Group of Interest Name: The Cult of Aether
Aliases: The Church of Aether, Followers of Aether, Fellowship of Aether, Court of the Sky Deity.
Known Sites of Worship: The Amber Cathedral, The Church of Aether Eastern Orthodox Branch, The Church of Aether Western Orthodox Branch, The Church of Aether European Branch, The Church of Aether South Korean Branch, Outdoors during a CTA-040 event.
Description: The Cult of Aether is a group dedicated to worshipping the deific entity known as Aether; this worship tends to manifest itself in attempting to convert others into followers of Aether themselves or active hostility to individuals who don't submit to their beliefs. Members of the Cult of Aether tend only to form mass gatherings during CTA-040 events or upon recovering an anomaly related to the GoI.
The Cult of Aether recruits members through several methods; the most prominent method is psychological alteration through various means, most prominently CTA-040. The GoI also practices recruitment tactics consistent with several prominent Western religions. The least common method of recruitment is through ever-increasing bouts of torture until the subject fully submits to the beliefs held by the Cult of Aether.
Due to phenomena such as CTA-040, the Cult of Aether has many members within most countries that practice religious freedom; the total number of members within the GoI is currently unknown. In most cases, when a sect of the Cult of Aether attempts to establish a site of worship, it's shut down by Corporation intervention; however, in the event a sect grows too large for intervention to be possible, several members of MF-12-A12 are to be placed into the community to monitor and control the spread of the GoI.
As a result of having several conflicts of interest, the Cult of Aether and the Corporation hold a large amount of animosity between each other; this leads to high numbers of altercations between the Corporation and the GoI. The Cult of Aether often attempt to retrieve anomalies such as CTA-762 from containment through infiltrations and raids of Corporation facilities.
Due to members of the Cult of Aether typically remaining anonymous, no specific individual can be mentioned.
The Prophet:
There is little knowledge of the Prophet due to the secrecy around the position. The Prophet is the individual of the highest importance within the Cult of Aether, supposedly selected by Aether. The Prophet decides the eligibility of a sect to erect a church and which members will become Amber Priests. The Corporation is aware of the existence of only one Prophet at this time.
The Council of Amber Priests:
Amber Priests within the Cult of Aether are individuals chosen by the Prophet to lead a specific sect of the GoI; they are responsible for managing and assigning crucial roles to the members of their sects, managing property and finances owned by the sect, and hosting sermons. The most vital duty falling upon Amber Priests is to properly welcome and host the Prophet upon the Prophet's arrival to their sect.
Paladins:
Paladins are members of the Cult of Aether involved in the combative endeavours of the GoIs. Paladins are often physically enhanced through both anomalous means and mechanical means; these modifications typically result in above-average strength, speed, durability, and mass, which increases a subject's survivability to the point where standard weaponry becomes ineffective. The Corporation Typically encounters Paladins during sieges on Corporation facilities.
Scholars:
Scholars are members of the Cult of Aether who are skilled in thaumaturgy. Scholars utilize thaumaturgy to enhance and transmute items, materials, and individuals. Scholars construct most structures and items for the Cult of Aether utilizing thaumaturgic rituals and assistance from contractually bound entities. Scholars are an essential step in the process of the creation of Paladins.
Members:
Member is a general term for all individuals within the Cult of Aether; however, usage of the term typically describes members of the GoI who provide little to no service to the group beyond worshipping their chosen Deity.
CTA-040 - Go Outside, The Sky's Beautiful
CTA-762 - Man of the Aether Beautiful Sky