Chapter 33: More Than a Schism
A religious schism.
Esphera’s problem was one I hadn’t even considered, especially this early in her career as a constellation.
On Earth, it wasn’t uncommon for religions to branch off into different directions. Something I learned while browsing trivia was that Christianity, for example, is estimated at nearly forty‑five thousand denominations, which is pretty insane to think about.
Although I wasn’t entirely sure how accurate that figure was, it reminded me of how often people differ in opinion and how easily such differences can divide groups apart.
This wasn’t exactly a doomsday situation for her. Two groups going their separate ways wouldn’t mean much if they still worshipped the same deity. The real problem was what effects two different perspectives on the same goddess might have on Esphera, and how much she herself might change as a result.
Esphera herself wasn’t too sure how severe or widespread this problem was at the moment. Chances are, this will only result in a minor splinter group straying from the main body.
Whether that group would stand the test of time was likely of little consequence if it truly was as small as I expected it to be. But if it isn’t… Hm.
Normally, in colony sims, religious splintering occurs much later in a playthrough. Often, this is considered to be a simple balance mechanic coupled with a tinge of realism. A way to keep players on their toes, without making them stub those toes too early.
But if you look at real-world examples, despite how often it can occur, it takes a lot more elements to actually have it happen naturally.
Faith and devotion. Room for religious interpretation. Accuracy of storytelling. Theology. Technology. Social trends. Corruption. Politics.
While colony sims themselves often don’t go into such deep detail as to how these mechanics work, it’s easy enough to infer such from real-life examples. The problem here, in Esphera’s case, is that many of those likely don’t apply.
After Esphera turned time forward, many generations had passed in the blink of an eye. Despite this, progress was undoubtedly slow as expected. Humanity is still just fresh off the cradle of primitiveness and has just begun forming hamlets, villages, and small towns.
Concepts like kingship are still far ahead in the future, and technology is still barebones. Multimedia, printing, and literacy in general don’t exist to progress social trends along yet, so what gives?
To find this out, we left the forest using the now-too-familiar power of warping to different locations that constellations seem to wield to investigate the scene. The goal? Find the shaman who was responsible for the growing division between the plainsfolk and the expansionist tribes and learn from him why this schism is forming.
“So this is Starfell. How interesting.”
“A town built in a crater? I think I’ve heard about places like that on Earth.”
“A river runs through the crater, granting water to the town, so the crater itself must be pretty old.”
“Oog.”
“Goo.”
Our party of three constellations, one constellation larper, one regular human, and one high elf baby embarked for the town of Starfell, which was a town built at the center of a meteor crater where a river ran through the crater and the surrounding highlands. This area made for an ideal place for a settlement.
Over time, the terrain around the impact site of the great meteor (known simply as “the Fragment of the Holy Star”) rose into mountains, which protected the town from intense weather. Due to its isolation from its surroundings, predators were rare, making this place safe from wild animals.
Clean river water flowed from the surrounding mountains, nourishing the land at the crater’s heart and allowing Starfell to thrive. And because of the river running through, traveling in and out of Starfell proved rather easy with rafts, despite its natural barriers.
As for the town itself, it didn’t look like anything particularly special. Sure, being here made me feel like I had been thrown back in time and was visiting an ancient location still lively with its ancient inhabitants. However, the architecture was understandably underwhelming, featuring mud-brick houses, small, vague stone structures, and extensive farmland.
I could feel that there was some level of city planning they had in mind, with clear dirt paths here and there, but it was still a bit of a messy place to look at. If there was one interesting thing to look at, it was the meteor that gave the town its name—Starfell.
“That meteor is enormous.”
Sitting at the center of Starfell was a giant meteor that just about matched the size of the famous Las Vegas Sphere on Earth. A huge and, quite frankly, awe-inspiring landmark for a primitive civilization to have access to.
This meteor, mistaken for the fragment of the holy star (Esphera), was considered a holy site by Esphera’s worshippers, who called themselves Espherites.
“It seems they have made something of a tiny palace-like structure at the base of the meteor. I assume that well-elevated place right there is where their leader resides.”
“Does anybody feel like the meteor looks a bit strange? I’m pretty sure pictures of meteors I’ve seen on Earth didn’t look like this.”
“Come to think of it, you may have a point, human.”
