Godbound: Antipriests of the Atheocracy, Part 2

The greatest of the Antipriests of the Atheocracy are twisted and perverted by the angelic artifact known as the Pyre: not because it is an engine of corruption and malevolence but simply because their mortal frames are unfit to survive it's power unscathed. These individuals may be broken but they wield deadly gifts able to sunder divine power.

The dead priest by vaernim.

Scars of the Pyre

The Pyre burns away. It break and shatters and it unmake the weak minds and bodies of those who dare enter it. It take years upon years of mental and physical preparation to enter it without being instantly destroyed and the preparations are as grueling as the exposure. In spite of their claim of being 'enlightened by reason' there is very little about the preparations which is logical or sane: hours of meditation followed by months of fasting followed by self-mutilation in order to dull oneself to pain is part of the hardest regiment of preparations undergone by Antipriests. Even then it requires an iron will and unbreakable spirit to emerge with a functional mind.

D20	Physical Scars	Mental Scars
1	The eyes of the Antipriest have been burnt out by the Pyre, leaving them with empty sockets. They somehow retain a crude form of sight.	The Antipriest is haunted by fleeting visions. They cannot recall or explain them but it make them paranoid and skittish.
2	The Antipriest's hair has been permanently burnt off their body. Scars mark the area where hair once grew on their body.	The Antipriest cannot feel raging anger anymore. They remain cold and methodical at all time but they will take too much time to lash out if attacked.
3	They have no teeth in their mouth, which have violently exploded during their time in the Pyre. They might have prosthetic teeth.	They feel no love or compassion whatsoever and are coldly cruel in their methods. They do not see people as living, thinking beings anymore.
4	Horrific third-degree burns mark the body of this Antipriest. They likely have clothes which help conceal the worst of them.	They have a constant haunted look on their face, as if experiencing constant existential dread and fear.
5	Scars mark the spine and back of the Antipriest. These are easily hidden by clothes and even some makeup.	The Antipriest appears constantly on edge and nervous and will often lash out at others. They are pathologically confrontational.
6	The Antipriest walk with a limp, as one of their legs is less responsive than the other due to neurological damage.	There is a constant stutter and confusion in their speech which is unrelated to their actual intelligence: they just seem to have a hard time forming words.
7	The Antipriest's hair has turned completely white from the shock of exposure to the Pyre. In some cases they may have aged a decade or two.	The Antipriest will constantly be scratching some part of their body to the point it may bleed. If that's the case they will switch to another part.
8	Ugly scars mark the Antipriest's back: these aren't from the Pyre itself but from years of self-flagellation in preparation.	The Antipriest is unable to express emotions in their face anymore, even if they are able to feel them still.
9	Their tongue is covered in scars. They can't taste anything anymore or, alternatively, can only taste a single flavor.	They constantly feel the need to mutter and recite Lomite mantras to keep themselves composed.
10	One of their hands is blackened and twisted, as if it got burnt touching something impossibly hot.	The Antipriest emerged from the Pyre smarter..but also more cruel. They have a twisted, alien intelligence to them which delight in torture.
11	The Antipriest's body was broken by the Pyre but advanced theotechnical wonders salvaged by the Atheocracy saved them, They have small metal rods jutting from articulations.	The Antipriest no longer feel any fear at all, safe perhaps their deepest inner fear. They will remain calm when faced with mortal danger.
12	The Antipriest was rendered sterile by their exposure to the Pyre. Not that they care.	The Antipriest is pathologically allergic to earthly pleasures and will lash out if presented with a chance to partake in them.
13	The skin of the Antipriest is pale and discolored, turned to anywhere from chalk white white to greyish tone (depending on their original skin color).	The Antipriest gained amazing memory from exposure to the Pyre: however, it is now obsessed with texts and laws and will constantly recite them to validate their authority.
14	They appear unmarred...until one touch them. Their skin is either unnaturally hot or cold, but not to an implausible level. More as if they are sick.	The Antitpriest is obsessed with decorum, rites and formalities to the point of near insanity.
15	The Antipriest looks fine but suffer from a constant shortness of breath. This does not affect their overall fitness, somehow.	Exposure to anything the Antipriest deem 'indecent' leave them physically ill. They avoid the common people who are known to 'relapse' into their religious habits.
16	The Antipriest was horribly disfigured by the Pyre but advanced salvaged medical equipment from the Former Empire allowed a full body skin graft. They have small scars which hint at this.	The Antipriest is physically unable to say any word which mean 'god' or 'divinity' or anything similar and will gag when trying to say such.
17	Their skull is covered by metal/porcelain/whatever in order to repair a slight case of brain explosion.	They are obsessed with cleanliness and will try to scrub out any stain on their clothes. They also dislike physical contacts.
18	The Antipriest is mute but has theotechnical devices implanted inside/around it's neck to allow speech.	THE ANTIPRIEST IS ONLY ABLE TO YELL! THEY CANNOT LOWER THEIR VOLUME!
19	The Antipriest is missing an arm: either from exposure to the Pyre or complications during their morbid preparation.	They are allergic to music, art and anything which is a cultural expression as they deem it 'illogical'.
20	The Antipriest appears to be slightly decomposed and theotechnical techniques are used to prevent them from dying.	The Antipriest is unable to call others by anything other than their title or profession as they are now obsessed with the removal of personal naming conventions.

