Father Andrey Popovich Kopeykin

• Character Information

  Father Kopeykin has sought the Lord for a very long time.
  
  Though many claim him as 'Father', he has always been Andrey, humble servant of the Father God, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Not even a full minister when the bombs fell, Andrey had been tending to the poor and sick of Moscow, like many servants of the church before him. He was in the Metro simply because many of his vagrant charges made their homes there. 
  
  It had seemed like the end of days. In the death, destruction, and doom outside, many men's faith was tested. But where some may have been found wanting, Andrey's faith was unshakeable. 
  
  Immediately, Andrey began to minister to those who were forced to make their new lives in the Metro. He tended to the sick, gave food and aid to the poor, and ensured that those that succumbed to sickness and despair did not do so alone. Though he was not the Patriarch of the church, all men called him Father, and soon, it was clear that as far as the Metro was concerned, Andrey was the Patriarch.
  
  Even in his old age, Andrey's faith is unbroken. He has heard tales from Stalkers who walk amongst his congregation that the world beyond Moscow may still yet be inhabitable- the surface is not all wasteland. Andrey recalls the tale of Moses, God's faithful messenger to his people, who led his people out of Egypt, and through his death, to the Promised Land of Israel. Life in the Metro is hard, and Andrey knows that his time left on Earth is short. 
  
  But he has his calling, the Lord has ordained it- he will lead the Metro to the Promised Land, whatever it takes. From the dark, destitute tunnels of the Metro, God's people will once again rise to the surface, and bask in the glory of the Lord evermore. 
  
  ___________________
  
  "Mine eyes have seen the glory of His Coming. Oh, if only you, too, could see..."
  
  ____________________
  
  Fun Misc Info

  • His favorite book of the Bible is Exodus, and his favorite verse is Joshua 1:9- "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
  • He was around for the last days of the USSR, and holds a particular disdain for the Reds, though he prefers them to the Reich.
  • He suffers from Parkinson's Disease.
  • If he were not a priest, he would likely be a cook.

• Possible Plots

  The Patriarch's faith in the Promised Land is absolute, and any who can bring him further evidence of such a place will be rewarded handsomely with bullets and blessings. 
  
  The Patriarch has long awaited the chance to spread the Gospel to the masses of the Metro. Perhaps lost souls may take comfort and refuge in his dioscese, where they may receive the Father's wisdom and blessing. All but the Reich are welcome in his church.
  
   

Recent Posts

1. 

