Static Cult

Origins and Core Beliefs

The Static Cult formed after the Collapse, when the city’s broadcast systems failed. Radios, towers, and emergency transmitters stopped working properly, but they did not go silent. They produced static, broken words, and distorted sounds without pause.

A small group stayed near these ruins. They listened for long periods and became convinced the noise was not random. They believed something was trying to speak through the damaged systems.

They called themselves “tuned.” They believed the Collapse removed barriers that once blocked a real message. In their view, normal speech and clear signals were lies built by people to feel safe. Static and distortion were honest because they could not be controlled.

At first, they said the noise itself was the source. Later, they gave it a name and intent. They called it The Conductor, a guiding will behind the static.

Their belief is simple. They think the human mind works like a radio. They believe it can be adjusted. To hear the message clearly, a person must let go of memory, identity, and personal ties. These things are seen as distractions. The less of yourself that remains, the closer you are to the message.

By the time outsiders began calling them the Static Cult, its members had already abandoned normal life and moved into the ruins that became known as the Radio Silence Zone.

The Radio Silence Zone and Cult Sites

The Static Cult controls the Radio Silence Zone. This district is filled with broken towers, satellite dishes, and old broadcast buildings. Technology behaves poorly here. Radios scream or cut out. Communications fail. Cybernetic implants lock up or malfunction.

As you move deeper into the Zone, advanced equipment stops working one system at a time. Eventually, nothing works except the static itself.

The Cult uses old relay stations and control bunkers as gathering places. They remove furniture and old signage. In their place are salvaged machines, cables, speakers, and patch boards. Static, broken music, and distorted voices play at all hours.

At the center of the Zone stands a tall transmission pylon. The Cult treats it as their most important site. It is covered in wire, metal plates, and added hardware. It constantly broadcasts a static pattern across the district.

Smaller sites exist on rooftops, underground cable hubs, and abandoned control rooms. Around these places, lights flicker for no clear reason. Screens show scrambled images even when unplugged.

People who stay too long report headaches, hearing voices that are not there, and feeling out of step with their own bodies. Patrols from other factions avoid deep entry. Their gear fails, their implants glitch, and communication becomes impossible.

The Conductor and Cult Roles

The Cult centers its faith on The Conductor.

Some believe this is a single figure strapped into machinery at the top of the main pylon, kept alive by implants and hardware. Others say The Conductor is never seen and only speaks through speakers across the Zone. No one outside the Cult knows the truth. It is possible the role has passed through multiple people, or that it is no longer fully human.

What is known is this: all major decisions inside the Cult are said to come from The Conductor. Orders to expand, kidnap, or begin new conversions are treated as commands that cannot be questioned.

The Cult does not use ranks. Instead, it assigns tasks.

• Tuners handle implants and sound systems. They decide how much noise a captive receives and when the process moves forward.

• Chorists lead group gatherings. They arrange cult members around towers and link their implants together.

• Sweepers operate outside the Zone. They kidnap people and drag them back for conversion.

Conversion and Daily Practice

Conversion is not voluntary.

Sweepers capture people near the Zone or during communication blackouts. Captives are taken into old relay buildings or underground rooms. There, crude surgery is performed using salvaged tools. Many do not survive the process.

Implants are installed in stages. At first, captives hear faint static. Over time, they hear voices, tones, and commands that do not match their surroundings. Sleep becomes broken. Memories fade.

Conversation during these sessions is forbidden. Any resistance is treated as a problem to be corrected with more noise.

The Cult recognizes three stages:

1. Resistance – The person still sees themselves as an individual and fights the process. Many die or are discarded here.

2. Acceptance – The person stops resisting. They repeat Cult terms and speak less.

3. Completion – Speech mostly ends. The person moves in sync with other cultists and reacts to signals others cannot hear.

At this point, the Cult no longer considers them a person.

Implants and Mental Effects

Every full member has at least one implant. These are placed behind the ear, at the base of the skull, or along the spine. Wires run under the skin to the nervous system. From the outside, they appear as metal studs, small antennae, or heavy scar tissue.

Outsiders exposed to the Zone are also affected. Some leave with memory gaps, emotional numbness, or freezing responses when they hear static later. Others feel drawn back to the Zone without understanding why.

The Cult believes anyone exposed long enough can still be reclaimed.

Relations and Threat Level

The Static Cult does not trade openly. It does not attend councils or negotiate treaties. It expands by kidnapping people and spreading interference.

Its presence is measured by dead communication lines, blacked-out districts, and people who return changed.

The Citadel Council lists the Cult as a major internal threat. Attempts to map or destroy their infrastructure usually fail due to equipment breakdowns and disappearances. The Council now focuses on keeping the Zone contained.

The Solar Guardians forbid most operations inside the Zone. They reroute power lines around it and use hardened gear only when necessary. Even then, they avoid pushing too deep.

The Hydro Hegemony avoids the Zone entirely. It supports efforts to keep the Cult contained but does not engage directly.

The Shadow Syndicate is divided. Some use the Zone’s blind spots for cover. Others refuse contact after losing agents to forced conversion.

For most citizens, the rule is simple:
Do not follow strange signals.
Do not enter the Radio Silence Zone.
Do not answer voices on dead channels.

Other dangers in New Vance kill bodies.
The Static Cult destroys minds.