Antipriests Gifts

The powers derived from the Pyre gives one the ability to repel, counter and even destroy divine abilities. These are not considered Divine themselves (see Part 1) but mechanically they posses an array of possible Gifts which are especially useful against Divine enemies (such as Godbound, Made Gods and Parasite Gods). Most Antipriests gifts can only affect what are classified as Divine Beings:  beings able to use Effort to enact miracles.

• Bulwark Of Truth (Instant): The Antipriest can Commit Effort for the Scene negate a hit from a Divine Being.
• Fear No God (Constant): The Antipriest take one point of damage less from all Gifts and is never considered a Lesser Foe.
• Mind Of Reason (Constant): The Antipriest cannot be mentally or emotionally influenced by Divine Beings.
• Quantum Manipulation (Instant): The Antipriest can alter probabilities against the Divine. Commit Effort the Scene when a Divine Being make any roll. They roll twice and take the worst result.
• Scourge Of Deities (Constant): Against Divine Beings the Antipriest roll their attack and damage twice and pick the best result.
• The Death of Gods (Smite, Action): This Gift is mechanically identical to Divine Wrath safe that it can only target divine beings.
• Vanquish The Demiurge (Constant): The Antipriests channel the Pyre's power as a weapon against the divine. They can disrupt Divine beings or coat their weapons in crackling anti-divine energies. Either way, this is a Weapon Booster gift allowing them to inflict 1d10 damage in melee or up to 200 feet but only against Divine Beings. It always inflict at least 1 point of damage.
• Weaken The Divine (Action): Commit Effort for the Scene. The Antipriest channel the Pyre's energy to disrupt a Divine Beings. It must make a Spirit save or suffer a -4 penalty to all attack and damage rolls.

Most Antipriest which have experienced the Pyre are Minor Heroes and the higher rank of their order are Major Heroes. A few powerful and potentially renegade Antipriests may or may not be Eldritch. In battle, it is not uncommon for Antipriest to bring entire mobs of Nullifiers: these are the broken and mentally damaged Antipriest which are no longer able to function properly. Most are crazy and/or stupid to some degree but when gathered in large numbers they seem to act as one giant dampener of Divine power. Their squads are led by blindly zealous nutcases who are smarter and more coherent than their brethren but still considered failures nonetheless.

Antipriests Nullifier Mob
AC: 9 (3 vs Divine Beings)	Move: 30’ Run
Hit Dice: 18/36/54	Saves: 13+
Attacks: +4/+4x2/+4x3	Damage: 1d10
Morale: 12	Effort: 1
Chorus Of Reason: Antipriests Nullifiers take one point of damage less from any Gift. Large Mob take two less and Vast Mob take three less.

