Luddic Church

The Church of Galactic Redemption
General Information
Ship name prefix CGR Starting attitude Neutral (0) Offers commissions Yes Allies Luddic Path Cooperative (75) Enemies Tri-Tachyon Hostile (-50) Pirates Hostile (-50) Illegal goods Recreational Drugs, Harvested Organs, Luxury Goods, AI Cores Capital Gilead (Size 7), Canaan Star System

	Inspired by the martyrdom of a figure known as 'Ludd' during the fall of the Domain, the Church of Galactic Redemption is a hierarchical church with highly syncretic dogma formed from a core of Abrahamic texts and apocrypha along with Domain-era reaction against perceived corruption, depravity, hedonism, and transhuman abomination. The Church offers a vision of life lived more simply, of agrarian virtue and humanistic values and prayer against the violence and technological alienation that's torn the Sector apart in the years since the Fall.
–In-Game Description

The Church of Galactic Redemption or Luddic Church is one of the main factions in the Sector. They blame technology for the downfall of the Domain, and seek to return to a more pastoral lifestyle. Their most hated enemy is the technologically advanced and morally dubious Tri-Tachyon Corporation.

The Church also has a military offshoot, the Knights of Ludd, to enforce the word of Ludd & the Church's faith and to also protect its flock. They are loosely connected with the radical Luddic Path, terrorists following the same faith, though with far more extreme methods.

The Luddic Church control two systems - Canaan, and Eos Exodus, with a total of four inhabited planets. Tartessus is a major agricultural world and also produces large amounts of domestic goods. Hesperus is an organics and ore production complex. Gilead is a veritable "promised land" resembling Old Earth, with abundant organics and food. Finally, Asher provides all of the industry for the tens of millions on Gilead, with extreme pollution obscuring the sun itself.

Lore

	The Luddic faithful contemplate/perform a series of scenes which represent the life and death of the Prophet Ludd. This “spiritual road” is often a literal traversal of space past a number of shrines, dioramas, or live re-enactings, the scale of which may vary wildly depending on the intended scope of the ritual. The scenes are as follows: The Innocence: The birth of the one-who-will-become-Ludd. Themes of innocence, connection the humanity pre-sin. It is important that the Luddics make no record of any personal characteristics of their prophet and in so emphasize the-one-who-would-become-Ludd’s oneness with the experience of all humanity. This allows any individual to put themselves into the role of Ludd in the stations of the Path, as subject or observer. The Witnessing: The one-who-will-become-Ludd leaves a sheltered existence and witnesses the misery of the world. Figures encountered include some combination of: a starving child ignored in the street, a plant growing from a crack in the deck-plates, a radiation-burned veteran abandoned by the Armada, a penniless merchant used by his partners, a world allowed to choke on ash by those who care only for the moment, a scholar who found truth scorned by the prideful, a criminal condemned despite her repentance, etc. The Ecstasy: In which the despairing one-who-will-become-Ludd is touched by the spirit of God and thereafter adopts the Ludd persona to bring the divine message to humanity The Teaching: In which Ludd starts spiritual “clubs” for those who “seek galactic redemption”. The First Persecution: In which Ludd is mocked, then physically attacked, then hidden from prosecution by followers. The Exodus: In which Ludd is given a vision by God of a promised land, and leads the faithful to settle in the Persean Sector The Blooming: In which the faithful teach the industrial-terraformers how to shepherd the spirit of the land to create a new paradise. The Second Persecution: In which the followers of Ludd again face hardship and persecution at the hands of authorities in the Persean Sector. The Peacemaker: In which Ludd protects one of the mob who had attacked the faithful from a revenge-attack by followers and in doing so is revealed to authorities The Arrest: In which Ludd is arrested by Domain authorities; the faithful are willing to fight, but again Ludd asks them to lay down their arms The Trial: In which Ludd is condemned to die by the Domain Sector-leader. The Discontinuity: In which Ludd enters the Gate system and is taken by God; the Gates are sealed in the promise of redemption for humanity.
–An Unbelievers Introduction to the Luddic Faith (TriMedia Store)

The Church was founded in c+8 post-Collapse as a result of a compromise between a handful of the largest sects who agreed that worldly organizations were necessary to uphold the teachings of Ludd. Many sects including the Luddic Path remained outside the Church. The Church participated in the First AI War and conflicts such as the Mazalot uprising.

