Hope's Purpose
Tiny, unseen gods are rewriting us as they see fit; making us more and less than we once were. Changing us and the world as they move through it.
Evolution demands that only the most fit survive. They have made us, but it is now up to us to decide who is fit.
Will the living dead inheret the earth and mindlessly shamble over the ruins of everything that once made us great without ever understanding what it is that's at their feet?
Will the Others rise above using their mishapen bodies to call upon the river to wash us away?
Will the original human somehow prove to the makers that we are still deserving of this place?
Will our creations take up the world we are forced to leave behind?
Purpose
The Church of Hope is founded upon the teachings found in Hope’s Purpose, a sacred text written by the Prophet Barrett Kory Averill for his children. Within its pages, Barrett sought to explain the world that existed before the Fall—its wonders, its failings, and the choices that led to its ruin. But more than that, Hope’s Purpose was a father’s attempt to prepare his children for the world they had inherited. It offered a vision for why Camp Hope must exist, and how those who survive must strive not only to endure, but to become worthy of the humanity they had lost.
Structure of Hope’s Purpose
The book is divided into Three Books, each containing Chapters, Parables, and Letters. The tone evolves from reflective to instructional, mirroring Barrett’s transformation from grieving father to prophet of a new world.
Book I: The World Before (“Ashes of the Old”)
Purpose: To document life before the Fall and explain its collapse.
Chapters 1–5: Remembrance
Personal stories about the old world—Barrett's childhood, his relationship with technology, and life before Sonohoka Syndrome.
We lived in towers that reached the sky and called it progress. We forgot the ground beneath our feet.
Chapters 6–9: The Collapse
Describes the spread of the virus, the failure of institutions, and the moral disintegration of society. Historical and emotional in tone.
The sickness was not just in the blood. It was in the will of mankind to forget each other.
Parables interspersed throughout. Allegorical tales that reflect on greed, detachment from nature, and false salvation through machines.
Book II: Camp Hope and the Covenant (“Roots in the Rubble”)
Purpose: To describe the founding of Camp Hope and lay the moral framework for the Church.
Chapters 10–14: Founding Hope
Narratives about the early days of Camp Hope: hardship, unity, and the divine signs Barrett claimed to receive.
We were not meant to rise again as we were. We were meant to be reshaped.
Chapters 15–19: The Purpose Revealed
Describes Barrett's revelations about humanity’s ‘Pure Form’ and the divine mandate to redeem the Others and seek the Cure.
Core Concepts Introduced:
- Purity of Form: Humanity as it was meant to be.
- The Veil of Corruption: The moral and physical degeneration post-Fall.
- Hope as a Mandate: Not a comfort, but an obligation to strive for renewal.
Letters to His Children (placed between chapters):
Honest, emotional letters addressed to Gloria, Jonah, and Silas. Used in modern sermons to teach humility and personal reflection.
Gloria, if you ever doubt yourself, remember that hope does not come from perfection, but from refusing to give up on it.
Book III: The Path Forward (“The New Humanity”)
Purpose: To outline the beliefs, duties, and future responsibilities of those who follow Hope’s Purpose.
Chapters 20–24: Duties of the Faithful
Introduces the concept of “The Pure Work”: daily acts that contribute to the redemption of humanity.
- Charity toward the weak
- Redemption of Others
- Upholding scientific and medical discovery as sacred
Chapters 25–28: Trials of Belief
Explores spiritual doubt, suffering, and moral compromise. Frames adversity as part of divine testing.
Chapters 29–31: The Ascending Future
A vision of a world made new—redeemed by the Cure, unified under purpose, and capable of ascending to godhood.
We will not become gods by escaping death. We will become divine by learning how to heal it.
The Covenant Prayer (Final Page):
A short, formal prayer still spoken at Church of Hope gatherings.
We remember what was. We redeem what is. We rise toward what must be.
Archival Note – On the Donation of Hope’s Purpose
- Recorded in the New Medical Library, Year 57 of the Sonohoka Era
The original manuscript of Hope’s Purpose—written by the Prophet Barrett Kory Averill in his own hand—was donated to the New Medical Library by his daughter, Gloria Dina Averill, in the 49th year of the Sonohoka Era. Though she would later rise to become Reverend Mother of the Church of Hope, at the time she was but a Student of Faith seeking to preserve her father’s words beyond the fragile pages he left behind.
