The Luddite Hero Cults

[REMworlder]

Every locale had its own set of local heroes. Some of these heroes are well known to us through epic and tragedy, while others are never mentioned in any poetry known to us. The local hero of hero cult could be male or female, adult or child.

_{-"Relevant facts about ancient Greek hero cults," by Gregory Nagy}

The Luddites
Throughout history, RimWorld inhabitants have found themselves drawn to the ancient ruins around the world. In many of these places, luddite cults have emerged. Luddite cults worship the final resting places of what were obviously mighty and powerful humans who did great things. Luddites believe the deceased heroes of legend still have supernatural powers.

A step up from pure ancestor worship, luddite beliefs are fueled by the many mysterious ancient ruins commonly found on rim worlds. With the original purpose of the old structures forgotten, luddites shoehorn their oral traditions into local geography. An abundance of poorly-understood technology and human remains tends to reinforce luddite beliefs in ancient heroes formally buried in twisted structures of plasteel.

Fig1. Gigantic, largely intact, and conspicuous. Luddite cults tend to form around such structures in devotion to the mighty hero entombed inside.

Cult Behaviors
Why luddites shun technology in combination with their beliefs is less obvious. Ordo evidence points towards mechanoid incursions playing a key role in luddite rituals, and mechanoids seem to avoid certain ancient sites for reasons that are unclear. In part because of this, luddite cults tend to be heavily territorial, centered around the relative supernatural safety provided by their hero's tomb.

Recent scan compilations indicate most prominent luddite tomb sites harbor semi-active ship cores, EMP devices, or hardened military subroutines. Luddites seem largely unaware of these technological entities, which may be the source of what luddites perceive to be supernatural benefits.

Luddites don't eschew all technology, just most of it. A strong belief in the supernatural provides great purpose to the technology adopted by luddites. What we might identify as old school energy weapons or nutrient paste synthesizers are often, to luddites, magical artifacts provided by their worshipped heroes. Technology isn't bad to luddite cults simply because it's technology, but because it's bad magic. Context is everything to luddites.

Hero cult was a fundamentally local practice, confined to a specific locale. There were literally thousands of hero-cults throughout the locales of the ancient Greek-speaking world.

_{-"Relevant facts about ancient Greek hero cults," by Gregory Nagy}

Luddites and You
Luddites are territorial, hesitant to leave both the protection of their deceased benefactors and to leave their precious tombs undefended. While this might seem to make avoiding luddite cults a straightforward affair, the vast number of ruins on certain RimWorlds can cultivate thousands of competing luddite cults and spinoffs.

The best way for pre-established colonies and outposts to avoid luddites is stay away from ancient structures. Activity near ancient sites may lead luddite cults to assume those sites are worshipped by the colony. Luddite cults have no qualms about engaging in hostilities with factions they feel pose a threat to their own hero, especially if the oracles of their hero find this is needed. Luddites certainly believe in the existence of other heroes, they just know theirs is the most worthy of veneration.

Luddite attacks may involve a wide range of tactical and strategic threats. While primitive ranged and melee weaponry is common, luddites may also bring "magical" EMP-based weaponry. It's possible these are fielded as an escalated response to feral mechanoids or other technological threats where conventional primitive weaponry is ineffective. In full conflict, luddites will attempt to disable mechanical defenses before engaging in primitive close combat.

Fig2. Spess ruins! Spess ruins everywhere.

Greek hero cults sprang up around unknown structures, and the ruin-laden rim worlds seem like a great analogue to that. I like the idea of luddites as a tenuous mix of magic and technology. Just like hero cults may have actually worshipped prehistoric bones thinking they were larger-than-life remains, luddite cults may actually be under the protection of ancient barely-functioning systems designed to subtly protect human life. While I've often thought how cargo cults might emerge on RimWorld, hero cults seem a bit more natural.

Best of all is luddites are the natural enemy to mechanoids, which lack real opposition and walk over every faction out there (yes, technically megascarabs are the bane of mechanoids in lore). A faction that disables mechanoids using "magic artifacts" --EMPs-- then tears them apart with ad-hoc primitive weaponry seems like the perfect counter. A nice step above being totally primitive and seeing complete robo-massacres.

Visually luddites are absurd. TogasSimple clothing and ritual space helmets on a few leaders, both marked with the markings of their sacred tombs. Thematically elements should mash together. Picture priests offering blood sacrifices and libations on an altar, which is actually a nutrient paste machine from the backroom of a local school cafeteria.