!OVERVIEW! The Exalted Followers of Abei, commonly known as the Abeist/Malunian Insurgency, is a galactic militant organization and ideological movement founded in the aftermath of the liquidation of the former Realm of Abei during the Second Intragalactic War. The organization overtly stands for the immediate restoration of Malunian sovereignty (and the expungement of the new nationals settled in the former Malunian territories), the revival of Abeism as a cult and governing ideology, and the expulsion of all Imperial Regnum successor states from Domus. Having emerged from refugee communities, surviving Abeist templar circles, and the remains of the former Malunian military, the Exalted Followers grew to be the most enduring and dominant insurgent movement of the Malunian remnants. The organization operates in varying numbers across all known Malunian settlements, with considerable influence in the State of New Lunetor and Pilssussan. The organization conducts acts of sabotage, political assassinations, attacks on strategic infrastructure, and a wide variety of propaganda directed towards displaced Malunians. The movement, while theoretically united by a fear of Abei and a hatred for Malunia’s supposed enemies, remains highly decentralized and factional. The EFA operates more like a loose coalition of militant cells than a singular entity. A broad collection of groups, ideologies, and organizations can be found under the umbrella of the EFA, including the Orthodox Restorationists, the National Revivalists, and the Vernierists. The group is considered to be a terror organization by the majority of Malunian nationals and a large portion of the intergalactic community, though it is painted by its adherents as a movement for national liberation and cultural restoration. The EFA’s partnership with GASI in recent years has allowed it to persist even when under pressure from international repudiation. The current headquarters of the primary branch is located at an undisclosed moon base in Gemati space. !HISTORY! In 317 SE, the Realm of Abei dissolved into an entropic state of chaos. The subsequent dismantling of Abeist institutions led to the mass displacement of civilians. The majority of Malunia’s cultural and religious centers were demolished, and those that remained quickly assimilated into newer alien cultures, like Pilssussan. The collapse of centralized authority in many sectors formerly under Malunian dominion has led to decades of unrest, especially for a people traditionally used to adherence to a strict centralized authority. During the first seven years after the collapse, what became known as the Great Exodus occurred. Those who would not assimilate and those who had not yet died migrated to various points across the galaxy, embracing a nomadic style of life in non-permanent settlements across various alien planets. Eventually, the State of New Lunetor would be founded, serving as a trade node and permanent refugee center, but during these early years, few Malunians had a true place to go. As former state structures fragmented, the remains of the old country reconstituted themselves into various isolated militias, criminal syndicates, and underground communities. Early resistance was more out of necessity for survival as opposed to ideologically driven warfare. Scattered partisan groups would begin conducting localized attacks, often as a retaliatory measure, and by 325 SE, what would eventually become known as the EFA had formed. Thirteen years after the collapse, in 330 SE, the term “Exalted Followers” was used for the first time, and from that point forward, the EFA would become the dominant title of the broad organization that would coordinate an increasing number of terror attacks each year. After the 332 SE piracy attacks along the Veyr Corridor, Gemati agents approached the de facto leader of the EFA, a Restorationist named Elliot Lumiens. This would mark the beginning of an EFA-Gemati partnership and an increase in EFA attacks on Gemati enemies.
!THE FACTIONS! Though there are recurrent themes in the ideology of Abeist Insurgency, the movement is internally divided between numerous sub-ideologies with varying views and justifications for terror acts. Though all major parties agree that the defeat of Malunia was perhaps the greatest single instance of heresy in cosmic history, a perversion requiring immediate correction, the way this injustice should be amended is heavily debated. The Restorationists demand the immediate and complete restoration of the pre-GW2 Abeist state, the consecration of a new Abeist templar order, and the recreation of the governing Consulate. They desire a total recreation of the prewar social order in Malunia and the resumption of its prewar designs. They adhere to strict prewar Abeism and are generally hostile to the reforms of the Vernierists and the dismissal of certain dogmatic principles by the Revivalists. The National Revivalists are obsessed with the notion of national liberation and revenge against Malunia’s detractors. Cultural preservation is seen as crucial, though Abeism and Malunian culture itself are viewed as separate, marking a substantial divergence from the prewar notion of Malunian society. The National Revivalists are most adamant about winning the support of the refugee colonies and hold substantial influence in New Lunetor. They seek reform and a revision of Abeism as a whole to fit in better with the vastly different landscape of post-GW2 Domus. The Vernierists see the defeat of Malunia as Abei’s condemnation of statehood and society itself. They believe that a Malunian state must be temporarily re-established for the purpose of conquering and purifying the galaxy, culminating in the expungement of all sentient beings and a return to the pure existence before life itself, true union with Abei and his will. They see the EFA as a temporary step in a much larger plan. They do not conduct terror attacks, instead serving as mediators and coordinators between the other two major parties and various smaller splinter factions. !NOTES! I was having a hard time writing this, not because it was hard to write, but because I didn't know how to approach it. I feel like I get in my head too much when I'm writing. Anyway, I decided to approach it like a Wikipedia article, since this is basically me explaining what the EFA is. This method isn't perfect, and I would've probably preferred to make this a more gradual process of lore building, but I can't be bothered anymore. It's been over two decades since Malunia imploded, now, I think it is okay to say that some stuff happened behind the scenes. I'm sure that I'm far from the worst offender of sayingsomethingabruptlyandmagicallyexistsism. One last thing: terror groups are bad, gross, stinki, etc. I don't condone any militant organization in real life, nor do I espouse the beliefs of these insane fictional bee larpers.
