The Cult of the Caustic Heart

Amass wealth, and spend little. The gold, and the power that comes with it, is sufficient reward. Do not forgive or forget an indignity to yourself. Let no affront go unpunished. Take what you covet. Those without the strength to defend their dominion are not worthy to have a dominion.
-Commandments of Tiamat, the Scaled Tyrant

The Cult of the Caustic Heart is the primary body of worshipers of the Betrayer God known as Tiamat. The Cult is comprised of a number of different individuals, both rich and poor, who are interested in enhancing their own power, wealth, or station in life. Trained in hiding their presence and recruiting more followers from the shadows, the Cult has been trying to subvert and corrupt societies around the world, with limited success. Its members have rarely tried to take overt action in their pursuits for fear that the Order of the Platinum Dragon would launch an attack against them and scatter them, something which has occurred several times. Rather, the Cult attempts to use political influence, blackmail, and various promises to gain material possessions of advantages for its members. However, the Caustic Heart has grown more audacious, especially under the command of Tiamat's new general, a Dragonborn named Arkhan. It now has very specific plans for the continent of Tal'Dorei, which it believes could fall right into its hands if enough pressure is applied in certain places. These Tiamat-worshippers believe that the democratic system of the Republic makes it weak, and that only the right kind of push would be necessary to conquer it and build a new kingdom not unlike Ghor Dranas of old. The Cult's members always meet in secret to discuss their goddess' plans and how they can satisfy her desires.

Structure

The Cult is made up of several Coverts, small sects that operate in different cities across Exandria. These Coverts each answer to one Scale-Speaker, who is anointed by Tiamat herself to further her goals in the world. Each Covert must exhibit complete loyalty to the Scale-Speaker; otherwise, their members will be excommunicated from the Cult.

Public Agenda

The Cult of the Caustic Heart has no public presence, and the punishments levied on members who even whisper its name in public is quite severe. They have to maintain complete secrecy, because the members of the Order of the Platinum Dragon are always trying to find their members and destroy their fragile web.

Assets

The Cult has a large amount of wealth thanks to its blackmail schemes, thefts, and murders. Its members also tend to be on the wealthier side, usually nobles or powerful people who have been brought into the fold to ensure their own prosperity. The connections that its members have also supply the shadowy organization with plenty of "favors" to cash in on, should the need arise. The Cult members supply their various properties and vaults for use by their Coverts as part of the dues they owe as part of their loyalty.

History

The Cult's history is obscured at best. It is believed that shortly after the defeat of the Betrayer Gods during the Calamity, the few remaining Tiamat-worshipers in Exandria moved to the remaining communities of the world and ingrained themselves into their political and economic structures, creating a latticework of infrastructure for their operations in the future.

Territories

The Cult has Coverts in practically every city in the world. Their territory is not marked in terms of land; it is marked in terms of minds swayed, people corrupted, and goals being met.

Education

The Cult has specific texts and manuscripts which are read and taught to new members to instruct them on what their new master expects of them and what they can do to meet these expectations. Certain instruction allows adherents to channel the divine power of the Scaled Tyrant and become acolytes and, eventually, Clerics of the Caustic Heart. All Covert members play a role in instructing new members on how to best embody their "full potential" and be the model follower of Tiamat. All members must learn how to speak Draconic, and those who want to channel the power of Tiamat must learn Infernal as well.

Infrastructure

The Cult's Coverts each maintain their own secret meeting places, which usually change and are abandoned every once in a while to ensure that their activities can't be traced. These meeting places can be anything from cellars to lofty halls, but are typically found only in or beneath cities where the Covert operates.

Tenets of Faith

The Cult teaches that only the material is of use to one's journey in life. Enlightenment and spiritual journeys are regarded as impractical or worthless, whereas anything that has material value, such as treasure or a position of power, is of the utmost importance. The Cult preaches greed, selfishness, and deceit, except among its members, who must stick together to obtain what they want out of life. The only deity who is willing to provide for them or help them is Tiamat, who only asks for complete obedience and deference in return for one's greatest desires in life. The Cult teaches that nothing is "evil", so long as one gets exactly what they want. Amassing and hording are a large part of the membership of the Caustic Heart; whether treasure or accolades, members are expected to gain material wealth or power and keep it, because the possession of such things, they reason, is more important than actually using them. The fact that Tiamat is the Queen of Evil Dragonkind is reflected in the actions and values of her followers.

Ethics

Ethics? The Cult believes that ethics mean nothing; personal achievement, wealth, and power are the only things that have meaning. The only real "ethic" one can stick to is obedience to someone more powerful than oneself. The Cult has codes and laws, but they're hardly ethical by the standards of most people.

Worship

The Cult's Coverts each have their own ways of worshiping their dark goddess, but most forms involve the recitation of old Draconic texts associated with this Betrayer God. The use of ceremonial masks and even ritual scarring are also used as shows of dedication to the Scaled Tyrant, but no two Coverts go about the reverence of their evil deity in quite the same way.

Priesthood

Each Covert has a number of Clerics of Tiamat that act as its leaders and preach the word of their foul goddess. To become a Cleric, one must submit to an arduous ritual which involves pledging oneself fully to the Scaled Tyrant and sometimes involves the use of Dragon blood to "anoint" those who wish to rise to the position of Cleric. In the end, Tiamat herself must accept said individual and allow her power to flow through them. Clerics have considerable power over the other members of the Covert, and are allowed to be part of meetings between coverts and some of the more devious plots of the Cult.

Granted Divine Powers

Tiamat grants dark powers to her most fervent worshipers, and forms a close but authoritarian relationship with them. To her, any of her followers are just pawns, even those most devoted to her. The type of powers granted depend on the aspirations of the Cleric or the need of the Covert to which they belong. Of the different Divine Domains available to Clerics, the ones most suitable for a Cleric of Tiamat would be the:

• Order Domain
• Trickery Domain
• War Domain

Political Influence & Intrigue

The Cult of the Caustic Heart maintains connections to almost any government in Exandria. Using a mixture of blackmail and promises, they manage to obtain favors and maintain ties with figures in positions of power and try to recruit anyone who can offer something significant to their ranks. The agents of each Covert will do their best to obtain information on important figures, and determine whether they can be won over to the Cult's side. If they can, these individuals are contacted and given promises of increased wealth or prominence in exchange for loyalty and service. If they can't be swayed, these individuals are threatened or even removed by the Cult, though the latter tactic is used sparingly.

Sects

The Cult itself is made up of Coverts, which are sects that are particular to one city in which the Cult has taken root.

"The Scale and the Claw Will Conquer All"

ARKHAN THE CRUEL:
It is unclear where the Red Dragonborn known as Arkhan the Cruel came from, but it is undisputed that he is the current master of the Cult of the Caustic Heart. He has become the general of Tiamat, and is her most trusted warrior. With a brutal tactical mind, Arkhan keeps the Coverts in line and focused on a new task: the conquest of Tal'Dorei. No one in the Cult doubts that he has the power and cunning to lead them, especially since his acquisition of the dangerous and devious Hand of Vecna.

Founding Date

Post-Calamity

Type

Religious, Cult

Demonym

Tiamatite