Certainly, just as Ori pointed out, this meteor had a strange shape to it. By that, I meant that it was almost perfectly round, like somebody dropped a ball from the sky.
The surface of the meteor wasn’t smooth in the slightest, of course. It’s not a perfect sphere, but it’s surprisingly pretty close. It seems like the damage it received from atmospheric entry and from impacting the ground was considerably minimal.
“The stone must be something pretty heat-resistant and sturdy to be able to remain this much intact.”
“...”
“Oi, why the fuck are you checking yourself like that?”
“We’re not going to switch bodies, are we?”
“Huh?... You fucking idiot, this isn’t that movie.”
Smack!
“Ow. I was joking.”
“Fucking pervert.”
When I looked to my side, Esphera and Graille were giving me strange looks. What gives?
“Sir Yvell, do you like getting hit by any chance…?”
“What? No. Of course not.”
“Then why do you let a mere human hit you in the back of the head like that?”
“She calls you a pervert too…”
“No, really. I do not like that at all. Please do not misunderstand.”
My image as a constellation is taking a strange turn. How do I even explain this?
“This is just another aspect of bonding.”
“Bonding?”
“That is…?”
“Indeed. Human relations have numerous ways to show how strong one’s bond is.”
“No, aren’t you just a masochist?”
Please be silent, Ori. My reputation is at stake here.
“Actions that normally go against the ideal image of friendship can serve as a form of test. A test of the strength of one’s bonds and sincerity.”
“A test? Why would people do such a thing?”
“It sounds complicated.”
“It is simple, really. It is a way for people to indirectly affirm to one another that their bonds will not falter even when pushed to the wall. It can reinforce the degree of comfort and security that one feels around another, because through this unspoken exchange, they affirm the sincerity of their bond.”
Time to do a little acting again. To save my image, I need to look a lot more… tolerant? No, benevolent. Like I can take all the beating in the world and smile through it all.
I take a page out of a K-Drama actor’s book and gently turn my body sideways, flashing Ori a patient smile.
“I see!”
“I understand now, Sir Yvell.”
“... Can you not phrase it that way? You’re making things so weird now...” (Blushing and Muttering)
Why are you turning away like that? I need you to play along, Ori. Save my image and all.
Despite trying to silently communicate my intentions to her using my (fake) telepathy, she didn’t budge. Instead, she shifted the focus of her attention to the high elf baby, whom Graille recently named “Syvlariel,” who was currently fastened to a baby carrier on Graille’s bountiful chest.
This resulted in an awkward situation where little Sylvariel was sandwiched between her mounds while Ori played peekaboo with her, but the baby seemed to like it, so it didn’t seem like much of a problem. Graille seemed to appreciate Ori’s gesture, too, so everyone was happy.
“Star Shaman Snide is calling for the younger men to gather! Come quickly! His sermon shall soon begin!”
Looks like there’s our first clue.
An older man wrapped in leather hides, oozing religious fervor, was shouting as he ran down a dirt path. He was calling for the gathering of the town’s young men for a sermon. But… do shamans do any sermons? On Earth, they were more like wise men connected to all things mystical and spiritual, the kind of people you’d go to for advice, right?
“Calling this Snide person a ‘priest’ would be more accurate, would it not?”
“A priest? I think I prefer the sound of that over an old title like ‘shaman’, stranger.”
What?
When I turned my head, I found a somewhat aged man who looked more decorated than any of the townfolk I’ve seen thus far, dressed in more hides, branches, and twine, all over his body. I could also spy some primitive tattoos running down his arm, depicting the stars in the sky.
“Star Priest Snide… That sounds like a wonderful, holy title. I thank you, stranger. I will be sure to use it from now on.”
“Um… You’re welcome.”
I guess we’ve found our guy. I didn’t exactly expect him to come right to us, though. I was expecting I’d have to search for the NPC first before the quest would start, but here we are.
Esphera’s already staring the guy down with a complicated expression on her face.
We were originally going to give her a mask to hide her identity with, but she refused, stating that a robe to hide her silver hair would be enough of a disguise—something she learned from the time she spent teaching her followers as a mysterious “wisewoman.” She also said something about how her looks made it easier to persuade people into accepting her teachings, but that was a separate matter entirely.
For now, it was time to make a good first impression. Time to put my acting face back on.
