Steam Church

The **Cult of the Immortal Engine**, better known by its colloquial name the **Steam Church**, is a quasi-religious organization of engineers and inventors in Evarencia primarily located in Western Maywikt and northern Dragonsand based out of Mekkenheim in the Kovithian Empire. The members of the monastic society of inventors are called **Steam-priests** and practice a creed that eschews the worship of the gods in favor of devoting oneself to the concept of progress, ingenuity, and invention. They are responsible for a large portion of the rapid proliferation of industry and technological advancement through advanced aether engineering steam engines, earning them their name. They occupy an interesting place in the Kovithian Empire in that they are able to practice their unique creed while not being deemed heretics.

## Basic Information

### Type

* Organization
* Quasi-religious society

### Goals

* Progress technology and industry in the realm
* Deny the gods their souls through the construction of an Immortal Engine
* Improve life around the realm via technology

## Membership

### Notable Members

* Dominus Titanius Alethiedes
* Dominus Set Juraak

## Relationships

### Allegiences

* Imperial Kovith
* Knights of the Holy Storm

### Enemies

* biomancers
* the gods

## History

### Founding

The Cult of the Immortal Engine can trace its early founding to the years of 2S 1787-95 in the Kovithian kingdom known as Mekkenheim. When a humble priest and alchemist devoted to Kovar took up tinkering, he soon found himself not only fascinated, but devoted to the craft. He quickly developed a school that would become the Fabricator Cathedral of Synax where the earliest disciples of the Steam Church gathered and listened to the dogma that this priest preached. This priest became known as Synax, the 1st, and at some point, the Steam Church's texts state that Synax, in a sign of defiance to the gods, scribed his name into the Wall of the Faithless, and then completed crafting the greatest feat of engineering every devout Steam-priest can only dream of; fabricating an Immortal Engine and eschewing the coils of death that the gods use to stifle mortal-kind's ingenuity. Shedding the shackles of mortality, Synax continues to guide the church to this day while maintaining the central database of steam-priest schematics and inventions. This feat of engineering only brought more folk hoping to progress society and technology into the Cult of the Immortal Engine.

### The Steam Church

The Cult of the Immortal Engine rapidly grew after Synax forged the Immortal Engine and became a power lich bringing inventors, tinkerers, and those wishing to be engineers to their order as the Church's technology and developments proved to work. Inventions credited to the Steam Church include many forms of electrical engineering and power, steam trains, advanced prosthetics, and many other technologies present in the land. As the Steam Church grew and the technology only they really had the expertise on became integral to Kovithian society, even if the Kovithian Church disagrees with the Cult's philosophies, and along with the precedent set by the Knights of the Holy Storm, the steam-priests were able to continue to follow their unique outlook on the cosmos and religion. As technology and industry continue to grow and develop throughout Evarencia, so does the reach of the Steam Church, causing the organization to begin seeing rapid expansion into territories traditionally not part of their sphere of influence.

## Philosophy & Beliefs

As a quasi-religious organization, the Cult of the Immortal Engine approaches engineering and science from a ritualistic angle, dedicating themselves wholly to the study of machines and how they work. During the foundation of the church, Synax preached about how it is not the gods that have led to the survival and proliferation of mortals, even through cataclysmic events such as the Titanomachy or the Sunless Era, but instead, credit should go to mortals themselves and their ingenuity and inventiveness. The control that the gods have over mortals is through the cycle of life and death, and if one can cast aside the cosmic cycle through machines, they can transcend the Realms Above. The Steam Church places an emphasis on celebrating a person's own abilities, progressing technology and industry to improve the general quality of life for folk, and to achieve the truest form of free will by denying the gods your soul, which doesn't belong to them in the first place.

It is thought that some of the ideas Synax wrote into the steam-priest's beliefs were inspired by some philosophical concepts and approaches in alchemy. Like those who study alchemy, steam-priests also follow the concept of the magnum opus (a concept also found in biomancy), but unlike a grand transmutation of magic or creation of life, steam-priests consider the fabrication of an Immortal Engine to be the greatest feat of engineering, allowing them to remove their soul from the cycle and truly transcend existence through progress; through their own work. Unlike the tycoons and magnates of the business world, the steam-priests focus less on competition or obtaining wealth for patents, but rather, focus on cooperating, research, and producing advanced technology. Unstifled by distractions such as money, status, or political barriers, steam-priests are able to advance technology in ways other inventors just can't seem to achieve. The Cult of the Immortal Engine sustains itself through payment for their technology and services, but these payments are for the Church and are managed by a complex database and machine forged by the Cult to allocate the funds appropriately for the church.

As the Cult of the Immortal Engine grows as an organization, differences between individual Fabricator Temples develop with different variations on the core beliefs having seen practice across their organization. The steam-priests are able to cooperate despite these differences, provided the core tenants of the Church remain unchanged. Notably, the Cult of the Immortal Engine abhors biomancy and sees it as unnatural science.

