IMPORTANT OC NOTE: While the practices of The Bulwark are not written in explicit terms on this page, The Bulwark of Devotion is a cult and has methods and practices that reflect as such (within the scope of the CAT Policy). Please take note of this when creating a character related to this Faith, and if you are uncomfortable with cultish themes (such as, but not limited to, extortion, 'us versus them' mentality, and isolation), please let the GMs know, so we can ensure you do not interact with this Cult. Any questions about this Faith and their practices can be directed to GM Rei.

¹ In the beginning, there was only one god. A god who raised the sun, the moon, and decorated the sky with stars. We do not know why she chose us, but she has blessed the Earth with light.

She is High Priestess Onóra, often described as a humanoid sheep with golden fleece and wings made of light. She represents the most important of the 3 tenets: Devotion. Those who are truly devoted to her are rewarded, just as the Twins were. The Twins were two young soldiers born in a time of immense strife and conflict, but both had different ways of surviving. They faced what is collectively known as The Twin Trials.

¹⁷ The first twin, Fiadh, was a pacifist but struggled as they watched their fellow men fall in front of their eyes. The Priestess gifted him a seedling, a gift that most would scoff at. However, Fiadh never thought badly of the High Priestess, even as other soldiers teased him and berated his god – he always respected Fiadh and the non-believers. ¹⁸ The seedling grew under both the light of the sun and the light of the moon – and as the sun dawned across the battlefield, the seedling bloomed into a flower of light. Fiadh carried the flower through the battlefield and used it to heal the wounded soldiers – even the ones who had cursed his god. Fiadh was rewarded not only with the flower, but also with permission to stand side-by-side with the High Priestess, as a lesser god of Respect.

³² The second twin, Laoch, was a warrior who fought on the front lines. The High Priestess gifted him a sword. However, she told him to use it not to strike down other soldiers but to destroy false prophets. The young soldier was confused at first – confused as to why he had to brave the frontline without the High Priestess's gift.

³⁵ As he struck down the sword onto the false prophet, it glowed with the radiance of 10,000 stars. When he looked up at the night sky, the stars would guide him to protect The Believers, and hunt down heretics. There was no better man to stand by her side as a lesser god of Courage.

The Twins represent the final two tenets: Respect, and Courage. It is believed that if you follow the three tenets, you will be rewarded in life by the High Priestess.

As the Twins once did, The High Priestess will grant us the honour of trials once more – it is only with Respect, Courage, and Devotion that we will be rewarded with a True Death. A life ended without a completion of trials is a meaningless one – one that ends in silence.

– High Preacher Donovan¹⁾

Devotees believe that they will be faced with a trial of Courage and Respect before the world is subsumed to tragedy – a tragedy that only they will survive. According to the High Preachers, a trial of Courage has already been sent down to Earth. A time of wars stretching across continents, a time of struggle and famine, many years ago.

Devotees before us did the duty of fulfilling the first trial. They had the courage to fight and protect the followers of The High Priestess; the courage to strike down those who wished to strike us. And yet, we have not been gifted a trial of Respect. Does the High Priestess not love us? Do not worry, fellow believers; her love extends to us all, but her reward cannot go to just the few of us – we must tell others of her love, grow our family, and then our Devotion will be rewarded.

– High Preacher Rawan

One day, a young woman visited the believers, claiming that the end times were upon them. The woman was cast aside by the High Preachers and deemed a False Prophet.

Does this woman look Devoted to you? She greedily fills her pockets with money instead of gifting it to The Bulwark; she speaks of us as if we are liars, as if everything we have done has amounted to nothing. The end times are not upon us. With us, you are protected. The High Priestess would not punish her most devoted followers.

– High Preacher Jakob

As the collapse of society began, followers of The Bulwark cast aside the High Preachers in favour of believing the visions of the False Prophet. However, members disagreed about what the collapse meant for their devotion. As such, The Bulwark divided itself into 3 factions: The Light's Embrace, The Enlightened Soldiers, and The Unfaithful.

This is not an end for us. We have prepared for this moment, fellow believers. Do not judge, lest we face the wrath of the High Priestess; the monsters that tread our land do not have her protection. Yet if people do not want to join the light's embrace, then we shall let them face the consequence.

– Preacher of The Light's Embrace

The Light's Embrace believe that the apocalypse is the second trial, the Trial of Respect. They believe that in this time of conflict, they must respect others, because non-believers will face punishment by the High Priestess by turning into the creatures wandering the landscape, or suffering another cruel fate. If someone does not want to join them, they will not shun them – but they will warn and pray for their peaceful death.

We were blinded by the False Prophets. The True Prophet warned of this trial. We must strike down those that speak against the one who gifted light, because only under the light will we have the strength to strike down the monstrous creatures.

– An Enlightened Soldier

The Enlightened Soldiers believe that the High Preachers were the actual False Prophets, and that they should not be believed. Furthermore, they do not believe that the first trial ever occurred and rather believe that the collapse is in fact a Trial of Courage. They hunt down heretics and strike down zombies, believing they are the undevoted incarnate.

It truly is the end – how did we not recognise Her message? How did we not see the light in the Prophet's eyes? Now we can only wait and hope for Her forgiveness, for we were not devoted enough.

– An Unfaithful

The Unfaithful are looked down on by the other two sub-factions. Many of them are in the process of undoing their beliefs as they either believe that The Bulwark was false, or that they were not Devoted enough to survive the end and standby the side of the High Priestess. Some are searching for the False Prophet in order to find answers.

The Bulwark of Devotion has grown larger in recent decades, but preachers still prefer to give sermons in smaller 'classrooms' rather than large halls. The Bulwark encourages monetary donations and gifts to shrines of The High Priestess and The Twins. Most stories are taught through word of mouth, as the writings of the previous preachers are notoriously difficult for newer followers to interpret. Followers decide on actions based on whether they align with the fundamental tenets.

Whenever followers of The Bulwark encountered a problem, their first port of call would be their local preacher – however, due to the collapse of institutions over the past decades, followers must now decide how to solve a problem themselves.

A lot of followers believe The High Priestess have already provided answers, and that they should face problems using Her teachings. For example, different factions may choose to either fight an infected person or to pray for their salvation. Every action of a follower is calculated – “How can I show Her my devotion?”, and “How can I succeed in this trial?”