   The Last Patriarch

   January 22, 2021

   Father Andrey Popovich Kopeykin is in the presence of the Lord. 
   He has not had a revelation in many years. Whatever goes on outside his quarters is like another planet to him as he surveys the steps to the Metro exit at Sretensky Bulvar.
   "Come, Andrey, come and see." said the Lord. 
   "But Lord," Andrey said, his voice strong as it was in his youth, yet full of doubt. "Your flock needs me."
   "Come, Andrey, come and see." said the Lord. 
   "But Lord," Andrey said, his fears growing as he thought of Leonid, of Sasha, of Tanya, of Kiril and Shuhrat, and the elders and the little children. "what of your children?"
   "I tell you, come, Andrey, come and see." said the Lord, and Andrey began to climb the steps. His feet carried the strength they once had as a minister to the needy, his lungs filled with fresh air instead of the dank, stale air of the Metro, his heart beating mightily once more as one step at a time, he ascended towards an ever-approaching light. The weariness of eighty-four years left his aching bones, and the wear of years beneath the surface, without seeing the sun, faded, as the Last Patriarch mantled the stairs and stood, now, at the exit of the Metro, light pouring down from the rafters and the stairs leading to the Promised Land. The surface. 
   "But Lord!" Andrey cried, filled with awe and terror all at once, falling to his knees and turning his eyes to the risen light "your servant is not worthy! Surely there is more I could have done in your Name?"
   "When Man has forsaken me, Andrey, you have persevered. You have delivered My Word, My Heart, to the people, and have served Me faithfully. Come, and see the Promised Land." 
   At last. 
   At long last.
   Andrey wept, tears streaming from his eyes as he rose to his feet, praises in the tongues of angels flowing from his lips as he ascended the last flight of stairs, letting his Lord guide his feet as he closed his eyes and bathed in the glory of His creation. He knew he was not fated to reach the surface again, he'd always known that, but God, Merciful God, had seen fit to bless him with this. A taste of what was to come for his followers, for God's followers. 
   "Open your eyes, and see."
   Andrey opened his eyes. The land had healed. The city of Moscow, still a ruin, was surrounded by lush greenery, by fruits and vegetables, and homes made of the rubble and nature's bounty, and men and women walked through what once were the streets of Moscow, arm in arm, basking in the light of the Lord's creation. 
   A world without bombs, without war, without the horrors of the Metro. 
   "Well done," said the Lord, "my good and faithful servant." 
   ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
   Andrey's eyes open, and he is reminded of why he has been called. 
   Gunfire erupts through the Cathedral of the Most Merciful Lord. 
   The Reich have come. Leonid is leading the evacuation, but a brave few souls have volunteered to stay behind, to ensure the rest of the flock escapes. Martyrs, saints, like the Apostles of yore. Andrey is unworthy to call them his congregation, when he has learned so much from them, young and old alike.
   The Lord has called him home, and soon, it will be time for Andrey to rest. 
   But not yet.
   He is too old to run. He will only slow down his flock as they head for Polis, to join the overcrowded station and, hopefully, provide the last push needed for the people of the Metro to rise above Reich and Reds and return to the Promised Land, as the Lord has always intended. 
   That does not mean he will idly lay back and allow the Lord to take him. He has been called, and must answer. The Lord's plan requires one last sacrifice of the Last Patriarch of Moscow, perhaps even all of Russia. 
   "Oh, death," Andrey mutters as he looks down upon the Duplet in his hands, a cross tied to its stock and the word of the lord etched into its every inch, "where is thy sting? Oh, grave, where is thy victory?"
   The barrels are opened, and the father shakily loads two shells into the breeches. He has three more pairs strapped to the stock. It will be enough. 
   "The sting of death is sin," he says, as he swings the weapon shut and measures it in his hands, "and the strength of sin is the law." 
   "But thanks be to God," he continues, his voice rising as he leaves his chambers, "who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Father, forgive these sinners, for they know not what they do. Amen." 
   He walks with conviction belied by his age, his steps steadied by a force more powerful than his own will. Blood and bullet holes mar the once holy Cathedral, a testament to sin and its wages. The lifeblood of saint and sinner alike slicks the floor beneath his feet, yet his feet do not fail him, for his steps are guided by a higher power. 
   As he approaches the entrance to the auditorium that has acted as his congregation's sanctuary since the beginning, Kiril waits at the bullet-riddled door, his final vigil. Wounds cover his body, and the pallor of death fills his face. Sasha's child will grow up without a father, but Andrey knows the Lord will guide that child's steps just as he did their father.
   "Oh, my son..." Andrey whispers, approaching his fallen pupil, and kneeling before him. There is no life in the once vibrant Stalker- he has gone to sup with the Father, where he feels no more pain and fears no more death. Many others have gone before him today. One must come after. 
