The Children of Silence
The Children of Silence was a doomsday cult that worshiped the Basillian deity known as Kosenta, or the Huntress. Members came from all walks of life, but they all had one thing in common. They were disillusioned by mainstream society and as such, struggled to find meaning in life. Their goal was to return the islands and its inhabitants to a natural state. The tribes, after all, had a role for everyone to play. It's very much a group of people who were shunned from society for whatever reason.
While the cult was dismantled many centuries ago, its beliefs have survived the test of time. When the existence of this cult became a popular subject during a time of morbid fascination for catfolk, it led to the rise of a new movement. They called themselves "ferals" and intended to finish what the cult had started long ago. The movement never gained enough traction to form an organized group of believers, but it became the motivation for hundreds of violent criminals and terrorists throughout time.
The Council of Basilla has made it a priority to destroy any propaganda pushed by these terrorists. Anyone associated with the movement is arrested and kept within the dungeons of Basilla Correctional Facility. The fanatics who are responsible for especially heinous crimes are sentenced to execution immediately.
Culture
The Children of Silence were people with little to no purpose in life. Rather than try to find that meaning through traditional means, such as relationships or hobbies, they blamed mainstream society for their shortcomings. They believed that they would find their purpose within The Whispering Woods and they built a large temple deep within the jungle to keep it from any prying eyes. When going about daily life, the cultists keep to themselves, so much so that they developed selective mutism. They didn't think that the world around them was real, that it was just an illusion crafted by false idols to lead people astray.
The Huntress was the personification of truth, as well freedom. She would be the one to break their chains and shatter the false reality that had trapped so many. As their belief in this increased, so did their hostility towards outsiders. Those who turned their noses up at their religion became the victims of their violence. They referred to those victims as nothing more than collateral damage in the race for a better, brighter future.
Public Agenda
They made their intentions known from the start. The way that Basillians were living was unnatural and devoid of everything that had brought catfolk together originally. They preached to the public about this false reality, hoping somebody would listen and help them break the hedonistic chains that bound their kind for so long. The Children of Silence were prepared to reach this goal by any means necessary.
Disbandment
After an increased number of brutal terrorist attacks at the cult's hands, the royal families banded together due to mutual interests. They each hired their own band of mercenaries and united them under a temporary contract. The mercenaries were then tasked with traveling straight to the heart of the problem; the temple within the Whispering Woods. Once the group came upon the temple, they killed everyone inside without a shred of mercy. Some cultists fled into the jungle, which is how their wild beliefs have managed to survive all of this time, but the vast majority of the cult was killed.
Artifacts and texts they treasured were destroyed or burnt along with their bodies. In the wake of such violence, it was unwise for family and friends of the deceased to speak of them or their ties to the cult. As such, the knowledge of the existence of the Children of Silence was forgotten within several generations. Their temple lies in ruins now, nothing left but the bones of animals they had sacrificed to Kosenta. The Dark Guardians are the only scholarly group on Basilla with records pertaining to the cult, but these texts are locked away indefinitely.
Mythology & Lore
Worship
Worship was done through prayer and sacrifice. To join the cult, one had to sacrifice their materialistic possessions to the flames that represented Kosenta's ire. Daily prayers were recited at sunrise and sunset, acknowledging a return to a natural state of life as well as thanking the Huntress for granting them the skills to survive. Animal sacrifices were a very common way to honor her and it was blasphemous to return from any hunt unscathed. Being such a wild, untamed force, it is said that Kosenta expects her followers to bleed for what they want. To return without even a scratch reveals a follower's cowardice as they sought out the weakest prey they could find.
DISBANDED/DISSOLVED
"I will return to where I began."
Type
Religious, Cult
Alternative Names
The Huntress' Legion
Demonym
Ferals
Deities
Divines
Location
Related Ethnicities
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