The Flock

The Flock is a cult headed by Aruma Hemlocke.

The symbol of the Flock.

## Doctrine

The beliefs of the Flock are simple.

Aruma, having been instrumental in the collapse of the planes, is the Messiah. The Flock ultimately believe the collapse was the Rapture, and therefore, Aruma is the second coming of Christ. This is the reason why she modelled her followers after a bastardised form of the Christian church.

Furthermore, according to the Flock, the Lattice is God, and therefore Aruma is an embodiment of God/The Lattice.

Aruma is the keeper of a 'holy book', stylised as a bible, which supposedly fully contains the Flock's beliefs and laws of conduct.

## Structure

The Flock is organised into a three-tier structure (see image). It is headed by a Bishop (referred to as 'supremacy'), who is served by a circle of seven priests or priestesses who have been renamed by her in a symbolic ceremony of rebirth. Each of the seven then are free to recruit an unlimited number of underlings, known as monks.

The Seven are also known by a virtuous title.

### Humility

The First Priest of Humility is Lilium, or Lilium the Humble. She leads around twenty-one monks.

Lilium's name is derived from the allium flower and the demon Lilith. Fittingly, it means 'demon's flower'.

### Patience

Blacrus, or Blacrus the Patient, serves as Second Priest of Patience. His monks usually waver between around three and six. He is a young man with close-cropped white-blonde hair and very bright blue eyes. He is noticeably resembles Aruma.

Blacrus was the son of a monk under Patience I. As a child, he was indentured into the private service of the Priest, and it heavily implied he endured horrific physical and sexual abuse at his hands, until he was found standing over his corpse in his teens. After he was brought before Aruma and spoke to her privately, he was shepherded into his previous master's position, making him the youngest Priest.

Blacrus is maybe the least deserving of his title. His low amount of monks is mostly due to the fact he murders them without discrimination when feeling strong emotions.

His name is derived from 'black rose', and means 'death's calling'.

### Kindness

Anthema, or Anthema the Kind, is the First Priest of Kindness. She leads around thirty-seven monks. Anthema is a completely hairless black woman. Usually, she covers her entire body except her face, and this is due to harsh spiderweb-esque scars covering her entire body besides her face.

Anthema is the most powerful wizard serving Aruma, and the most passionate about magic - it is speculated this is due to the fact she faced intolerance due to her scarring as a child. She has a reputation for being driven and direct, but has the largest following due to her genuine kindness to her monks.

Her name is derived from the flower chrysanthemum and the word anathema. It means 'abomination'.

### Temperance

Porea, or Porea the Temperate, is the First Priest of Temperance. She leads twelve monks. Porea is a tall and lithe middle-aged woman. Her mouse-brown hair is kept straight and neat in a shoulder-length bob. Her eyes are always closed owing to her empty eye sockets, and she sometimes cries tears of blood. This ordinarily hidden by a pair of goggles she retained from her high society days,

Porea once held a high position on a wizard council. However, once her eyes were destroyed in an accident, she faced ostracisation at the hands of her colleagues, and forced to step down, she was eventually pushed to committing a non-descript "heinous act" at a banquet which caused her to be banished from the grand settlement. She was found wandering the waste by Aruma and taken in.

Porea has immensely powerful psychic and telepathic abilities, but notably has limited offensive capabilities.

Porea's name come from 'papaver rhoeas', or red poppy, and means 'bloody vision'.

### Chastity

Driwa, or Driwa the Chaste, serves as First Priest of Chastity. They are served by around nine monks.

They are a canonically intersex character.

Driwa's name is derived from 'dried white rose', and means 'withering stillness'.

### Charity

Kona, or Kona the Charitable, serves as First Priest of Charity. He is served by exactly thirteen monks at all times, no more and no less.

Kona's name is derived from 'aconitum aconite', or wolfsbane. It means 'devil witch'.

### Diligence

Nataska, or Nataska the Diligent, serves as First Priest of Diligence. Nataska is served by around eighteen monks. She is of Asian descent, and wears her black hair in an asymmetrical cut.

Nataska is arguably the priest closest to Aruma - this is because she was the first member of the Flock, having served with her in the military during the Formative War. Nataska very much embodies her title, and trains her monks as if they were soldiers. Her robes are modified into a stylish military uniform.

Nataska's name is derived from the carnation flower, and means 'sudden end'.

## Recruitment

Trusted monks may be sent to settlements to take care of recruitment. They are jokingly referred to in the cult as 'wolves', due to them "bringing back sheep". Usually, they stay in a place for a few days, giving several sermons, and enticing residents to come with them before bringing them back to be brainwashed and officially inducted.

At times, the Priests or Aruma herself will recruit members, each with different styles of recruitment. In particular, Porea and Nataska enjoy this the most - Porea will give 'blessings' and tell fortunes, and Nataska approaches it like a military recruitment.