   Taking the cold, lifeless hand before him with one hand, and closing Kiril's eyes with the other, Andrey shuts his own eyes, and steels himself for what is to come. 
   "O Lord, the God of powers, great and awesome, abundant in might and transcendent in goodness, full of mercy and compassion: incline and hear me who am vile and sinful. O my Christ, Who saved Jonah out of the belly of the whale and Daniel from the mouths of lions, deliver me at the time of death from the dreadful darkness of the prince of evil. Do not let the devil come over the deathbed of Thy servant."
   There is no more gunfire in the sanctuary. The last of the saints have fallen. Soon, Andrey will be called.
   "May my soul, O Lord, never see the darkness of the demons, neither in this life, nor in the future one, neither in the agony of death, nor at my ascent to heaven. May not the accursed dragon deride my miserable soul when it abandons this depraved body. Do not let the filthy spirit of fetor and stench snatch it, O my Lord, my Christ, my Jesus, my God, my Light, and carry it away to perdition. O my Master, God of Heaven and earth, may my eyes never see his hideous and darksome face. But at the time of my end, O my holy, thrice holy and glorified King, send me Thy mercy and Truth. O my God, at that time send Michael, the commander-in-chief, over Thy servant. Send me Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael, the great and bright generals, with all their immaculate and thrice-blessed army, to crush the insatiable dragon of Hades who gnashes his teeth and wants to snatch and devour anyone living piously. O my God, at the time of my departure, sink him and all his filthy army into the abyss, in Tartarus, into outer darkness and the gnashing of teeth. At that time, O my Lord Jesus Christ, my delight, my Resurrection, send the merciful and philanthropic Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, to receive my own spirit in His incomparable sweetness and immortal holiness. Send him to strengthen me with a flaming sword preceding me and crushing the evil rulers of darkness. For, if these abominations of iniquity plunge into the fire, into darkness, into the abyss, into Hades, I will be able without pain to cross the ethereal spheres to come close to Thee, the Triune Sun, to fall before Thy compassion, to kiss Thy immaculate feet, to be filled with the Deity, with Thy Holy Spirit, and confess the countless wonders Thou didst for my sake: How Thou broughtest me to repentance, gave me life, 'and out of the depths of the earth again Thou broughtest me up!'"
   As he prays, he hears the voices of the Reich in the sanctuary. He swears one of them is a foreigner, by his accent. German? English? Perhaps American? They're approaching the door, as are others. It is time.
   Andrey opens his eyes, yet his prayers do not cease.
   "I will enumerate them all before the holy angels, that I may be overcome by the effulgence of the sweetest and most delightful divine pleasure. And transported by Thy ineffable fragrance, grace, and divine beauty, I shall chant to Thee then the great Song of Songs! Hear me, O my God, even though I may transgress Thy law before Thee every day. Hear me, my King, My Redeemer, and make me worthy to enter Thy glory, just as I beseech Thee night and day, and pray to Thee, and supplicate Thy immortal and life-giving majesty. O my Lord Jesus Christ, I ardently beg Thee again and always: At the time of my departure, send me the resplendent Virgin, the most pure temple, the sacred treasury of Thy wealth, O my Christ, to strengthen me. Send me at that time the holy Forerunner and Baptist John, the luminous stars—the Apostles—the prophets and the martyrs, the preachers and evangelists, confessors, ascetics, and righteous, that Thy creature may be glorified. Yes, immortal Lord, hear me, the sinner, and enable me to attain Thy inexpressible, never aging and thrice blessed glory." 
   "Open it," the American says in stilted Russian.
   "I hear something on the other side," a Reichsman says.
   "I said open it, Vlad," the American demands.
   "But, my Lord, give rest also to every servant of Thine in the throes of death, wherever this prayer will be heard, that the foul demons be disgraced," Andrey prays yet further, his voice growing louder and more determined, more bold, filled with the fire of the Holy Spirit. "Crush them, O Master, with Thy mighty hand. Disperse them, O Mighty One, with Thy flaming sword. Burn them with the lightning of Thy fire-breathing power, O Thou Who art the plenitude of greatness, loftiness and awe."
   There is a kick at the door. It is locked, but it is worn and torn by gunfire and explosive. It will not last long.
    "Yea, Lord, God of my holy Fathers, who pleased Thee from the beginning of time to the present, do not scorn my petition, O Holy One. Do not turn away from my supplication, O Compassionate One. But implant within my prayer a double-edged sword, divine, heavenly, deadly to the demons and vengeful against the spirits of wickedness; yet filled with sympathy, forgiveness, compassion and goodness."
   Andrey raised the stock of his shotgun to his shoulder and took aim at the door. "Amen," he said, "praise be to God." 
   Another kick at the door, harder this time. It won't last much longer. Another kick splinters it. 
   "Your servant, at last, comes to your Throne, o God," Andrey whispers, and then, the door gives. 
    
