Vector
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Also known as acolytes, the Vector's role is to provide a variety of support to the crew who need it. You have access to a church garden, the biogenerator, and the Chapel.
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Vectors
Nomenclature: Vector has such nomenclature because, geometrically, a Vector is something that has both magnitude and a direction. Vectors have the Magnitude (Having a Cruciform) and a Direction (Upholding the Absolute will)
Vectors are the clergymen, important members of the church with a variety of ways that allow them to provide support to the colony. From their beginning, all vectors have the same starting point, which is the result of the fact that there is no nepotism in the church of the absolute, since all church members must starts as Co-Initial vectors some day in their lives, growing in the hierarchy only with effort and experience alone.
Vectors are supposed to teach the religion's doctrines, practices and rituals to the faithful and unfaithful alike. Vectors are not only a hierarchy of itself, but are fragmented into their very own hierarchy following the chain-of-sigil that mostly shows their experience as a Vector. It's considered something of high respectability since the church of the absolute does not provide these badges without the vector being considered worthy of having more duties, more ownership, trust, and capabilities to vote for a new preacher on the lower colonies. An exception to the rule, however, is upon the surface as the conditions and stress instead require vectors act on merit more than rank. While vectors can be apart of different divisions of the church, be they paths or otherwise, all follow a similar chain of sigil unless otherwise noted.
- Co-Initial Vector (Newcomer)
- Equal Vector (Practiced)
- Unit Vector (Versed)
- Collinear Vector (Long-serving)
Co-Initial Vectors
Co-Initial is a title and sigil given to the third degree of the Order of the Sacrament, belonging to the Church of the Absolute. Co-Initials are novice vectors, normally recently baptized, who are in charge of carrying out the menial services of the ministry of the Absolute, ceasing to be a simple layman and belonging to the clergy group. One Co-Initial Vector must have at their side more experienced vectors to help them in learning about their task, which must be the first and foremost course of action. It is recommended for the Co-Initial Vectors to avoid attempting to gather biomass from hunting in the maintenance, instead, collecting the biomass from the public garden instead, allowing the novice to get used to the less dangerous methods. Co-Initials are not expected to take on arms and might yet not be trained, and are not expected to uphold any type of ceremony, but they are now allowed to study theology for free in the Absolute’s temples, which will provide them chances to rise in experience and rank. It is not uncommon to see them with Vinculum Cruciform, the cruciform normally given to the ones who are yet to know which path they may follow. If someone asks a Co-Initial Vector about what the church stands for, the vector may prefer to tell said person that he is still a novice and guide them to ask said questions to a more experienced Vector instead. The Sigil of the Co-Initial Vector is leathery badge of a ampersand
Unit Vector
Unit Vector is a title and sigil given to the second degree of the Order of the Sacrament belonging to the church of the Absolute. Unit Vectors are experienced vectors who are in charge of menial and spiritual services of the ministry of the absolute. One Unit Vector must always keep secrets of the ones who confess their sin, unless said sin is an exceptional offense under the colony’s law. These are the ones who assist in service projects and welfare assignments from the Prime more actively and watch over the church and act as standing ministers, while being involved in missionary efforts, pass the sacrament, gather fast offerings and bless the church with their litanies and a lit censer. They may deliver sermons or public explanations of sacred doctrines, most of the time in the church or in the colony. The public explanations may not necessarily be religious, but must have components with moral or social worldview, or philosophy. Unit Vectors are authorized by the church to perform major religious functions such as weddings, baptisms and funerals beyond providing only spiritual guidance to the community. During times of crisis, Unit Vectors are supposed to take on arms and prepare themselves to fight anything that may be attempting to harm the church or the colony, and they may be tasked to clean up the maintenance from roach or spider menace, preferably in groups. They may or may not have spent any years studying theology in a temple, it depends mostly on the experience collected working as a Vector, reading the ritual book and getting to understand other vectors by speaking with them is enough, with time, to be rewarded with a Unit Vector Sigil. The Unit Vector’s sigil is a copper badge with a symbol of a line integral
Equal Vector
Equal Vector is a title and Sigil given to the first degree of the Order of the Sacrament belonging to the Church of the Absolute, they are sometimes named “Teachers” (Magisters), Equal Vectors are most of the time seen as a sign of relief for less experienced vectors that may hold questions about their duties or desires to seek explanations about their beliefs. Equal Vectors are the ones who assists the primes with general administrative service and establishment of new local churches, keeping records required by civil or church law, planning and conduct services of public worship, encourage others to be more theocentric, research and study religious scripture or theology and portray it to others, supervise prayer and discussion groups, retreats and seminars while providing religious instructions and training for the new vectors of the church. When designed to provide last rites, they are not only encouraged to administer such a thing but chosen to do so. The Equal Vectors give specific instructions during rituals as the prime is busy with their litany to properly put the newer vectors in line to better feel the brotherhood connection.
