Shark cult of Vuotnaivi

Animism cohabits peacefully with the thirteen gods in the Davsolu islands. Nature spirits, ancestors, and gods are all part of the way the world works. However, a new cult in Y island is becoming dangerously widespread.
They venerate sharks, the fierce predatorial side of sharks. They venerate their relentlessness and power. According to this cult, one must destroy one’s enemies completely, particularly when they are at their weakest. Compassion has no place in the Shark Cult.

Origins

The plague changed many things in the Davsolu islands. First trade and movement with the outside world stopped, then trade and movement within islands themselves stopped too.
With every death, Z saw an opportunity for profit. With every new family gone, their riches became available. However, no one was taking advantage of these. Moreover, he was punished for this by the stonelords. He was punished out of the cities and villages of Vuotnaivi, forced to live from the land if he wanted to survive.
Less than 8 years later, Z was back in the city (even weaker in power now), ready to make sure his island and his clan were on top when trade and movement was reinstated between the islands. He spread his word amongst the disenfranchised, both weak and strong. Taught them to take what was theirs, and what was their prey. He also taught them to not trust and follow blindly the wardens and stonelords, for they were not necessarily the strongest amongst them.

They are chosen at random from any one person that puts their name forward to be selected. Do we really want to trust our lives to people chosen at random? We have all seen the poor job they have done during the plague. We need strong leadership. One that follows the way of predation!

Sayings

"A wounded fish is the easiest kill"
"There is nothing more dangerous than a wounded shark"
"Hunt, or be hunted"

Duties of the priesthood

Priests of the Shark must uphold the Way of Predation. They must be strong, enforce ruthlessness in their followers, and punish weakness and compassion.

Priest’s abilities

At 2nd level, Shark priests gain the ability to transform themselves into half-human, half-shark monstrosities. The character keeps his or her own statistics, but grows rubbery skin, gills, fins, and a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. This grants the priest the ability to swim at 9, but movement on land drops to 1.
At 3rd level, a shark priest can call 1d4 reef sharks or one larger shark once per week. The sharks do the priest's bidding for one hour.

Teachings

They teach the “Way of Predation”. This philosophy states that life is a short and brutal affair. The strong rule, and the weak can only hope to survive by using their cunning to strike their enemies when they are weak.

Plot Hooks

Conflicts with the rogue’s guild

The rogue’s guild became a secondary force in the city when the wardens and stonelords had their hands full dealing with the plague and its consequences. The thieves of X city do not target the poor and downtrodden, or those still recovering from the plague. Their targets are usually hypocritical temples, greedy merchants, black-hearted nobles, or even other thieves. There is certainly an unspoken code of honor that forbids preying on the weak. As such, this has put them in stark opposition to the Shark cult (although more than one guild member has been seduced by the teachings of the way of predation). Skadi has had a brief glance at one of the green-cloaked thieves, who was chased by the shark cult, as he had stolen a precious artefact from them. Will she be able to find what was stolen and why?

Past murders

During his reintroduction into the city, while he spread his teachings in shady alleys and abandoned houses, Z did his fair share of murders. Some as a practical “teaching tool”, others to keep his presence and that of his cult hidden from the authorities until it was too late. Skadi has now discovered one of these murders, and the fact that the judges were bought or pressured to condemn an innocent man for a murder they did not commit. Skadi must find the clues and investigate them, and they may lead her to the cult.