Order of the Elugo Tamry

***"My brothers and sisters, although we have suffered for millennia in this unfair and cruel plane of existence, you all can be free if you place yourself into the arms of the Immortal Father, his grand plan for our lives is only just beginning, I assure you that once his will is completed, we will all live in peace and in paradise and you shall worry no more." - Walter Inman***

   The Order of the Elugo Tamry also known as the "Order of the Immortal Father" are a lucrative cult which formed after the Battle of Earth in the 2nd Xeno War in 447 FOF. The cult embraces the idea of the "Immortal Father" which they believe he must return and cleanse the universe and remake it anew so all living beings can thrive without any threat of violence, illness, or war and only through devout worship will he be able to enter our plane of existence and start the cleansing. The cult quickly spread after the end of the 2nd Xeno War and came to encompass many worlds and came into active conflict with the Federation many times.

   **ORIGINAL FOUNDING**

The Order of the Elugo Tamry would be founded by Walter Inman's and a group of scientists and researchers from Project Stargate, "The Whisper" which was contracted by many during Project Stargate slowly drove Walter Inman to near insanity as well as others working on the project. The scientists and researchers would come to sabotage Project Stargate and keep the interdimensional portal open for as long as possible so the being known as the "Lower Planes Immortal" also known as the "Immortal Father" could worm its way into our reality. These plans however would be foiled by Edict Stremund shutting down power to the portal causing it to close. When the portal opening failed Walter Inman and his group would flee and shortly after would found the Order of the Elugo Tamry with the goal of spreading the cult across the Federation and eventually building another portal for the Immortal Father to enter through. The members of the Elugo Tamry would build their first following on the outer Federation colony of Ulaanbaatar.

   **INFLUENCE AND SPREAD**

***"Please stop resisting our fathers love, he truly wants the best for all of us including you, all you have to do is give in to the whisper of the father and everything will make sense." -Walter Inman***

In 448 FOF the original members of the Elugo Tamry would begin spreading out across the galaxy in order to spread the cults influence and increase its membership. Walter Inman would remain on Ulaanbaatar where his research would continue on creating a new gateway to the Lower Planes Dimension. The cult would soon catch the eye of the Solar Watchmen as well as Federation Internal Security, Walter Inman would become one of the most wanted men in the Federation for his involvement in the Project Stargate disaster. An inter-planetary manhunt would begin for Walter Inman as well as other Elugo Tamry leaders; however, this did not stop the spread and even increased influence the cult gained, the cult would gain infamy for its actions at the Luna Complex and this fame would intrigue many to join. New attempts at inter-dimensional portals would be attempted by small groups of the cult with some succeeding and some failing, through these gateways "the whisper" would brainwash and infect many more people within its area spreading the cult even further. Within these portals to the lower planes dimension or as the Elugo Tamry call it Alu' Manjarma, willing cult members would enter the lower planes to commune with the Immortal Father and some would be granted supernatural abilities by him although it came with the price of their sanity, however very few individuals would be granted this "privilege". Those that did not prove worthy to the Immortal Father would be cast out of the lower planes and into reality with horrible physical deformities while some did not return at all. Over time the Elugo Tamry would even spread to other alien species including the Kyterians and Mudash.

**DENOMINATIONS AND SECTS OF THE ELUGO TAMRY CULT**

When some of the original members left Ulaanbaatar to spread the Order of the Elugo Tamry some denominations of the cult would arise in the 450's FOF, many of these sects and denominations would still worship the immortal father and are considered still Elugo Tamry members however the means of worship and recruitment differed dramatically with some sects being fully peaceful and allowing all to join while others could be bloodthirsty zealots. While peace between these denominations is common there have been instances of sects skirmishing with each other over conflicting ideals.

**Congregation of the Faithful**

The Congregation of the Faithful is a sect of the Order of the Elugo Tamry which was founded by former Project Stargate researcher Fredrick Callahan. Fredrick Callahan was a former associate of Walter Inman and remained in close contact with Walter even after founding the Congregation of the Faithful. This sect of the Elugo Tamry believed that since "the whisper" could only be heard in their heads that the human mind contained more knowledge from the Immortal Father and was its own gateway into Alu' Manjarma and communion with the Immortal Father could be achieved by consuming human brain matter, this belief along with the insanity and delusions brought on by "the whisper" quickly turned the group into bloodthirsty cannibals who consumed the brains of those who refused to join the cult, they believed those who refused to join were cursed by the Immortal Father and therefore must be forcefully converted or have their brain devoured as punishment. Because of the rampant heinous crimes committed by this sect, the Federation on multiple occasions has attempted to arrest its members and destroy the sect entirely and because of this the Congregation of the Faithful have gone underground and now reside in small hidden congregations across the Federation.

**Church of the Penitent Sisterhood**

The Church of the Penitent Sisterhood is a denomination of the Elugo Tamry who is made up of an all-female group of zealots which was founded by Mariah Dior. The Church of the Penitent Sisterhood believes that all beings within reality are inherently flawed and not worthy of the Immortal Father's love. This denomination is consistent with the thought that the only way to commune and reach the father is through one's own self-sacrifice and mutilation, only after mastering the art of self-inflicted torture will the faithful be able to communicate and exist with the father. Outside of the constant penitence that the sisterhood inflicts upon themselves the denomination is one of the most faithful and full of zeal. While mostly peaceful, raids by the Federation have caused this group to fiercely fight back and on some occasions the sisterhood has almost been wiped out because of their suicidal fanaticism.

