#Disciple's Doctrine

[dailycharacteroption]

Mask of the Living God (Ninja Archetype)

(art by FelipeNero on DeviantArt)

The Cult of Razmir is one of those villainous organizations that I love to hate, because they represent organized religion at it’s very worst: a glorified pyramid scheme that offers promises of blessings and divine guidance at a price, bilking “tithes” from the poor and donations from the wealthy who come seeking ephemeral boons that are easily bought.

But of course, it doesn’t end with the accumulation of wealth, for Razmir’s “faithful” work to control every aspect of life in the nation, including preventing people from leaving without paying exorbitant fees for the privledge, and of course, suppressing the truth: That Razmir is no god, and most of his priests are just thugs in masks, with only a few having any magical power at all, and almost none of it divine (at least not from Razmir himself, anyway, though only the most evil and manipulative gods would grant their miracles in someone else’s name as long as it suppresses and controls.

And so it remains until you the heroes defeat Razmir’s cult and depose them for good, but until then, the common folk believe in Razmir’s divinity, partially with the help of his enforcers that suppress the idea that there is something off about the “Living God”. Most insidious of these are the so-called Masks of the Living God.

The greatest strength of the priests of Razmir is their anonymity, which today’s subject take full advantage of by maintaining a mundane civilian identity, always on the watch for those that might harbor thoughts of dissent. Most they simply happily report to their contemporaries, but those that pose a true risk may warrant their direct attentions, donning the mask and slaying in the name of their false god.

The fact they are also ninja means they can even partially mimic magical effects with their ki, making it seem like they are the divine agents of Razmir’s will.

Of course, one could use these outside of the Lost Omens setting as well, though their role would much be the same, silencing foes and hiding behind a mask.

The mask that these ninja wear is not just a symbol of their faith and way to conceal their identity, it also acts as a focus for their special abilities.

When not in the mask, they cultivate a non-persona that blends into the background, a face in the crowd that can hide in plain sight and do their work unnoticed.

In their role of silencing dissenters and blasphemers, these heretic-hunters can use their ki to garble and later entirely silence foe that they strike for a few moments, preventing dissent from spreading and making it easier to strike them down.

They also have a focused demeanor that makes it easier to notice deception, and also makes them quite intimidating to look upon.

The following ninja tricks are quite useful for the masks, including those that allow them to strike unarmed or with other weapons, those that let them vanish from sight or phase through matter, briefly replicate other tricks, create shadoy duplicates that move elsewhere, pierce invisibility, and of course sacrifice themselves in their false god’s name just to hit foes harder.

This is a fairly simple archetype, one that lets the user be especially good at hiding their identity and silence foes to prevent detection. You might give them more tricks that use ki to give them the vibe of being a magical divine punisher, but no matter the build, perception and sense motive are important in their role as a secret police.

As you might expect, this archetype is… hard to do heroically, limiting it to villainous campaigns or for villains turned heroes with redemption arcs. Though they can be ninja secret police in any setting, one has to consider whether these characters or NPCs actually believe their bullshit, or if they are high enough in the faith to know the nature of the lie.

When one thinks of dragons setting themselves up as the gods of kobolds, one imagines petty tyrants ruling over a local tribe. This is not the case for Bengaskagor, who rules over an entire metropolis of kobolds with an iron talon. Thoughts of dissent are quashed by his loyal masked police, ever vigilant for heresy among the populus.

As a true mythic being born from the heart of the plane of fire, Vigassa is only a few steps below a demigod in her own right. However, she never intended for the locals to begin worshipping her when she became trapped on the material plane, and the ancient fire elemental certainly never planned for the cult to take control of the local government.

Vel Targa, a humble fisherman, has a dark secret: He was once a member of the secret authority which punished dissenters of the now-deposed royals. However, his granddaughter has become enamoured with the promises of the Loyalist insurgents, and worse, she discovered the half-melted mask of his former role, and has it in her head to “redeem grandfather’s legacy” to become such a punisher herself.

