Elder Cults
Elder cults are groups of mortals under the sway of one of the Old Gods.
Many elder cults are content to reamain in isolation, worshiping forgotten aspects of reality from before time. Old gods can be godlike beings or aspects of reality more fundamental than gravity. Their worship is often incompatible with modern society, even if the cult does not desire society's destruction.
Though Elder cults need not necessarily be malicious, they are still persecuted by more well-respected religions and thus need to stay hidden.
Cults of all sorts are relatively rare. By no means does every city or even barony have one.
Elder cults often ignore or outright oppose one-another. Cooperation is rare, as the forces they worship usually do not align in purpose.
Goals: Maintenance of cosmic balance
Identifying marks: unshakable serenity, symbols of a gearwheel, heavy usage of gold and brass
Description: The Servants of the Great Plan are order-cultists. They worship the great machine and the concept of perfect order. They make heavy usage of arcane magic and spirit magic. They are uniquely able to traverse the divine machine for rapid travel. They commonly attempt to influence fate by subtly altering small things about the world, such as hiding a man's glasses to ensure he is late to work, for whatever reason. They get knowledge on what to do to serve their process through their rituals. They describe it as 'listening to the Great Plan'.
Goals: Eternal, continuous violence, improvement and evolution
Identifying marks: Metal skin, hammered on
Description: The ironhides get resilience from their metal skin, brute strength, regeneration, battle-lust and to some extent, reduced intelligence. They build fighting pits in hidden places and want to just fight and keep fighting. Every injury they take grows back stronger, so each individual ironhide is usually monstrously durable and strong. If the leader of the cult is not able to guide their battle-lust, such cults are likely to throw themselves against nearby military forces until they are eradicated.
The ironhides have some presence in the north of haven, particularly Pucraele.
Goals: Eternal silence worldwide
Identifying marks: masks weeping tar-like black tears, total silence
Description: The weepers originate from the distant city of Klario. They worship the end of all things. They are either content to await the end of everything or actively try to make it arrive faster. They make heavy use of necromancy and ice magic. They spread an aura of cold by their very existence.
Goals: destruction of the divine machine
Identifying marks: mutations such as assymmetrical horns, scales, wrongly proportioned limbs etc.
Description: The children of the great mother usually try their best to spread as much chaos as they can. They assassinate public officials, they disrupt trade-routes, they poison city wells, you name it. They desire to destabilize society so that order breaks down, their ideal state is a state of constant civil war. They make use of chaos magic and often try to disguise themselves as uninvolved Cambions when able.
They have a mostly positive relationship with the Witches and Wildlings but actively hunt agents of the divine machine if they hear of them.
Goals: Freeing Their Lord, bringing pain and torment to mortals to please him
Identifying marks: Gratuitous usage of the colour red.
Description: While many cults cause suffering, this is most often just a side-effect of trying to achieve their true aims. Demonic cults cause suffering by partakin in their vile indulgences and corrupting mortals but the suffering of their victims is fundamentally unimportant. This is not so with the cultists of the Nightmare King. The suffering of their victims is their entire purpose. The Cultists of the Nightmare King are compassionless, deluded madmen. They are one and all mentally damaged in some way, most of them driven to insanity by their lord's children. They wish to free him and usher in a kingdom of blood and bone, a world of primitive cruelty, pain and fear.
Goals: Invading the nine hells, freeing the Lost Star
Identifying marks: Completely white eyes, incoherent speech
Description: The Starseekers wish to free the Lost Star from the demon lord that has imprisoned it, but they seem unable to comprehend just the magnitude of the problem before them. They exhibit a strange mixture of benevolence, lack of long-term planning, apathy and naivety. They are broadly helpful, working as healers in communities, though they seem unable to distinguish criminals from common folk and thus heal both with no regards for future consequences.
Goals: Calling their master and preparing the world for consumption
Identifying marks: Snakelike characteristics such as scales, slit eyes and poisonous fangs.
Description: The cult of the serpents wish to attain sufficient power to call their master to the world of Haven and feed it to the great serpent. To this end they always try to build their numbers, subvert governments, accrue magical power and so on. They have a strong presence in Scyjia.
Many elder cults are content to reamain in isolation, worshiping forgotten aspects of reality from before time. Old gods can be godlike beings or aspects of reality more fundamental than gravity. Their worship is often incompatible with modern society, even if the cult does not desire society's destruction.
