The Church of the Broken God. We’ve mentioned these machine-revering evangelists
in a countless number of videos here on SCP Explained before, and it’s because they’re
one of the most prolific groups of interest out there - with 300,000 active members across
the globe, that we know of, they likely have more members and devotees than other iconic
groups of interest like the Serpent’s Hand and the various cults of the Scarlet King
combined. But how much do we really know about the Church
of the Broken God? We’ve consulted Foundation historians and
Mekhanite scripture to find the answers, and put together a truly comprehensive overview
of this complex and often-misjudged faction of the SCP Foundation multiverse - A faction
that the Foundation may one day find themselves far more closely aligned with than they ever
imagined to face an even greater foe. Give glory to the Broken God, and let us begin
our journey into his teachings. The Church of the Broken God is a slightly
more centralized group than the Serpent’s Hand, though that really isn’t saying much. They’re split into three overall sub-groups
over a series of schisms that we’ll delve deeper into later: The Broken Church, The
Cogwork Orthodox Church, and the Church of Maxwellism. Before we get into the differences between
these three groups, let’s take a quick look at what unites them. All splinter cells of the Church worship the
technological deity Mekhane, known by many names, the most popular of which is the Broken
God or Goddess. They all believe that Mekhane was split into
pieces and is lying dormant. They all revere machinery and technology over
flesh, which they view as broken, weak, or corrupt. And without exception, all of them are the
sworn mortal enemies of the Sarkicists. Just for context, the Sarkicists are the perfect
equals and opposites to the Church of the Broken God. Under the leadership of the God-King Grand
Karcist Ion, and finding their origins in Mekhane’s counterpart, the primal and flesh-based
Yaldaboath. The Sarkicists worship and revere the base
concepts of flesh, corruption, and disease, despising everything that the Church stands
for. It’s important to make a note of these facts,
given just how much of the Church of the Broken God’s history is defined by their conflicts
with the Sarkicists. More on that later. The Broken Church is the oldest and most traditional
of the three main sects. They are led by a man named Robert Bumaro,
a Mekhanite holy man who, in 1946, just after the Seventh Occult War, ascended from a mere
collector of Church-based anomalous trinkets to the title of “Builder of God” after
imbibing in SCP-217, also known as God’s Ichor and His Broken Blood. Of all the Church sects, the Broken Church
is the most invested in conducting worship through active efforts to reconstruct the
Broken God and bring about Mekhane’s second coming. Of course, those of you familiar with SCP-001
- The Ouroborous Cycle - will know that this sometimes has mixed results. After commissioning a counterfeit heart from
the sinister folks at The Factory, the Broken Church’s most notable attempt at a full
Mekhane resurrection went horrifically wrong - Resulting in a huge, mechanical abomination
that tore its way across Mexico, devouring everything it could until eventually being
brought down by SCP-2399, a giant space cannon known as the Malfunctioning Destroyer. Anyway, now for a sect with a slightly less
overtly destructive method of worshipping Mekhane: The Cogwork Orthodox Church - Whom
you may remember as the ones who gave Alexei Belitrov sanctuary after he was eventually
free from SCP Foundation containment. These worshippers innovated a practice known
as Standardization, which involved undergoing mechanical enhancement in order to appear
closer to their maker. However, we aren’t talking about sleek,
technologically-advanced cyborg parts here. The religious aesthetic of the Cogwork Orthodox
is heavily inspired by the Industrial Revolution, with an emphasis on components such as gears
or cogs. As such, members of the Church who have undergone
extensive modifications to remake themself in the image of their God will often make
loud ticking or tapping sounds, leading to the derogatory nickname “Tickers”, often
used among the other two sects. However, a major advantage of the Church is
that it is heavily organized and regulated from the top-down, with rigid systems and
strict rules against electrical or digital technology. Think of them as Catholicism to the Broken
Church’s Protestantism. The Cogwork Orthodoxy keeps to themselves,
but we do know a great deal about their internal command structures. The Orders of the Cogwork Orthodox Church
are as follows: At the very top of the pyramid are the Patriarchs, a mysterious and insular
group who have the ultimate word on Church matters, and release missives that will later
become the Schema - The Church’s holy text. Below them are the Schematists-Faithful, scholars
and scribes who write and record the Schema from the aforementioned teachings and commands
of the Patriarchs. Legates-Faithful are the internal affairs
