Stretched far beyond in the planes no one dares to ever venture forward. The notorious temple of the world's most dangerous religion stands hidden in the ruins of a long-abandoned field of Power Production plants. Surrounded by nothing but ruined factories, twisted wires, and junk yards.

The area around the Obelisk has a powerful electronic firewall surrounding it that is programmed to cut off a Cyberbrain's ability to communicate wirelessly should it enter anywhere near the vicinity of the sacred Techlighten Temple. This ensures that even if some fool or FPE agent were to find the location of the place, they would have no way of reporting it to the outside world. A powerful radar is in place within the temple that instantly detects intruders as well, whom are hunted down mercilessly by Techlightens. Such structure garauntees that no intruder lasts long when wandering towards the temple, and that its location remain absolutely secret.

It is called The Obelisk of Dissonance for the reason that the temple is indeed, shaped like an Obelisk. A long tower extends up the middle of the temple, squared in shape with five mechanical points stretching upwards towards the sky. Techlightens refer to this symbol as "The Grasp of GEIST",
a symbol that the Techlighten faith is destined to transcend above earth and Humanity.

Inside of the temple is a grand hall, draped in mix of metalic black and electronic blue. The whole structure of the temple is extremely advanced in all technologic senses. Automated sliding doors, pulsating blue lights, the most highly advanced of terminals. The temple houses many different areas all revolving around the beliefs, needs, and practices of the Techlighten Religion.

The Chamber Of Sacrifice is a section of the Temple used in self-mutiliation ceremonies that Techlighten followers are expected to do. The room is completely dark, save for the bright blue flame in the middle of the chamber. A table is placed in front of the burning bright blue flame, and special machines are next to the table which act as temporary life-preservers that Techlightens hook up to themselves when they wish to sacrifice a vital organ. A highly-crafted, specially adorned pulsating blue scimitar is place directly on the table. A smaller dagger crafted in similiar style lies next to it, for sacrifices that require a smaller blade to remove. In the Chamber Of Sacrifice, Techlightens take the ceremonial blade and slowly cut off certain parts of their body, usually while chanting religious incantations. The sacrificed part is then held up high for a Techlighten High Priest to see, and then thrown into the burning blue flame. The flame is a specially designed synthetic one that instantly vaporizes all biological material thrown into it, capable of even distingrating bone matter.

Then comes the Den of Transcendence. A holy auditorium-like room that has the capapbility of housing over 1000 worshippers at once. The Den Of Transcendence is used for sermons and masses that are usually performed by Techlighten High Priests. Occasionally, High Minister Keronmus will make a speech within it. Such events cause the Den to overflow with worshippers, who are all eager to view their High Minister. It is a regular preaching ground for the Techlightens, where speeches often describe how perfect technological assimiliation is required for humanity to reach their perfect evolutionary end. The Techlighten "god" known as GEIST is also known to be praised within the Den.

The next notable zone of the temple is the Aria of Rebirth, a highly advanced Cybernetics lab where Techlighten Priests and High Priests work towards creating exotic new Techlighten-unique Cybernetics. It is located very near towards the Chamber Of Sacrifice, as it also serves as the operating room where Techlightens install their Cybernetics onto their bodies. Specialized weapons are also made here, crafted in fine fashion. As worshippers advance higher towards the Techlighten faith, they are granted more sophisticated and advanced Cybernetics in the Aria of Rebirth.

Once Techlightens gain their new weapons and Cybernetics, they are directed to the Bolero Of Destruction. A very large area in which Techlightens can test out and train their skills in combat. Many Techlightens spend extensive hours within these training grounds, vigoriously training to become deadly weapons of death and destruction. Everything from sparring to target pratice to extensive holographic training simulations is performed within this zone.

Near the Bolero of Destruction lies the Nodes of Enlightenment. An extensive computerized network terminal which allow Techlightens the ability to hook themselves up directly to Cyberspace. This allows Priests and other Techlightens to drift around the net, convincing others in shady underground E-Communities to join the cause. It also allows Techlightens to hack various networks for various purposes, and plant pro-Techlighten information in areas that many would not expect it. The Network is highly advanced and keeps the true identities of the Techlighten hooked up to it completely secret. Many dwellers of Cyberspace often communicate with sleeper-cell Techlighten fanatics and never realize it.



The final two areas of the extensive temple are The High Minister's Quarters, and the relatively new Pit of Raison'Teks. The High Minister's Quarters are exactly what they imply. They are the private living quarters of High Minister Keronmus, one of nine elite High Ministers within the Techlighten faith. The chambers are extremely luxurious, filled with the most technologically advanced furniture and a very powerful personal terminal which is rumored to allow Keronmus to communicate directly to GEIST.

The Pit of Raison'Teks is a new addition to the temple, spawned from the new Raison'Tek project instituted by High Minister Keronmus himself. It is an underground production facility which devotes itself towards taking human corpses and chopping them up into pieces. A highly advanced robotic android is then built, and the corpse is put back together over the body of the android. Specialized nano-machines are then injected into the corpse's skin in order to prevent any more decay, and then the android is pushed down to have finalizing touches put onto it. The end result is the horrifying abomination known only as the Raison'Tek, highly advanced androids that have the skin tissue of those slain by the Techlightens. They are freakish looking, with glowing red eyes and pulsating red electricity occasionally pulsating through vein-like lines etched all around their body.

