Encounter-a-Day

In the beginning, there was harmony, and then chaos broke that harmony and the world was born. So teach the disciples of the Dissonant Chorus, a religion devoted to The Voice of Creation.

Those devoted to the Dissonant Chorus come from all walks of life, but it is especially popular amongst the poor, the wretched and the hopeless. They believe that life is naught but misery, and the end of life is something to look forward to.

To them the afterlife is a glorious song your soul joins after shucking its mortal shell. However, one must be ready to join the song when they die; otherwise, they will be cast out and given a new, chaotic, miserable life. As such, adherents spend their lives learning to be in tune with The Voice.

The churches of the Dissonant Chorus are defined by a large, spacious hall designed with acoustics in mind. The overall shape is not entirely dissimilar from a massive flute, and when an entire congregation sings together it can often be heard for miles around.

They frown on instruments, believing such implements to be crutches for a weak soul. The only instrument a chorus-member needs is their voice.

They sing hymns without lyrics, characterized by long, drawn-out notes and a slow melody. The songs of the Dissonant Chorus are often hauntingly beautiful, and wealthy members of society often leave large donations to the church in return for having a congregation sing at their funerals.

There is a small sect within the Dissonant Chorus known as the Entropic Enclave which takes the teachings of the church a step farther; they seek to reunite the entire world with the Voice of Creation once more. To this end, they seek out an artifact known as the Apocalypse Chime; it is said that the tone of the chime is capable of unmaking reality and purging the chaos from the Voice once and for all.

The Enclave is fairly obscure and completely unknown to the general congregation, and even to most of the clergy. It is a shameful secret the heads of the church wish to keep under wraps, while trying to root out and destroy its members.

They do not believe the Apocalypse Chime exists, but if it were ever found it would provide them with a serious dilemma. On the one hand, they truly believe that life is misery and death a blessing; on the other hand, they fear the ramifications of the chime.

Destroying so many who are not yet in tune with the Voice could prove catastrophic, creating even more chaos, dissonance and misery than already exists. Or it’s possible the Chime might drown out the Voice, replacing it with something else, something worse.