The Voltists

Voltism is a major cult acting as a subfaith of Faith of the Light. The Voltist Order originated as a schism within the Holy Hierarchy and the County Districts. A large number of Hierarchy commoners and Gatekeepers defected and proclaimed themselves as Voltists, under command by a traitor Minister of Faith. The exact goals of their movement is unknown, although it is speculated that there is some sort of artificial intelligence algorithm guiding their efforts. To be a Voltist is to give up free will, surrendering one's mind to a madness induced by electrical shock to their brain. The vast majority of Voltists later end up in a vegetative state, in which their minds have been 'rejected' by their technological deity, and they remain hollow husks or even zombified mass killers.

The name of the Minister who created this cult remains a mystery, as in official records his name has been crossed out and replaced with 'He Whomst Shall Not Be Named.' It is likely that this Minister is long dead, though Voltists claim to hear his voice when they shock themselves in their daily ritual. Voltists have no leader, no command structure or even official members. They are described like an infection, but one that only targets those who follow the Glaze. Gores and Satanists remain unaffected by "The Storm," also known as the spreading of the Voltist faith. The exact details of their beliefs remain unknown, as to even grasp a basic idea of their ideals one must subject themselves to a series of shocks, and by then it is already too late for their psyche. It is known, however, that Electrocution is their preferred method of sacrifice.

As Scrappers are after Scrap, Voltists seek out Tech. Tech is the shortened word for any piece of technology, be it rods and wires or disks and drives. Most of these relics are outlawed by the Hierarchy, which may have been the spark that inspired their schism. A senior Voltist may go as far as to replace parts of their body with robotic metal bits as they go farther down the Voltist process. They also use these Tech parts to create their weaponry, such as the infamous Railgun that launches highly accurate electrified metal objects to their foes. Without relying on powder, the Voltists have been able to far out range the Gatekeepers and their muskets with these Railguns, and their simple tactic of engaging enemies at an extremely long distance has been able to keep their forces as a considerable threat, despite their low numbers. Voltists prefer to live near the ruined cities where they are most close to finding Tech, which have kept them at odds with their Scrapper neighbors who fight to protect their territories against this invading menace.