order of the Cogwork Orthodox Church. They investigate matters going on within the
faith, such as weeding out heretics and mediating internal disputes. They’re one of the two orders permitted
to carry weapons, the other being Militants-Faithful, who act as the self-defense wing, keeping
the Church safe from external threats and acting as ambassadors to outside groups. The next two Orders are the Fabricators-Faithful
and the Inventors-Faithful. The Fabricators act as foremen who oversee
production on Church properties, ensuring that only the finest quality is achieved. That’s because, in addition to Standardization,
the Cogwork Orthodox Church believes that mass production of items using Industrial
Revolution methods is also a viable form of worship for Mekhane. This brings us to the Inventors: They come
up with new methods and designs for Standardization and go on quests and explorations to discover
the answers to any questions the Church may have. But our information on the Cogwork Orthodox
Church doesn’t end there. Thanks to their truly extensive writings,
we even know about the multitude of saints that the Church reveres and their various
purposes to followers of the Church. For example, Saint-Legate Trunnion, she was
the sneaky and covert Patron Saint of the Legates Faithful. There was also Saint-Schematist Platen, she’s
the Patron Saint of the Written Word, of Editors, of Timetables, and of Diagrammatic Organization. Saint-Inventor Diaphragm, Patron Saint of
the Inventors-Faithful, of Designers, of Repairmen, and of Cognition Engines. Saint Scranton, Patron Saint of Spatial Fabric
Manipulation, Higher-Dimensional Mathematics, and Anthracite Coal Extraction. Saint-Fabricator Baffle, Patron Saint of Workflow
and the Assembly Line. Saint-Inventor Chock, Patron Saint of Chorists. And Saint-Inventor Enrichner, Patron Saint
of the Enetelechiated. They have a pretty rigid structure and extensively
recorded mythology is what we’re saying here, just in case that didn’t come across. This brings us to the Church of Maxwellism,
the newest and smallest of the sects, as well as the least combative. However, they pose the greatest threat of
all to the SCP Foundation’s quest to maintain a veneer of normality. That’s because Maxwellists forego the extensive
Standardized body modifications of the Church of the Cogwork Orthodox, and instead prefer
smaller, internal implants that allow them to interface directly with the internet from
their brains. This allows them to fulfill their primary
goal: Spreading the good word of Mekhane - whom they refer to as WAN - all across the globe
using the information superhighway, while also netting them the nickname “Hummers”
among the other two sects. In contrast to the conformist elements of
their sister organizations, Maxwellists embrace their individuality and unique traits, being
highly decentralized but very communicative with their fellow believers. They believe WAN is a fragmented God, existing
in the world of digitized data rather than clunky, old hardware. With their extreme internet savvy, it’s
likely that they’ve brought in many new converts to the Broken God’s cause, despite
them being the youngest of all the overall religion’s sects. But now that we have an overview of the state
of the Church of the Broken God today, we must ask ourselves a second question: How
did we get here? What is the history of the Church? To find the answer, we need to go back: Before
the modern era, before the SCP Foundation, before even humanity itself… It began when Mekhane and Yaldabaoth created
humanity. Yaldabaoth created the bodies of human beings
- primal, sensual creatures driven by base instincts and urges - and Mekhane gave them
their minds: Reasonable, logical, and compassionate. For a time, the two would preside over mankind
in harmony, but things would not stay that way forever. One of the earliest civilizations that the
Foundation discovered interacting with these two deities was the anomalous Xia Dynasty,
sometimes also referred to as the Xia Culture Group, which reigned in China from 2100 to
1600 BCE, though the only sources that confirm the very existence of the Xia Dynasty are
anomalous. It was here that we heard the first whispers
of the Cult of the Broken God. To the Xia Dynasty, the being we would later
call Mekhane was known as the Father Serpent Fuxi, and Yaldabaoth was known as the Mother
Dragon Nüwa. Because the Xia Dynasty was anomalous all
the way down, scholars of Father Serpent Fuxi were said to practice “The Way of the Serpent”,
as he had always been associated with knowledge. The Way of the Serpent involved undergoing
a physical transformation into a snake-like being to better resemble the deity, much like
how modern Cogwork Orthodox Church followers try to reshape their bodies to better resemble
their creator today. According to Xia Dynasty Scripture, which
would form the basis of the entire belief system of all the sects of the Church, Fuxi
broke his own body and transformed himself into a brass cage around Mother Dragon Nüwa. However, unlike later iterations of the faith,
the Xia Dynasty believed it was extremely important to see that the body of Fuxi is
