Plot-Relevant Religion - If interested in having a character join the main organization of this denomination, must first open an Event Team ticket on the Discord to discuss the character.

Name of Denomination: The Order of 1000 Arms

Denomination Of: Arceism

Legendary Pixelmon Worshiped: Arceus

Beliefs:         

A religious group centered around the ideal that Arceus is the only true God, and all other Legendary Pokemon are just that - extremely powerful and long-lived Pokemon that’ve tricked people into worshiping them like Gods even as they cause shitloads of problems.

Many religions claim that their God is the true one that needs to be worshiped, whether they created life or are the supreme ruler over it. Yet in almost every, if not every, religion there is a single constant - Arceus. The creator of the universe and everything in it, including these false "Gods" that create these dividing religions. The Order wishes to unite the world with this belief, under the one true God Arceus, and prove that Legendary Pokemon are just Pokemon with too much power on their hands. Power that makes them threats to humanity as a whole.

• Arceus created the entire universe (and parallel universes, disbelieving those who believe Palkia had a hand in that) and was responsible for the formation of life solely, whereas other religions may say their God was the creator or had a hand in it.

• There were no “Legendary Pokemon” made at the start of the world - Arceus created everything almost simultaneously, with no favoritism or discrimination.

• After the great creation was done, Arceus left both humanity and Pokemon to forge their own destinies and paths, rather than dictate their fates as it could have.

• Legendary Pokemon are an unfortunate side-effect of that decision - as Arceus gave all of his creations true, real free will, he would not intervene no matter what happened. They’re abusing his restraint and benevolence to set themselves up as False Gods using the power they happened to develop through sheer chance / natural selection.

• They are indifferent to man-made (or safely constrained) creations like Magearna - the main threat are the Legendary Pokemon, which rampage unchecked or even with the assistance of deluded humans.

Form of Worship: Similar to that of mainstream Arceism, except removing any worship / prayers aimed at any other Legendary Pokemon.

History: first TT mentioning them

• Formed shortly after the Groudon / Kyogre Crisis of 1094, the Order of 1000 Arms is a merger of approximately 27 small sects of Arceism that had previously existed for anywhere from tens to hundreds of years as unaffiliated, local-scale groups. The largest of these was also called “the Order of 1000 Arms” (led by the woman now known as the High Priestess), and so they kept that name for the new group.
• Using unknown sources of funding as well as the unified groups, they spoke of the Crisis and reached enough ears that their numbers began to rapidly swell with victims of the Legendary Pokemon - not just of Groudon and Kyogre, but others as well.
• Presence Internationally

• Several peace talks and semi-alliances were made with varying regions across the world, in order to be able to both spread their message and their aid to regions in need. Notable examples are in Lyuskoy (after years of protesting and preaching) and in Kalos (after an incident involving a Volcanion which the Order put a stop to).
• The Order has slowly assimilated smaller Arceist sects into its body, though some splinter organizations exist as well. While associated with the Order, these groups can range from deviating slightly in some beliefs, to outright just sharing the name with extreme deviations from the groups publicly stated actions and beliefs.
• Pro-Order Regions:

• Hoenn
• Unova
• Kalos
• Galar
• Ransei
• Lyuskoy
• Green Islands
• Renowa
• Arensica

• Order-Neutral Regions:

• Alola
• Orre
• Avalon, Isles of Avalon
• Schieferwald
• Milano
• Holova
• Emmones
• Tianguo
• Illorian

• Anti-Order Regions:

• Toro
• Kanto
• Johto
• Sinnoh
• Almia
• Obliva
• Fiore
• Alkir
• Rasilla
• Artesia

