New Jerusalem

On 2 Shvat 454 (Christmas Eve 5871, a day chosen for its symbolism), a strike force of combat vehicles from the Collective of a New Canaan was dispatched towards a small hamlet. Their intent was to destroy the town and slaughter its inhabitants in retaliation for a dubious ‘crime’. Unknown to the strike force, Sanctuary command deemed this assault the first victim of their interventions. When the convoy was spotted by the locals on Christmas morning, panic ensued. There was no question in their minds what the assault force’s intent was, and the town had no means to stop the impending massacre. Just before the lead vehicle could move into range of the town and fire its first shot, it exploded in a ball of fire. Caught off guard, the convoy began to shoot in all directions, unsure of what direction they were taking fire from. Within a few seconds, two more vehicles went up in flames before they realized the fire was coming from above them. Looking up into the sky the attackers were horrified. Sanctuary combat walkers landed in and amongst the strike force, trashing vehicles left and right. The survivors tried to flee in terror, only to walk into the waiting guns of infantry and heavier assets positioned for just such an eventuality. There were no survivors, no townsfolk were injured, and the only Sanctuary ‘casualty’ was a corporal with a sprained ankle. The Sanctuary forces pulled out almost as fast as they arrived and quickly disappeared, leaving the bewildered townsfolk to clean up. [Read More]

Word traveled fast of this “Miracle,” and those in leadership positions blew it off as nothing more than an overblown story. A whole assault force wiped out by “angels from heaven?” It had to be a joke. The destruction of the force was attributed to “bandits and highwaymen.” Two weeks later it happened again. And then it happened again, and again. Authorities initially tried to hide these attacks, but rumors spread of the “angels’’ and their wrath. Soon, all attempts to hide the existence of these attacks were abandoned. Efforts to identify the attackers were met with failure, with only a few eyewitness reports whose testimony was ultimately deemed unbelievable. Massive bipedal and multipedal combat walkers dropping from the sky? Advanced laser weapons? Cannons that could melt tanks and their crews? All of this with no trace of their arrival or departure, aside from the carnage left in their wake.

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Nothing stays secret forever. Despite attempts at secrecy, the Shepherds’ activities became more and more well known. Eventually credible survivors from encounters appeared, evidence of travel and sightings of aircraft occurred, and it became obvious that some military force was operating beyond the authority of any nation on the planet. Some despaired at this new threat while others resented the attackers, and still others saw a potential advantage.

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The Shepherds’ society is organized into three orders, which are then divided into smaller sub-orders. Each order specializes in a group of related tasks. The first of the three main orders is the Order of Saint Joseph, which oversees the day-to-day operations of Sanctuary. Under their purview are things like construction, food production and distribution, administration, and cleaning services. The Order of Saint Marcellin covers anything that requires significant training and education such as medicine, education, academics, research, record keeping, and engineering. The final order is the Order of Saint Adrian, which covers security and military forces. Each of these three orders is lead by a Grand Marshal, and the three Grand Marshals collectively form the ruling body of the Shepherds.

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The Shepherd’s primary combat arm is the Order of Saint Michael (OSM). The fundamental building block of the OSM is the regiment. Above a regiment is the division, which is less of a combat unit more of an administrative element that oversees operation within a certain region of New Jerusalem. Each division contains a core of support assets like artillery and air support, as well as at least one regiment. The regiments themselves are composed of four “line battalions’’, which are the combat arm, and two support battalions. A full-size regiment has nearly 4,000 personnel.  Regiments are numbered based on the order in which they were activated, and each one is also named after a biblical angel.

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All angels (the Shepherd’s term for their combat walkers) have a support system called a virtue, which as with everything else involving them is a reference to an order of angels. Virtues are not true independent artificial intelligences, although they are closer than the ONNs of Terra Nova and even some Utopian NAIs. Though pilots input commands to an angel via a series of joysticks, pedals, buttons, switches, and even verbal commands, it is the virtues that take these inputs and convert them into motion of the machine. Virtues are fully interactive, capable of replying to queries and even carrying on a conversation. It’s not abnormal for them to develop personalities, and as long as they perform their tasks to spec those personalities are allowed to stay. An angel pilot is generally assigned a virtue upon graduation, and that virtue follows them through their career. Many pilots consider their virtue as something more than a pet but less than a person. Pilots will often give them names such as Athena, Tenor, and Echo. Black Talon operatives have noted that it seems virtues are far more interactive than expected given their function. Reports of pilots carrying on conversations about things unrelated to combat in an angel have been reported, and even cases of pilots and virtues disagreeing on topics. Ultimately, though, the virtue is subordinate to the pilot. It will always comply with the pilot’s commands, although  if reports are to be believed it will sometimes offer a sarcastic remark about them. [Read More]

The Shepherds use the term “angel" to refer to any legged combat platform or derivatives thereof. The origin of the design of the angels dates to the Later Crusades and the fall of Kir Arya. The Prime Knights of Kir Arya used combat walkers called Paladins as their primary mechanized combat unit. According to historical records, Paladins were large, fast, heavily armed, and well armored, which allowed them to engage all types of foes in nearly any type of terrain. After the fall of Kir Arya, wrecked Paladins were taken and analyzed by both the Council and Compact nations that took part in the invasion. They all came to the same conclusion, however, about the design’s long term viability. Paladins were technologically feasible but would be prohibitively expensive, and would need massive overhauls to be usable by pilots who were not Prime Knights.

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The Jerusalemite religion is an amalgamation of all the various Abrahamic faiths that existed prior to the Second Ice Age. The main cause of their merging was the threat to the holy land by forces of the Compact of Revelation. The nations dominated by Abrahamic religions formed a military alliance to protect the holy land against this threat. As the centuries wore on, this military alliance became something more. Terminology, ideas, and various aspects of each faith crossed over into each other, further blurring the line between the various religions. It became perfectly normal for a group of nuns led by an Imam to celebrate Hanukkah. When the glaciers receded over a millennia later, those divides had largely disappeared. The adherents of these various faiths considered themselves Jerusalemites. 

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It should come as no surprise that religion is common and flourishing in Sanctuary. However, the topic of religion is considered very private and overt displays of faith outside of the actual act of worship are quite rare. The Shepherds do not consider themselves a religious organization. Any member is free to believe in whatever religion they want, or none at all should they choose. Due to the nature of the colony’s history, it is almost unheard of for someone to not be Jerusalemite, but that fact is considered just another aspect of a person like their hair or eye color. For most people, though, their faith is a major component of their life. Religious services for all sects are common and readily available for those seeking them. The nature of someone’s practice of their faith is considered highly personal, and criticizing it is seen as one of the highest forms of disrespect.

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