Yuggothism

Yuggothism
Symbol
Organised Religion
Ideological doctrine:	Esotericism, Paganism
Operation
Region(s) of operation:	Pluto
Historical information
Predecessors:	Unknown (New Age Movements?)
Founded:	24th century
[Source]

“	Bunch together a group of people deliberately chosen for strong religious feelings, and you have a practical guarantee of dark morbidities expressed in crime, perversion, and insanity.	”
–H.P. Lovecraft

Yuggothism is a mysterious pagan religion on Pluto that has been around for quite a long time. A minority religion on Pluto, Yuggothism has slowly grown over the years but faces continued persecution by the local Eastern Orthodox Church. The religion has remained mysterious due to the reluctance of its followers to talk about their beliefs.

History

Background

No on knows exactly where Yuggothism came from or exactly when it came about. The word Yuggoth originates from a fictional planet from the work of H. P. Lovecraft deemed to be located at the very edge of the Solar System. At the time of the discovery of the then-planet Pluto in 1930, Lovecraft himself very casually suggested, in a letter to his friend James F. Morton, dated on 15 March 1930 that Yuggoth might "probably" be the same as Pluto.

Yuggothism is first recorded in the early 24th century soon after the colonization of Pluto. The faith first emerged at Cthulhu Macula, which has remained a center for Yuggothism for the next seventeen hundred years. Early in Pluto's settled history, Yuggothism was simply seen as a curiosity by the locals, and it was practiced fairly openly by its adherents. However, the strengthening of the Eastern Orthodox Church in the late third millennium led to persecution of Yuggothites, which drove them into hiding. They have remained secretive ever since.

What little that is known about Yuggothism has not endeared it to outsiders. Yuggothites worship a pantheon of gods and use psychedelic drugs to allegedly commune with their deities. It is also rumored that Yuggothism advocates extreme ethno-nationalism for Plutonians and death to other races. A couple Yuggothites have denied these charges, but the larger organization has not voiced any sort of denial.

Current Era

Yuggothites has survived into current times by remaining secretive, but they have also more recently embraced a more modern part of Plutonian society: the Psychopomps. The Society of the Shining Trapezohedron was formed by a group of patriotic Yuggothites in the 40th century who have been met with initial suspicion by other Psychopomps. However over the years, the Society has won begrudging friends and is only disliked by the more pious of Psychopomps. Some still think the Society was formed out of self-interest to expand Yuggothism’s influence, but others see the Society as genuinely patriotic.

Currently, Yuggothism current extent is unknown. The local Eastern Orthodox Church constantly warns about its subversive efforts to win converts, but these claims are not substantiated. At the moment, Yuggothism remains simply a small local cult only well-known on Pluto.

Structure

It is clear that Yuggothism has a leadership and is not decentralized, but it remains a mystery to the wider world who that leadership is. Local Plutonians have accused the Gorgon Family of leading the cult numerous times while the Gorgons and general authorities just assume Yuggothism is led by some shadowy cult leader who just happens to pay them to look the other way. Meanwhile, adherents to the religion remain tight-lipped about the structure of Yuggothism.

Membership

Yuggothism’s scope on Pluto is unknown, but it is estimated the cult only has around four thousand active members, also members of their Psychopomp affiliate organization, the Society of the Shining Trapezohedron. However, it is known that Yuggothism has adherent outside its active members perhaps numbering in the tens of thousandS, and news of the cult’s subversive growth has made the local branch of the Eastern Orthodox Church anxious. All members of Yuggothism are Plutonian, and they have been known to even turn away curious Saturnians. This have led some to conclude that Yuggothism is essentially a Plutonian ethno-religion.