Though Elder cults need not necessarily be malicious, they are still persecuted by more well-respected religions and thus need to stay hidden.
Cults of all sorts are relatively rare. By no means does every city or even barony have one.
Elder cults often ignore or outright oppose one-another. Cooperation is rare, as the forces they worship usually do not align in purpose.
Servants of the Great Plan
Dedicated to: The Divine MachineGoals: Maintenance of cosmic balance
Identifying marks: unshakable serenity, symbols of a gearwheel, heavy usage of gold and brass
Description: The Servants of the Great Plan are order-cultists. They worship the great machine and the concept of perfect order. They make heavy usage of arcane magic and spirit magic. They are uniquely able to traverse the divine machine for rapid travel. They commonly attempt to influence fate by subtly altering small things about the world, such as hiding a man's glasses to ensure he is late to work, for whatever reason. They get knowledge on what to do to serve their process through their rituals. They describe it as 'listening to the Great Plan'.
Ironhides
Dedicated to: Unceasing StrivingGoals: Eternal, continuous violence, improvement and evolution
Identifying marks: Metal skin, hammered on
Description: The ironhides get resilience from their metal skin, brute strength, regeneration, battle-lust and to some extent, reduced intelligence. They build fighting pits in hidden places and want to just fight and keep fighting. Every injury they take grows back stronger, so each individual ironhide is usually monstrously durable and strong. If the leader of the cult is not able to guide their battle-lust, such cults are likely to throw themselves against nearby military forces until they are eradicated.
The ironhides have some presence in the north of haven, particularly Pucraele.
Weepers
Dedicated to: The Ice of AgesGoals: Eternal silence worldwide
Identifying marks: masks weeping tar-like black tears, total silence
Description: The weepers originate from the distant city of Klario. They worship the end of all things. They are either content to await the end of everything or actively try to make it arrive faster. They make heavy use of necromancy and ice magic. They spread an aura of cold by their very existence.
Children Of The Great Mother
Dedicated to: The Devouring MotherGoals: destruction of the divine machine
Identifying marks: mutations such as assymmetrical horns, scales, wrongly proportioned limbs etc.
Description: The children of the great mother usually try their best to spread as much chaos as they can. They assassinate public officials, they disrupt trade-routes, they poison city wells, you name it. They desire to destabilize society so that order breaks down, their ideal state is a state of constant civil war. They make use of chaos magic and often try to disguise themselves as uninvolved Cambions when able.
They have a mostly positive relationship with the Witches and Wildlings but actively hunt agents of the divine machine if they hear of them.
Harbingers of His Return
Dedicated to: The Nightmare KingGoals: Freeing Their Lord, bringing pain and torment to mortals to please him
Identifying marks: Gratuitous usage of the colour red.
Description: While many cults cause suffering, this is most often just a side-effect of trying to achieve their true aims. Demonic cults cause suffering by partakin in their vile indulgences and corrupting mortals but the suffering of their victims is fundamentally unimportant. This is not so with the cultists of the Nightmare King. The suffering of their victims is their entire purpose. The Cultists of the Nightmare King are compassionless, deluded madmen. They are one and all mentally damaged in some way, most of them driven to insanity by their lord's children. They wish to free him and usher in a kingdom of blood and bone, a world of primitive cruelty, pain and fear.
Starseekers
Dedicated to: The Lost StarGoals: Invading the nine hells, freeing the Lost Star
Identifying marks: Completely white eyes, incoherent speech
Description: The Starseekers wish to free the Lost Star from the demon lord that has imprisoned it, but they seem unable to comprehend just the magnitude of the problem before them. They exhibit a strange mixture of benevolence, lack of long-term planning, apathy and naivety. They are broadly helpful, working as healers in communities, though they seem unable to distinguish criminals from common folk and thus heal both with no regards for future consequences.
Cult of the serpents
Dedicated to: The World SerpentGoals: Calling their master and preparing the world for consumption
Identifying marks: Snakelike characteristics such as scales, slit eyes and poisonous fangs.
Description: The cult of the serpents wish to attain sufficient power to call their master to the world of Haven and feed it to the great serpent. To this end they always try to build their numbers, subvert governments, accrue magical power and so on. They have a strong presence in Scyjia.
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