Old Faith Death Cults
Death cults in the Old Faith pledge their devotion to the unstoppable inevitability of the end. They worship the taking of life and the bleeding of life force from living creatures. They are few in number, but no less dangerous for it; those who worship death itself are often indiscriminately cruel and usually insane. They follow "The One Who Takes" for a simple reason: to indulge their appetite for blood and misery.
As a rule, Death cults are normally allied with cults of War in their local area and usually work toward a similar goal, though their motivations often differ from that of their allies'. Whereas War cults often raid other villages and sects to take what they desire from them or attack intruders in their territory, Death cults follow the carnage like vultures because they wish to feed the despair and blood to their god and draw his favor. They have no specific grudge against incursions of the Ji-laani Kingdom or the worship of other gods, they have no need to. In their view, they do not discriminate in their victims any more than Death itself, as it should be. This makes their actions unfocused at best, only guided by the whims of their leadership and the War cults they work alongside.
Death cults often manufacture poisons both mundane and magical in nature, and their rituals prioritize flensing and torture in order to draw the eye and favor of Death, or at the very least its indiscriminate gluttony so that they may ascend. Cultists are often branded by blood magic sigils, scarification, flensing scars, and/or masks carved in the likeness of Death. Necromancy and other forms of perverse magic not common elsewhere are incredibly so in Death cults, as members search for ways to harness their god's dark power.
Individual members are not afraid of death, and in fact may be excited by the prospect of it as they come to peril, driving them into a frenzy as they pray to their god for his embrace. Such prayers are not to be taken lightly, for when the attention of Death is called, its maw may descend upon a scene of violence to steal all the breath it can from friend and foe alike. As a result of this outlook, Death cultists are notoriously difficult to intimidate or coerce.
The unique mental state of Death cult members and their uniquely cruel abilities make many of their elite members perfect assassins for hire. Cults use this allure to fund their endeavors and obtain sacrifices for their rituals, allowing their high-ranking or otherwise trained members to hire themselves out to the wicked and greedy for the glory of the kill.
Many followers of Death eschew traditional gender systems, preferring the alien mindset of their god - to whom gender is a foreign concept.
Structure
Death cults generally have a loose organizational structure that places several similarly powered cultists at the top as empowered priests or clerics in either a council or a collection of individuals competing for power. These higher echelons usually monitor the devotion of those below them, bestowing blessings upon those with enough fervor. The high priests of a cult will either follow their own agenda, take orders from a War cult, or work with a War cult leader in a peer relationship.
Public Agenda
Death cults often seek to spread death and suffering, with the optional goals of raising Death or its minions into the world to aid in this goal.
Ethics
Death cults have no qualms about killing anything or anyone, a moral alignment that makes them perfect as hired assassins. Death does not discriminate, so it is considered ultimately pious to be similarly indiscriminate in their own killings. Abduction of the unfaithful to mold them into unwilling weapons of the cult is not frowned upon, and particularly valuable captures are rewarded in the cult.
Worship
Death cultists typically practice ritual scarification to mark themselves as followers of Death, and once marked they will practice flensing. Flensing is believed to shed one's blood and gift it to Death, showing it one's devotion and drawing its attention to the cultist's wishes. Various glyphs are often inscribed to give pious individuals blood magic abilities, while other cults practice highly ritualized transmission of lycanthropy or vampirism to those who have the highest status in the cult. Tua-tuai followers practice body modification using a combination of surgical practices and magic, while Senang members perform rituals to link their highest members in the gestalt fungal mind that leads their cult circles.
Priesthood
Malu'i Breath-Taker
The highest status cultists in Tua'tuai cults to Malu'i are the Breath-Takers, highly trained assassins that have undergone extensive bodily modification to become living weapons of their god. They are signified by their dark, form-fitting clothing and the masks they wear over their gruesome, terrifying faces. The blank mask is reserved for times that require discretion, only showing their unnerving eyes through appropriately placed holes. The second mask is a half-mask that leaves their grinning, unnaturally widened mouth exposed for bite attacks while accentuating their bestial eyes with a demonic visage. Breath-Takers will otherwise shave their heads and ritually scarify their bodies with patterns signifying their kills and experience. Bodily augmentation of Breath-Takers includes the sharpening and strengthening of their teeth and nails into fangs and claws, respectively. Spines are grown from their forearms, giving them a convenient throwing weapon that poisons those who are unfortunate enough to be hit, and spikes are affixed to their joints, allowing them to more easily grapple their foes as they tear them apart. Breath-Takers are highly specialized for assassination and stealth, and they are often hired to hunt down individuals requiring more force than a typical mark.Ascended of the Black Moon
A'eluman Tua'tuai priests often take on the mantle of ascended warriors, undergoing rituals that infect them with lycanthropy in addition to augmenting their bodies in the traditional way of the Breath-Takers (see above). Additionally, they have eschewed the wearing of blank masks in favor of wearing the Death-grimaced half-masks at all times, and instead of shaving their heads, they wear many small braids of great length due to A'eluman status being tied to hair length. In most other ways, they resemble Breath-Takers with the addition of a bestial form to further augment their abilities, making them even more dangerous than the elite Breath-Takers because of the immunities and resistances this form bestows. Black Moon Ascended will generally wear loose, dark gray robes with blood red embroidery that they will shed before their transformation, revealing their horrifically scarred and mutilated bodies before taking on a beast's shape for the hunt.Umijran Bloodbender