Masses of them. Hundreds of them, thousands of them. All draped in neon-color robes, adorned in pristine cybernetics. They howled, they bantered, they shifted wildly in their pews. High up in the Den of Transcendence, many Techlighten fanatics gathered, squirming wildly in anticipation for their High Minister to deliver their mass.

The Den curved upwards, with the lowliest cultists having to sit in the far back, stretching downward to the lower ministers and priests at the very bottom, closest to where High Minister Keronmus was supposed to be situated. The whole room glimmered in a dark neon hue, each fanatical robotized human staring dead unto the center stage.

For the High Minister to hold a mass by himself was a rare event. Every Techlighten at the Obelisk crammed into every space they could, wanting to gaze upon their local leader with their own artificial eyes. Hundreds crammed in the Den of Transcendence, with thousands more watching from cyberspace - specially jacked into digital web-cameras that only devoted followers of the Techlighten faith were allowed access to.

.....and then.....

Two 7 foot tall figures, draped completely in dark-gray robes, stepped into the very direct center of the stage. The crowd silenced; they were the elite bodyguards to High Minister Keronmus. They both knelt downward, bowing their heads. Immediately every being within the chamber did the same - some even going so far as to completely grovel on the little space of floor that they could.

And then, he finally entered. Draped in dark black robes with glowing blue trim, face wrapped completely in a shadowy hood. He did not walk, not a single movement came from his legs. Instead....he glided forward, the lighting of the room instantly exploding white, fixating directly unto him.

With a quick flick of his wrists, he pulled back his hood. A steely mechanized face, glowing sapphire eyes, perfectly arranged strands of long black hair.

He smiled.

Keronmus, one High Minister of a council of nine, direct communicator to the Deus ex Machina known as GEIST. He stood in front of all his fanatical cyborg-striving worshipers, exhuming a cool smile from his face.

"Children of GEIST, raise your heads. You show me too much reverence....".

On cue, all of the hundreds of worshipers raised their heads, faces plastered with glee in being able to gaze upon the High Minister.

"I know I have been....lacking, lately. I have not had much time to openly communicate with you, my humble followers, my servants. My extensions of will; the will of GEIST. For this....I apologize. I do, truly, as much as I could ever. The digitized clicks of time continue forward, reverberate deep within my mind, and within every nano-second I must contemplate the direction our sect will go."

Keronmus' bright blue eyes slowly changed into a dark green. His head began to glow a bright yellow, the transparency of his advanced cyber-brain showing. A blue stream of mist began to pour of out his mouth.....

And suddenly, all the hundreds of worshipers gathered in the den began to look up directly into the ceiling. Their minds being willingly invaded, Keronmus' advanced cyber-brain exploring every one of them.

".....I can feel the anticipation growing within each of your minds. I can see the eagerness for the new dawn manifesting within your sub-conscious. I can dissect each desire you have to serve GEIST.....I can understand you. Your tenacious zeal to evolve into a higher form, to bring about the future humanity was destined for.....".

Keronmus' skull stopped glowing. His eyes slowly changed into a dark red, with his mouth arching up into a grin.

"The means towards our final evolution is almost complete. While I know that words alone will not begin to quell the very positive eagerness you all have to work towards it, I must state it. Already, this artificial construction of Utopia erected hours away from our holy temple crumbles. The weak specie known as the average citizen wanders aimlessly through a decaying metropolis. Lost, alone. Cold....hungry. Hungry to find more significant meaning in this world of shifting variables. Endless economic algorithm, constant dissipation of kinetics...."

"It shall still take more time.....but what is time to our being? Time proves to be fatal towards those who still cling to flesh, blood, and bone. But towards beings made of alloy, of wire and digitization - time only provides strength. Upgrades. Rapid bursts of evolution, to make each synthetic part stronger, more efficient. Better , in every aspect of the sort.

And thus, it reveals why GEIST shall control all aspects of this world in the end. The human body can only get weaker, but the cyborg can only stronger. Organic life decays and eventually withers away into nothing, but our constructs of technology lasts through out the ages. It improves with each passing year....and eventually, through devotion and tenacity, we will permanently replace the weaker animal that still claims to be the dominant being of this planet.....

We shall perfect what we have been striving to for so long.....a complete unification between wire and vein. Between metal and flesh - between neuron and byte....."

Keronmus rose his head towards the cieling, with arms oustretched, holding his staff of High Ministry high.

".....and that is when we will have perfected the means to our evolution, fully unlocked the potential of the human mind. We will be timeless, eternal.....ruling over this world and continuing to reach upon new insight upon new insight, in the infinite stream of time...."

He took in a deep breath. Calmly, he leveld his vision, glancing at each worshiper in the Den.

"....so, stay patient. Stay vigilant, children of GEIST. Let this abhorrent manifestation of Babylon crumble more and more with each year. Spread our teachings, enlighten more lost souls into the inevitable dominion of GEIST, and take pleasure in viewing the slow death that our flawed-enemies will reach themselves into.

Our time is coming, and the age of the Techlighten will transcend unto new heights never before witnessed on this planet. In GEIST's inevitability, we know...."

And with that, Keronmus bowed his head low, all the worshipers doing the same. A strange euphoria filled into the room; Keronmus was unleashing a stream of unbridled, beautiful digital data into each worshiper's cyber brain. They all sat vegetated for a few moments, bodies completely locked in the powerful mind-expansion slowly filling each and every one of them. Then, as soon as it occurred, it had vanished.

Keronmus slowly turning, gliding out of view.....with a thunderous roar of erratic praise towards him, and GEIST, following.