a day in the life of a cult member
Part of the ongoing day in the life series by Vinda Lou
Reincarnation n. rebirth of soul in successive bodies; one of a series
of such transmigrations
| One of the oldest of cults is the little known “Children
of Rizzik”. According to its current high priest Taber Rizzik (all
cultists change their surname to Rizzik on on joining) this “religion”
has been in existence for countless millennia. It is
impossible to date when this cult actually began as much of its history
is handed down by word of mouth. There is little paper evidence
of the “Children of Rizzik” There are however versions of this cult in
folklore on many different planets.
It seems that in the earliest of times there was a charismatic leader known as Rizzik. In most stories Rizzik is represented as being of Vargr origin. According to legend, Rizzik gave his life to save our universe from some immense evil (little detail is given about the exact nature of this evil). His followers say that his dying words were ‘non omnis moriar’, which is latin for ‘I shall not altogether die’. This is where the story truly starts. For it appears that Rizzik did indeed 'not altogether die'. The basic principle of the ‘Children of Rizzik’ cult is that into each generation Rizzik is reborn. Truly indicating that he is a god and must be treated as one. There is apparently a rigorous test for determining ‘the chosen one’. It seems that Rizzik has been reincarnated over and over since his original death. He has taken many different forms including both human and vargr. His followers say he has that his spirit cannot rest until he finishes his great work. |
Taber Rizzik, high priest of the 'Children of Rizzik' The ‘chosen one’ of Rizzik apparently operates on two levels. They maintain their own identity but also have the voice and personality of Rizzik reincarnated within them. This phenomenon usually affects a person when they are an adult. Sometimes a phony candidate will present themselves to be tested as a chosen one. Anyone found not to be a true Rizzik is very harshly treated. As part of my research I wanted to interview these ‘unsuitable’ candidates. Of the five I knew of, four were dead and one missing. I was eventually able to track down the missing candidate who
lives his life in fear and is badly crippled. Not surprisingly he
gave me very little information. The only thing he remembered about
the selection process was a question they asked him, “You want to steal
a ship… what is your plan?” When he tried outline his plan
the priests got very upset and denounced him as a phony. He said
he has no memories after this and is obviously a broken man.
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When there is no current ‘chosen one’ the high
priest operates the cult in Rizzik’s absence. Very little is
known about how they are funded and Taber Rizzik declined to comment on
this. It is however interesting to note that most cult members
do have criminal backgrounds.
Taber Rizzik stressed the great importance that the ‘Children on ‘Rizzik’ place on finding their god. Whenever the ‘chosen one’ dies an immediate search is begun for the new host. It is apparently very important to find the ‘chosen one’ quickly so they can help him understand the nature of what has happened. It was not said, but I gained the impression that sometimes the new host did not appreciate the presence of ‘Rizzik’ in their cerebral cortex, or worse - could not cope and went slowly insane. This would probably allow them to fit in quite nicely with the rest of this whacked out group! Of all the fringe cults I checked out, this is truly the most bizarre…..and frankly…...I don’t believe a word of it. Vinda's Rating:
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