The high priests of Astaveran cults are often mages or blood hunters deeply learned and skilled in hemocraft or necromancy. They shave their heads, practice ritual scarification, and paint their emaciated bodies and gaunt faces with skeleton and skull-like imagery. Hemocraft sigils and tattoos can be found on many parts of their bodies, which they leave bare of any clothing. Ritualistic transmission of either lycanthropy or vampirism are common among bloodbenders; warriors often go for the former, while magicians will take the latter. In either case, the individual in question often has fangs or claws that hint towards their cursed nature. These priests are often in charge of modifying any captives of the cult into weapons. They enchant armor, weaponry, and implements with curses that will keep their captives under their control as they make them into deadly creatures of the night, creatures they unleash upon the unsuspecting in order to feed their ravenous god.Shaman of Jug-eum
Followers of Jug-eum, the Senang-e variant of Death, stand out from their brethren due to their fascination with the natural cycle of life and death. As such, they are usually far more passive in their interests than other worshippers, but no less deadly for it. The most powerful shamans of Jug-eum cults are signified by their wooden masks that cover the left half of their faces and the subtle fungal growths on their exposed skin. They often appear jaundiced, and their bodies are thin beneath what little brown and moss green clothing they wear. Spore clouds follow them wherever they go, and upon speaking, one can quickly notice their preference for the "we" pronoun when speaking of themselves. This habit, coupled with their dull eyes and blank expression, can lead to the conclusion that they are drugged, but the reality is far worse. The highest echelons of Jug-eum's cults incorporate themselves into a gestalt consciousness, joining the most brilliant and motivated cultists as one being with the fungal powers of the cult's finest. Each member of this council carries a specially carved staff topped with a skull covered in spore-producing fungus. The fungus infesting them allows them to perform dangerous druidic magic that can turn friends against one another or raise the dead. Similarly to their A'eluman cousins, Jug-eum Shamans wear their hair long and in various braided styles, decorated with bones and other natural detritus. As a member becomes more and more assimilated into the cult, they often carry a coating of grime or dirt on their skin.Granted Divine Powers
Devout followers of Death are often gifted magical abilities similar to the following, depending on their particular cult:
- Hemocraft, necromancy, enchantment or druidic magic
- Resistance or immunity to charmed, frightened, diseased and/or poisoned effects
- Resistance or immunity to necrotic and/or poison damage
- Bodily augmentations
- Lycanthropy
- Vampirism
Sects
Tua'tuai
General Tua'tuai worship of Death focuses on the entity under the name Malu'i. The Breath-Takers focus on bodily metamorphosis, specifically the transformation into a likeness of Malu'i. To this end, magical surgery is performed in a ritualistic manner over the most elite cultists to turn their bodies into living weapons. As a cultist trains in the way of Malu'i, they begin to shed parts of their humanity in order to become closer to their god's image. The hallmark of a Breath-Taker is the mask they wear, of which there are technically two types. Lower status cultists will hide their faces with blank masks that hide their human features, while higher status cultists and Breath-Takers will wear half-masks when they are hunting for a kill that accentuate their bestial eyes and grinning visage. Followers of Malu'i are generally inclined toward the rogue, ranger, or fighter classes.A'eluman Tua'tuai
The city of A'eluma isolated itself from its neighbors centuries ago, and as such has diverged from the traditional worship of most Tua'tuai. Malu'i worship is openly accepted in the city, and the cult's focus on bodily augmentation has reached new heights by combining with the A'eluman fascination with lycanthropy. Consequently, Malu'i worship has been integrated into the practice of Ascension, in which those warriors of highest status are granted the blessing of lycanthropy in order to extend their lives and reward their devotion to A'eluman and its gods. Ascended of the Black Moon, as the highest-ranking followers of Malu'i are known, often seek out the means to make their beast forms permanent and integrate their bodily augmentations into their new form, creating something altogether new and alien. Masks are used in this sect as well, but they have done away with the use of the blank masks of traditional Tua'tuai. Instead, they only wear the half-masks carved in Malu'i's image. Typical followers of A'eluman Malu'i cults are monks, fighters, or barbarians.Astavera
Cultists of Umijran come from the sect of the Old Faith known as Astavera. This aspect of the faith focuses on mastery of death and the conjuring of its power through necromancy, conjuration, and hemocraft. Cultists constantly work on rituals with which they attempt to summon fiendish or undead followers of Umijran, or curse captives with death's power in order to use them as potent weapons. Lycanthropy and vampirism are both spread as a sign of and reward for devotion among these cults, and most of the cults' leadership are learned spellcasters or deadly blood hunters. Cultists at all levels often paint their bodies, marking themselves as one of the faithful of Umijran. They particularly enjoy drawing their god's attention to an area and allowing his influence to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting. Typical followers of Umijran are paladins, clerics, or blood hunters.Senang
This unusual sect of the Death cults is focused upon worshipping the Senang aspect of Death, Jug-eum. This particular brand of worship focuses on the relationship between death and life, specifically the cycles of decay and rebirth that are associated with fungus and other forms of decomposition. The cults are often led by a gestalt consciousness formed of their most devoted souls, individuals linked together in mind by a fungal infestation they willingly accept as a blessing from their god. They give up their individuality to contribute their genius to the whole, and become more powerful for it. Cult members of all levels are generally adept in druidic magic, especially fungal-based spells that work on the mind and body or raise the dead. Many cultists will wear a mask carved in the skull-like visage of Jug-eum over the left half of their face, signifying their membership in the cult. Other hallmarks of membership are a slightly intoxicated or drugged manner and a dead-eyed stare. Typical followers of Jug-eum are druids, rangers, or barbarians.Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
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