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Aetherius Society

The Aetherius Society is the church of Andrew Howard: a cosmic-minded faith devoted to the Masters, which raised him, issued him his church mace and, in later arcs, looks after his health.
Type Organization (religious group)
Aliases Andrew's church; the Masters' church; "the cult" (Andre's description in Appalachia 01)
Affiliation Andrew Howard and his mother
First named Walkers 01 (the group appears unnamed from Radford Horror 04)

Overview

The Aetherius Society is never shown on screen. It exists in the campaign through what Andrew says about it and through the few things it has given him. Its object of devotion is the Masters, ascended extraterrestrial beings who guide humanity. Andrew's account of its teaching, given to President Bush in Walkers 01, is that cosmic forces push humanity toward a violent future while the society's members hold them off by pushing their good energy into a "spiritual battery" (Walkers 01). In Radford Horror 08 Andrew complains that the church does not have as big a following on the East Coast (Radford Horror 08).

Before Walkers 01 the group is called only "the Masters" or Andrew's church, and in Appalachia 01 Andre calls it a cult from Andrew's childhood (Appalachia 01).

Members

  • Andrew Howard, a lifelong follower. George H. W. Bush calls him "the only true believer" among the people serving under him (Walkers 01).
  • Andrew's mother, who stays with him in his small apartment during Radford Horror 08 and presses him to attend more church social functions. She is never seen on screen (Radford Horror 08).
  • Dr. Arthur, Andrew's childhood family doctor, who is also in the group (see below).
  • Unnamed doctors and church officials who see Andrew after the Roulet case (Roulet Estate 03).

History

The Radford Horror

In Radford Horror 04, standing over the remains of the NSA man, Andrew explains the Masters to the others. The Biz, a lapsed Catholic, objects that calling Jesus one of the Masters is blasphemy (Radford Horror 04). In the climactic fight, Andrew shouts "Did you know Jesus is one of the Masters?" to distract a man, then fires the church-issued mace, which sprays a "nothing" that erases matter (Radford Horror 08). Andre rules that the mace was given to him by his church, and Rita adds that he had carried it for years as a self-defense weapon without using it. Later, in the hospital, Andrew gives an inspirational speech about the Masters and the other things in the universe; it falls flat (Manipulate Someone, 5) and is followed by a long silence (Radford Horror 08).

The Things in Appalachia

Andre frames Andrew's family doctor, Dr. Arthur, as another member of the cult. Andrew has healed squad members twice, each time with a nosebleed. Dr. Arthur tells him the effort is a channeling with a "backlash effect", offers a meditation seminar, and advises him to carry tampons for the nosebleeds (Appalachia 01).

The Walkers in Skin

In the Oval Office, after Bush tells Andrew he is "personally responsible for the survival of the United States of America", Andrew replies that this has been his responsibility his whole life and delivers a long lecture on the Aetherius Society, the Masters and the spiritual battery. Bush's face slowly goes blank. This is the first time the society is named (Walkers 01).

Late in the arc, Rita muses that if the society knew about the darker side of Andrew's powers, it would explain why all of its outward material shows only a "clean" version (Walkers 08). Andre adds that the society may not have been told the full story by whoever it is in contact with.

The Roulet Estate

After the case, Andrew spends a week at home with his doctor and church officials, who run tests and X-ray him without showing him the films. Andre confirms that he is, in the table's words, a "special horse" to them (Roulet Estate 03). See Andrew's Condition. In Roulet Estate 02 Andrew says he knows a couple of Masters but not who is or is not one these days (Roulet Estate 02).

The Radford Horrors

When the team views its tape in a Blockbuster back room, Andrew explains the Aetherius Society to the clerk Harold, who then tells them what he saw of a man dragged into a van (Radford Horrors 04).

Trivia

  • The name is the real-world Aetherius Society, a UFO religion. The campaign uses it for Andrew's church and never gives a place of worship or a leader.

Appearances