   
2. 

   A Father's Love

   July 28, 2020

   And there was Leonid, once again the voice of reason. If Andrey was Moses, then Leonid was his Joshua, the man who would lead the children of the Lord to blessed Israel. 
   "Lyonya, your faith is strong, and your heart is true," Andrey said, slowly closing his Bible. "But your life is not one I wish to put at risk. You know how I fare. Soon, I shall pass into life everlasting at the feet of our Father, and our flock will need a leader. I cannot risk you on a scavenger's run in the ruins of Moscow, especially when Sasha and Kiril have so much experience and even still face great danger. We must wait for a sign from the Lord. Do you recall the tale of Ai? When the children of Israel disobeyed the Lord and failed to follow His instruction, they attacked Ai, and He withdrew his promise and cost them the battle." 
   
   Andrey sighed. "We cannot afford an Ai." He paused for a moment, before adding, quietly, "I cannot. The Lord has led us truly this far, and He shall speak to us, I have no doubts. Soon, we shall be given a sign, and we will walk into the Promised Land together as one people. But until that sign arrives, we must have faith in His plan, Lyonya. Still... I will speak with Sasha and Kiril when they return from the surface tomorrow. I would have you attend as well, and the other elders of our congregation. We shall pray together, and seek guidance from the Lord on this matter, His will be done." 
   
    
   
3. 

   A Father's Love

   July 28, 2020

   Leonid was a good man. Few priests remained in the Metro- God could not explain the mutants and anomalies that wandered the darkness, so they simply abandoned Him. Not Leonid, though- he held to his faith much as Andrey had. 
   
   "Lyonya, my son," he greeted him, with a toothy grin that belied his age. "You are always welcome in this house. Just because we are not in congregation does not mean we cannot commune. 'For wherever two or three gather in my name, there I shall be also'. Come, come. Sit." He motioned to a second chair that rested in his office, one padded with cloth to aid the old man should he rest his weary bones upon it. 
   
   "Yes," he continued, in answer to Leonid's question. "Sasha and Kiril wished for my blessings before they embark tomorrow. They brought a hymnal book today- it should be under my pulpit. The kindness of those young ones knows no bounds, and I pray fervently that our Lord keeps his hand over them. Tanya and Shurhat came by as well- she is with child! Barely a few months into her pregnancy and she already wishes to arrange the baptism. It heartens me to see our congregation so eager to partake in our sacred tradition."
   
   His smile faded slightly, though it didn't disappear. "Not all was pleasantry, I'm afraid. Aleksandr Kovalkavich has gone to meet the Lord this evening. He'd asked me to attend to his rites, and I made the trek. I'm a bit tired, all said and done, but nothing that a good night's rest won't fix. Now... what is it you needed, my son? It's no trouble, mind, but you normally don't stop by this late." 
   
4. 

   Father Almighty: Father Kopeykin

   July 27, 2020

   This is for anybody who wants a storyline with the residents of the Sretensky Bulvar station and Father Kopeykin's plot. Whether you seek shelter from your enemies, wish for guidance or wisdom from one of the oldest men in the Metro, or simply just want to fuck with an old man and his church, here's where we can work it out. 
   
5. 

