First Advent Churches (Sanctuary's Lot Supplement)

The First Advent Churches

Founded millennia ago from tiny, isolated parishes apotheosizing the Strangers’ masters as gods. Surprisingly harmless; instead of glorifying the power and destructiveness of the gods of the dark, the loosely knit First Advent Churches emphasize survival through insignificance. Their gospels underscore a belief that the coming of the Strangers was initiated by the vain hubris of man. And that those who survived the Visitation were the meek, prudent, and unassuming. Sophist nihilists, the priests of the First Advent Churches hold humility, poverty, and obedience as the most meaningful virtues with pride and covetous as the greatest sins.

As innocuous (and increasingly, rare) as the church’s priests are, they have been relentlessly hunted by the Illuster Sacellum who perceive the veneration of Strangers to be the most distasteful of blasphemies. In some regions, the Illuster Cantorum have hunted them to extinction.

Where they can still be found, (most often in communities of lakemen) lone priests maintain small churches of pious self-sufficiency. Most often they are called on to oversee religious ceremonies, to officiate holidays and events, and sought for their knowledge of the Dark and its denizens.