In accordance with Library Law, the manuscript was copied by hand under the supervision of a Senior Scribe. As with all materials housed within the Library’s Core Vaults, the original is kept sealed under controlled conditions. Authorized copies are now held in both the Ecclesiastical Archives of the Church and the general reading stacks of the Library, where scholars, theologians, and medical ethicists alike may request access.
While Hope’s Purpose is revered as scripture within the Church of Hope, it remains cataloged by The Scribes as both a personal memoir and a foundational civic philosophy—bridging faith, medicine, and memory in the era that followed the Fall.
The copy used in common circulation is designated:
Hope’s Purpose, Standard Codex Copy, Version 1.3, Transcribed by Scribe Renya Mallon
Referenced Documents
The Sonohoka Records
Type: Pre-Fall medical briefings and containment logs
Cited in: Book I, Chapter 8: “The Veil Descends”
Barrett quotes selectively from early containment reports related to the Sonohoka Syndrome outbreak—especially to highlight how the scientific community was ignored or overwhelmed. He frames these records as both prophecy unheeded and proof of human pride.
I read the case numbers rise while the voices fell silent. The doctors warned us, but we worshipped comfort instead.
The Emergency Broadcast Logs
Type: Transcripts from international and national emergency alerts
Cited in: Book I, Chapter 9: “The Collapse”
These logs are used as historical evidence of systemic failure. Barrett reproduces a few lines verbatim—broken, chilling—to show the precise moment when the world stopped pretending it was still in control.
...evacuation points are no longer secure... if you can hear this, shelter in place... this is not a drill...
Barrett’s Personal Field Journal
Type: His handwritten notebook from the early days of the Fall
Quoted in: Books I and II (various chapters)
Barrett weaves in direct excerpts from this journal—raw, emotional, and grounded. These entries give the reader a firsthand account of what survival looked like, from treating Others to building Camp Hope’s first shelters. These are particularly useful in Book II for conveying the moral tension of the time.
Jonah asked me today if the ones with black eyes could still feel love. I didn’t know how to answer him. I still don’t.
The Hippocratic Remnant
Type: Fragments of the medical oath, as preserved by early Doctors
Referenced in: Book III, Chapter 20: “The Duties of the Faithful”
Rather than quoting the entire oath, Barrett references what he calls “the remnant of Hippocrates” to establish a moral foundation for healing. He aligns it with the Church’s duty to redeem rather than destroy the Others, reinforcing shared values with The Doctors.
First, do no harm—but do not mistake that for inaction. Harm is also letting rot go uncut.
Survivor Testimonies from Founding Hope
Type: Oral accounts collected from early Camp Hope settlers
Referenced in: Book II, Chapter 11: “The Hammer and the Hearth”
These are retold in paraphrased form, stylized as parables or stories of moral struggle. While the original testimonies are not fully transcribed, Barrett attributes wisdom or caution to anonymous survivors.
One man broke the gates to save his wife. Another man sealed the doors to save us all. Both were afraid. Both were right.
Pre-Fall Children’s Literature
Type: Short quote from a children's book (possibly fictional)
Referenced in: Book II, Chapter 13: “Letters to Gloria”
Barrett quotes from a now-lost children’s story he once read to Gloria, using it as a metaphor for persistence. It is the only truly whimsical reference in the text.
The little seed slept through the storm, but when the sun returned, it grew anyway.
The virus has become our new God, our Maker. The one true God for it shall unmake us if we fail to put it before all other things.
Historical Context
Collapse of Civilization: The Fall, triggered by the uncontrolled spread of Sonohoka Syndrome, decimated the global population. Infrastructure, government, and communication systems failed. Survivors found themselves scattered, traumatized, and unmoored.
Rise of Camp Hope: One of the first functional survivor enclaves in the region, Camp Hope was founded by a coalition of scientists, medics, engineers, and civilians. Among them was Barrett Averill, a respected medical worker who became both a caretaker and an ideological voice.