During times of conflict, the Equal Vector is supposed to guide and enforce organization upon their followers to properly keep a battle formation to avoid friendly fire and ensure each Vector is not ill-equipped or ill-prepared to stand and fight, warning them to properly get suited up or straight out denying the participation of the Vector in case they’d only cause issues. During times of peace, an Equal Vector may provide teaching and training to a following Vector on the ways of combat or explain what each Church weaponry does and how to properly use their construction litanies or any litanies in an overall. The Equal Vector is a disciplinary figure as much as the Prime is, and EVEN have enough respect to discipline the prime if needed and with a reason. The Equal Vector’s sigil silver badge has the symbol of a divergence operator.
Collinear Vector
Collinear Vector is a title and Sigil given to the Infinite degree of the Order of the Sacrament belonging to the Church of the Absolute. The ones allowed to perform all seven sacraments, being the Baptism, confirmation, eucharist, penance, anointing the sick, marriage and holy orders, in fact the Collinear Vectors are so influential they may create their own holy orders if they have enough followers to take part of it, most of the time said Collinear Vectors may uphold monastic orders with intentions of cleansing the planet from manifested sins, often calling up arms to hunt down any hivemind infestations in the surface world or besieging deep maintenance against the psionic menace. Collinear Vectors may not be more powerful than their primes on the surface of the Colony, but on the lower colonies they are indeed more influential with non-public domains given by the church to enforce their needs. Their most solemn responsibility is to elect a Vector to become a Prime when there is need to have one, with four Collinear Vectors voting for a new vector to be chosen as Prime, something of high responsibility. The day-of-day governance is in the hands of the Collinear Vectors and they participate in formal meetings called consistories. Beyond these duties, Collinear has Equal Vector’s powers and beyond, being able to select an area to make a new church if needed and with enough funds to do so, skipping major parts of the bureaucracy needed with the exception of the ownership of the land. To become a Collinear Vector, one MUST have finished six years of temple study, that often means that a Collinear Vector was either already studying theology when he came to the colony, or already finished studying. The Collinear Vector’s sigil golden badge has the symbol of the infinite on it.
Vectors Duties
Each Vectors is free to invent the details of their rituals but should follow the directions of the prime for day to day operations. They might take efforts into showing lines from the Ritual Book to express their words.
1. Biomatter Collection: Biomatter is undeniably the most important material that the church can make, the barebones of their equipments, clothes, medicine and melee weapons and because of that, must be produced by their vectors. Biomatter can be collected by growing food and collecting bodies of dead insects and animals to fuel the bioreactor, biogenerator, bioprinter and wall obelisks. One can interact with other factions by attempting to buy monkey cubes or getting insect corpses from prospectors.
2. Console and provide aid to any colonist seeking help, be it in personal matters or matters of faith. You are allowed to use your cruciform for helping the faithful and unfaithful alike.
3. Perform rituals in a group, help and incentivize your prime into making a ceremony. Stay with your eyes on the calendar - it might provide you with knowledge of what ceremony you can do, when the day falls for it.
4. Critter Extermination: The pests from the maintenance must be cleansed as they are products of the colony's lack of responsibilities and reproduce as fast as they can eat. Spiders and Roaches are the main origin of human harm each shift and because of that, must keep the numbers of pests low. Breaking down burrows is one of the ways to provide the colony proper protection against such a pest, besides being a good way to gather biomatter as their corpses are more valuable than plants, and when butchered it becomes easier to transport.
5. Follow your Rite and your Benediction to heart. If you are unsure what Path you desire, have no path until you are ready. There is no shame in uncertainty, but there is shame in lying to yourself. The lower colony temple can change the path and protocols to a cruciform safely without removing it, but changing paths is often a difficult and lengthy process, one should only ever take upon themselves a new path with a good reason.
6. Provide spiritual guidance to the masses, bewildered or not. Exceptions are made to the wicked and hostile, however.
The Church of the Absolute
The Church of the Absolute follows a very simple and specific set of rules that all Primes and Vectors are expected to follow and adhere to. The Absolute views all religions and all paths as variables headed to one specific end and that all people, knowingly or unknowingly, will follow this path. The founder of the church, Augustine Browne, described the idea using numbers in that if one were to count forward or backwards you would eventually find both the beginning and the end. She described this beginning number and end number as God, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, and likened the sequence of numbers to time. From the progress of time one would always, no matter their choices or interpretations, come to an end and stand before God.
This core belief that all paths end in the same place has lead the Absolute to see all other faiths as fractals of themselves. Each faith, its interpretations, and its word for God is merely a lower number in the sequence that will eventually lead them to their final destination. Because of this the church is open to all faiths and is considered non-denominational in essence. Those that lack a cruciform and have not joined the church fully are called 'fractals' while those who have a cruciform and actively aid the church are known as Vectors. Those who lead the flock are known as Primes.