## Membership

There is an extensive hierarchy present within the Steam Church. Different Temples tend to focus on different types of technologies.

### Steam-priesthood

Members of the Cult of the Immortal Engine considered steam-priests are initiated into the organization and are considered full fledged members. These folk have adopted the beliefs and creed of the steam-church, having accepted ingenuity and invention as their god and declaring their soul free from the shackles of immortality.

#### Immortal Engine (Pontiff)

The name given to the Immortal Engine by many non-members is Pontiff, Synax the First. Synax is the head of the steam church and resides deep within the Cathedral of Synax where the Immortal Engine he created is said to be housed. Synax the 1st is charged with overseeing the database of all steam-priest schematics and fabricator manuals. They also represent the Cult of the Immortal Engine within the Imperial Diet, being the voice of the church within the Kovithian government.

#### Dominus

The Dominus of the steam-church oversee their own Temples and are considered the greatest minds within the Cult of the Immortal Engine. They are sought out by many steam-priests hoping to have the honor of working in one of their classes or workshops. Many Dominus have a reputation for a grand understanding of engineering, science, and many extend their lifespans through augmentation via steam technology implants and advanced prosthetics. It is the Dominuses that often serve as Synax's representatives at the Diets.

#### Enginseer

Enginseers are the personal students of a steam-priest Dominus and work under their direction. Enginseers have proven themselves as inventors and in the ways of engineering. Achieving the rank of enginseer is the mark of a steam-priest who has truly become devoted to the ways of the Steam Church. Enginseers are taught special schematics and instructions on machines that the steam-church is not as willing to give out so willingly to lower ranking members.

#### Mechanite

Perhaps the 'common' rank amongst steam-priests are mechanites. These priests have moved beyond the lower rungs of steam-priesthood and are considered to be fully proven members of the Church. Mechanites are often charged with many of the tasks of the church involved with the roles of repair, mechanical work, and being 'in the field' so to speak as opposed to the Enginseers or Dominus who study and tinker away.

#### Acolyte

Members of the steam-priesthood who have just officially entered into their creed and have been completely welcomed into the fold. They handle a lot of 'grunt' work being on the lowest rung of the steam-priest heirarchy.

### Non-priest members

#### Apprentice

After initiates have completed their introductory studies, they are assigned to be an apprentice under a steam-priest where they will learn their way around machinery and steam technology. Completion of apprenticeship leads to the acceptance of the Synax's Creed, which marks entrance into the priesthood.

#### Initiate

Initiates are those who have begun the process of becoming a steam-priest. They must attending classes, rigorously studying and must pass a test to be accepted as an apprentice.

### Notable Steam-priests

* Synax the 1st, the Immortal Engine, Pontiff of the Steam Church
* Dominus Titanius Aletheides
* Dominus Set Juraak

## Notable Locations

* Cemetery of Machines in Enventos, Mekkenheim
* Fabricator Cathedral of Synax in Synaxium, Mekkenheim
* The Memory Crypts located beneath the Fabricator Cathedral
* Synaxium School of Engineering

## Reputation

The Steam Church, as it is known by most who do not follow their philosophy, is usually viewed by those unfamiliar with them with an air of mystique and apprehension. To those who have not interacted with them, especially of a religious background, they may find them and their creed off-putting. While they may seem eccentric or bookish, many folk respect the steam-priests for their understanding of machines and the inventions they have created. They are renowned for having the best scholarship on aether steam engineering and are lauded for their advancements in medical technology (such as advanced prosthetics), accessibility (powered wheel chairs, lifts), electrical power, steam engines, and various other technologies that industrialized societies in Evarencia may take for granted. Druids and others who feel a close connection to the natural world often find themselves at odds with the steam-priest mantra of advancement through steel and view them as unnatural and their goals as destructive to nature.

Within the Kovithian Empire, devout faithful to the Empire's unique church, may view steam-priests with disdain or a begrudging respect. The Cult of the Immortal Engine and the Kovithian Church are staunch rivals due to them rejecting Kovar as their protector, but they can skirt heresy by claiming that the Emperor *may* be the avatar of Kovar, but they don't have to accept them as their guide and protector. Due to their stance against the Kovithian Church, the steam-priests often find an ally in the Knights of the Holy Storm.

Tinkerers, scientists, artificers, and even mages often have a profound respect for not only the expertise of a steam-priest, but also their devotion to discovery and learning. Steam-priest sources are considered vastly accurate with an effort and emphasis placed on review, testing, and data. In more recent years, the Order of the Weave and the Steam Church began cooperating more on projects, leading to interesting discoveries and inventions of artifice.

## Trivia

* The steam-priests and their unique, technology based creed are inspired by the Adeptius Mechanics in *Warhammer 40k* and the Brotherhood of Steel in *Fallout.* They major difference is instead of preserving technology from an old age, the steam-priests are the ones developing the technology.
* Conversations with creator Puddins suggest that the church's founder and leader, Synax, 'uploaded' his soul/consciousness to his immortal engine.