[self-shipper-snowdrop]

Most people's fav NPCs: Rolan, Raphael, Nere, etc

Me, breaking down the door: "You WILL accept the best beans Omeluum, Derryth, and Barcus supremacy. They are best NPCs and no I will not shut up about it."

[urlocalwormtoday]

in cult of the lamb i remember when my favorite follower (white ish beige deer) proposed and it was so cute ((I even drew art of them together THEY MAKE ME ILL)) but then they died of old age a while later.. NOW ANOTHER DEER (((WHO HAS CONSISTENTLY TRIED TO PROVE HIS LOYALTY BY WANTING TO BE BOTH A DISCIPLE AND LOYALTY ENFORCER AND WANTING TO BE PUT IN JAIL))) WANTS TO MARRY ME AND ITS GIVING ME FLASHBACKS 😭🤲

[rivenantiqnerd]

For verily, verily, I say unto you that ye are called to lift up your voices as with the sound of a trump, to declare my gospel unto a crooked and perverse generation.

Doctrine & Covenants 33:2

[mosesonethirtynine]

And upon this rock I will build my church; yea, upon this rock ye are built, and if ye continue, the gates of hell shall not prevail against you.

Doctrine and Covenants 33:13

[rabbits-of-negative-euphoria]

So I’m curious about your post about fiction that changed you! Noragami is one of my favorite shows so I’m interested in what about it affected you? (hope it was a positive change lol!)

It was! Like the song Suffering Servant, I think Noragami was really instrumental in turning my thoughts away from endless rationalizations of God’s existence and toward the Cross. There’s a reason it’s very popular among Christian anime fans (though that reputation developed after I had watched it, and I had actually put off watching it because—not yet knowing much about modern Japanese culture—I was afraid it would be wrong to watch a show starring the Shinto gods).

I think it would be very difficult for any Christian to watch Yukine sin ruthlessly while Yato takes the physical blight for each misdeed—willing to suffer even unto death to cleanse Yukine of the evil that will otherwise condemn him (and seemingly purely out of a love Yukine has not earned)—and not be utterly bowled over by a wave of gospel parallels, no matter how dry your wells of faith seem to be.

And there’s also the sanctification-esque dynamic wherein Yato sees Yukine floating along, claims him, gives him a name, and then not only makes him a formidable weapon, but hones Yukine into a better weapon over time by nurturing a relationship with him. (Obviously, Yato is also a deeply flawed individual, so this is sometimes a two-way street, but the effect is still so striking.)

At 17, I needed to forget the intricacies of doctrine that had me tied in existential knots and look instead to the Cross where all my doubts and despair had been forgiven, and Noragami was like a spoon stirring my brains around to be primely positioned for that eventual leap of faith.

[bibleteacher-org]

God's Wisdom Not Man's Wisdom

Preached at mid-week services for Riverview

Photo by Joel Heaps on Unsplash Proverbs 8:1-7 Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice? 2 She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths. 3 She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors. 4 Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man. 5 O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an…

[biblebloodhound]

Follow My Example (2 Timothy 1:12-14)

We are to imitate those who have proved themselves in hardship.

This is why I am suffering now. But I am not ashamed! I know the one I have faith in, and I am sure he can guard until the last day what he has trusted me with. Now follow the example of the correct teaching I gave you, and let the faith and love of Christ Jesus be your model. You have been trusted with a wonderful treasure. Guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit, who lives within us.…

[most-rare]

Chritianity And The 7th Day Sabbath

Chritianity And The 7th Day Sabbath

[dailycharacteroption]

Fist of the Godclaw (Warpriest Archetype)

(art by Emilio Rodriguez C. on Artstation)

 Power. That is the goal of lawful evil. Whether it be the one at the top or a dutiful (or not so dutiful) cog in the machine.

