion other that they embrace the mutations brought by the Pandoravirus, and are ruled by a leader referred to only as 'The Exalted'.
After research: The Disciples of Anu are a syncretic religion formed out of several previous cults (the Children of the Black Tide, the Holy Disciples of the Xenoglossic Doctrine, and the Order of ANU) by the messianic figure known only as The Exalted. She forged the disparate elements of the cults into a unified belief system built around her visions of ANU, the Dead God.
The Disciples of Anu leadership follows a strict hierarchy, and access to The Exalted is reserved only for the most faithful. Should we seek out an alliance with her, we would first have to gain the approval of her servants: the Apostle to the Once-Born, the Keeper of the to The Exalted is reserved only for the most faithful. Should we seek out an alliance with her, we would first have to gain the approval of her servants: the Apostle to the Once-Born, the Keeper of the out an alliance with her, we would first have to gain the approval of her servants:
the Apostle to the Once-Born, the Keeper of her servants: the Apostle to the Once-Born, the Keeper of the Threshold, the Voiceless Hierophant, the Blind Legate, the Shadowed Hierarch and finally the Synod of Yearning.
The latter said to be a 'compound being' of some kind, effectively runs the day-to-day operations of the Disciples.
Critisicm
The ultimate expression of dogma. Humans have made gods out of the things they cannot explain since records began.
The Disciples are merely a continuation of that process, worshipping our enemy in a strange twisted way that also lets them oppose it.
The doctrine of the Disciples is a strange, twisted version of all religions, mixed up with a love/hate for the Pandoravirus.
The delusion they cling to is that there is ultimate truth or answer, buried deep in their religion.
But there is not.
Characters
List of notable faction representants that you can encounter in the game
The Exalted
The Exalted is the leader of the Disciples of Anu.
She appears to be a mutated human with exceptional powers, but our evidence suggests that she appeared before the Pandoravirus started to spread.
She founded her religion by uniting three pre-existing cults: the Children of the Black Tide, the Holy Disciples of the Xenoglossic Doctrine and the Order of Anu.
The Exalted preaches that the human soul is perfect, but human biology is flawed.
She claims to be a representative of the Dead God, who sent the Pandoravirus as a punishment for humankind's sins, but also as an opportunity for growth and change.
While the Exalted is the undisputed leader of the Disciples and worshipped as a prophet, she only rarely appears in public, and only the most faithful are ever allowed to speak to her in person.
Keeper of the Threshold
The Keeper of the Threshold, while relatively low in the Disciples of Anu church hierarchy, serves an important function.
He will engage with any organization that has aroused the interest of the Synod of Yearning or the Exalted, to evaluate whether the said organization is worth building a relationship with.
It is unclear whether this is just one individual, or whether there are multiple Keepers of the Threshold.
Blind Legate
The Blind Legate is a high-ranking ambassador of the Disciples of Anu, with the authority to make many decisions on his own.
Gaining diplomatic access to the higher ranks of the Disciples is impossible without the Legate's approval.
The Legate also plays a significant part in the military hierarchy of the Disciples, but the exact nature of his relationship to the individual Taxiarchs is unclear, as the holy texts that describe these matters are kept secret.
According to Anu's beliefs, the Legate is blind to the light of the sun so that he may better perceive the light inside each human being, and how close they are to expressing the truth of that light.
The Exalted teaches that all human souls are perfect, but individual humans with their flawed biologies often fall far from perfection."
Synod of Yearning
The Synod of Yearning is a compound being brought into existence by the Exalted.
Its creation, accomplished by the "melding together" of the high priests of the Children of the Black Tide, the Holy Disciples of the Xenoglossic Doctrine, and the Order of Anu marks the beginning of the Disciples of Anu as we know them today.
According to the teachings of the Exalted, the Synod represents the human yearning for transcendence and has authority in all matters except spiritual doctrine.
Our analysis suggests that the Synod of Yearning is the actual political leader of the Disciples in day-to-day matters, with the Exalted remaining a remote figure dedicated to her own pursuits.
Taxiarch Nergal
Before joining the Disciples, Taxiarch Nergal was a military officer who participated in several of Earth's major wars, eventually becoming disillusioned by the horrors he caused and losing all hope.
The Exalted saved him from his despair and transformed him into the being he is today, giving him a renewed sense of purpose and faith. Now he is her most loyal servant, fighting the Pandorans in her name and winning many major victories.
That, at least, is the story told in a popular pamphlet entitled The Acts of Taxiarch Nergal. Nergal is something of a folk hero to the Disciples, and he appears to be allowed to act outside the usual constraints of the hierarchy.
