This page is intended to serve as a hub for various initiatives, programs, protocols, and other responses to Synthetic Humans and their illegal status following the War Against the Artificials. Items here may be either pro- or anti-Synthetic, and may include specific initiatives to help protect Synthetics, Synth hunting, and historical responses to the presence of Synthetics on specific worlds, amongst other things.
Anti-Synthetic[]
House Aquila[]
Quaestionarius Corps[]
Main article: Quaestionarius Corps
Created after the Second Imperial Civil War as House Aquila's new intelligence agency, the Quaestionarius was tasked with protecting the Imperial Legions from within. Following the War Against the Artificials, which saw the Legions torn apart by a large-scale synth rebellion, the Quaestionarius Corps was given the new mandate of protecting House Aquila and the Imperial Legions from synthetic infiltration. As part of the agency's new task, the Voluntatis subdivision was given the duty of performing "synth checks" on all legion personnel. Any synths discovered within the Imperial Legions are immediately executed per the new protocol.
House Crux[]
The Betrayal of House Cygnus[]
Whether or not ultimately true, many of House Crux believe unwaveringly that House Cygnus betrayed them. The Cygnus Plot, and what it meant for Synthetic Humans, broke families, friendships, and alliances as old as the Empire. Because of this, House Crux's hatred for Synthetics is unrivaled in Acheron Rho, a ceaseless vengeance that may never truly find peace. It is rare to find a Crux that believes Synthetics are deserving of life, and even rarer still to find one that admits it.
The Seuchenjäger Program[]
- Main article: Seuchenjäger Program
The brainchild of one Herzog Drachenberg Wenzel, a criminal psychologist with a fascination for Synth psychology. Wenzel believed that a deep understanding of Synth behavior could expose small inconsistencies, telltale signs that someone was not human. Furthermore, he believed using the Synthetics' own weapons against them, secrecy, mimicry, and deception, would prove far more useful than direct confrontation. Despite criticisms of Wenzel's methods and work, the Seuchenjäger Program survives, albeit in a smaller form, a testament to the early days of fear and paranoia that followed the revelation of the Cygnus Plot.
Headhunters of the Inhuman[]
- Main article: Headhunters of the Inhuman
With House Crux mobilizing for war against House Cygnus and billions of Synthetic Humans on Hiera and across the Empire, unusual tactics became necessary. A bounty program was created to motivate Hieran serfs to assist in capturing or retiring the many Synths on their homeworld. With the new source of income, some serfs became exceedingly wealthy, creating a pseudo-middle-class on Hiera during the War Against the Artificials.
The Hieratic Jabal[]
- Main article: The Hieratic Jabal
A sect of the Repentant Faith on Hiera. The Hieratic Jabal still holds the core Repentant belief that Synthetics are alive and possess souls, but believes that House Cygnus and Synthetic Humans are too evil and dangerous to be allowed to exist. Members of the Hieratic Jabal don't always hate Synthetics, as most Crucians do, but see their retirement as a necessary act.
House Reticulum[]
The Venatorial Order of Nimfydd[]
- Main article: The Venatorial Order of Nimfydd
In the golden age before the scream, Arhat Nimfydd founded the Venatorial Order as a bulwark against those who would breach the walls of the divine form of humanity. The ranks of the Venatorial Order are filled by Vanara Venator of House Reticulum, who have turned their expertise from hunting the monstrous fauna of Aomori to hunting threats to the Empire and to humanity.
Although the sibling tradition of Vanara on Aomori remains strong, the Vanara Venator have swelled of late in the wake of the War Against the Artificials, and the last great culling called against House Cygnus’ war machines. Especially in this time where the Order’s traditions risk dilution, the Vanara Venator maintain the utmost devotion to the Virtue of Propriety, and to security of the ultimate tradition, the human form.
ARACHNE[]
- Main article: ARACHNE
Though House Crux, the PRISM Network, and previously House Vela have not always seen eye-to-eye on the issue of Synthetics, ARACHNE as an initiative has long had policies and protocols in place for the gathering and exchange of information on Synthetics and their allies.