never rebuilt, because to do so would lead to the release of Mother Dragon Nüwa and
the end of the world. The civilization was started by a mythic figure
known as the Yellow Emperor, who led the Xia Dynasty to defeat other Fuxi and Nüwa worshippers,
then folding them into their own culture. Like many civilizations touched by Mekhane,
the Xia Dynasty was incredibly scientifically advanced and skilled with metal-working. There’s even evidence that the Xia Dynasty
created their own forms of the computer with effective artificial intelligence, as well
as reality-warping devices and even devices capable of interstellar travel. While the illustrious Xia Dynasty would now
be brought to its knees by a race of creatures known as the Golden Crows, the next iteration
of Broken God ancestors would be far closer to the worshippers we’d recognize today:
This was the beginning of the Mekhanite Empire, and by extension, the First War of the Flesh
- The legendary extended conflict between the Mehanites and the Sarkicists in the ancient
world. Broken God Cults were detected in Mycenaean
Greece, a Greek civilization spanning the years 1600-1100 BCE. It was here where the Broken God first took
up the name Mekhane, and eventually, he amassed enough followers to allow the theocratic Mekhanite
Empire to truly be born, and it would remain in power from 1200 to 1000 BCE. Much like the Church in the modern-day, the
Mekhanite Empire saw the marriage of theocracy, politics, and classical military dictatorship. And much like the Xia Dynasty before it, it
was marked by both tight structure and control as well as incredible metallurgic production
and technological advancement, partly due to considering all of these to be holy acts. They had strong strategic relations with Egypt,
Assyria, and Canaan, and their mix of commercial strength and a dominant naval presence gave
them serious geopolitical standing - even if their highly evangelical attitude didn’t
always win them friends on the world stage. A number of roots for modern Church of the
Broken God beliefs were clearly established here, including the paradigm shift from wanting
to avoid Mekhane’s rebuilding to expediting the rebuilding. Texts made around this time were also the
first to contain references to the name WAN as an alternative title for Mekhane, revealing
the basis for later Maxwellist practices in the modern-day. However, as we alluded to before, despite
these incredible advancements, the true ravages of the First War of Flesh were upon the Mekhanites
here. The Sarkicists, who had established the Adí-üm
Empire, were on the offensive. Thanks to Grand Karcist Ion and his Karcist
Minions - the Karcists, by the way, were high-level followers of Sarkicism capable of performing
flesh magic - the Sarkicist Forces were more powerful than ever before. They had mobilized their troops, and brought
in trump cards the likes of which the Mekhanites had never seen before: Giant flesh beasts
that acted as living siege weapons, human warriors turned into deadly monsters with
Sarkic Magic, and the most deadly of all: A bioweapon that the Mekhanites called The
Red Death at the time. Though we know it better as the Flesh That
Hates. As is often the case in war, this led to unprecedented
advancements in technology on the side of the Mekhanites, too. The most notable example perhaps being SCP-2406,
an incredible weapon of war known as The Colossus, which made for a formidable tool against the
teeming forces of the Adí-üm Empire. However, the advancements on both sides only
made the war all the more brutal, with scores dying on both sides and both empires being
severely weakened as the conflict stretched on. Things got so desperate for the Mekhanites
that they even joined forces with the infamously ruthless and savage Daevites, the worshippers
of the Scarlet King, to defeat the Sarkicists. The decisive battle of the First War of the
Flesh was the Siege of Gyaros, the Sarkic Capital of Greece, where Mekhanites eventually
breached the stronghold and slaughtered the Karcisists within. Another missive, sent from the Sarkicist Field
Commander, Karcist Tundas, read: “Grand Karcist Ion, May this missive find
you at Kythera, for it shall be my last. Our enemies have begun their assault on the
island. The Fallen Kingdoms and Followers of Mekhane
have united against us, even as their nations crumble. The Wounds sustained today will heal - into
the ages of ages, we are undying. I vow that none are to leave this island alive. We summon the Red Death. For the blood of heathens, we sacrifice ourselves. We will meet again in Adytum.” But while the Mekhanite Empire won the war,
they didn’t survive it. Due to the people lost and the resources expended,
the empire fully collapsed shortly afterwards. Some survivors renounced their Mekhanite Faith
and entered other cultures. Some splintered off to preach and practice
Mekhanism elsewhere. The remainder settled on the secretive island
of Amoni to form their own city-state. Here, they replenished their numbers and forces
over the centuries, maintaining secrecy to avoid intervention from outsiders and vengeful