Officially, the many orders of the Hellknight mercenaries do not specifically worship the powers of Hell. They merely build their entire ideology around the idea of Hell’s order as the example of a perfect society, in which all are subservient to the whole, and those at the top reap the rewards that their “hard work” of ruling it all.

It is utterly baffling that even the lawful neutral among them believe that they don’t in fact serve the will of Asmodeus in deed, to say nothing of the rare lawful good ones (they do exist, though mostly in minor orders like the revived Order of the Torrent, whose focus is on disaster prevention and rescue). However, the delusion persists, and it doesn’t end there.

Among the Hellknight orders, there is the Order of the Godclaw, which specifically revolves around the worship of a pantheon of the five major gods of law in the Inner Sea Region: Abadar, Asmodeus, Irori, Iomedae, and Torag, each forming a “finger” of the “Godclaw”, the mighty fist of order. Of course, while the lawful neutral deities among them might be alright with occasionally working with Asmodeus, most worshippers would consider it blasphemous to associate Iomedae and Torag with the Dark Prince except in the most desperate end of need.

We’ve talked about the Godclaw before on the blog with the oracle mystery that shares a name with it, but the general gist is that the order cherry-picks doctrines from all five religions, creating a twisted version of all five as stern, armored rulers and paragons, and it their divine right and duty to stamp out disorder and lead the world to a perfect society by force (which conveniently adheres most closely to Asmodeus’s vision, because of course it does.)

This brings us to today’s subject, the so-called Fists of the Godclaw. These warpriests, whether they wear the armor of standard hellknights or as signifers, act as vicious warrior-priests and leaders in the order’s crusades. They act as mighty destroyers of chaos and disorder, though like all hellknight orders, their interpretation of such foes often leaves ordinary citizens in their line of fire.

There is no denying their power, however, and whether they serve as villain or antihero, they can be quite effective.

 Naturally, these priests must be of a lawful alignment, but they can actually worship any member of the Godclaw pantheon, or the Godclaw itself.

Regardless of who they decide to put their faith in, they must choose the blessings of Law and the special Godclaw blessing, the former granting them the power to harm chaotic foes and summon lawful allies, while the latter grants them the ability to break magical control by instilling an ally with their duty, as well as command their allies to act in unison. The fact that every fist must choose these blessings does raise the question about what exactly is granting them their divine power.

As soldiers against chaos, they also have an ability to sense it nearby, letting them root out hiding dissidents and confirm the morals of their foes.

They also have a knack for channeling their fervor to harm chaotic outsiders, being able to channel energy for that purpose much more efficiently and with much greater output.

The most powerful among them are able to briefly become paragons of law, gaining enhanced durability that only chaos can pierce, becoming totally immune to magic that sways the mind, and being able instill so much order into their actions that any action has perfect average results for a brief period.

Destroyers of chaos no matter the form it takes, if you’re interested in a paragon of law that has a nice slew of anti-chaos abilities, this archetype may be for you. The only super major thing it gets that other warpriests do not is the ability to use only one fervor to channel energy when using alignment channel against chaos, so you can build them however you like, though their locked blessings does mean that they likely favor buffing allies in addition to laying down the law directly, wading into battle rather than standing behind their troops.

 Now, this archetype does allow you to be lawful good, so you can in theory play such a character. Whether such a character believes the that the order can be steered in a more benevolent direction, or more likely, they believe in the warped versions of goodly deities that are roped into it. Either way, such a character might struggle to uphold such beliefs over time given the company they keep.

  The Fist Clan samurai, devoted to complete order, have taken a remote village hostage as they attempt to turn it into a new base of operations. The locals have been “conscripted” to build a fortress for them, and worse still, they have allied themselves with a yuki-onna, promising her to find the one who caused her death in exchange for preying upon interlopers that might disrupt their plans… or villagers trying to escape their yoke.