Luddic populations and shrines are found on various planets, including those outside Church administration such as Jangala.

Knights of Ludd

	The military branch of Luddic Church of Galactic Redemption, modeled on monastic warrior societies from previous millenia. In areas of Church domination they are authorized to enforce Technological Correctness as well as ensuring, through force, that virtue is promoted and vice chastised. In areas outside Church domination, when able, they covertly impose the same.
–In-Game Description

	"There are those among the Church of Galactic Redemption - the Luddics, in popular parlance - who hold that the Knights of Ludd are an aberration at odds with the original Luddic vision of the Church. Doubtless true," the historian raises [His/Her] eyebrows at this small heresy. "An examination of what are agreed by scholars to be among the more authentic passages of the Book of Ludd suggest that themes of militancy and 'a knighthood of the faith' are likely intended as abstract references to a sort of semi-sacral militant volunteerism which would range in practice from a civic protest movement all the way to, arguably, insurrectionism." "The practical benefit of a standing militant order during the Post-Collapse chaos and following wars must be admitted, however," [He/She] leans back in [His/Her] seat, contemplative. "And the most vocal objectors within the Church proper argue that the Knights err by degree rather than in whole. The less vocal objectors? Well, we may not know their thoughts for many, many cycles indeed. The Knights see to that."
–Bar Historian

The Knights of Ludd is a subfaction of the Luddic Church who serves as the military branch & enforcers of faith, gameplay-wise they're mainly seen in the patrol fleets that protects their systems. They can also be encountered when visiting the shrine on Hesperus.

Nature of Ludd

	"How we long for some incidental recording of even one of Ludd's supposed speeches or acts. Incredible, is it not, how all evidence of a prophet seems to have disappeared? This, hrm, 'miracle' is of course a point of faith among followers of the Church of Galactic Redemption." [He/She] raises an eyebrow at you. "It is also, officially, a point of policy for the Hegemony to cooperate with this nonsense in order to appease those Faithful." [He/She] furrows [His/Her] brow in frustration, "As a historian, of course, this vexes me to no end. History as experienced by the common person may be a story society tells itself, and distorted as such. Even still! It must be grounded in fact." "Of course if I did discover a holovid of Ludd's Trial, some fanatic would try to murder me soon enough for distributing it. Not that I could help myself." [He/She] smiles impishly, then considers. "If you do ever find something like that in some old derelict, you'd give me a copy, wouldn't you?"
–Bar Historian

	"Whoever Ludd was, they were not a mere uneducated rabble-rouser. Besides," [He/She] lowers [His/Her] voice, "I subscribe to the theory - held by more than a few secular scholars, though quietly, quietly indeed - that Ludd was not one, but many. I would argue that the present format of the Holy Ecumene Council of Archcurates is a reflection of the early Luddic leadership network passed down through history, institutionalized in the early years post-Collapse." "Heresy, of course. But the truth generally is," [He/She] says with a smirk.
–Bar Historian

Behind the Scenes

The Luddic Church is named after and partly inspired by, but distinct from, the historical Luddite movement involving a labour revolt against displacement by new machinery.

	So what are these people even about? In writing the Pilgrim’s Path, I had to figure out how to provide more answers to these questions than I have previously. Speaking of, I do have a very old document from perhaps a decade ago where I wrote out my thoughts on the background of all the factions. I’ll quote a section from the “Cult of Ludd”: "In extremely broad terms: The Luddic Faith is a bit like early Christianity. A more conservative & hierarchical church structure is forming (The Church of Galactic Redemption), though it’s doctrine still has (many) conflicts to be resolved. The church has a militaristic arm (The Knights of Ludd) which, from a certain point of view, is at odds with the prophet Ludd’s generally anti-militaristic message but is terrifically practical. Militant extremist elements exist outside of control of the Church hierarchy and their values do not mesh well with contemporary Sector society (such as it is), to put it lightly." And from the next section “Who is Ludd?”: "A revolutionary/spiritual figure with an impressive and divisive legacy. Active in the cycles leading up to the fall of the Gate system, gave a message that was somewhat apocalyptic / of need for humanity to reform, to turn away from the excesses of the Domain. All sorts of things have been attributed to Ludd and if half of them are true then Ludd would have been at once a nihilistic megalomaniacal cult-leader and a saint who brought a wave of spiritual reform that swept away the detritus of millennia of cruelty and corruption."
–David Baumgart, "The Pilgrim’s Path"

