Human Monotheism
Ever since Humans were created, there have been some who dared to ask the question “who created the creators?” The idea that there is anything other than the Creator Gods is sacriligious, which is why the Cult of the Dragon is oft-reviled. The Church of Deem has long been an underground cult, but in the last 2,000 years it has become the dominant religion in some places, such as Oropa or Alamayne.
Gods are not illimitable: they may be killed, which is the very thing that inspires the Cult of Death. However, devotees of Deem look for the power that supersedes not only the Gods but Death also. They hold that this supreme being is completely invested in every part of the universe and is the well-spring of all life and existence, synonymous with the Positive Material Plane. In truth, “Deem” is nothing more than a name the Church has invented to try and anthropomorphize the Positive Material Plane.
The power of the Church comes from collective belief in Law and the institution as a sacred deliverer. It is absolutist: everywhere the Church gains a foothold, other religions become enemies. No other way of thought will be tolerated and the Church has a severe Lawful Neutral mindset that will use Good or Evil indifferently in their pursuit of power. Chaos is their nemesis.
There is no central authority dictating the proper behaviour of the Church. Utter devotion to Lawful Neutral principles unifies every branch, but there is much confusion about how to interpret the specific desires of Deem. Each place where the Church has come to rule has its own self-proclaimed Arch-bishop, but the movement is still so isolated that the day has not yet come when they need to have a Pope to oversee the whole enterprise.
Clerics and Paladins of Deem are deeply ascetic and driven to unite everyone under a single, universal God. They are forbidden from owning more than 100 gpv in personal wealth and must surrender everything else to the Church. Spreading the gospel is their primary quest.