I was wondering about this as well, and was a bit disappointed that we never saw Steeple's "base" or origin.

...apologies in advance for stepping on people's toes with this..

But what if the original Steeplebuilt robots weren't actually religious in the traditional sense at all? Seems to me there are at least two possibilities here - either Steeple was heading a religion, and the robots would be programmed to perform the function of Steeple followers, without understanding the point of the sacraments. After all, we really see no evidence of actual faith in humanism among the robots until Horatio and Ever-Faithful, so that could be possible. Horatio finds meaning in humanism because it intersects so well with his core programming of opposing genocide. Ever-Faithful performs his duties to guard the divine instrument of atomic doom from the unworthy, etc. But in either case, this doesn't spring from original religious doctrine. And if so, humanism in robot society fulfills the technical function of belief in the divine and providence in human society. It provides assurance that there is purpose, even if no one explicitly explains it. That would be particularly useful to Metromind, even if the first Steeplebuilts and their "extremist" moralistic views aren't.

Other possibility that I see is that Steeple wasn't religious in the first place, but a popular and charismatic public figure. Like a pop-star or a tv-host, or even a famous corporate CEO like Trump, etc. Possibly a politician. You know, "Vote Steeple". "Steeple into the new Century!". Because if you read the humanism "bible", it possibly reads more like a retelling of a manifest than a retelling of a scripture. We've all heard pop-stars go on about the future, nature of truth, believing in themselves, and succeeding against all odds, etc. And knowing this, the first Steeplebuilts just wouldn't be able to cope, because their programming couldn't be fulfilled. But let's say he was a.. socialist and a humanist, preaching equality and man's equal worth. This view may have been extremely popular, and what the entire town was built on. But interpreted through a point of view that only sees function, "humanism" is born. Steeple would have preached a story about how man would rise against challenges and use tools to his advantage. Function-wise interpretation would say: Man is holy and ever-knowing, and must be served, now and until the time he returns to make use of us. We were created in man's image to continue mankind's dream of progress and purpose, etc.

So..er.. I suppose it wouldn't shock me completely if I heard that there was an amount of sketches made for Steeple's location - but that they were deliberately not fleshed out.

Anyway, still enjoyed that last talk with Steeple, when the mask falls in sense. What sort of core logic is left in his head after stripping away the fluff. He's a peddler, making expensive trades for objects of uncertain value; he's a charlatan. :D

It's certainly an interesting take! This is why it's better to leave it up to the fans to flesh out these details. :)

Two slight things: (1) Leopold isn't Steeple (though he's the closet you get to meeting Steeple); (2) never had any pics of the Cathedral. The only other room that was ever designed but not implemented involved a tram/gondola that would carry you across a gap between Main Street and the Tower.

*nods* ..right, Leopold with the core backup. You know, I think the way that Memento Moribuilt is a "ghost" of the original, but not the actual original. The way Clarity is Arbiter's "ideal-carrier". And the way Leopold has the "essence".. isn't that what he says?.. of the gospel, so to speak, but doesn't seem to know anything of the original... I think that was what put that "functional copies" image in my head, over how they "progressed" to stagnation.

I can see how that doesn't really mesh with the chronology here, though. But I like how.. how those thoughts could.. could... belong to the setup. There's way too much fiction that either teases you a bit, and then just answers everything in an attempt to set the context for the next drama. Or else uses ambiguity on it's own just to excuse contrivances..

Are you sure there wasn't huge amount of outtakes, though? :p Disappointed! lol

I'm looking forward to Fallen :)

It could be possible that Steeple is simply following his core function, though Metromind's and Horus's actions indicates that the AI's are sophisticated enough to change and grow. Yet one would expect Steeple to be the most inclined towards piety, which would be continuing his work for mankind.

Throwing out the fact that we only see a few pages of what's presented graphically as an entire book, what we do see is presented in clearly religious terms. There's a greater power which represents and advocates an idea, which is the quintessential element of any religion. Metromind's disregard of these beliefs could due to a general disdain for belief in anything other than herself, or a dislike for humanity. As a council robot she would easily know the frailties of humanity, and would readily discard them in her pursuit of perfection in the same manner that she used and discarded other robots.

As for whether they're back-ups or simply their children, I think the council-built robots are good ways of expressing what things were like, and what their creators were like, while leaving elements of mystery. Some are more indicative of their failings -- like the tunneling robot (I can never remember it's name, because it's such a faceless thug throughout the game), who's lack of personality fits Metromind's devaluation of anything but herself and her goals perfectly. Her primary servitor is little more than a tool to carry out her will.

While a bit off-topic, I have to wonder if humans survived in small, isolated communities -- the kind that need water chips ;)