Some Thoughts On The Sect Of The Hand

The Sect Of The Hand from Star Empires:

Who were the Sect of the Hand? Where did they come from? What do we know and what can we deduct?

Based on their name we can presume the symbology of the hand was significant to them.

Hand of the Desert "Mano de Desierto" by Mario Irarrázabal

Based on Star Empires Timeline I know they are a religion that finally grew large enough to suppress all other religions and waged a 300 year religious war across the galaxy. A war that cleansed and converted... that usually means a lot of genocide, inquisitions, re-education camps, public executions  and forced social-religious customs on all populations. This group would have practiced religious based social engineering seeking to assimilate through force, conversion, and coercion all beings it felt capable of embracing their doctrines. It should be noted alien species or any civilization unable or unwilling to capitulate for any reason including biological ones were probably on the short list toward extinction. This 300 year holy war also informs us they were extremely powerful. They were either able to manipulate the populace’s secular popular congress government or became powerful enough on their own to form a religious military independent from the popular congress government which they used to take over the existing government by force. No matter how they ended up in charge it is pretty clear some sort of Theological based government came into existence.

We know they were closely connected to Terra and responsible for the establishment of the Golden Empire Of Terra in 3,575 AD. I am inclined therefore to believe this religion probably has a Terran origin meaning  the species of origin is Human and it hails from Old Earth. It probably became the major religion on Old Earth before spreading to space. Based on the Timeline I am inclined to think it was the major religion practiced by all humans by 2,797 AD across their territory when the holy war started. Prior to 2,797 AD the Sect of the Hand would have proselytized to all subjugated aliens in the Terran popular congress government’s empire and would have been actively seeked the conversion of human and alien alike. No doubt people tried to escape the Sect of the Hand by colonizing distant stars or even fleeing to other empires, even alien ones. The Sect of the Hand probably also encouraged colonization to expand the Terran empire as a means to spread their religion across the heavens and save ignorant races. Based on the Timeline this would have occurred between 2,734 AD and 2,797 AD a 63 year period to build up and expand in prior to the holy war. No doubt religious retreats and monastery type planets or moons were set up for the training of the faithful.

Because the hand is central to their symbology and this seems to be a Terran in origin religion the oldest symbols would probably be a human hand. Later as other species were converted more types of hands would have been used. Hands might have become very abstract and artistic.

Terra probably holds some religious significance as the planet that received the word. Humans probably held a lot of the religions upper postilions within the hierarchy but with representatives for the various other races as well but none the less a minority at least at first. The founding of Golden Empire of Terra and it's continued suppression of other religions in 3,575 AD indicates to me that a royal religious based government was formed... so now we have a hereditary based Theocracy. A hereditary based Theocracy that is tied to religious beliefs in a science fiction setting with a hand for a symbol gets me thinking of some interesting possibilities. The hereditary families could posses some mutant power that is connected to their hands or there could be relics of ancient power that are gauntlets for example. As the Terran empire continued to expand so expanded the faith of the Sect of the Hand, 43,250 solar systems of the faithful by 4,024 AD is a lot of believers. As happens with hereditary governments eventually there is a war over whom gets to be emperor which starts a 101 year war that collapses the old empire by 4,124 AD. Since a new government is set up that continues the Terran expansion into space it might be easy to believe populace is done with religion but I doubt that. The Roman Empire collapsed but the Christian Church in many forms has chugged along just fine, sure there are different denominations, different traditions, arguments over who has authority and so on but the religion out lived and continues to out live the empire that once backed it. In addition many of the rulers of small kingdoms that formed after the fall of the Roman Empire continued to covet Roman Imperial titles that only the Church could bestow and the Church continued it's very active conversion of nonbelievers and organizing military actions in the name of the faith. What I am getting at is just because the hereditary religious government collapsed does not mean that the most powerful religion did. If you look at the Timeline 2,734 AD to 4,125 AD is 1,391 years as the religion of the empire and thus I have little doubt that the religion would continue possibly in many different denominations but persist it would. There would be those who seek the last descendants of hereditary lines that once ruled the stars whom they believe survived the War of Rightful Succession for example. Others would continue to spread the word to new worlds or seek to create a new religious paradise colony in space. The believers in the Hand would still wield considerable influence in the Unitech Polity, though they would probably have to tolerate other religions they would continue to expand out with Terra to over 60,000 star systems.

I thus submit even though the War of Extermination took place, followed by the Period of Shame that led to countless worlds destroyed and the Galactic Civilization collapsing in 6,893 AD followed by a Dark Age followers of various forms of the Sect of the Hand would survive and beliefs would develop out of that on surviving planets both human and alien. I find it completely believable that by 9,932 AD when Star Empires game is supposed to start taking place as present that followers of the Hand would still exist though perhaps rare and new religions with roots in the Sect of the Hand would exist as well. Perhaps they have become a secret society looking for the next heir to the Golden Throne still... The potential for using this ancient religious sect in a game is tantalizing. What mysteries do the ruins of their temples hold on long dead worlds? Why do so many religious texts on so many worlds have so much in common? Did the Sect of the Hand hide the royal bloodline in another Galaxy? Will the Holy Land of Terra ever be found again? Are the Colonists of now searching for a new promised land as referenced in an ancient text?

La Mano by Mario Irarrázabal