   A Father's Love

   July 27, 2020

   For those who knew Sretensky Bulvar before the war, it would probably be unrecognizable.
   Where there were once artistically blank walls and stale, sterile marble, there was now a bustling little town below the surface. It was no Polis, but it was something, the largest of said somethings in that station being the Cathedral of the Most Merciful Lord in the center of the station. It's not anything special by any means- it barely fits a hundred souls. 
   But for Father Kopeykin, the last Patriarch of Russia, it is enough. 
   Services do not start again until tomorrow, but the Father remains in his church always, tending to the needs of his flock should they ever require him outside of the holy hours. Today, he has received many souls. Tanya and her husband are expecting a child, and wish for blessings and prayers for their babe yet born, and the Father is more than happy to oblige. Mihail's father is dying, and wishes for the Father to give him his last rites- though it's quite a walk to the other end of the station where Aleksandr lives, nothing is impossible through the Lord, and Father Kopeykin himself sees that Aleksandr is made right with his Savior before returning to the Cathedral.  
   Now, near the evening hours, Sasha and Kiril return. The two Stalkers are friends to the old Father, for he saw them married, and they always bring him anything of value to the church when they go on their journeys. Crucifixes, paintings, bibles, images of the Savior, whatever they find, he is more than happy to take- emphasis on take, as they ask for no compensation. "It was on the way", they say, and they ask for his blessing.
   Stalkers suffer the most out of all of God's children left on this earth, forced to witness the evils of man and what they have wrought. No expense is spared on them. He blesses them and their arms with holy water, prays over them with trembling, withered hands, and tells them, as he always does, "go with God, and let him guide thy footsteps." 
   He idly wonders if he will live to see them return.
   His time grows short. His rests longer and deeper. His ailments more severe. The Promise Land awaits, yet the Lord has shown him that, like Old Moses in the desert, he shall not live to enter it. That does not trouble the Father, for he knows that the Lord's designs are perfect, the flaws of the flesh find no place in Him. Still, a weak part of him weeps for it, small, silent tears that he shall not join his flock in the new Israel. 
   He takes small comfort that there is time yet for him to lay eyes on it, even if he may not live in it. 
   As Sasha and Kiril leave, the Father doubts he will have more visitors this late. Service is bright and early in the morning, so for now, he meditates on the Scriptures. He opens his faded, battered bible to the book of Exodus once again, where he once more pores over the tomes of Moses, the man who he has come to see reflected so in his own life. 
   But who would be the Joshua to the last of the Patriarchs? Would there be one? The Metro was rapidly becoming a faithless place, after all. 
   No. He would see the light of God returned to these tunnels, so that it might guide those lost in the darkness to the Promised Land. That was his place, for every Prophet must someday sup with the Lord. 
   He returned his full attention to the Scriptures, poring over them from the beginning. 
   

Topics I Participated In

1. 