Godbound: Antipriests of the Atheocracy, Part 1

All right, better get the joke off my chest now: something something fedora, something something atheism, something something banana. Good? Good. The Atheocracy is certainly the setting element of |Arcem I find both the silliest and yet most logical.

The Atheocracy of Lom is terrifying: not just because of how horribly repressive it is or how it has the means to pose a threat to a divine entity. No, it is terrifying because in many ways, in spite of the dark conspiracy behind it's birth and power the people which compose it most likely, on many levels, feel completely justified in a setting where horrible artificial Made Gods oppressed countless masses and where Parasite Gods can appear anywhere, any time and demand worship. While a party of Godbound can very well be composed of paragons of morality, the grim reality is that in the overall setting there is a sizable amount of 'gods' which should rightfully be feared. So is it any surprise that in spite of all the horrors they commit that the Atheocracy of Lom still has support? Then again, they are nothing if not masters of brainwashing, ensnaring the souls of those weaker and demanding absolute obedience to their rite and way of life...ultimately making them exactly what they claim to oppose.

Concept art(?) by Justin Williams

Musings about the Pyre

The source of the Anti Priest's power is described as an angelic artifact called the 'Pyre': it seemingly grant those who enter it the ability to weaken, affect and even cancel divine power. This is certainly interesting within the Godbound setting and has quite a few implications: did the Angels build it after they decided to turn on the humans and wish to damn them all? If so how did they construct this artifact. If they did not create it then who did: the One? Why would an omniscient, omnipotent God seemingly build an artifact which exist to cancel out His power? Was there more Gods out there before He assume his position on the Throne? Is this some sort of last-resort weapon a not-so-omnipotent God kept in his metaphorical pockets in case of an emergency? Or is the theory that the Angels always ran the show and the One never existed correct?

Whichever is true I would say that, mechanically, while the Pyre-given abilities can replicate effects similar to Gifts they would not work the same. Mechanically everything derived from the Pyre function as if it has the 'All Natural' gift from the Peak Human Concept Word. The exact metaphysical ramifications of the Pyre's existence and it's effects are the kind of rabbit hole of implications which could drive entire games.

Lomite Names

Being the godless communist atheists enlightened and reasonable people that they are, Lomite only have unisex names which ascribe a positive quality and/or trait for it's citizen to hopefully uphold and embody rather than wear antiquated trappings of historical and mythological origin. These have no place within Orwellian nightmare Utopian society of reason and peace of the Lomite.

D100	Name	D100	Name
1	Probity	51	Conformity
2	Integrity	52	Dutiful
3	Morality	53	Observance
4	Rectitude	54	Tireless
5	Rightness	55	Indefatigable
6	Sincerity	56	Resolute
7	Equity	57	Steadfast
8	Equality	58	Vigorous
9	Fidelity	59	Verified
10	Charity	60	Documented
11	Insight	61	Established
12	Acumen	62	Intelligent
13	Intuition	63	Astute
14	Judgment	64	Learned
15	Observation	65	Wise
16	Understanding	66	Inventive
17	Comprehension	67	Calculated
18	Sagacity	68	Methodical
19	Sapience	69	Analytical
20	Temperance	70	Deliberate
21	Abnegation	71	Efficient
22	Austerity	72	Functional
23	Conservation	73	Decent
24	Constraint	74	Decency
25	Continence	75	Clarity
26	Discretion	76	Certainty
27	Frugality	77	Direction
28	Measure	78	Precise
29	Moderation	79	Precision
30	Balance	80	Logical
31	Balanced	81	Logic
32	Prudence	82	Rational
33	Reasonable	83	Reason
34	Sacrifice	84	Coherence
35	Selflessness	85	Coherent
36	Unity	86	Science
37	Agreement	87	System
38	Consensus	88	Discipline
39	Harmony	89	Disciplined
40	Peace	90	Compliant
41	Order	91	Compliance
42	Accord	92	Loyalty
43	Alliance	93	Resigned
44	Concordance	94	Resignation
45	Singularity	95	Fearless
46	Synthesis	96	Prospect
47	Collective	97	Purpose
48	Obedience	98	Determination
49	Deference	99	Ordered
50	Duty	100	Design