I smiled and leaned forward, taking a step back with one foot, as I moved into a graceful bow. Though gestures of respect might still be nonexistent, or perhaps a barebones culture in this world, lowering your head can often be seen as a universal gesture of submission and, by extension, respect toward the other party.
Plus, this could help serve as a seed to start such a culture of respectful gestures.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Star Priest Snide. We… are visitors from a land far away. We have come to bear witness to the spectacle that is the fragment of the holy star that descended onto Earth.”
Excellent. It seems he took that small gesture quite positively, judging by the look on his positively surprised face. And such a positive reception was reflected in the tone of his voice.
“Ah, good! Good! You must be among Esphera’s most faithful to have braved the wilds to see a fragment of her holiness! As you already know, I plan to hold a gathering soon. It will be held at the center of the town, where the fragment lies. I will be most glad to see you there.”
“Of course, Star Priest. We would be honored.”
“Wonderful! Wonderful! I will be off, now. I will see you there soon.”
And just like that, Star Priest Snide walked away toward the promised site, likely in preparation for the gathering.
“Looks like he timed this so-called gathering just right. It should be sunset soon, so the young men of the town should be finishing work for the day not long from now. I wonder if this is going to be another ‘proto-sermon’ of his.”
“... I don’t like that old man. I can tell he was pretending to be interested in us.”
“Pretending? Why would he, human?”
Esphera gave Ori a sharp look, likely because she didn’t like that a follower of hers was getting criticized. While Esphera was a goddess born of humans, her affection for humans likely only extended to those of this world. Normally, Ori would have quickly folded out of fear, but…
“Couldn’t you tell, Miss Constellation? That look in his eyes. That tone. The body language. He was clearly insincere as fuck. He didn’t even care enough to ask our names.”
“Huh?”
Esphera, who was likely expecting Ori to cower before her sharp gaze, seemed surprised to see her stand her ground and confidently respond to a constellation such as herself. Ori had always been very sensitive to apathy and malice—something she’d picked up from her experiences with her family, from what I can recall.
Did that old man irk her so much that it overrode her usual flighty survival instincts around constellations? Interesting.
“Large-scale sermons like this should be unusual for this era. So either this Snide person is an immensely devout worshipper of Esphera, or something might be up that we might want to learn about. Ori’s got a knack for picking up on things like this, so she might be onto something. We should check this so-called ‘gathering’ out.”
“Agreed.”
“... I understand.”
“Oog.”
“Goo.”
“Brothers of Starfell… sons born beneath Esphera’s radiant gaze… look upon our blessed land, kissed by the fallen star itself! Here we took root after fulfilling a sacred duty—her sacred duty.
WE are the ones who obeyed our Great Mother’s call. By her command, we left the plains, we endured hunger, beasts, and bitter winds so that her light might spread across the world. THAT is our legacy. THAT is our birthright.
WE are living waters—ever-moving, ever-growing—while those who remain in the plains stagnate like still ponds, untouched, unchanged, forgotten. WE are the hands of Esphera upon this earth! WE are the ones she chose to shape the world! Her most favored, her most cherished—her most WORTHY!”
“Hear! Hear!”
“You are wise, Snide! You are wise!”
“Hail Esphera! Hail Esphera!”
Snide paused, looking into the distance as if locking his gaze with a sworn enemy’s.
“However… there are those who refuse this legacy—no, her blessing!”
“Who are these faithless fools, Star Priest?!”
“Tell us! Tell us!”
“Who dares forsake Esphera’s love?”
Snide dramatically pointed at the famed “Holy Star Fragment” sitting at the center of the town.
“The afflicted ones… the Gnomes! Though born upon this sacred soil, they fear the radiant light of Esphera! They skulk at the outskirts of Starfell, hiding in shadows with their twisted, stunted forms, spurning her warm embrace!”
The crowd gasped in surprise.
"And those afflictions—no! They are no mere misfortune! Their small, malformed bodies are proof… proof that they do not receive Esphera’s love! It is a curse upon the unfaithful! A curse upon those unworthy of her light!
They are born small… born to burrow… born to hide… so that her radiant grace may never touch them!”
“Traitors! Traitors, all of them!”
“Burn the gnomes! Burn them all!”
“Ungrateful! What ungrateful people!”
Ah, fuck. We got gnome racism before BT:A VI.
