=====Unity===== Cosmic Demipower\\ The Will of the People\\ {{:unity.jpg?400|}} **Domain:** rhetoric, fanaticism, xenophobia, humans, industry, politics\\ **Symbol:** black backdrop with a half-risen crimson sun, an eye set upon its center\\ **Sacred Items/Creatures:** humans, torches, blood, crimson, martyrs, cogs, hammers\\ **Resonance:** Twilight\\ **Spell Domains:** [[glory]], [[madness]]\\ **Allies:** None\\ **Enemies:** All Deities\\ =====History===== The Unity Party gained command of the city of Tonovi after a successful coup by the common people, sweeping away the old, tired and decrepit aristocracy, along with its dated ideoloogies. After a vigorous purge of the old regime, the Unity Party gained ultimate power, becoming a religion all its own. The people began to revere the Unity of Tonovi over their friends, families, and even their old gods. The rhetoric, propaganda and prognostication of Kaspar Strauss whipped the people into an ecstatic frenzy. Finally seeing his chance, the Chancellor hatched a truly diabolocal plan. Erecting a soul funnel, Chancellor Strauss sought to sacrifice the people of Tonovi and attain eternal godhood. Something, however, backfired with the ritual and instead of attaining apotheosis, Strauss and his lackeys became the sacrifice, feeding the ritual and giving birth to a great crimson eye in the sky, which saw into the souls of all present, instantly judging their worthiness and instantly scouring those found wanting from existence. From that moment on, the most ardent citizens, who had passed the test, threw themselves down in worship of this new power, UNITY, the Will of the People. Unity carries forward the tenents of the New Dawn cult, a Faceless One Cult dedicated to the supremacy of humankind over the world. Much of the imagery and iconography is thus appropriated from the New Dawn and turned toward its new purpose. It does not, however, carry any ties to that cult and actively seeks to root them out from within as corruptive interlopers. =====Regards to Undead===== The faithful of Unity abhor undead as the enemies of the people. =====Regards to Outsiders===== The faithful find all outsiders, including the rest of the pantheon of deities, completely repugnant, beings that should be expunged from the world at all costs. =====Vestments===== Adherents wear tabards of black and red, adorned with either the great cog of the Unity Party, or a crimson sunrise, with an open eye set upon it. Advocates of Unity (clergy) wear blackened chainmail armor and crimson shields with their tabards. =====Dogma===== Humanity bears the burden of being looked down upon by the longer lived races who oppress and use humanity for their own gains, contributing nothing of value to the world. Humans are the only creators of anything of value and are thus destined to one day shed the shackles of oppression and take their rightful place as rulers of this world.. Humanity must flex its collective muscles and spread its influence, cleansing these lands of the filth and taint of other races. Those who fall under the sway of these creatures must be trod under the steel boots of our righteous cause. Only when the world is cleansed of the filth of these 'others' can humanity finally know freedom, peace and prosperity. The people of Tonovi largely despise deities, seeing them not as a force of creation, but a parasite upon that creation. The gods, with all of their designs upon the world, were not chosen by the will of the people and thus must, do not represent the best interest of the people, instead seeking to control behavior and belief. Unity, however, was created by the people, for the people, and thus carries with it the very will and purpose of the people in divine form. It is thus that Unity is the only deity worthy of worship by humanity, a cherished entity wrought by a noble collective desire for something greater. ===== Followers ===== Unity accepts human followers of all resonances, but clergy must have a twilight resonance. Non-humans will need to publicly renounce their blood to become a member of the church. ===== Faith-based groups ===== * __Advocacy of Unity:__ The official clergy, as it were, of the faith. Referred to as Advocates, these individuals carry the greatest pride and utter zealous devotion to the cause, brooking no tolerance for anything strange, inhuman or alien. They actively preach wherever they go, spreading the good word of UNITY to the huddled masses of humanity. Possessing utter disdain for all things inhuman, they barely show other races any respect, most outright refusing to converse with them as intelligent beings with any sort of innate value. To be an Advocate is to be a person seen by the Party as a revered hero of the cause and a stalwart example to others. * __The Steel Legion:__ The elite arm of the Tonovian military, the Steel Legion is made of the very best soldiers with the very best equipment that the city can provide. Although the name suggests that it consists of martial types only, the Steel Legion actually makes heavy use of Eldritch Knights, pure martial types and a variety of other arcane casters. They are a highly mobile force that makes heavy use of teleportation magics to act as a sort of shock element of the military, appearing anywhere at any time. The steel legion is notable for their unpolished, dull steel armor, showing their preference for function over form. * __Curseborn:__ Called the Curseborn because they were born with the curse of inhuman blood. Composed entirely of non-humans who have publicly renounced their unclean blood and enter battle to redeem their disgusting nature in the eyes of UNITY. They are berserkers, wearing no armor or protection of any kind. They either cover or cut off all vestiges of their inhuman nature and most of them bear horrific mutilation and scars. Perhaps the most zealous of all followers, these poor wretches give every ounce of their energy to make up for the sin of existing. Although they are abhorrent in their inhumanity, it is said that they are an inspiration on the field of battle, their depthless faith almost making up for their disgusting nature. **Note:** Unity is a demigod/lesser deity that has not formally established himself amongst the pantheon. There may or may not be temples or even widespread knowledge of his existence.