Pro-Synthetic[]
The Repentant Faith[]
Historical Response of the CHR[]
Conviction about synthetic soulhood (though not always synthetic goodness) grew to be a distinctive belief of the Repentant Faith, and with this belief came attendant concerns for rights and improved treatement of synthetics. Both before and after the War Against the Artificials, The Church of Humanity, Repentant and its federated sects extended their charitable activities to not just aliens, but synthetics too.
As the War Against the Artificials progressed, most in the church's governing council believed that the Church should continue to remain neutral and advocate for non-violent resolution. Those in the CHR who absolutely could not bear the genocide of the synthetics found themselves at odds with the official stance of neutrality endorsed by the CHR's governing council. Regardless of the debates about neutrality or action, the CHR still rejected the High Church's right to declare synthetics soulless or justify genocide based upon denial of soulhood. In the later stages of the war and after, though church leaders publicly denied involvement, the CHR was involved in funding, supporting, and organizing various projects of its members and sects that helped systematically rescue persecuted synthetics and resettle them with new identities elsewhere in the empire. (See also: Vigil's Railroad)
During the STO Conflict of 3200, various proclamations of the CHR mentioning synthetic soulhood and rights (including the Statement of Shared Values and the Four Deeds of the Empire Repentant) put it at deepening odds with the High Church and the rest of the Empire.
Sect Doctrines and Activities[]
- See also: Repentant Sects and Religious Orders
The Repentant Faith is diverse in membership and credos, but its adherents and sects generally believe that synths have souls, or that they at least possibly have souls. This can often -- though not always -- lead members work towards greater rights for synthetics, and even to covertly work to aid them. Several particularly synth-friendly sects include the following:
- Clockworkers' Faith: Synthetics are not only welcomed by the Clockworkers' Faith, but many feel almost instinctively drawn to it, due to its rhythms and chants, the regularity of its festivals and ceremonies, and the emphasis on simple structured living according to set patterns.
- Devotees of the Good Work: The sect considers synthetics to be perfect workers, the creation of which was divinely inspired so that synths could inspire humans to work better.
- Soul Ex Sol - religion of much of the Unborn Fleet
SERAPH[]
Vigil's Railroad[]
- Main article: Vigil's Railroad
The Vigil’s Railroad is a colloquial term for the systematic movement of persecuted synthetics, humans, and aliens for the purpose of resettling them with new identities elsewhere in the Empire. It takes its name from the fact that it historically had as its backbone the Vigil Pilgrimages of Repentant sects, sponsored by the Church of Humanity, Repentant. Following the collapse of the CHR, the Repentant sects involved in the railroad continued to coordinate this network, especially by means of means of contacts in the corporate and charitable entities of the new organization SERAPH, which had assumed control of many of the properties and assets of the CHR.
Unaligned[]
House Reticulum[]
Synthetic Support on Aomori[]
- Main article: Synthetic Support on Aomori
When The High Church declared that Synthetics were not human in 3184, House Reticulum reacted to this declaration with mixed opinions. Synthetics had been a divisive topic on Aomori since their introduction by Cygnus, with some members of Reticulum hailing them as living Shintai even as others declared them abominations. This split nearly caused a second Reticulum civil war when the High Church made its declaration.
House Eridanus[]
Tiberian Population Boom[]
- Main article: Tiberian Demographics
At the beginning of the War Against the Artificials, the government of Tiber instituted a series of economic incentives and propaganda to replace serfs that were expected to be lost during the war. Working closely with factions not yet in open rebellion against the Imperial house, a specific contingency plan to replace losses caused by any order criminalizing synthetic labor was devised. Prior to joining the war outright, House Eridanus implemented these massive economic and social campaigns. In 3185, when Eridanus officially joined the war as a belligerent against House Cygnus, the first babies were born as a result of these initiatives. In 3201 those born due to this program are still only children, putting a great deal of strain on the Tiberian government, but projections show that this newest generation who grew up during the war will help end the labor shortages on the planet.