ProGenus

Deity — Aletheia

Named after the Greek Goddess of Truth, it exists as a giant pulsing womb whose tendrils interweave the walls of reality. When it wishes to communicate, it sends out tendrils of flesh which birth creatures of varied abilities.

Cult History & Description

Operation Chalice was born of the heightened anxieties of the Cold War, a follow-up, derived from the already ‘off the books’ budgets of a myriad of other failed projects that the tax payers were deemed to flighty to be made aware of. Chalice broke new ground in 1972, just before the panic erupted in the government over secretive and illegal acts. It was then that they found the first repeatable evidence (after numerous expended resources) that through a concoction of psychedelics and exposure to specific light and sound sequences, they could contact an entity that appeared to be able to foresee the future.

Not alone, Chalice also discovered that other organizations on the Soviet side had managed to do the same. In a pitched battle of research and sacrifice, both teams made the same discovery at a simultaneous event now referred to as “the Unveiling”. Multiple sensors (as test candidates were once called) relayed the same message to both sides at the same time. “In 2019, the world as you know it will end. Only the fit will survive.” After the message was delivered, 50% of the sensors clawed the flesh from their face before suffering massive embolisms. The remaining 50% exhibited no immediate side effects.

This had a chilling effect on each organization, and after a few weeks, a conclave was called (referred to as the Asilomar Conference to the populace - Genetic experimentation is also one of the areas pioneered by Chalice) in which rules and action items were doled out. What was once two organizations were now one, united under the absolute certainty of an unavoidable threat. It was a simple matter to use their remaining resources to craft a plan, one that was reinforced by consultation with the entity named “Aletheia”. Using their knowledge, the Russian offices evaded capture, while the Americans evaded budgetary scrutiny until finally they evacuated the government in favor of the private sector. Thus, ProGenus was born.

Over the next 46 years, ProGenus infiltrated, innovated, and incubated throughout the world. Monsanto uses most of the ProGenus proprietary knowledge to edit the genomes of the foods we eat. Pharmaceutical companies lease their cell lines for research and drug development. “Mindfulness” as an activity is being bolstered by resurgent nootropics that popular comedians push. Though they are a small organization, they truly have tendrils that are international in scale. Recently, ProGenus promoted a new CEO, mostly to deal with the new AI initiatives that have taken hold. Alexander Domitian is hailed as a genius, with PhD’s in Genetics and Computer Engineering. He is also the first generation offspring of Merideth Domitian, one of the surviving sensors of “The Unveiling” over four decades ago. Under his new leadership, great progress has been in bringing “AI” across the horizon and to the realm of achievability. Many inside the organization are critical of the relevance of this, given the clear deadline, however the stakeholders maintain that bringing the agents of Aletheia into the world can only help make us more fit. Given how many genetic samples of it are already in our food, water, and supplements, the next step is obvious.

Aletheia Mythos

Named for the Greek goddess of truth, Aletheia encompasses a certainty that engulfs all of creation. At the center of all known creation, space, and time, there exists a caul. When its contents are birthed, all barriers will be ripped asunder, and the truth of the cosmos will be revealed.

Aletheia is merely the most recent name for a concept as old as time itself. The oldest known concept for it can be deciphered in the goddess Ninhursag, an ancient Sumerian Mother goddess. In these tales, the goddess is seen as a nurturing entity, capable of birthing creatures and having them mature within a mere 9 days. Additionally, consumption of her gifts bequeaths knowledge, or suffering as according to its whims. Once one understands the true nature of what is now known as Aletheia, there is no reason to assume that it has ever manifested in any real form in a physical sense. It merely creates entities and messengers for the express purpose of pursuing its inscrutable agenda.

The act of worshipping Aletheia is linked to the act of consumption. As an elder force which is consuming the very fabric of space and time to manifest itself, there is a link between each animal that consumes the life essence of others in order to grow its strength. This natural method, the pursuit of fitness of all types is the very nature of Aletheia. It is appeased by its worshippers consuming more and more elusive and fit prey, and in all of its cults there are heavy aspects of self improvement to a narcissistic level. To worship a being that will be the apex of reality, one must become the apex of of achievement. Only then can you be blessed by its gifts, or potentially devoured and thus become one with a being the encompasses eternity.

ProGenus is the most recent, and most global iteration of any cult that has ever followed Aletheia. Additionally, humanity is at the apex of its knowledge of the universe, allowing ProGenus the unmitigated ability to make the most of all of its interactions with Aletheia. When they uncovered evidence that Aletheia existed by attempting to surpass human limitation, they both found a solution to their quest, and brought themselves to its attention. Since that time, Aletheia has deigned to speak with them through their scientific monitors, or occasionally through meditations brought about by consuming her gifts. Through this guidance, they have self organized in accordance to their own roots as a very hierarchical organization, with managers and different levels of clearance. Once a member gains access to the truth, they are either initiated into the cult formerly, or their lives are ruined.

To any who are actually aware of the dire secret at the heart of ProGenus, the entire cult seems to be the most reckless pursuit of occult they have ever witnessed. Communing with and harvesting fragments of flesh from an entity outside of reality in order to clone it, consume it, and graft it into your flesh seems to be one of the most reckless things that any could possibly do. In many cases, the longer standing cults view them as the darkly comedic analog to Millenials of the occult world. Unlike generational Millennials (some of whom make up their ranks), ProGenus has a great deal of resources, and has made impressive progress within a short time. They seem to be pursuing a specific purpose, and with their recent experiments with AI, one can only ponder how it will further their goals.

Want to join the cult of ProGenus? Spots will fill up quickly—don't wait to apply!