Children of the Cathedral

The Children of the Cathedral was the religious branch of the Unity, a widespread cult that the Master established as a cover for his activities and to spread his philosophy.

Background
The organization was founded by Morpheus for the Master, to act as the public face of the Unity, infiltrating wasteland settlements, The Master saw advantages in establishing a benevolent "religion," the Children of the Cathedral, and using them as spies in settlements throughout the wastes. Missionaries from the Children of the Cathedral spread slowly across the wasteland, acting as eyes and ears for Morpheus and the Master. recruiting potential converts for the cause,

The Children were formally established, as the Master saw the benefit in establishing a benevolent religion to spread his doctrine throughout the wasteland, acting as advocates, infiltrators, and fifth columnists for the Unity. Missionaries slowly spread out across the wasteland, acting as eyes and ears. The Children successfully concealed their origins from prying eyes, particularly the Followers of the Apocalypse.

In subsequent years, the Children slowly expanded across the wasteland communities, establishing clinics and hospitals. The services they rendered to those in need quickly earned them a reputation as a decent, if peculiar group of people. The only group suspicious of their intentions was the Followers of the Apocalypse, who observed that those who do not necessarily subscribe to their ideals frequently disappear.

Following the defeat of the Master and destruction of The Cathedral by the Vault Dweller, remnants of the Children of the Cathedral, as well as the Unity traveled north, with some ending up at the Den. The survivors spoke about the death of the Master and some committed suicide within the town.

Society


Members of the Children were united by a general belief in the Holy Flame and its endless quest to heal the land and the people. By following the Cathedral's teachings, the Children would be able to find a better, more fulfilling life that's free of hardship and strife that marred existence in the wasteland.

Initiates would be expected to spend several weeks of meditation and fasting, before approaching an elder for acceptance into the ranks of the faithful. Alternatively, a prospective Child could volunteer to an elder for service work, including healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and teaching the young. Accepted members were expected to keep their minds healthy and pure. To achieve this, the Cathedral proscribed alcohol and drug use. In return for their service and discipline, the Cathedral would provide for all of their needs.

The Children attracted a broad variety of people. On one end was the head of the organization, High Priest Morpheus, considered to be a corrupt opportunist,Fallout Bible p.26: "INTERVIEW: GIVING SCOTT BENNIE THE “13”" ''"6. Any secrets or background stuff that you've been keeping in your noggin that you want to share? Well, there's Dr. Wu, the incredibly over-the-top and obscene doctor at the Cathedral. I had always selfcensored myself in my writing before Fallout, but the post holocaust setting struck me as a milleu which *required* high levels of obscenity for its grittiness and dark humor, so I went for the "R" rating with gusto, and I made Wu as the embodiment of all that's obscene. Medics tend to be the one character that even dedicated killer PCs don't kill, so I wanted to see how many people would forego the healing and shoot Wu just because he's such a bastard. Tim Cain *hated* Wu; he thought Wu went too far ("does this guy have Turrette's?") and he asked me to tone him down. I did and handed the revision off to Leonard. However somewhere in the process that Wu revision fell through the cracks, because the one that's in the game is the original unpurigated, unfettered Wu. I almost regret not doing more with the Cathedral, but I did my best not to throw in side quests because I thought at that time the player would be pretty much streaking for the endgame and any quests at this point would be more annoying than useful. There's a time for speed bumps, and there's a time when you have to let them cut loose. So the Cathedral's mostly for color. I tried to come up with a few NPCs there who weren't despicable; I thought it'd be more interesting if the cult attracted a few people who weren't stupid and thuggishly evil. That way, they'd contrast better with people like Morpheus (whose dialogue was written before I came on the project) who *was* an opportunistic scumball."'' and numerous thugs used by the Cathedral as soldiers. On the other were people like Thorndyke, altruists who firmly believed in selfless service and sharing. Virtue was its own reward.

Clerical structure
Those wishing to serve the Cathedral began their journey as initiates, after fulfilling the aforementioned requirements (weeks of meditation and fasting or voluntary service to the elders). All the lesser functions were collectively referred to as acolytes.

Acolytes who proved their loyalty to the Cathedral could become Servitors. Once their indoctrination was completed, they would be brought to the Inner Sanctum and subjected to drug injections and torture. The procedure was meant to push their minds to the breaking point. Those who survived it with their psyche intact would be granted the appropriate rank and purple robes as a badge of their station. Those who did not were retained as laborers and soldiers, after filling their broken minds with Cathedral dogma. These "zombies" were a particularly common sight around the Cathedral.

At the head of the cult stood the Inner Order, composed of Morpheus and twelve other high priests. They acted as agents of the great Dark God, passing his words to the rest of the children, and as administrators overseeing the expansion of the cult and its day-to-day operations. They and their agents are also the only ones cleared to enter the Inner Sanctum of the Cathedral. At the time of the Cathedral's destruction, the thirteen High Priests included Morpheus, Father Lasher, and Elder Jain at the Hub. 

Beliefs


As a religion, the Children of the Cathedral had three core beliefs:


 * 1) The nuclear weapons that scorched the earth were holy, for they destroyed the evil and decadence of the Old World (see United States and China for details). Commonly described as justice, they were called the Holy Flame or Holy Fires, as a metaphor for the death of the old world and the beginning of the new.
 * 2) Human nature is inherently flawed, making humans spiteful, violent, and stupid. This leads to a self-perpetuating propagation of evil and greed, leading to fragmentation and conflict.
 * 3) As such, the rebirth of the scoured planet could be accomplished by accepting the Master (the second Holy Flame) as the Master of All. By following his light, replacing selfishness with selflessness, and cleansing the unfaithful, the Nexus of Rebirth would be reached,  bringing rebirth to the planet and allowing humanity to thrive. It would be the unification of all people under a single banner, regardless of their race, gender, or other personal traits - and the elimination of the unfaithful from the world. This Unity would elevate the Children to a higher level of life.

Those who progressed far enough in service to the Children were able to learn first-hand some of the means through which Unity would be brought into existence. Worthy servitors could be transformed into Super Mutants at the vats. Although the attrition rate was high, the resulting mutants were bigger, stronger, and faster than regular humans - and crucially, free of the vices that caused so much strife and misery among regular people. Naturally, these super mutants were considered gods by the rest of the Children, and presented as outsiders accepted by the Cathedral to those who did not share the faith.

Ghouls held a special place in the Children's beliefs. They were considered holy, as their deformities and rot bore witness for the sins of past men in the present. 

Terms

 * Father Hope - The Master.
 * Holy Flame - The Master. Sometimes used to refer to the Great War and the nuclear fire.
 * Right Hand of God - Lieutenant.
 * Servitor(s) - one who has proven themselves to the Church and a rank to be aspired to.
 * Unity - the utopian society promised by the Master and the Cathedral.
 * Unity Rose - a flower symbolizing the Holy Flame.

Members

 * Lasher
 * Jain
 * Jeremiah
 * VanHagan
 * Dane
 * Doctor Wu

Locations

 * The Hub
 * Necropolis
 * Junktown
 * The Cathedral

Appearances
The Children of the Cathedral appear in Fallout.

Behind the scenes
The Children of the Cathedral are mentioned in the Fallout Bible.