The followers of death and the Black Lord.
Before the stars dappled the void, the candle of the sun was lit, and the world was shaped by the hands of the gods, there were the dark waters of the endless void. When gods wrought themselves from nothing and created the world, the Black Lord was already ancient, upset by the ripples of their fervent existence, seeking only to return to the quiet eternity of being the absence. The Black Lord is not cruel or malicious though, for not candle burns forever, and he in his benevolence shepherds all thing slowly back into the peace of the eternal darkness.
The softest spoken of the three cosmic powers, the Skold call him Dukval, translating out to Engarre to rough "The Following Lord", for none can ever truly escape him. But while the quietest of the Gods, he is not without his own believers and cultists. Unlike the Church of the Builder, the followers of Dukval have no core texts or structure, though that is not stopped those who search for such secrets or who have found his blessings from attempting to write and pass their wisdom onto others, propagating the cults that worship him. To the uninitiated, these teaching often sound like the ramblings of madmen, and their practice like foul sorcery and black magics better not known by the ken of man.
Structure
The faith of Dukval tends to be cultish in nature, with any particular group numbering in in the tens to at most the hundreds. This is typically run by some manner of high-priest, with potentially a handful of lesser monks or clergy to aid, the rest being the adherents of the cult.
Culture
TBD
Public Agenda
TBD
History
TBD
Tenets of Faith
"Man isn't tempted by the darkness, he is called to it! Lost without it! Gleefully in its return" ~ A common chant of Dukval Cultists
Fire holds a special place in the belief of Dukval, not for the light it sheds or heat it brings, but its impermanency and ability to destroy. Life and existence like the flame are tenuous and fleeting, and eventually, the blessing of darkness will return to everything. While there is no core orthodoxy or commandments, the following are common beliefs among the various cults of Dukval.
Core Tenents include:
- Celibacy - Bringing more life and thus suffering into the world is antithetical to their core beliefs.
- Relinquishing Attachments - Emotional and Material attachments are but hollow embers that bring pain in their existence. Many cults practice some form of asceticism.
- Hate of True Undead - The Cult of Dukval has a particular hatred for those who try to escape the Black Lord's inevitable clutches. Those who seek Immortality, in general, are anti-thetical to their beliefs and must be purged, but particularly heinous are those who mock the Black Lord by keeping their souls even after being granted his blessing. Undead that have retained their souls, such as Liches, Strigoi, Wrights, and similar is to sought and expunged wherever possible. Mindless and soulless undead, however, is not only acceptable but one of the many tools and powers Cultists may be imbued with, allowing them to continue serving after they have received Dukval's blessing.
- The Fire that Consumes itself - To follow Dukval is to be as fire and salt, to spread his words of happiness and peace, and to in good time and measure, provide his blessing to those who will accept it. Some cults are zealous ravagers, sacrificing all they find, spreading like a wildfire, before they burn themselves out, while other are candles, flickering and somber, but leading the hearts and minds of men to the Black Lord's wisdom and tranquility, before sputtering out. All, however, seek to right the world by accelerating its end.
Alternative Names
Dukval, The Black Lord, Death, The Worm
Related Ethnicities
Comments