PRAISE THE LAMB

FEAR NOT, LITTLE FLOCK ! ― an independent lamb from d.evolver's cult of the lamb. ♱ beloved by ORION. ♱ oc and canon friendly ♱ please look at the attached google doc for rules and a work in progress bio ! ♱ both lamb and human verses available ; specify which you're interested in for threads/asks ! ― for it is my good pleasure to give you my kingdom.

THE MOST STRAIGHTFORWARD ANSWER ... yes ! they do believe in it ! but it's grown increasingly more difficult, they find, to achieve it. this is heavily influenced rom what they've experienced firsthand, both with their betrayals from the old faith and what comes after, but with the fact every proposal from their followers just feels very ... shallow. loveless? they're fully aware they all care for one another, and they care for them too, but the difficulty and distrust arises in the fact they seem to care for them as an image ; their "god", which while they understand where their flock gets the idea--it's what they preach, after all, they don't see any proposal coming for devotion for them or what their relationship could be, but rather what others perceive them to be and their image. it's to "be closer to god" than it is to be closer to the vessel, so to speak.

lamb is absolutely terrified of getting betrayed by another person ; getting sacrificed once, almost twice, was already enough, and they also have to consider they’re undead : even if they won’t be betrayed, time will take anyone they treasure away from them. and it makes them sad and lonely but there’s not a lot they can do about it! and that sucks !

lamb handles their doctrines in a way that maximizes both faith/loyalty while also providing themselves time to crusade back in the lands of the old faith without losing much if any faith from their flock. they're fairly strategic when it comes to what the best use of resources are ; and does everything they can to ensure nothing is left to waste.

AFTERLIFE - assuring death is not the end.

BELIEF IN SACRIFICE : generally helpful in not losing faith and circumventing those that fear death ; encouraging this belief helps eliminate that fear and also allows their flock to believe their sacrifice is for the better good, something to be proud of, to be chosen for ; and it is for some good ...

RITUAL OF RESURRECTION : not often used, but helpful nonetheless. perhaps if someone misses a fallen cult member, or if the lamb themselves finds themselves nostalgic or longing, this further shows that death is nothing to be afraid of.

GOOD DIE YOUNG : generally makes the whole sacrificing elders and consuming flesh thing a little less frustrating. they're really tired of cleaning after dead bodies.

GRIEVE THE FALLEN : for what graveyard they do have, lamb is able t leech faith and devotion off of the respect and grief from their fallen followers. there is always, always, always some way to gain faith.

WORK & WORSHIP - labor and love.

FAITHFUL : as it generates devotion faster, preaching of faith and worship as a way to show that and ensure that they could progress further made sense.

INSPIRE : they never saw the sense in intimidating their flock ; they've spent so long being looked down on and intimidated themselves, that they wanted to provide a different example of a leader, as their flock's shepherd, they want to be at the very least a good example of divinity ... ignoring some of their more questionable later doctrines.

RITUAL OF ENLIGHTENMENT : further promotes devotion and worship, as they often collaborate with their followers when it comes to building up their cult and land. this, additionally, ensures their flock doesn't turn tail and flee from them.

GLORY THROUGH TOIL : typically only used when there are many large or a surplus of smaller structures under construction and they need to collect more resources or progress further into the old lands, this + the brainwashing ritual work for making those ventures a little less stressful.

SUSTENANCE - our daily bread.

FEASTING RITUAL : typically used after an excruciatingly long crusade when incapable of using the other rituals that suppress/ignore hunger. allows them to gain their faith back in a natural, understandable way that makes everyone happy.

CANNIBAL : there's too much good meat to let go to waste! they can mourn, and grieve, but this combined with the harvest ritual ensures their flock never goes a day without food. they haven't started eating each other alive yet, at least ...

RITUAL OF THE HARVEST : since they have a fairly decent sized farm plot both they and their followers tend to, this alongside the cannibal trait and time they spend fishing allow them to never worry about being "without" a day in their lives, however long those lives last.

SUBSTANCES ENCOURAGED : helpful in any instance where the brainwashing ritual is necessary to at least prevent a majority of their cult falling ill afterwards ; it's mostly a pain that they'd much rather avoid.

LAW & ORDER - the true meaning of obedience.

ASCEND FOLLOWER : blatantly, they struggled with choosing between ascension and murder when they had their first few dissenters. they were annoying. in the long term, though, they decided it would be more efficient to ascend both "problematic" followers and the old, to avoid most of their land being nothing short of a graveyard.

WEDDING : lamb's feelings towards their followers are ... complicated ; they've accepted many proposals, but most of the wedding rituals performed are rather soulless. giving their heart out so easily after their past isn't something they want to do, out of fear of being betrayed again and again. the weddings they've been a part of are mostly, if not wholly, out of obligation rather than romantic love.

BELIEF IN ABSOLUTION : also assists in dissenting, solely for the fact they can ascend or otherwise sacrifice those who may be causing problems within the cult. their prisons usually stay empty ... therefore incredibly helpful in raising devotion.

LOYALTY ENFORCER : another one of the instances where if they're not around to collect devotion face-on, someone else can for them. typically this role is given to one of their betrothed. it makes them happy, it benefits the cult, there's no loss.

POSSESSIONS - what we make of material things.

EXTORT TITHES : they need money to build, to help their flock thrive. they don't have any more use for it anyway. better for them to shed what they no longer need.

BELIEF IN FALSE IDOLS : since their home is always developing, it allows them to have faith and appreciate their ever-changing, every-growing environment.

RITUAL OF ENRICHMENT : used for desperate measures. a ritual forcing their followers to hand over all the money they have for the betterment of the cult and their leader. they've only used this once or twice, but it made sense for emergencies.

DEVOTEE : a fairly obvious necessity. it just makes sense, especially considering it goes along with their daily sermons. more devotion, more faith, more loyalty.