The Amalorian Cult of Shadows

Structure

The cult was led by the Babe of the Abyss who was considered to be a demigod. Called "Darkest Darkness" and "Dread Lord", few records of their identity remain and many scholars outside of the Great Library of Vekirai speculate that they were mythical. The Babe of the Abyss was thought to be the child of the Amalorian God-Emperor of Death. 
The cult was otherwise typical of Amalorian religion with new initiates called neophytes gradually progressing up the ranks of the organisation as their knowledge of black magic improved.

Public Agenda

The cult was primarily a religious organisation although a cloistered one which did not allow congregants to join in worship. Despite the later stories and myths that would be told about them, the cult was not a secret organisation. Amalorian religion was organised as a series of cults each dedicated to a different God-Emperor or demigod. The Cult of Shadows may have practiced black magic in the name of their gods but this was not so strange for the time. All the Amalorian cults used magic.
The Cult of Shadows was somewhat unusual for its focus on the worship of demigods, principally the Babe of the Abyss, as opposed to the God-Emperors themselves. The Amalorians worshipped a Pantheon of 19 deities and an unknown number of demigods. The Cult of Shadows focussed entirely on the demigods and in particular on advancing their magical traditions. The scribes of the cult recorded in tomes of black magic details of the magical rituals associated with demigods of the imperial pantheon. 12 of these tomes have not been lost.
It is only because of these tomes that much is known about the Cult of Shadows. Few records remain of any of the other Amalorian cults.

Disbandment

The final fate of the Cult of Shadows in unknown. It seems likely that a number of events including a number of natural disasters and the Great Amalorian Slave Rebellion which struck a final blow to the Amalorian Empire may have also destroyed the Cult of Shadows. Some scholars have theorised that the members of the Cult destroyed themselves when their magic became too powerful. Other supposed that they may have ascended to a god-like state, outside the material world.

DISBANDED/DISSOLVED

Type

Religious, Cult

Demonym

Shadowmaster

Parent Organization

Ancient Amalorian Empire

Manufactured Items

• The Osteal Tome
• The Sanguine Tome