The Children of Zion

"We will take the black heart of this place, and we will expose it to the light. burning away its evil; and with what remains, we shall undo the sins of its makers." - Arash Hakim

The Children of Zion is a semi-theocratic democratic group that holds a small portion of what is known as the "Black Fortress". It is currently led by Arash Hakim, its founder. It is dedicated to bringing about civilization, not through survivalism, but through enlightenment, and the rule of law.

It welcomes mutated men and women to join it, as long as they have "The Spark of Reason".

History
The Children of Zion began as an idea by Arash Hakim, after the initial exploration of the Black Fortress. While the others in the party wanted to flee, Arash was intrigued, and wanted to delve into the heart of the facility to learn its secrets.

He was also the only one in the group to see the mutants attacking them as human beings who had been twisted by science, rather then purely as monsters.

Shortly after the expedition, Arash found himself killed, his body left to float towards the ocean through the canals. However, he was taken into the Black Fotress by one of the mutants, and there, somehow saved.

The Children of Zion were established officially shortly after Arash woke up from the incident, and he named his savior "Adam". Adam became both the first member of the Children of Zion, and its first mutant member.

The group is now on the cusp of emerging as a major power player in Utopia, as their message begins to spread.

Location
The Children of Zion currently call the Black Fortress their home base, though they have secured and claim to own only a very small section. They claim the entrance located nearest the church as well as a small piece of the interior, specifically the 'Book Room", a small locker and changing area, and the hallway leading to the church-side entrance.

They give warning to those who enter their territory, that many of their wayward brothers and sisters may seek to harm them, and to be ready to defend themselves.

Social Structure
The Children of Zion are a mixture of theology and democracy. It's leader, Arash Hakim, speaks often of the spiritual nature of individuals, and it is common practice among the members to refer to eachother as "brother" and "sister". At its current size, Arash listens to the advice of all the members of the group before making any sort of unilateral decision.

Resources
While not as well armed as other groups that have sprung up over the course of recent history, the Children of Zions unique location allow them access to certain things that are not in high supply. Firm security equipment, a number of books, a plethora of gas mask and filtrators, and possibly most importantly, clean water. In return, they largely trade for information and food, seeming to prefer not to deal in weapons.

However, the clean water is never bargained for, but given freely to those in need of it.

Mutants in Zion
The Children of Zion are perhaps the only faction at the moment who welcome the mutated into their ranks. They are given full status as individuals, and are treated no differently then other people, unless unique physical needs have to be met. The Children of Zion actively seek to cure the physical pains of the mutated followers by reversing the horrors visited upon them, and work tirelessly to help them mentally, to both cope with the changes and regain their full capacity of thought.

Those mutants who join are considered to have the "spark of reason". They are considered to be able to interact with others without attempting to kill them, although some prefer to remain isolated from humanity out of a sense of their own wrongness.

Those mutants who lack the spark of reason, whether through madness bought about by experiments or simple overwhelming pain, or non-mutated individuals who exhibit similar behavior (e.g. serial killers), however, are dealt with quietly and internally. They are hunted down by the children, who see the act of killing them (known in the orginization as 'Granting them peace".) as one of mercy. If they are not killed outright, they are dragged before Arash, who ask them if they wish life, or peace.

Laws
As they are attempting to rebuild society, the children have a written and set number of laws that they obey. Judgements for small crimes are usually taken to Arash, while larger crimes are spoken over in the community as a whole before Arash makes his judgement.

The laws are as follows:

1. Do not harm others, except in defending yourself or the innocent. If you must harm someone, present yourself before your family so that they may know your reasoning.

2. Do not make war, or cause conflict without reason, whether children or outsider. To make war on good people is bad for the soul, and to cause conflict without reason is as well. All incidents, whether it be with outsider or a member of the family, should be taken to Arash.

3. Treat outsiders as you would family members. The Children of Zion welcomes all those who wish to trade or shelter from the storm in its halls, and who show the Spark of Reason. To treat them badly is to insult not only them, but the reasons for our excistence.

4. Any who wish to become members of the family should be brought to Arash, so that they may be presented to the family and welcomed proprely.

5. Those of our brothers and sisters lost to their madness should not be treated harshly, but should be granted peace, though it is a sorrowful task. When the chore is done, they should be brought to the secured area of the Fortress so that the family may mourn their passing, and their name set down in the book of rememberance.