FrivYeti/SaGMachine
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The Cult of the Machine-God
Although Autochthon died under the assault of the Deathlords, some believe that he was not truly destroyed. After all, the Great Maker is so far above such creatures as gods and mortals that death could not possibly truly apply to him. The Cult of the Machine God believes that Autochthon only sleeps; according to them, he will one day recover from his wounds and destroy the Deathlords that infest him, restoring balance and accepting his faithful back within himself.
Doctrine
The Cult of the Machine God draws their doctrine from Autochthon, and the old days in which the Great Maker was alive, if not particularly active. As such, virtues such as diligence, attention to duty, obediance to higher powers and an active desire to improve yourself and the world that you live in are the greatest virtues that a follower of Autochthon can have.
Failures to the Machine God are of the same sort; violent protests, unprovoked violence in general, acting in an anarchistic fashion, undermining the natural order of the world, acting with undue greed or selfishness, and generally placing yourself above your society and considering that the world owes you. Such failures are considered grave crimes, and are generally harshly punished in societies that follow the Machine-God.
The Cult of the Machine God understands that the Deathlords managed to drive Autochthon into slumber. Some of the more optimistic cult members believe that Autochthon can and will awaken by himself one day, and that the faithful need only live their life as he would command, and they will be brought back into a better world when he returns. Most of them, however, are more realistic. They preach that the people of the Machine God must work tirelessly to improve their nations, in preparation for a Great Return. When the Great Return occurs, the people of the Machine God will push into Autochthon, destroying the Deathlords and enabling their god to wake again. Once Autochthon is aware of the transgressions that occured when the Deathlords caught him sleeping, he will restore the world to what it should be.
Obviously, such a Return is centuries away, if it could ever return. However, it is at the heart of everything that the Cult of the Machine God believes; that they can one day defeat the Deathlords and restore Authochthon to glory. They are, of course, mostly wrong, but their dedication will refuse to listen to such thoughts.
Territories
The Cult of the Machine God remains strongest in the north, where it is the institutional religion of New Estasia. While the entire population doesn't follow the Machine God, the majority do, as do any who have soulgems and are therefore in the upper echelons of power. Following the Machine God is a requirement if you wish to receive a soulgem, and therefore non-Machinists tend to find themselves frequently discriminated against, and constantly treated as a lower class for their religious beliefs.
The Cult also has small memberships in the West and East. In the West, the existance of Autochthonian refugees in the League has kept a small but devoted following, although the existance of a Deathlord in the League creates tension for Machinist followers. In the East, a small number of Machine Cultists continue to live in Rathess, where they have adapted their theology around the sun-worship of the Dragon Kings and exist as a sort of splinter-cult of the Machinists. The Balmori Republic also has a small number of Machine Cultists, although they remain a very small minority. The Machine Cult is almost unheard-of in the South, where Chiaroscuro wiped out the Autochthonians almost wholesale.
Membership
In New Estasia, of course, membership in the Machine Cult stretches across all levels of government. The highest echelons worship thus, as do many of the middle classes and a very large portion of the poor. Many people consider worship of the Machine God to be critical to advancement (not without cause), and this keeps worship levels very high. By comparison, worship in the East is restricted almost exclusively to descendants of original worshippers, and even that is slowly dropping; League membership also tends towards descendants of the old Autochthonians, although sometimes others do join the Machine Cult. Members in the Balmori Republic tend to be members of the middle class, lovers of Autochthonian technology and minor rebels against Immaculate doctrine who are still nervous of more radical religions.
Overall, Machine Cultists aren't the poorest levels of society; their doctrine doesn't really attract the poor except in areas where they are already in control. On the flip side, their ideals tend to turn aside the very rich, again except for areas where they rule. As such, this is a very middle-class and artisan religion.
Exalted
Obviously, Alchemical Exalts are the beloved of the Cult of the Machine God, and just about every Alchemical not subverted by a Deathlord counts themselves as a member. As paragons of Autochthon, they are considered the most respected and beloved of Autocthon's children, and many people dream of one day proving themselves of being worthy to have their souls implanted in an Alchemical frame.
By contrast, most other Exalted don't have a particular place in the Cult's order. As creations of the Machine God, they have the potential to be great, but only those who actually join with the Machine God are considered to be worthy; simple Exaltation doesn't suffice to make you anything but more powerful than others. Worshippers are treated as powerful mortals would be; Exalts who undergo Recycling in New Estasia are treated exactly as Alchemicals.
A special note remains for Abyssals; they are instantly distrusted as servants of the vile Deathlords. Rogues are treated with compassion and understanding, as fellow enemies of the Dead, but loyal Deathknights are hated and viewed with scorn.