• Presence in the Toro Region

• The Order’s arrival in Toro was somewhat rocky, with Toroans being cautious / wary of their presence. Despite this, the group did its best to preach its message and spread the word.
• At the Festival of Lights when the Order first showed up, several members tried to throw tomatoes at the Festival play, booing and stating it was a false message. Things got more extreme upon the discovery of the defacement of the Jirachi, Cresselia, and Darkrai statue several days later - with the Jirachi statue grimly hung by a noose with spray painted ‘X’s over its eyes.
• After an incident involving trying to capture an Articuno in Toroan waters, the Order was officially declared a terrorist group, this being the tipping point in tandem with several smaller, previous actions (such as rowdy protests at religious structures).
• In 1106, the Order made a severe move for their return to the region. After an unsuccessful attack on the Toro Pokemon Rescue and Rehabilitation Center to try and steal a baby Lugia there to recover from a storm, the Order sent several of its Orderbringers to capture the Lugia’s mother, as well as the three Legendary Birds Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. The Legendary Birds would later reappear during an RTMP raid on the Order's main base, somehow altered by the Order into forms now known as the "Galarian Variant". Lugia itself had been changed, although not as severely. The raid uncovered the reason behind the capture of those specific Legendaries: re-creating a plan once used by the Team Noir terrorist leaders Madame Y and the Black Knight to attempt a summoning of Dialga and Palkia. The raid was successful, and the summoning failed. The birds were freed from captivity.
• Shortly after this event, an Order strike team, led by Orderbringer Ozias, set explosives at the Toroan Distortion Doors to open them. The mission was to bring back Giratina, the Griseous Orb, or both. The result was Giratina causing a rampage over the Toro Region as it attempted to drag it into its world, expending a great deal of power. At the end, a combined Order strike team brought down the weakened Giratina for just a moment, long enough for Ozias to use a strange artifact known now as the "Red Chain" to take possession of the Griseous Orb it carried. Although now believed to be a prototype, the Red Chain was enough for him to gain a measure of control of the Legendary and prevent it from acting. Toroans drove Giratina back through the Gates of Distortion, causing a backlash towards Ozias that sent him to what was assumed to be certain death - if not the outright destruction of his soul.
• However, his recent re-emergence as the bestial and merciless armored figure responsible for striking down Legendaries, christianed in the news as "the God-Butcher", has brought up questions of his survival - and the location of the Griseous Orb…
• The Order’s current mission is to capture as many Legendary Pokemon as they can, spread their message to all who would hear it, and prepare for the Day of Convergence. The Prophet was notably sighted at the recent Festival of Lights to retrieve Ozias, as well as collect a feather from Cresselia.

Notable Figures:

• High Priestess

• The High Priestess is the public leader of the Order. A woman in her mid to late thirties, she preaches on how she found Arceus’s light in the darkness of losing her family in Hoenn from the Groudon and Kyogre events, and how she wishes to share Arceus’s light to the world. Her faith in Arceus is strong to the point where she speaks of them as if she were their wife, and that they wish to carry out their will to the fullest. She also preaches the belief that Legendary Pokemon need to be contained, with proper measures taken to prevent them from tearing apart regions and families. She is recognized by her auburn hair, and sometimes by her vivid green eyes (if not covered by her mask).

• The Prophet

• While the High Priestess is the face and public leader of the Order, they don’t stand alone at the top. Standing behind them is the Prophet, a mysterious man who is said to be able to speak the word of Arceus themselves. It’s said that the High Priestess confers with him before taking any major actions, and that his wisdom can shape the Order’s course of actions. Not much is known of him, for he is referred to as only the Prophet with no other aliases. When he does appear, it is to give powerful speeches to the Order and world, or he is seen at the High Priestess’s side. He is recognized by his religious robes and a white mask that covers his head to hide his true identity. Given his mysterious nature, many rumors surround him, such as how Arceus comes to him directly, or even performing miracles of religious prophets written in the scriptures of Arceism..

• Orderbringer Ozias / the God Butcher

• One of the “Orderbringers” - individuals with immense skill in battle and clear experience leading groups deployed to hostile regions to deal with aggressive Legendary Pokemon. Ozias stands out amongst these for his famous attempt to capture Giratina themselves in the region of Toro, nearly succeeding before being seemingly ripped apart by the Legendary Pokemon. Although presumed dead, they’ve been revealed as the “God-Butcher” - a mysterious figure that showed up only recently in multiple Order-hostile regions to brutally accomplish the Order’s goals. Once known for leadership and balancing action against words as Ozias, the God-Butcher seems interested only in raging after victory over the Legendary Pokemon they’re sent to try to eliminate.

Region(s) Found In: Global. It has its most significant presence in: Hoenn, Unova, Kalos, Lyuskoy, Green Islands

Other (Important): If interested in having a character join the main organization of this denomination, must first open an Event Team ticket on the Discord to discuss the character.