 The playful and mischievous vanara are exactly the sort of beings that the invading hellknights cannot abide, so they have sent a small army of their number into the mountains to hunt them. Obviously the armored warriors have the disadvantage in the treacherous terrain, but their tenacity, and the profane power of their leader, guarantee that the casualties to the monkey-folk will by high if nothing is done.

 There can be no doubt that the pantheon of the claw is blasphemy for all gods involved save one, the Dark One. This fabricated unity of deities seeks to corrupt the worship of the other deities into that of the master of evil, and the fact that it’s members gain divine power is proof in the eyes of many that it works, especially since true scholars of the divine are in short supply.

[cult-of-a-buttercup]

Headcanons of the Old Faith: Silk Cradle

Darkwood

Anura

Narinder’s Faith

Anchordeep

Festivals:

Silk Cradle is a quiet area, so not many festivals are held unless they’re necessary.

There are small festivals held in villages individually, the most common one being a hunting competition for when crops are still growing. Being mainly villages in caves, crops take longer to grow if not helped by rituals, so a lot of the meals made there are meat based. Whoever gets the most from the hunt gets a new custom made weapon.

While not a festival, Shamura tends to send some of their own followers to document any celebration happening in the cults of their brothers and sister, usually as spies to make sure they don’t behave differently. Once they come back, there’s a small reunion for anyone interested in what went down, with Shamura present of course. It’s a good way of getting caught up in current events and finding gossip.

Rituals:

There is an annual fight pit for the followers of Silk Cradle. It has basic rules: types of attacks, be it spells, weapons or just fists are agreed beforehand by both contestants, and whoever wins goes to the next round- the survival of each losing contestant is up to the audience and Shamura. Sometimes the fights get mixed, being in duos or an all against all sort of battle. Whoever wins is blessed, and given a weapon or spell and gold from Shamura’s own treasury.

Discipleship rituals are only held in Silk Cradle, so if any of the other bishops wish to turn one of their high priests into disciples they have to arrange the ritual there. Being the bishop of knowledge, Shamura has held the necessary materials and spells to themselves, since they never thought their siblings could hold such an intricate ritual. Now, due to their injuries, they risk forgetting the ritual at any moment, but even so they refuse to write the instructions down.

Silk Cradle also tends to hold plenty of enlightenment, which can spread throughout all of the Old Faith if Shamura finds enough strength to do so. Though they aren’t low in faith, not as low as when Narinder left, they take it as a precaution. Especially with the Lamb’s heretical cult growing, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Weddings in Silk Cradle are usually hushed, being a delicate event held in Shamura’s temple. The ceremony itself is decorated with flowers from the multiple caves, and the clothing is made out of braided spider silk. They are officiated by high priests, and blessed with Shamura after that. The married couple is given three days of holy rest, and a small amount of gold to do as they please.

Unlike Anchordeep and Anura though, they do hold individual funerals for fallen followers. Following Narinder’s doctrines for the ritual, they became the second best option to hold a nice funeral for any dead relatives. It holds a certain level of controversy, due to being the rituals a heretic held so long ago, but Shamura is quick to push aside the thought whenever someone brings it up.

Worshipping:

The worship of war and the worship of knowledge differ greatly. Followers who worship war stay up training with their fight style of choice, create weapons and watch the borders of Silk Cradle in watch of any heretics- or, go hunting for heretics and outside villages. Sometimes groups of followers go to Darkwood and join in the constant fights happening there, also as a way to worship war.

Followers who choose to worship knowledge are often more reserved and pragmatic. They study old wars from centuries ago, thinking of what could’ve been done better, be it to make more damage or avoid losses- which is why a lot of knowledge worshipers also focus on healing techniques. Others study how to make more efficients moves during a fight, and often share what they know with followers who prefer to fight.

Clothing:

Due to the following being basically divided between warriors and sages, their clothing depends on what the follower prefers.

