Expanding Religion
The church of the Radiant Revelation was founded in 2334 by Erich Hauk. A member of the German Navy who witnessed the Collapse of the Conduit at Hub, Erich experienced a religious epiphany during this event.
Erich later stated he was struck by an intense beam of light originating from the Conduit immediately prior to the Collapse. He said the Light spoke to him, telling him it was closing to Conduit to prevent an unspeakable Evil from attacking Terra. Moreover, Erich had been chosen to preserve humanity in the Clement Sector.
Erich spent the three years following the Collapse writing a book documenting how Terragen peoples should conduct their affairs and protect themselves from the Evil. The book is a meticulously detailed instruction manual for life; it includes dietary guidelines, advice for avoiding relationship problems and a guide on “psychic defense methods”. It also includes instructions on how to build temples, homes, farms and even military defenses to guard against The Evil.
The Light is described in the book as a benevolent figure who lives in the extradimensional space of Conduit. The Evil is a more nebulous concept. At times, it is described as an incorporeal force that is continuously present in Terragen society. In other passages, the Evil is described as being a malicious spirit calling people to evil acts, or even a specific group of people actively working to destroy the plans of The Light.
Erich finished The Book just before he mustered out of the Navy. He dedicated the rest of his life to spreading the message. Copies of the Radiant Revelation were created in every format available: hardcopy books, audio recordings and holographic renderings. Erich traveled across the Hub Federation, sharing his experiences and giving away copies of the Radiant Revelation.
He was a charismatic and compelling figure. His following grew quickly, and soon temples (matching the specifications described in the Revelation) were built on several worlds of the Hub Federation. As time passed, more temples were constructed on other worlds of the Hub subsector.
In 2347, he began travelling the worlds of the Cascadia subsector and spreading his message there. In 2355, during a transit from Antryl (Clement, Cascadia 0704) to Kyiv (Clement, Cascadia 0503), Erich’s vessel was reported lost.
Despite the death of their prophet, the Church has continued to grow, due to the efforts of Tucker Mentis. Tucker had attended one of Erich’s seminars and become an ardent follower. He recorded several speeches concerning his belief that Erich had “been taken by The Light” for “more instructions”. Tucker preached that the Church would continue Erich’s work for him until his return.
Tucker has worked tirelessly in support of the Church ever since. Church membership has grown and temples have been built across the sector. Plans are moving forward for the construction of a university dedicated to training members not only in the teaching of The Light but also in general education.
Members of the church can be found now in all walks of life across the Clement Sector. For some, the teachings of The Light are a valuable map to life and a comfort to them in difficult times. Others scoff at these ideas and point to Erich’s poor service record in Navy as proof that he was a charlatan.
Although government responses to the Church have been generally mild, there was one serious confrontation. Five years after his ship was reported lost, a faction became convinced that the Conduit would re-open, and Erich would return. When this event did not occur, riots broke out and Hub Federation Marines were used to suppress the uprising.
Locations
Headquarters
- Vogel city, the Hub (Clement, Hub 0405)
Important Bases / Facilities
- Most colonized worlds have at least one temple