Cults of the Dark Powers

“Cult of the Dark Powers” is a catchall term for the various fringe sects that revere the Archenemy, the Thirteen, or other evil cosmic forces. These groups are shunned and feared by civilized people, and typically exist at the margins of society or in remote and secluded locations far from civilization. Some of these cults revere the dark powers in general, but many of them are dedicated to a specific patron, be it the Archenemy himself or a member of the Thirteen. The cults of the dark powers wage a secretive, unending war against the Octarchy and civilization at large. Laboring unceasingly on behalf of their infernal masters to pave the way for their return.

People join organizations of this kind for all manner of reasons, greed, curiosity, lust for power, marginalization by mainstream society, or simple misanthropy. The only societies which worship the dark powers on a large scale are the orcs and certain tribes of feral lizardmen, who usually seek the aid of the dark powers for strength against their Octarchist enemies rather than any ideological conviction.

Cults of this nature are generally highly secretive, but are generally known to engage in necromancy, human sacrifice, and all manner of perverse practices too abominable to describe. The Octrachist clergy considers the eradication of the cults of the dark powers one of its principal missions and has entire clerical orders dedicated to the task. The secretive and sectarian nature of these groups has made them notoriously difficult to stamp out and centuries of work have yielded frustratingly little results.