	So with Ludd I was thinking of something both natural and spacey, both hippy and Starfarer. The double-ended tree didn’t quite work (and is an existing symbol for something or other, I discovered), so that is out. I was finally taken with imagery that alludes to cosmic swirls, like galactic arms and nebulae. Though I’m sure no one particularly shares the viewpoint of Ludd, I’d imagine the world as they see it being a whole interconnected being with its own greater needs whose importance outweighs the destructive hubris of human technophiles.
–David Baumgart, "Designing Faction Icons"

Fleet Doctrine

Ships

The Luddic Church mainly use low tech ships. The types they field are considered ancient and outdated, unlike the Hegemony, whose ships are tried and true.

Doctrine wise, they are far laxer in their training, and their ship production quality is sacrificed in favor of fielding more ships for their faithful. They also tend to use Converted Hangars to maximize the number of wings they deploy.

Frigates
Ship	Tech	Role	Credits	Military only?
Cerberus	Low Tech	Combat Freighter	10,000¢	No
Dram	Low Tech	Tanker	9,000¢	No
Gremlin	Low Tech	Phase Frigate	26,000¢	No
Hermes	Midline	Shuttle	5,000¢	No
Hound (LC)	Luddic Church	Combat Freighter	8,500¢	No
Lasher (LC)	Luddic Church	Frigate	10,000¢	No
Mudskipper	Low Tech	Civilian Transport	5,000¢	No
Ox	Low Tech	Tug	16,000¢	No
Vanguard	Low Tech	Heavy Frigate	30,000¢	No

Destroyers
Ship	Tech	Role	Credits	Military only?
Buffalo (LC)	Luddic Church	Freighter	20,000¢	No
Buffalo Mk.II	Low Tech	Destroyer	19,000¢	No
Condor	Low Tech	Light Carrier	32,000¢	Yes
Manticore	Low Tech	Destroyer	45,000¢	Yes
Mule	Low Tech	Combat Freighter	34,000¢	No
Nebula	Midline	Civilian Transport	20,000¢	No
Phaeton	Low Tech	Tanker	22,000¢	No
Tarsus	Low Tech	Freighter	19,000¢	No
Valkyrie	Midline	Troop Transport	20,000¢	No

Cruisers
Ship	Tech	Role	Credits	Military only?
Colossus	Low Tech	Heavy Freighter	40,000¢	No
Eradicator	Low Tech	Fast Cruiser	100,000¢	Yes
Mora	Low Tech	Carrier	125,000¢	Yes
Starliner	Midline	Civilian Transport	50,000¢	No
Venture	Low Tech	Cruiser	70,000¢	No

Capitals
Ship	Tech	Role	Credits	Military only?
Atlas	Low Tech	Superfreighter	75,000¢	No
Invictus	Low Tech	Dreadnought	700,000¢	Yes
Prometheus	Low Tech	Tanker	80,000¢	No
Retribution	Low Tech	Battlecruiser	200,000¢	Yes

Weapons

The ballistic weapons the Luddic Church field are old, yet cheap ordnance-wise. The only energy weapons they field are Mining Lasers and Mining Blasters, and that's because they can also fit on ballistic mounts. Notably, they have access to the Pilum LRM Catapult as their main support missile and a selection of Hammer-class Torpedo Launchers for all three mount sizes.

Wings

The Luddic Church only field three types of wings. Their only wing of note is the improvized Perdition Bomber Wing, which has a Hammer-class Torpedo as its payload.