   The Last Patriarch

   Started by Father Andrey Popovich Kopeykin · January 22, 2021

   Father Andrey Popovich Kopeykin is in the presence of the Lord. 
   He has not had a revelation in many years. Whatever goes on outside his quarters is like another planet to him as he surveys the steps to the Metro exit at Sretensky Bulvar.
   "Come, Andrey, come and see." said the Lord. 
   "But Lord," Andrey said, his voice strong as it was in his youth, yet full of doubt. "Your flock needs me."
   "Come, Andrey, come and see." said the Lord. 
   "But Lord," Andrey said, his fears growing as he thought of Leonid, of Sasha, of Tanya, of Kiril and Shuhrat, and the elders and the little children. "what of your children?"
   "I tell you, come, Andrey, come and see." said the Lord, and Andrey began to climb the steps. His feet carried the strength they once had as a minister to the needy, his lungs filled with fresh air instead of the dank, stale air of the Metro, his heart beating mightily once more as one step at a time, he ascended towards an ever-approaching light. The weariness of eighty-four years left his aching bones, and the wear of years beneath the surface, without seeing the sun, faded, as the Last Patriarch mantled the stairs and stood, now, at the exit of the Metro, light pouring down from the rafters and the stairs leading to the Promised Land. The surface. 
   "But Lord!" Andrey cried, filled with awe and terror all at once, falling to his knees and turning his eyes to the risen light "your servant is not worthy! Surely there is more I could have done in your Name?"
   "When Man has forsaken me, Andrey, you have persevered. You have delivered My Word, My Heart, to the people, and have served Me faithfully. Come, and see the Promised Land." 
   At last. 
   At long last.
   Andrey wept, tears streaming from his eyes as he rose to his feet, praises in the tongues of angels flowing from his lips as he ascended the last flight of stairs, letting his Lord guide his feet as he closed his eyes and bathed in the glory of His creation. He knew he was not fated to reach the surface again, he'd always known that, but God, Merciful God, had seen fit to bless him with this. A taste of what was to come for his followers, for God's followers. 
   "Open your eyes, and see."
   Andrey opened his eyes. The land had healed. The city of Moscow, still a ruin, was surrounded by lush greenery, by fruits and vegetables, and homes made of the rubble and nature's bounty, and men and women walked through what once were the streets of Moscow, arm in arm, basking in the light of the Lord's creation. 
   A world without bombs, without war, without the horrors of the Metro. 
   "Well done," said the Lord, "my good and faithful servant." 
   ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
   Andrey's eyes open, and he is reminded of why he has been called. 
   Gunfire erupts through the Cathedral of the Most Merciful Lord. 
   The Reich have come. Leonid is leading the evacuation, but a brave few souls have volunteered to stay behind, to ensure the rest of the flock escapes. Martyrs, saints, like the Apostles of yore. Andrey is unworthy to call them his congregation, when he has learned so much from them, young and old alike.
   The Lord has called him home, and soon, it will be time for Andrey to rest. 
   But not yet.
   He is too old to run. He will only slow down his flock as they head for Polis, to join the overcrowded station and, hopefully, provide the last push needed for the people of the Metro to rise above Reich and Reds and return to the Promised Land, as the Lord has always intended. 
   That does not mean he will idly lay back and allow the Lord to take him. He has been called, and must answer. The Lord's plan requires one last sacrifice of the Last Patriarch of Moscow, perhaps even all of Russia. 
   "Oh, death," Andrey mutters as he looks down upon the Duplet in his hands, a cross tied to its stock and the word of the lord etched into its every inch, "where is thy sting? Oh, grave, where is thy victory?"
   The barrels are opened, and the father shakily loads two shells into the breeches. He has three more pairs strapped to the stock. It will be enough. 
   "The sting of death is sin," he says, as he swings the weapon shut and measures it in his hands, "and the strength of sin is the law." 
   "But thanks be to God," he continues, his voice rising as he leaves his chambers, "who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Father, forgive these sinners, for they know not what they do. Amen." 
   He walks with conviction belied by his age, his steps steadied by a force more powerful than his own will. Blood and bullet holes mar the once holy Cathedral, a testament to sin and its wages. The lifeblood of saint and sinner alike slicks the floor beneath his feet, yet his feet do not fail him, for his steps are guided by a higher power. 
   As he approaches the entrance to the auditorium that has acted as his congregation's sanctuary since the beginning, Kiril waits at the bullet-riddled door, his final vigil. Wounds cover his body, and the pallor of death fills his face. Sasha's child will grow up without a father, but Andrey knows the Lord will guide that child's steps just as he did their father.
   "Oh, my son..." Andrey whispers, approaching his fallen pupil, and kneeling before him. There is no life in the once vibrant Stalker- he has gone to sup with the Father, where he feels no more pain and fears no more death. Many others have gone before him today. One must come after. 
