Priests of Gravadia

A forbidden cult, splintered from the liberal Church of Gravadia in 1138.

They sought to conduct further research into a number of Forbidden Science fields. However, thinking of the welfare of their souls, they believed that they could conduct these researches without becoming guilty of heresey if they gained a divine mandate, the blessing of a saint or Pope.

After much planning, they sought to get this blessing posthumously, by constructing an elaborate reliquary into which they would place the left kneecap of Pope John XXI. Several cult members with extreme combat training (including mercenaries recruited through the confessionals of Gravadia, by sympathetic priests) attacked the 16th floor of <address>[/The Shrine of Johns] on [Sepulchrus Divinorum/Blessed West Island]</address> on February 19th 1136. They found, however, that their plans were thwarted by a miracle. The sarcophagus of John XXI cracked open to reveal that it was nothing more than a solid block of marble.

Most who have heard this story believe that the gang were arrested, and the cult ceased to exist. However, in fact one man succeeded in returning to the Priests' base. He was Jon Creed, and he managed to retrieve a piece of marble the size of his thumb. This 'relic' passed through numerous hands, eventually ending up in the <address base="Caine's Star/Outer Ring">[/Temple of St Unknown] on [/Shipyard/]</address>, where it has remained since 1129.

The Priests themselves now have two chapters, one on Shipyard and one running a Science Pirate orbital colony around Gravadia. Their research into a Unified Field Theorem has not yet shown any positive results. However, they have made small refinements to the formulae used by discontinuous transit pilots to calculate slipstream points.