Jeremiah

## Appearances

"*Do you truly remember **nothing?** All the work we did, the sacrifices, the pain... [....] Yes...we did **terrible** things. But they were **necessary**. They were necessary for us to reach **this point**. Please, Arthur, I need you to understand...**you're what we've been looking for**. This gift of yours can change **everything**. All our lives, the years of work, all for **you**. We just didn't know it. [...] It's **you**, Arthur. It's always been **you**. You are **Revelation**. You are the end of the cycle. You are the **fate of the world**,*"
—Jeremiah preaching to Eden[src]

**Jeremiah**, also called the **Preacher** and the **Man in Black**, is a main character and an antagonist, as well as a survivor of the outbreak in *So Help Me God*. A fervent member of the People of the Future, he is the leader of the Underchurch, the cult's sanctuary outside Sacramento, California. He serves as the overarching main antagonist of the *Monuments* arc.

## Overview

### Personality & Traits

Jeremiah is a highly intelligent and well-spoken individual. He maintains the image of a wise philosopher to his peers and very rarely breaks under pressure, partly due to his detachment from life. He uses his very powerful charisma to bring people over to his cult, manipulating them to the point of convincing them to give their lives to his cause. Jeremiah fervently believes the world to be inherently cyclical, with the apocalypse simply heralding the end of the cycle, giving his cult a chance to rebuild the world as they see fit.

Beneath his charismatic and philosophical exterior, Jeremiah is a murderous, psychopathic monster who is not afraid to kill to advance his goals. He prefers to kill people by burning them at the stake, publically shaming them as heretics or blasphemors. He rules the Underchurch with an iron fist, overseeing the day-to-day activities of everyone and rooting out opposition with his own personal guard of spies and assassins.

## Pre-Apocalypse

### California

Jeremiah was born in the early to mid 1980s into a family that were members of the People of the Future, a Christian doomsday cult that believed the "rapture" was upon them. Jeremiah eventually rose to become an influencial member of the cult, planning attacks across the country with the help of operatives like Arthur, who had been completely brainwashed by the cult. Jeremiah and Arthur grew close prior to the latter's attack on the UoC Davis campus in 2003.

## Post-Apocalypse

### Season 2: Memories

As the outbreak - known to the cult as "the rapture" - spread across California, Jeremiah and other younger followers of the cult sought refuge in the Underchurch, a cult base beneath Martin Memorial Hospital halfway between Sacramento and Davis. Using a network of tunnels beneath the hospital, the cult could avoid the muertos on the surface and recruit other survivors into the Underchurch.

In the four years following the outbreak, Jeremiah sent an agent, Dylan Emerson, to recruit survivors on the surface. Dylan completed his task, but had lost faith in Jeremiah's vision of a "Beast of Revelation" that would bridge the cap between the living and the dead; Dylan and his group therefore never returned and joined Alpha Force's efforts to settled the California State Capitol instead. Jeremiah would continue sending preachers to the surface, hoping to recruit - or capture - entire communities into his cult.

## Killed Victims

* At least three unnamed UoC students *(indirectly)* - mastermind of Arthur's attack
* Four unnamed people *(caused)* - burned at the stake
* Numerous counts of zombies and possibly unnamed people

## Relationships

### Antony Eden

"*Brother...**welcome home**,*"
—Jeremiah welcomes Eden to the Underchurch[src]
Jeremiah and Arthur were close friends before the outbreak, both dedicated members of the People of the Future and partners in the cult's attack on the University of California. Years later, however, with Arthur now known as Antony Eden and seeking redemption for his past atrocities, their relationship has become antagonistic: Jeremiah and his cult threatens the Colony and everything Eden cares about, combined with Jeremiah's belief that Eden is the "Beast" from the Book of Revelation, whom Jeremiah's own visions predict will cleanse the world once and for all.

### Dylan Emerson

Jeremiah and Dylan's relationship has been one of both betrayal and absolute loyalty. Dylan remained by Jeremiah's side for the first three years of the apocalypse, diligently exploring the surface to recruit more survivors for the Underchurch. Over time, however, Dylan lost faith in Jeremiah's visions of "The Beast" and left the Underchurch behind, bringing other disillusioned cultists with him and joining Alpha Force to settle the Colony. Upon seeing Eden's unnatural abilities, however, Dylan's faith is reignited and he takes advantage of Eden's desire to redeem himself to bring him to the Underchurch under false pretences. Upon his return, Jeremiah welcomes Dylan as a brother.