   Taking the cold, lifeless hand before him with one hand, and closing Kiril's eyes with the other, Andrey shuts his own eyes, and steels himself for what is to come. 
   "O Lord, the God of powers, great and awesome, abundant in might and transcendent in goodness, full of mercy and compassion: incline and hear me who am vile and sinful. O my Christ, Who saved Jonah out of the belly of the whale and Daniel from the mouths of lions, deliver me at the time of death from the dreadful darkness of the prince of evil. Do not let the devil come over the deathbed of Thy servant."
   There is no more gunfire in the sanctuary. The last of the saints have fallen. Soon, Andrey will be called.
   "May my soul, O Lord, never see the darkness of the demons, neither in this life, nor in the future one, neither in the agony of death, nor at my ascent to heaven. May not the accursed dragon deride my miserable soul when it abandons this depraved body. Do not let the filthy spirit of fetor and stench snatch it, O my Lord, my Christ, my Jesus, my God, my Light, and carry it away to perdition. O my Master, God of Heaven and earth, may my eyes never see his hideous and darksome face. But at the time of my end, O my holy, thrice holy and glorified King, send me Thy mercy and Truth. O my God, at that time send Michael, the commander-in-chief, over Thy servant. Send me Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael, the great and bright generals, with all their immaculate and thrice-blessed army, to crush the insatiable dragon of Hades who gnashes his teeth and wants to snatch and devour anyone living piously. O my God, at the time of my departure, sink him and all his filthy army into the abyss, in Tartarus, into outer darkness and the gnashing of teeth. At that time, O my Lord Jesus Christ, my delight, my Resurrection, send the merciful and philanthropic Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, to receive my own spirit in His incomparable sweetness and immortal holiness. Send him to strengthen me with a flaming sword preceding me and crushing the evil rulers of darkness. For, if these abominations of iniquity plunge into the fire, into darkness, into the abyss, into Hades, I will be able without pain to cross the ethereal spheres to come close to Thee, the Triune Sun, to fall before Thy compassion, to kiss Thy immaculate feet, to be filled with the Deity, with Thy Holy Spirit, and confess the countless wonders Thou didst for my sake: How Thou broughtest me to repentance, gave me life, 'and out of the depths of the earth again Thou broughtest me up!'"
   As he prays, he hears the voices of the Reich in the sanctuary. He swears one of them is a foreigner, by his accent. German? English? Perhaps American? They're approaching the door, as are others. It is time.
   Andrey opens his eyes, yet his prayers do not cease.
   "I will enumerate them all before the holy angels, that I may be overcome by the effulgence of the sweetest and most delightful divine pleasure. And transported by Thy ineffable fragrance, grace, and divine beauty, I shall chant to Thee then the great Song of Songs! Hear me, O my God, even though I may transgress Thy law before Thee every day. Hear me, my King, My Redeemer, and make me worthy to enter Thy glory, just as I beseech Thee night and day, and pray to Thee, and supplicate Thy immortal and life-giving majesty. O my Lord Jesus Christ, I ardently beg Thee again and always: At the time of my departure, send me the resplendent Virgin, the most pure temple, the sacred treasury of Thy wealth, O my Christ, to strengthen me. Send me at that time the holy Forerunner and Baptist John, the luminous stars—the Apostles—the prophets and the martyrs, the preachers and evangelists, confessors, ascetics, and righteous, that Thy creature may be glorified. Yes, immortal Lord, hear me, the sinner, and enable me to attain Thy inexpressible, never aging and thrice blessed glory." 
   "Open it," the American says in stilted Russian.
   "I hear something on the other side," a Reichsman says.
   "I said open it, Vlad," the American demands.
   "But, my Lord, give rest also to every servant of Thine in the throes of death, wherever this prayer will be heard, that the foul demons be disgraced," Andrey prays yet further, his voice growing louder and more determined, more bold, filled with the fire of the Holy Spirit. "Crush them, O Master, with Thy mighty hand. Disperse them, O Mighty One, with Thy flaming sword. Burn them with the lightning of Thy fire-breathing power, O Thou Who art the plenitude of greatness, loftiness and awe."
   There is a kick at the door. It is locked, but it is worn and torn by gunfire and explosive. It will not last long.
    "Yea, Lord, God of my holy Fathers, who pleased Thee from the beginning of time to the present, do not scorn my petition, O Holy One. Do not turn away from my supplication, O Compassionate One. But implant within my prayer a double-edged sword, divine, heavenly, deadly to the demons and vengeful against the spirits of wickedness; yet filled with sympathy, forgiveness, compassion and goodness."
   Andrey raised the stock of his shotgun to his shoulder and took aim at the door. "Amen," he said, "praise be to God." 
   Another kick at the door, harder this time. It won't last much longer. Another kick splinters it. 
   "Your servant, at last, comes to your Throne, o God," Andrey whispers, and then, the door gives. 
    
