The Rustil Cults of Ice and Death

Structure

At the top is the Living Prophet, who is a lich women in charge of the running of both cults. Under her are the two Head Mistresses who represent their respective cults. Under them are the Frozen Council, who help the Mistresses' rule their cult and its operations. Under the council are the many priestesses and teachers on hand to teach the students, who are under their care.

Culture

To understand how those of clearly good intentions came to using necromancy, one must forget their ideas of necromancy when discussing it in the context of Rustilian culture. Necromancy is a vile art, tis true, but for the Rustil death is something that they are inherently close to. The land is horrifically harsh, and as such great stock is placed on the very idea and event of death itself. One must always be worried about not only their soul after death, but the burden of the body they will leave behind. As such, in the early years of the Rustil society, necromancy was done for a practical reason. Not only was it better to have undead controlled by a friendly necromancer or lich then simply wild and roaming undead, but the undead could be used to help bolster the ranks of warriors and defend against invaders. This practice would continue until it eventually evolved from a practical act to a religious one. The soul was already claimed by Melania, and so what's left but to use the leftover body gifted by Melania but to help the living. For this reason, necromancy unlike in other places of Nilush, while not celebrated is at least understood to be just another fact of life. It is also for this reason that lich women are typically welcomed within Rustil borders, as long as they do not pose a threat to the government or its people. Most lich women are apart of the cults anyway, and most simply hide away in their little hideouts studying and learning all the knowledge they can.

Public Agenda

Their goal is simply to seek to give a safe space for those women born with magical abilities to be certified and become closer with the goddess Melania. The Cult serves as both religious institution and magical academy in one, turning the young girls into brave and terrifying witches and clerics.

Assets

Due to being sponsored by the royal family of the Tzarina of Rustil, the cults see incredible power and all know their name throughout the land. With the backing of the royal household does it do tis business unabated, though this has been known to cause some tension in local cases of prosecuting those witch women who break the law in some capacity, with debate always seeming to crop up about if these witches answer to the law, or only to the noble household. However these talks never seem to go anywhere in terms of actual legislation, especially because most of the witch women are very well behaved, albeit off-putting.

History

The history of the Cults of Ice and Death are about as long as the formation of the Rusilvaynian Empire itself. What started as a small cult would grow more and more in power, as the Tzarina who came from these cults would elevate their status to official institutions of the Rustil lands. From this they would be able to assert themselves and build grand cathedrals dedicated to the learning of arcane magic and the faith of the Rustil. It was debated on what magic should be taught before it was decided that while they allow for all magic, they shall focus on the two schools of magic that are closest to their goddess Melania: Ice Magic, and Necromancy. This decision would effectively guarantee trouble with the Church of the Flame, but the Rustil have never truly cared for the opinions of outsiders.
The cults have helped raise soem of the most terrifyingly powerful spellcasters in the Rusilvaynian Empire, and many tales exist in Rustil and beyond of terrifying, dark clothed women wandering into town and freezing and killing those that would do wrong against their goddess. Such tales have made the sight of one of these witches both a comfort, and a nerve-wracking experience, and may mercy be on whoever gets in their way.

Political Influence & Intrigue

Relations with the Cults of Ice and Death, and the Church of the Flame are complicated. Typically the Churches stance is clear: necromancy is a cursed art, and should never be tolerated lest it invite darkness into the hearts of holy men and women. However, with Rustil they have found that they must treed lightly, for though their power is mighty the Empire of Rusilvaynia is already as powder keg for religious conflict as is. They were already embarrsed by their inability to quell the heresy of the Trocnovian rebellion, and so the Church with an already shaky position in world politics as is thanks to the failed Crusade of Light, have taken to simply not poking the hornets nest, at least not yet. In time it is very likely that the Church will try and push for the disbanding of the necromantic cult over time, but for the most part the Church has decided to take a hands off approach, and warn any witch hunters encountering said individuals to "walk softly, but never without arm."

"Only in the Cold can we hear Melania. Only in death can we understand her"

Type

Education, Magic