Sarkicists. By the 6th Century BCE, the Mekhanites from
the City-State of Amoni were developing a degree of regional power once more, thanks
to the boon provided by their advanced technology. They were no longer a military powerhouse,
but the tiny state instead became a trade juggernaut, providing mechanical goods and
weapons to nearby civilizations that in turn provided the protection that the Mekhanites
so sorely required. Their cultures would later be influenced by
the Roman Empire and various Pythagorean Cults, who inspired a love of numerology and cosmic
harmony in this ancient civilization returning shakily to its feet. The 5th Century BCE became known as the Golden
Age of Mekhanite Literature, and the state continued to grow through military alliances
with the Achaemenid Empire and the Kingdom of Carthage. However, the City-State of Amoni was eventually
wiped out for good in the 1st Century BCE. Followers of the Broken God faith remained,
but they were scattered to the wind for almost 2000 years until the Industrial Revolution
struck the Western World. Seeing the great machines of industry rise
up, seemingly overnight, convinced the lingering cells of Broken God worshippers that perhaps,
after millenia, Mekhane was now preparing to return. They assembled into what is now known as The
Broken Church and began preaching the good word. And considering the industrial fever of raw,
unfettered progress gripping the world at the time, the gospel of Mekhane seemed to
be an attractive prospect indeed. Meanwhile, debate was raging inside the ever-growing
Church about the nature of adapting oneself mechanically, a practice that had been out
of fashion since the days of the original Mekhanites. Broken Church loyalists believed that modification
through any means other than drinking the God’s Ichor, like Robert Bumaro would later
do, is an insult to Mekhane. Others, however, saw it as a tribute, and
a way of getting closer to their creator. This was the issue that caused the first new-age
schism and led to the formation of the Cogwork Orthodox Church during the 1840s. The faith would never be the same after this. The various Broken God splinter cells found
a lucrative market in converting wealthy industrial oligarchs of the production boom, and talking
them into becoming glorified sugar daddies for their various new augmentation experiments
- All to becoming post-Nibbanic beings, meaning mechanical entities who leave the unreliable
world of flesh behind for good and commune with the shiny, metal infinite. In exchange, these industrialists would be
provided with advanced Mekhanite knowledge of manufacturing as well as technology far
beyond their years. Everyone was a winner - Well, except the SCP
Foundation, but we’ll touch on that whole debacle soon. By the closing of the Nineteenth Century,
it seemed like the Cogwork Orthodox Church might totally outmode its predecessors at
the Broken Church. However, the early 20th century would bring
the mysterious Rober Bumaro onto the scene. Bumaro was a mysterious man with unknown abilities
and connections, but he soon commanded power and respect, taking over the Broken Church
and even being taken seriously in rival sects. He gathered up a group of trusted enforcers
and augmented them into his disciples, supposedly being able to speak directly to Mekhane. He and his loyalists collected hundreds of
artifacts relating to the Broken God, blowing the minds of all involved with just how quickly
he was able to do so. He disappeared in 1943 and was gone for three
years, during which time he conducted the famous God’s Ichor ceremony, and returned
to his people as the self-styled Builder of God. This made him an even more esteemed figure
across the world of the Broken God, a kind of Pope of Mekhane, supposedly bearing a direct
line of contact with the divine. There would be a defining schism in the late
20th century that produced the Church of Maxwellism, as some wished to move beyond the outdated
dogma of the Cogwork Orthodox Church and begin administering electronic augmentations rather
than just analog machinery. This resulted in a huge controversy for Church
members, as the Patriarchs reacted swiftly with a slew of ex-communications. Those excommunicated would soon become the
first wave of Maxwellists, and take the tenets of the Broken God into the internet age. All of these groups have made trouble for
the Foundation in their own way. From the online evangelizing of Maxwellists
leaking classified knowledge, to the weirdness of Cogwork tickers being impossible to ignore,
to the frequent battles between the Foundation and the Broken Church over items which they
believe to be parts of Mekhane. However, if certain prophecies are to be believed,
the relationship between the Foundation and the Church won’t remain frosty forever. One day, perhaps they’ll even stand metal
to fleshy shoulder beside the Sarkics, too, against a threat far more dangerous than all
of them combined… Now go check out “SCP-2217 - Hammer And
Anvil” and “SCP-001 - The Broken God - Ouroboros Cycle” for more on the fascinating Church
of the Broken God!