Followers of war rely more on armor, made out of different materials. Fighters who prefer spells wear spell-resistant robes, while fighters who prefer fighting with weapons use heavier armor, be it made out of metal or other sturdy material. Meanwhile, followers who study the many scrolls Silk Cradle offers wear simple silk robes, and often enchant sets of glasses to read transcripted writings faster.

Styling clothing is more of a personal choice, and there isn’t any sort of reaction since most followers simply don’t pay attention to things like that.

Amongst cultists:

Since Silk Cradle is a collection of small caves, many followers tend to keep to their own villages or temples, unless there’s a ritual being held. Despite being the “main” cult of the Old Faith, it is far less glamorous than Anchordeep, but its quaintness is part of its charm.

There’s a lot of weapon makers living along there, and also many writers and librarians. Both are held as very important parts of their villages, though all workers are usually held at the same standard since they know everyone plays their own part- except for any sort of jesters. Not many people in Silk Cradle like them, but of course it only makes the jesters themselves more eager to annoy everyone.

Shamura’s following is often revered as the ideal follower, being hardworking, humble and most of all, wise. Even so, it is also common for other followers of the Old Faith to find them patronizing, since being a follower of knowledge does make them look down on everyone else, which is often encouraged by their own bishop.

[whencyclopedia]

Ennin

Ennin (c. 793-864 CE, posthumous title: Jikaku Daishi) was a Japanese Buddhist monk of the Tendai sect who studied Buddhism at length in China and brought back knowledge of esoteric rituals, sutras, and relics. On his return, he published his celebrated diary Nitto Guho Junrei Gyoki and became the abbot of the important Enryakuji monastery on Mount Hiei near Kyoto and, thus, head of the Tendai sect.

Tendai Buddhism had been introduced to Japan by the monk Saicho, also known as Dengyo Daishi (767-822 CE). Based on the teachings of the Chinese Tiantai Sect, Saicho's simplified and inclusive version of Buddhism grew in popularity, and its headquarters, the Enryakuji complex on Mount Hiei outside the capital Heiankyo (Kyoto), became one of the most important in Japan as well as a celebrated seat of learning. Ennin became a disciple of Saicho from 808 CE when he began to study at the monastery, aged just 14.

Travels to China

Ennin was selected as part of a larger Japanese embassy led by the envoy to the Tang Court, one Fujiwara no Tsunetsugu, to visit China in 838 CE and study there. The main aim was for Ennin to study further the Tendai doctrine at the T'ien-t'ai shan. Ultimately, he would stay there for nine years, studying under various masters and learning in greater depths the tenets and rituals of Buddhism and especially the mysteries of Mikkyo, that is esoteric teachings known only to a very few initiated priests.

On arrival at Yang-chou and awaiting to be taken to T'ien-tai shan, the monk wasted no time and there and then found priests to teach him shitan, the Indic script used in esoteric texts. He also made his own copies of such texts and underwent an initiation with a priest called Ch'uan-yen. As it turned out Ennin did well, for by the time the Chinese authorities had organised his transport to his original destination he was informed there would be no time to do so if he were not to return to Japan as planned with the embassy. Ennin decided to stay and passed the winter at a monastery in Shantung run by Korean monks.

In the spring Ennin set off for Wutai, an important pilgrimage site and home to some more learned monks who could help satiate his thirst for Buddhist knowledge. Mount Wutai, where the bodhisattva Manjusri was thought to have appeared, was also a centre of esoteric cults. Over the next 50 days, Ennin acquired such techniques as rhythmically chanting the name of Amida Buddha and changing the intonation each repetition.

From 840 to 845 CE Ennin then studied at Ch'ang-an, learning more of Mikkyo, copying texts and mandalas, and being initiated by three different esoteric masters, going beyond the level that the recognised Japanese master and foremost expert Kukai had reached. In 845 CE Ennin, like many Chinese monks, suffered the persecution of anti-Buddhist emperor Wu-tsung, and he was compelled to return to Japan. This was easier said than done and it took two years, the death of Wu-tsung, and a general amnesty for him to finally find a ship that would make the voyage.