Table of Fighters
Image	Fighter	Designation	Design Type	OP	Wing Size	Base Value
	Talon	Interceptor	Low Tech	2	4	2,000¢
	Broadsword	Heavy Fighter	Low Tech	8	3	6,000¢
	Perdition	Bomber	Low Tech	20	3	4,000¢

Missions

The Pilgrim's Path

Main article: The Pilgrim's Path

	"Taken together, these shrines form the Pilgrim's Path. It is not merely a linear path through space. Though of course," he/she takes a patient tone, "In secular use the name has been given to the major shipping lanes between Church and Hegemony-controlled volumes."
–Shrine Curate

The Pilgrim's Path is a questline where the player visits all 6 Luddic shrines in the Core World, and can be initiated by visiting the shrine on Gilead, Beholder's Station or Jangala. The player will need to visit / revisit Gilead to finish the pilgrimage.

Knight Errant

Main article: Knight Errant

After finishing The Pilgrim's Path, a Curate will request a meeting with you for assistance in searching for someone.

Colony Crisis

Main article: Colony_Crises#Luddic_Church

If the player set-up a habitable world with Farming or Light Industry, they may find that their colony gained a Luddic Majority population on their world that provides various benefits along with certain restrictions. This, however, will displease certain elements within the Luddic Church, who will eventually send out a taskforce to carry out a takeover of the world to put it under their own control. Fighting off this attack will double the aforementioned benefits.

Relationship Tier Flavour Text

Tier	Description
Cooperative	Truly, you walk with Ludd. Even the most pious curates concede that your worldly actions have bolstered the Faith, and they pray for your wellbeing. The Knights of Ludd put great trust in your handling of technology for righteous cause. Even heretical sects admire your conduct, despite their departures from Church canon.
Friendly	The Luddic Faithful of the Church count you as a friend, made welcome in their lands and trusted in dealings. You are allowed to self-moderate unsubtle use of technologies without need for the heavy hand of the Knights of Ludd to guide you toward righteousness.
Welcoming	The Church welcomes you to the volumes they control, and their Knights of Ludd watch you with less suspicion than most spacers. You know to make the expected signs of respect, and modestly hide those technologies which cause offense to the most conservative Faithful.
Favourable	You are greeted by the Faithful with a warmth of neighborliness, nothing more. You know the words and the signs that offer respect to the Church of Galactical Redemption, and for that many, but not all, of them return that respect.
Neutral	You know enough about the beliefs and practices of the Luddic Church to avoid obvious gaffes, and they know how to deal with outsiders well enough to politely conduct business with you.
Suspicious	You are seen as a typical spacer; dismissive of Ludd's revelation and scornful of the Church. Your use of high technology is considered reckless, filling a hollow in your soul with false comforts of the material world. Some among the Faithful pity you, others distrust you.
Inhospitable	Curates of the Church of Galactic Redemption offer you as example of one led far astray from Ludd's revelation; one lost in the machine; perhaps not yet lost to Moloch, but an unwitting servant to evil. The Knights look wary upon you, and subject you to unnecessary delays and investigation.
Hostile	The Church considers you a minion of Moloch, a slave to demonic technology. You are a witless ally of Mammon, striving only for the hedonic lucre of miserable unbelievers blind to Ludd's Revelation. Yea, you are an agent of evil and must be treated with as such.
Vengeful	The Luddic Church potrays you as a wrathful corruptor, sinful and unrepentant, a descrator of that which is holy and good. The Knights of Ludd have assigned an Inquisitor to your case; even some curates have suggested that it might not be a sin to kill you. It's only a matter of time before some fanatic makes an attempt.

	You are known to have pilgrimaged to, or at least visited, the shrines of the Pilgrim's Path
–Additional Description if the player completed The Pilgrim's Path

Markets

Canaan	Eos Exodus
Gilead, size 7 Asher, size 5	Tartessus, size 7 Hesperus, size 5

References

The name itself is a reference to the English word "Luddite" which is a person who rejects technology and seeks to live in the style of a previous time. Often these have formed colonies in the past to live a pastoral lifestyle. The Amish with their restrictive and slow adoption of new technologies may be considered to have Luddite beliefs.

• \Fractal Softworks\Starsector\starsector-core\data\world\factions