The Children of Silence
The Children of Silence was a doomsday cult that was devoted to the Basillian deity Kosenta, also known as the Blood-Soaked Huntress. Members of the cult were disillusioned by modern society and as such, they struggled to fit in. They found their lives to be meaningless, but found comfort with other like-minded people. Feeling like their self-imposed isolation was the fault of those around them, the Children of Silence intended to return the islands to its natural state. To them, that natural state was one of chaos and violence.
The cult was dismantled many centuries ago, but its beliefs have survived the test of time. The royal families of Basilla, having been corrupted by the influence of a rakshasa, found themselves intrigued by the doomsday cult. They adopted their belief system as their own, passing it down through the generations in the hopes that it would keep them in power. These new age cultists called themselves "ferals" and were adamant that they would achieve what their predecessors couldn't. While the movement never gained enough traction to form an organized group of believers, it did become the motivation for many violent criminals and terrorists throughout history.
After the rise of the Basillian Council, the remnants of the Children of Silence were destroyed. Those associated with the movement in any capacity were jailed at the Basilla Correctional Facility. Many of them were given life sentences. Those guilty of especially heinous crimes were swiftly executed.
Culture
The cult was made up of social outcasts and those who found no meaning in life. They blamed society as a whole for their state of isolation, and actively desired to return the islands to a natural state. Their idea of a natural state was to give into chaos and incite violence in the name of Kosenta, who was the very aspect of the wilds themselves. Much of the cultists settled within the Whispering Woods, building a temple to their goddess away from prying eyes.
The cultists kept to themselves, falling further into their isolation until they were forgotten. The Children of Silence earned their name due to the members' selective mutism. Their mental health declined rapidly over the years, leading them to develop schizophrenia and dissassocitive disorders. To them, the world was no longer real. It was an illusion crafted by false idols and therefore, the actions they took were an attempt to free Basilla from those chains.
The Blood-Soaked Huntress was the personification of truth, as well as freedom. She was the one to shatter the illusion originally, allowing her followers to see the world for what it truly was. As she continued to whisper in their ears, her followers became increasingly agitated. The cult was distrustful of outsiders, and often resorted to violence with no provocation.
Public Agenda
The Children of Silence made their intentions clear from the beginning. Society needed to be reduced to nothingness in order to return to the ways of the ancient catfolk, who they mistakenly believed to live by the mentality, "Survival of the fittest.". They wanted families bound by the blood they spilled together, especially the blood of outsiders. Protecting their tribes would fulfill their need for purpose, and they were willing to do anything in order to secure their future.
They believed that modern Basillians were weak-willed. Art provided no use on the battlefield, yet so many of their kind turned to it as a form of expression. Too many folks capitalized on the novelty of a cat-like race, leading to an influx of greed among the population. It was an afront to Kosenta and the ideals she embodied. The Children of Silence worried that by allowing the continuation of society as it was, catfolk would find themselves extinct within a few years.
They took to acts of terrorism to cull the weak from society. While they mainly acted in groups, singular members were to use the others as a distraction in order to gain access to high profile targets. It's believed that the royal families agreed to further their cause if their people were left untouched. Either that, or the families prevented their untimely deaths by way of coin.
Disbandment
The Children of Silence became emboldened by the chaos they successfully wrought. The terror felt within Basillian society fueled their ambitions, and each act of terrorism grew more horrific than the last. With the cult now becoming a nuisance for the islands' nobility, the royal families banded together to put an end to the madness. They hired outside bands of mercenaries, which they united under a temporary contract in order to form a private military force. These forces were dispersed all over the archipelago; some to protect royal interests, and others to flush out terrorists who had infiltrated society.
The most skilled among the military were tasked with traveling to the source of the problem, as intel revealed the location of the temple to Kosenta in the Whispering Woods. The cultists caught wind of the military's arrival, but were still unprepared once the confrontation began. The military killed everyone in sight, as per the royal orders. Many cultists fled, but were quickly caught, and executed. Their bodies were placed is a mass grave and their temple was left in ruins. Artifacts they treasured were destroyed or stolen, and their families were dissuaded from speaking of the deceased.
Many of the cults sacred texts and surviving artifacts were later collected by the Society of the Sapphire Lotus and remain locked in their private vault.
Mythology & Lore
DISBANDED/DISSOLVED
"I will return to where I began."
Type
Religious, Cult
Alternative Names
The Huntress' Legion
Demonym
Ferals
Deities
Divines
Location
Related Ethnicities
Comments