   
2. 

   Father Almighty: Father Kopeykin

   Started by Father Andrey Popovich Kopeykin · July 27, 2020

   This is for anybody who wants a storyline with the residents of the Sretensky Bulvar station and Father Kopeykin's plot. Whether you seek shelter from your enemies, wish for guidance or wisdom from one of the oldest men in the Metro, or simply just want to fuck with an old man and his church, here's where we can work it out. 
   
3. 

   A Father's Love

   Started by Father Andrey Popovich Kopeykin · July 27, 2020

   For those who knew Sretensky Bulvar before the war, it would probably be unrecognizable.
   Where there were once artistically blank walls and stale, sterile marble, there was now a bustling little town below the surface. It was no Polis, but it was something, the largest of said somethings in that station being the Cathedral of the Most Merciful Lord in the center of the station. It's not anything special by any means- it barely fits a hundred souls. 
   But for Father Kopeykin, the last Patriarch of Russia, it is enough. 
   Services do not start again until tomorrow, but the Father remains in his church always, tending to the needs of his flock should they ever require him outside of the holy hours. Today, he has received many souls. Tanya and her husband are expecting a child, and wish for blessings and prayers for their babe yet born, and the Father is more than happy to oblige. Mihail's father is dying, and wishes for the Father to give him his last rites- though it's quite a walk to the other end of the station where Aleksandr lives, nothing is impossible through the Lord, and Father Kopeykin himself sees that Aleksandr is made right with his Savior before returning to the Cathedral.  
   Now, near the evening hours, Sasha and Kiril return. The two Stalkers are friends to the old Father, for he saw them married, and they always bring him anything of value to the church when they go on their journeys. Crucifixes, paintings, bibles, images of the Savior, whatever they find, he is more than happy to take- emphasis on take, as they ask for no compensation. "It was on the way", they say, and they ask for his blessing.
   Stalkers suffer the most out of all of God's children left on this earth, forced to witness the evils of man and what they have wrought. No expense is spared on them. He blesses them and their arms with holy water, prays over them with trembling, withered hands, and tells them, as he always does, "go with God, and let him guide thy footsteps." 
   He idly wonders if he will live to see them return.
   His time grows short. His rests longer and deeper. His ailments more severe. The Promise Land awaits, yet the Lord has shown him that, like Old Moses in the desert, he shall not live to enter it. That does not trouble the Father, for he knows that the Lord's designs are perfect, the flaws of the flesh find no place in Him. Still, a weak part of him weeps for it, small, silent tears that he shall not join his flock in the new Israel. 
   He takes small comfort that there is time yet for him to lay eyes on it, even if he may not live in it. 
   As Sasha and Kiril leave, the Father doubts he will have more visitors this late. Service is bright and early in the morning, so for now, he meditates on the Scriptures. He opens his faded, battered bible to the book of Exodus once again, where he once more pores over the tomes of Moses, the man who he has come to see reflected so in his own life. 
   But who would be the Joshua to the last of the Patriarchs? Would there be one? The Metro was rapidly becoming a faithless place, after all. 
   No. He would see the light of God returned to these tunnels, so that it might guide those lost in the darkness to the Promised Land. That was his place, for every Prophet must someday sup with the Lord. 
   He returned his full attention to the Scriptures, poring over them from the beginning. 
   

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