The Others Emerge: Survivors began encountering the “Others”—mutated, post-human individuals transformed by the Syndrome. Conflicted feelings of fear, hatred, and fascination surrounded them.
Hope’s Purpose was written during this formative period, when Camp Hope had not yet fully defined itself, and the line between survival and identity was thin.
Cultural Context
Culture at the Time of Writing: Post-collapse, grief-stricken, yearning for moral direction
Loss of Shared Values: Pre-Fall ideologies (scientific rationalism, humanism, nationalism, capitalism, organized religion) were largely discredited or irrelevant in the face of collapse. Survivors sought new frameworks for meaning.
Faith Amid Ruin: Barrett’s writing channeled both religious undertones and secular ethics. He drew on pre-Fall cultural memory (Christianity, medicine, and humanist ideals), blending them into a new spiritual and civic ethos that could unify the survivors.
Family-Centered Morality: Originally written for his children, Hope’s Purpose is filled with references to parenthood, memory, and lineage—making it emotionally resonant across generations.
As Camp Hope developed, the text evolved from a father’s letter into scripture. Its accessibility, clarity, and emotional truth gave it cultural weight, especially for those born after the Fall who had no direct memory of the old world.
Political Context
State of Governance: Proto-political—Camp Hope was a loose assembly of factions with competing priorities
No Formal Government: Early Camp Hope was governed by necessity, consensus, and personality. Leadership came from those with medical, technical, or logistical knowledge.
Theological Emergence: Hope’s Purpose became a unifying ideology that justified Camp Hope’s existence and provided a spiritual mandate: redeem what was lost, restore humanity to its pure form, and ascend through hope.
Foundation for the Church of Hope: As the settlement stabilized, the followers of Hope’s Purpose coalesced into a faith. The Church of Hope emerged not by conquest but by adoption—its principles embedded in education, healthcare, and civic philosophy.
Political Influence Today:
By Year 113 SE, the Church of Hope—founded on this book—holds significant political influence. Its doctrines shape Camp Hope’s laws on testing Others, distributing the Cure, and moral behavior. The book is used in courts, classrooms, and public rituals.
Legacy
Cultural and Religious Reverence
Status: A treasure of Camp Hope—venerated, cited, copied, and ritualized
Analogy: Like a fusion of the Bible, a founding constitution, and a father’s will
Sacred Text of the Church of Hope: All doctrine, hierarchy, rituals, and theology are grounded in Hope’s Purpose. Even new revelations by Church leaders are measured against it.
Moral Compass: Generations of Camp Hope’s citizens have been taught its parables and letters, especially in Hope Academy. Its metaphors have become idioms in everyday speech:
“Choose hope, not comfort.”
“The Pure Form endures.”
“Ashes aren’t the end.”
Public Rituals: Recitations from the text open ceremonies, funerals, court rulings, and even scientific presentations.
Political Precedent and Soft Law
Precedent: The first moral-legal philosophy of post-Fall civilization in Camp Hope
Effect: Created a civic and ethical framework before formal law existed
Embedded in Governance: The Church of Hope became politically powerful because the populace already believed in the text’s message. This blurred the lines between moral authority and political influence.
Influence on Policy:
- The Cure Mandate: All research into the Cure is justified as divine work.
- Others’ Redemption: Testing of Others is allowed but must be non-lethal and with intent to redeem or heal.
- Purity Clauses: Laws on reproduction, augmentation, and mutation are subtly influenced by Barrett’s language around the “Pure Form.”
- Precedent Set: That a personal document—meant for family—could shape national values. It proved that narrative and moral clarity hold more sway than bureaucracy in a post-collapse world.
Tension Between Faith and Science
Result: A fragile alliance between The Doctors and The Church of Hope
Ongoing Effect: The document is used to sanctify both scientific and spiritual advancement
Hope’s Purpose elevated medical and scientific work to sacred labor. This allowed The Doctors to maintain wide latitude in research, while binding them to ethical principles from the Church.
However, this moral scaffolding has become a cage in some circles:
- Some Doctors resent the theological overreach.
- Radical factions demand that the Cure be used without ethical delays—conflicting with Barrett’s slow, deliberate idealism.
- Precedent Set: That science must serve moral/spiritual goals—a concept still hotly debated.
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