Due to their non-denominational stance the day to day tasks and operations of the church are subject to the Prime and have a very open approach on how they conduct themselves, the only absolute hah expectations shared between them are as follows:
- Full members of the church must have a cruciform installed.
- The church is expected to provide free food and drink, generally that which is produced by the garden, to all who ask.
- All members of the church are expected to provide aid, within reason, to those who request it. Be it through the use of their cruciform or their works.
- The biogenerator must be kept powered at all times.
Though it is not required, members of the church are encouraged to volunteer in other departments and aid them however possible and while its allowed its discouraged to help the Soteria. Members of the church may work fully in other departments but as per an agreement by all heads of staff but may not work as heads of staff in other departments.
Regarding the installation of the Devout upgrade. It shouldn't be given out to anyone who isn't a vector or prime normally, special circumstances like a code red scenario that doesn't warrant a crusader upgrade could be valid, but under normal procedure it shouldn't be given out for free. Also, in such scenarios, it is still up to the prime/vector doing the upgrade to decide whether the individual deserves the extra power and litanys. There is a reason why it is given to only the church roles instead of everybody with a cruciform.
Background Information
The Church of the Absolute is considered by the Sol Federation a cult in possession of stolen technology. The original creator of the cruciform and founder of the church, Augustine Browne, was once a member of the Soteria Institute and tells her Primes and Vectors that the discovery of the technology allowed her to see a glimpse into the truth of all faiths. During their exodus to the colony on the outer fringes of space, they sustained heavy losses as SolFed police forces attempted to apprehend them.
The function and use of the cruciform is still a mystery, even to the Prime, but what is known is that it can only be charged through the use of an active biogenerator. How the cruciform applies its fantastical abilities is a subject of speculation, in particular to the baffled Soteria Institute.
Propitiating the Gods
The pray command is like an adminhelp, but is in character, and should be worded deferentially (e.g. "Oh Great and Wise Absolute, please grant your humble servant...). It is advised that you only pray later in the round; the Absolute has a habit of ignoring early prayers.
Prayers are more likely to be answered if they are somehow thematically appropriate: wishing for an RCD for no apparent reason is unlikely to be fulfilled, but praying for, say, a divine mission or the tools to complete such are more amusing to the gods.
You have candles and crayons in your locker. Candles can be set anywhere and lit (they eventually burn down). Crayons can be used to draw runes (commonly placed in front of the podium), as well as graffiti (not really your style) and letters (allowing you to write out messages across the ground).
Do not expect any prayers to be answered. The Absolute is a fickle being. Nobody knows what they are going to do next in their great design.
Artifacts
Your Book
You begin the shift with a ritual book that can provide a good resource of knowledge and is highly valuable for both your rituals and in using your cruciform. Keep it with you and safe at all times.
Ritual Knife
An odd item that is used in rituals to install a cruciform and induct someone into the church.
Heresy and Excommunication
Despite the open nature of the church their are things you specifically should not do and if caught doing so you will be demoted to Vector permanently or excommunicated from the church entirely. The only person capable of giving judgement on charges of heresy or excommunication is Augustine Browne herself.
- Heresy - Heresy is the act of installing a cruciform into an unwilling person or installing a cruciform in a person who isn't allowed to have one such as a criminal or non-faithful. Punishment is excommunication.
- Abuse of Power - This involves using their cruciform on others only when it benefits the user or using their position to command unreasonable or degenerative acts as arbitrated by Augustine. Punishment is normally permanent demotion to Vector but may result in excommunication by discretion.
- Extortion - This covers selling or benefiting from installing a cruciform on someone through some form of compensation and will result in excommunication of both the Prime and buyer.
- Tampering with a cruciform - This covers modifying a cruciform or allowing another person to modify a cruciform. This changes to excommunication if anyone within the Soteria is allowed to study or modify a cruciform.
- Committing a Exceptional Offenses or higher - Any Prime or Vector found convicted of a red paragraph crime will be excommunicated as a result as per agreement between faction owners. This is non-negotiable and cannot be overridden, even by Augustine herself.
Crusader Protocol
The church has few enemies and while it maintains a small armory is does not generally need weaponry. There is one exception to this rule and that is the crusader protocol. The church has long since viewed the techno-organic virus known as the "Hivemind" as a corruption and completely heretical creation that must be destroyed at all costs. When the detection of a hivemind entity has been discovered on the colony any Prime or Vector may pray for their crusader protocol to activate. If the threat is deemed strong enough it may, flooding the users body with combat stimulants and enhancing their fighting capability temporarily for a few hours. In addition a crusader active church member is given a special prayer that will summon an energy sword, energy shield, and a suit of armor. In some rare cases a church member may have their crusader protocol activate even when a hivemind is not around, such as when a serious code red or code delta scenario is triggered.