Continue reading...

[mosesonethirtynine]

15 Wherefore, lift up your hearts and rejoice, and gird up your loins, and take upon you my whole armor, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, having done all, that ye may be able to stand.

Doctrine & Covenants 27:15

[tranquil-slaughterhouse]

What I know about COTL: Sins of the Flesh so far...

They made collecting devotion from the main statue faster when I hold A

THEY FUCKING CAPPED THE FOLLOWER LEVEL TO 10

New cult technology tree stuff. Got them all around 20-30 min.

They have a tailor shop for my followers. Hence, maid!Leshy.

I can make followers my disciples (starting with Shamura) that can control dissent and give me blue hearts for crusades

There's only one crown tech tree thing for shotgun mastery.

THEY FUCKING CAPPED THE FOLLOWER LEVEL TO 10

Sin is a special thing to earn so that you can decorate the inside of your temple

There's a new group of doctrines for Sin. Already got four and one extra so far (Rite of Lust ritual, Gluttony of Cannibals ritual, Doctrinal Extremist, Born in Sin, Rite of Wrath ritual).

Sozo can be resurrected by acquiring a mushroom seed from his corpse. Also, he doesn't sleep unless ordered too.

You can now remove any necklace from a follower while they are alive.

Somehow the cannibalism trait does not affect the Gluttony of Cannibals ritual where cult faith is reduced by 40

The drumming place building is basically a rhythm minigame to harvest some Sin. The more accurate the beat, the greater the Sin. But boy having colors different to the Xbox controller buttons make it difficult.

DID I TELL YOU THEY FUCKING CAPPED THE FOLLOWER LEVEL TO 10?!?!?!?!?!

I have yet to do some crusading...

[cocoartzy]

Bahati, The Lamb

My version of the lamb in cult of the lamb with African themes!

She was born without horns but gains some with every god she slays.

Had been surviving long with the remainder of her family; mother, aunt, baby twin cousins, and goat uncle when uncle sold them out. She vowed revenge on the gods and her uncle for the betrayal. She's incredibly fucked up, never really befriending members of her flock for a very long time. Seeing them as tools for revenge and nothing more. It takes a very long time and persistence by a few for her to feel comfortable enough to feel a kinship. Her first disciple was Yarna a orange rabbit. She's very picky who get's to live in her cult and has no trouble removing trouble makers and less desirable in the dead of night. She's not silver but golden tongued. She chooses doctrines based on a mix of the effects of the crown and how she can maintain an image in front her followers.

[loveerran]

Five years ago, President Nelson recommended we start referring to our church by it’s full name, de-emphasizing the use of ‘Mormon’ as a nickname. This struck a number of members as incongruous. The full name of the church is quite a mouthful (Pres. Nelson recommends “Church of Jesus Christ” as an alternative). Also, we were just coming off the famous ‘Meet the Mormons’ movie and a whole series of ‘I’m a Mormon’ videos. These media efforts helped to showcase real members and our diversity and humanness as part of breaking down harmful stereotypes (exacerbated by the new Book of Mormon musical’s parody/highlighting of our cultural problems). So people were a bit taken aback and naturally confused, and some began using compliance with this directive as a measuring stick to determine if their neighbor was really, truly ‘following the prophet’ (because, hey, we do have our cultural problems with focusing on what actually matters).

I used to be in the ‘Mormon describes me and my culture and I’m used to it and will keep using it’ camp. But I think I am changing my tune, and here’s why: Almost everything I dislike about my church is culture-based. The actual doctrine is pretty awesome, very world-class, and I will hold it up against anything.

And maybe it isn’t a bad idea for church leaders and church members to keep repeating the name of Jesus Christ on a regular basis as a gentle reminder for us to keep moving away from the outward culture to the inward gospel and the change of heart we all need as disciples of Christ.