Fiend Nexus
Cult, secret society
"You must understand, Xara, that we are privileged. When I was your age, Pale-ones hunted us, and there was no rest for us under the sun. Now the Pale-ones are gone, and even when some still give us an evil eye, we are allowed to be, grow, and flourish, and those who hurt us can be punished.
No, my sweetheart, as unfair their prejudice is, it is not those who hate your horns, your tail, or your crimson skin that you should be afraid of. No, my child, they are nothing but mere flies buzzing in your ears compared to those who will prey on your anger and frustrations. They come for your anxieties and promise for relief, but all they have is terror and madness to offer.
I will show you the mark. I will show it once. If ever find anyone, any place branded with it, you should run, run as far and fast as you can, don't turn back, don't tell anyone. Never draw the mark in vain, who knows if they hear you through it. Never speak of them, never say yes to their temptations. They will admire you for your heritage, and promise you your heart's desire; do not believe them. None who go with them come back alive.
This is not a game, my sweet Xara. Stay safe. I beg you. Don't let your anger turn into bloodlust."
For generations, they have been little more than a whisper in the hidden corners of the Silver Shore Island. Most common in cautionary tales of Tiefling families, entity know simply as "Nexus" has been lurking on the shadows for prey.
Preying on those who are weak, ambitious, and greedy, the mysterious organization only silently identified as a fiendish cult for an unknown entity. Mostly observed in criminal circles, the organization seems to spread across the entire island, most recent sightings of activity observed in the city of Netehdrez.
Public Agenda
Currently, the plans, and even the existence of Nexus are hidden from the public eye. But those who have studied it in silence and managed to avoid being slain can tell a few things about them.
"There is information in this world, that is dangerous to even ask about. Sometimes ignorance truly is bliss.
If you have someone to care about, if you are not certain you aren't ready to risk it all, it would be best to avoid meddling with Nexus. So many of us who have picked up the crumbs that we have offered, still wish we would have never taken the first bait."
Nexus is most often known to recruit Tieflings, though person of any race can be subject of their interest. Those involved the cult can come from any social class and are often branded either by a burn mark or a scar shared of the symbol used by the organization: a triangular spiral shape that is shorthand for "doorway, connection or nexus" in fiendish writing paired with 6 thorns or horns radiating from the mark, identifying specific "connection".
Cult members are often involved with illicit activities and seem to go through a period of some kind of forced addiction, where the person for a time period of several weeks becomes unhinged, violent and thrill-seeking, before slowly starting to get back around, but never the same they were before. Members seem happier to lose their lives than speak of what is going on with them, and several are believed to get killed during this strange initiation-like process.
Several cultists have been found to have a warlock pact with fiendish entities. This has further solidified the assumption, that this is indeed a cult-like organization.
Assets
There has been rumors of hidden, twisted shrines and silent gatherings of the cultists. Those who try to expose the cult and get too deep find themselves either recruited or dead, and tracks of Nexus activity tend to vanish fast - this indicates to many that cult is very well-financed and has friends in high places.
It is suspected that Nexus owns some profitable establishments around the island, including the Gentlemen's club Succubus, but no concrete evidence has been found to make legal investigation possible.
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