HELIOLATRY/Sect of the Digital Circumbinary

The Sect of the Digital Circumbinary is a sect of HELIOLATRY, the de facto religion of the Hellmouth. Their mantra is Machina ex luce et umbra est, which roughly translates to "a machine of light is also of shadow."

Tenets

The Sect of the Digital Circumbinary believes in the duality of light and shadow that comes from the Sun, specifically in the case of the digital world, where the 1s and 0s inherently mark the light and shadow in the existence of everything. This particular sect came to the forefront in Season β11, due to the creation of the Black Hole and the existence of Sun 2 in tandem with it, but may have actually been in existence for an unknown amount of time.

The DCs (as they are colloquially known) are another oddity in the hierarchy of sects, as they believe in the power of shadow as much as light. However, this belief comes from the concept that shadow would not exist without light, and thusly is a part of the light itself and just as worthy of worship. Unlike the more 'shunned' sects like the Lunar Apologists, however, the Moon does not directly enter into the purvey of the DCs. The only real mention of the Moon is around eclipses, where it is merely a shadow source, a literal 'go-between' of light and shadow.

Appearance

Their focus into the technological has an unknown root, but comes to bear powerfully in the modern day where electronics are as much of daily life as the Sun itself. DCs embrace technology fully, so much so that they have integrated it into things you would not expect: items like clothing and even body modification are on the table for DCs, but body mods are a pretty extreme form of 'worship' that are not for everyone.

Typically, one will find DCs with mini solar panels sewn into jackets, hoodies, backpacks and the like, charging batteries and powering simple things like cell phones. Odder things like digital signboards and pulsing runner lights (also sewn into clothes) are also occasionally seen. Some of the sect's lighter bod-mod work has included UV-reactive tattoos resembling circuits or binary code, and the use of UV lights in their clothes (with solar panels to charge them) to activate the tattoos when needed.

Rituals

One of the more recognizable DC rituals is called "The Call". This ritual happens over the course of 30 minutes, twice a day: once at sunrise where they gather in their easternmost sanctuary, and once at sundown when they gather in their westernmost sanctuary.

Typically the gathering starts about 15 minutes before sun rise/set. Once gathered, and about 10 minutes before sun rise/set, the DCs form a circle around a special microphone and begin to chant. The microphone is connected to a special modulator powered by sensitive solar panels and low-capacity batteries. The modulator, when powered, converts the chants to a special kind of 'noise', equivalent to the noise of an old-school dial-up modem (thusly 'The Call'). The modulator connects to a speaker which allows the resultant sound to be cast into the air, and presumably eventually to the Sun.

As the sun transitions, the power state of the modulator slowly changes, rendering the chanting increasingly or decreasingly intelligible at a steady rate, before finally becoming opposite to what it was at the start (approximately 10 minutes after sun rise/set). The final 5 minutes is for general conversation, sun worship, and the like. The microphone does pick up on these, delivering everything into the air and creating a different type of sound to 'speak' and 'sing' to the Sun.

If a DC is unable to attend a large gathering for any reason, they can use their personal modulator to participate on their own. The only major requirement is that the DC be outside, using the Sun to power their modulator (artificial light use is frowned upon, except in the most extreme circumstances). The personal version of the ritual lasts as long as the modulator can run, so they typically are much shorter (10 minutes is usually the max). In these cases, the DCs believe that the effort made counts for more than the length of time for which it's made.

Initiation

One of the known initiation rites to become a DC is the construction of a personal modulator, to allow them to participate in "The Call" when they are unable to attend a large gathering. Once the initiate's personal modulator is completed, they bring it to the next occurrence of "The Call" for approval and demonstration with the elders.