Dusk Hour Cult

There are those who believe that the Great Collapse was necessary and incomplete. Those people can only bring about great woe through their insane efforts.

— Archivist Nemo

Most have good reason to view the The Great Collapse as a catastrophe of catastrophes. The dark and violent years marked the end of a generations long period of peace and prosperity. The Recovery was by all accounts an unimaginably fortunate miracle affording civilization and all the people whose prosperity depended on it a second chance. A chance to reach the heights of the The Ancient Order once more, and perhaps mold it into something even better.
Not everyone believes that this chance should be taken. Not everyone believes that the collapse was an incredibly unfortunate event. A secretive organization known as Dusk Hour believes that the collapse was a necessity. Dusk Hour believes the collapse was meant to clean the slate and allow for an entirely new world order to emerge, and that the Recovery was in fact the real disaster. As for what the new world order is supposed to be, no one really knows for certain. It is likely that the cult has no real conception of their new paradigm either.
These days, the cult is most a lingering rumor. A shadow of an unfortunate history that ended a tribe and showed that Dusk Hour was capable of bringing about a blood-soaked ending.

That cult has proven that it is already capable of encouraging an end. It is unfortunate, but we should only hope that a tribe is all they can end.

— Gregory Skystar, Traveler

The Fall of Awl'rene

From 650AGC to 696AGC, the Awl'rene tribe was considered one of the most industrious of the continent. It was believed then that their rise would see them outshining the growing Lunarian and Helian tribes of the time. One will never know what they could have become now though.
In 696AGC, Dusk Hour had complete influence of the Awl'rene. They used their influence to adjust laws that allowed for a build-up of military might at the expense of "inconsequential frivolities" in light of their great plan. The plan of course being the triggering of a new collapse. To this end, it is thought that the cult had attempted to influence the affairs of neighboring tribes the better to destabilize what the thought was a illegitimate world paradigm. This never seemed to manifest as successfully as it had in Awl'rene.
Details are scarce of what exactly happened that triggered the end of the Awl'rene. A popular theory is that a member of the cult had a change of heart and had warned others of what Dusk Hour intended to unleash. Another is that the cult overreached in their efforts. Whatever the cause, the invasion of Awl'rene and its capital city of the same name led to the destruction of the Awl'rene tribe. Following afterward was a years long hunt to find and imprison or execute every member of Dusk Hour. It was thought that the cult ended then, yet their signs have persisted over the years leading many to believe that Dusk Hour merely went into hiding to bide their time for a window of opportunity.

The thought that this cult could be ancient and could be in some way responsible for encouraging the great collapse has kept me up for a night here and a night there. Such an organization that survived for so long has its implications.
I will continue to defer to the judgement of scholars on this matter if only to give myself some peace of mind.

— Wallis, Wizard of the Oculus Sea

Ancient Origin?

Rumor has it that Dusk Hour had existed during The Great Collapse. There's been little proof for this hypothesis. Dusk Hour's emblem is similar to a design found on some recovered artifacts evidently belonging to a guild whose name is forgotten. The accepted prevailing body of evidence among scholars point to the cult having formed sometime after the collapse around the time of the first Kingdoms. This formation having been spearhead by a figure known only as "Arrats". This makes the cult an old organization, and not ancient.

Does everything have to have an ancient origin? It isn't enough to know that there's a dangerous cult around? I'll admit to having a mind for the present and I do believe it has done me some good on certain matters.

— Rober Sungleam, Potter.

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A Penumbra Connection?

Some believe that the Dusk Hour cult is somehow related to Sol's Most Wanted, the Penumbra gang.

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Confirmed Locations of Dusk Hour Symbolism Sightings

• Free City of Centrum 
• Radiant City of Sol 
• Silver City of Luna 
• Mining Town of Andromeda 
• Reborn City of Haven 
• Garden Town of Oazė
• Carved Citadel of Aevi 

These sightings appear to be concentrated within centers of political power.

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Note(s) from the Archivists:

These people have to be insane. - Archivist Rena
What if they are the most sane of us all? - Archivist Savitri
Nah. - Archivist Bob