A human religious institution is only as strong as the number of its adherents. Thus, among the followers of many great human religions, it is the sacred duty of those who believe to propagate their faith by spreading its gospel. These religious ambassadors, known as “missionaries”, enjoy a long tradition of providing physical necessities such as clothing, food, shelter, and medical aid to those in need, all while preaching the metaphysical rewards of spiritual devotion in an effort to win converts among the masses.
As humans spread throughout the Novus Æterno universe, Zealot Missionaries were among them, having taken an oath to disseminate the teachings of their faith among the stars. After the disintegration of the human empires and the collapse of their central governments, many selfless Missionaries devoted themselves to the steadfast protection of the innocent and impoverished human colonists scattered across the far-flung, former imperial territories.
Missionaries are typically the most religious of all Zealots in the conventional sense of the word. The Missionary attempts to live life quite strictly according to the various tenets of the faith, constantly seeking to enrich his or her metaphysical knowledge while simultaneously encouraging others to begin their own spiritual quest. Although some Missionaries seek only to proselytize in order to swell their institutions’ ranks, most Zealots will tell you that a true Missionary only finds ultimate fulfilment in providing help to those in need, and will gladly lay down his or her own life in order to preserve that of another.
While Missionaries are undoubtedly proponents of peace, they will not hesitate to take up arms in defence of those who are unable to safeguard themselves. In such a situation, these holy emissaries will fight with the unbridled ferocity of a mother bear protecting its cubs. Many humans and non-humans alike have erred in their treatment of those under the care of these altruistic dogmatists, and have felt the righteous lash of the Zealot Missionary in return. A wise human philosopher and spiritual leader once said, “Man becomes great exactly in the degree in which he works for the welfare of his fellow men.” To the devout Zealot Missionary, these words comprise a worthy mantra, and one that rings with an eminent and indisputable truth.