**Oath Keepers of Alu' Manjarma**

The Oath Keepers of Alu' Manjarma are a denomination of the Elugo Tamry which was founded by a former Federation army officer Nabonidus Cliver. The Oath Keepers of Alu' Manjarma have deep connections with the other sects and denominations of the Elugo Tamry cult and serves as the military arm of the entire Elugo Tamry. The Oath Keepers hold the belief that they are the ones chosen by the Immortal Father to defend Alu' Manjarma. This denomination protects the gateways and portals into the Lower Planes Dimension with fierce determination, they are also in charge of providing security and protection to major holy sites such as temples dedicated to the Immortal Father. The Oath Keepers believe that through their intense dedication to defending Alu' Manjarma that they will earn the favor of the Immortal Father and will one day ascend to be the Immortal Fathers personal warriors and servants. Becoming an Oath Keeper of Alu' Manjarma is considered one of the hardest things to achieve in the Order of the Elugo Tamry and few manage to reach the expectations the sect have for their future warriors but once the training is complete the new Oath Keeper is one of the most elite soldiers in the cult and is highly respected by nearly all members. The Oath Keepers have come into conflict with the Federation on many occasions and have proven to be a dangerous foe even against a professional well-armed military.

**The Sanctum Proselytes**

The Sanctum Proselytes are a sect of the Elugo Tamry which uphold the thought that only through reaching complete inner peace and tranquility can those in the faith reach and commune with the Immortal Father. The Sanctum Proselytes was not founded by a single person but was a small movement which swept through the Elugo Tamry for a brief period in 453 FOF, followers of this sect are dedicated to meditation and improving mental clarity so they may be able to better understand "the whisper" and the will of the father. Part of the Sanctum Proselytes daily rituals is to gather within the Lower Planes Dimension where they all meditate as one and listen to "the whisper" or signs that the Immortal Father is present, this meditation is a form of worship and spiritual freedom to many. While this group makes up a relatively small percentage of the Elugo Tamry cult they are often looked to by other members for guidance and spiritual support. The Sanctum Proselytes rarely participates in active combat unless absolutely necessary. Many Sanctum Proselytes take on various humble jobs within the Elugo Tamry including providing medical care for the injured, feeding the hungry, maintaining temples and sites of worship, and constructing new gateways into the Lower Planes Dimension.

**CONFLICT WITH THE FEDERATION**

The Order of the Elugo Tamry and the Federation would maintain a rough relationship with each other. Most interactions between the Federation and the cult would result in conflict as the cult spread its influence in Federation worlds and the more extreme sects such as the Congregation of the Faithful openly defied and broke Federation law, the cults leaders such as Walter Inman were wanted individuals and Federation Internal Security as well as the Solar Watchmen would stop at nothing to apprehend them. The more peaceful elements of the cult such as the Sanctum Proselytes were not directly assaulted or arrested by the Federation however, they would be monitored closely for any sign of extremism and law-breaking. Any cult members caught directly assisting individuals such as Walter Inman or sects such as the Congregation of the Faithful would be immediately found and arrested. Many within the Federation saw the cult as threat to the Federations national security, branches such as Federation Internal Security and Special Strategic Operations took every opportunity available to prosecute cult members or raid temples and sites of worship. The Federation has captured multiple intact gateways to the Lower Planes which were created by the Elugo Tamry which is another activity the Federation explicitly tries to stop. The Elugo Tamry also actively view the Federation as a threat to their religion and worship with many cult members taking up arms against the Federation by forming small militias, the Oath Keepers of Alu' Manjarma are notorious for attacking Federation personnel and starships for infringing on their religious sites. Most of the Elugo Tamry have begun to worship in secret within the cities and lightly populated areas of the Federation, underground groups are common where the faithful can worship the Immortal Father without fear of persecution or being seen by the prying eyes of the Federation or Solar Watchmen.

**RELATIONS WITH ALIEN SPECIES**

The cults contact outside of the Federation was relatively small and contact with aliens was infrequent outside of human space, in 457 FOF a Kyterian tourist named Isshmeil Lago Riolon would stumble upon a Elugo Tamry temple hidden on the planet of Neptune. Awed by the beauty of and elegance of the architecture and design he would take an interest in the cult and would remain for further studies. Isshmeil would end up following the cult members to the planet of Illiad V where he would be exposed to the "the whisper" and would subsequently be inducted into the Elugo Tamry. The Kyterian would soon leave to return home and would found the first Kyterian sect of the Elugo Tamry.

The Mudash race would first see contact with the Elugo Tamry somewhere around 451 FOF after a group of cultists flew into Mudash territory to evade capture by the Solar Watchmen, first contact between the two would not necessarily be peaceful but a few Mudash would quickly be intrigued by this newfound religion. Mudash pilot Hiwuo Dnjar would take pity upon the persecuted Elugo Tamry members and would fly them to relative safety, the Mudash pilot would spend many weeks interacting with the Elugo Tamry, the cultists would convince Hiwuo Dnjar to convert before returning back home. Hiwuo Dnjar became the first Mudash member of the Elugo Tamry and quickly began attempts to convert others within the Mudash species.

With the portal openings to the Lower Planes contact with the Zelmeri was bound to happen eventually, some contact between the Elugo Tamry and the Zelmeri occurred and by enlarge there have been no recorded conflicts between the two, because of similar religious practices and reverence for the same being both parties have on occasion worshipped together within Alu' Manjarma.