Sarkhan Death Cult
The Sarkhan Death Cult is a religion practiced mostly by the various Varaiden tribes of the Eastern Sarkhan Jungle. It centers around the worship and communion of deceased ancestors, as well as their pantheon of macabre deities.
Of these two traditions, the worship of ancestors is by far the most noticable and prominent. The faithful are trained to be ready for death, and to hold their souls together near their body after they die. A Death Shaman will then capture their souls in a spirit jar, to ensure they are not lost to the afterlife. Their flesh is then ritually consumed by worshippers in a ceremony, following which their soul will be permanently bound to their skull. Although their methods for doing this are primitive compared to sophisticated soul-harvesting techniques employed by beings such as demons and devils, these souls can persist for decades, or even centuries if they are particularly strong-willed. Death Cultists maintain the skulls of the dead within a special ossuary that is typically found in the center of whatever territory a tribe has carved out for itself in the rainforest. This reliquary is often guarded my magically adept shaman assistants or other traps, to ensure nobody can enter uninvited. Of course, the souls themselves can also be dangerous foes if roused.
Souls within the ossuary are consulted for a number of different The tribe generally maintains the souls of as many members as they can within this ossuary, so they have a variety of different voices to consult on such issues. Generally, the souls will not try to harm the shaman or other members of the tribe unless they are confused by magic or attacked themselves. However, in certain instances, a soul will be too restless or angry to be kept with the others, and it will lash out against the living and attempt to kill them. These souls, along with those harvested due to a violation of certain clan rules and those of enemies captured and ritually slain, are instead stockpiled for use in warfare or as batteries to power magical workings. The Death Cultists believe that to do so is to honor their deities and grant the souls to them, erasing the sacrifice from the world. Many of these rituals have been known to imbue the shamans with strage powers of foresight, or limited control over death and life themselves. One thing that is never practiced, however, is the raising of zombies, as ritual consumption of the flesh is critical for these rituals, at least in the minds of the cultists.
The death cult prays to a number of deities, all linked to various methods of torture, death, and violence, though their supposed domain extends beyond just this and encapsulates the mundane as well. Although the deities are not necessarily consistently worshipped by all death cultists, and their domains and titles change over time, they are all seen as bloodthirsty gods. Due to the conistently changing cast of gods (which the cultists believe is due to their responisbilities and goals changing over time) there have been cases of demonic influence seeping into certain tribes and fooling them into believing that demon is a new gods or one of the old ones. Such events rarely end well for these tribes, as they are either corrupted by the demons and taken into the shadow realm, or they are set upon by the demon and consumed. Occasionally, these tribes have also been destroyed by outsiders, who consider the worship of demons idolatry.
The exact status of the death gods is not known, and various schools of thought have arisen in response to this question. The Naga Snake Queen is a popular antagonist in the story of the Death Gods, possibly due to close (and usually violent) contact with the Nagas. Some Death Cult faithful believe their gods were slain by the Snake Queen of the Nagas, and that they seek the souls of the living to rejuvinate themselves and return to life, while others claim they continue to battle her and require these souls as fuel. Still other believe the Snake Queen has nothing to do with their gods and is a false deity.
Of these two traditions, the worship of ancestors is by far the most noticable and prominent. The faithful are trained to be ready for death, and to hold their souls together near their body after they die. A Death Shaman will then capture their souls in a spirit jar, to ensure they are not lost to the afterlife. Their flesh is then ritually consumed by worshippers in a ceremony, following which their soul will be permanently bound to their skull. Although their methods for doing this are primitive compared to sophisticated soul-harvesting techniques employed by beings such as demons and devils, these souls can persist for decades, or even centuries if they are particularly strong-willed. Death Cultists maintain the skulls of the dead within a special ossuary that is typically found in the center of whatever territory a tribe has carved out for itself in the rainforest. This reliquary is often guarded my magically adept shaman assistants or other traps, to ensure nobody can enter uninvited. Of course, the souls themselves can also be dangerous foes if roused.
Souls within the ossuary are consulted for a number of different The tribe generally maintains the souls of as many members as they can within this ossuary, so they have a variety of different voices to consult on such issues. Generally, the souls will not try to harm the shaman or other members of the tribe unless they are confused by magic or attacked themselves. However, in certain instances, a soul will be too restless or angry to be kept with the others, and it will lash out against the living and attempt to kill them. These souls, along with those harvested due to a violation of certain clan rules and those of enemies captured and ritually slain, are instead stockpiled for use in warfare or as batteries to power magical workings. The Death Cultists believe that to do so is to honor their deities and grant the souls to them, erasing the sacrifice from the world. Many of these rituals have been known to imbue the shamans with strage powers of foresight, or limited control over death and life themselves. One thing that is never practiced, however, is the raising of zombies, as ritual consumption of the flesh is critical for these rituals, at least in the minds of the cultists.
The death cult prays to a number of deities, all linked to various methods of torture, death, and violence, though their supposed domain extends beyond just this and encapsulates the mundane as well. Although the deities are not necessarily consistently worshipped by all death cultists, and their domains and titles change over time, they are all seen as bloodthirsty gods. Due to the conistently changing cast of gods (which the cultists believe is due to their responisbilities and goals changing over time) there have been cases of demonic influence seeping into certain tribes and fooling them into believing that demon is a new gods or one of the old ones. Such events rarely end well for these tribes, as they are either corrupted by the demons and taken into the shadow realm, or they are set upon by the demon and consumed. Occasionally, these tribes have also been destroyed by outsiders, who consider the worship of demons idolatry.
The exact status of the death gods is not known, and various schools of thought have arisen in response to this question. The Naga Snake Queen is a popular antagonist in the story of the Death Gods, possibly due to close (and usually violent) contact with the Nagas. Some Death Cult faithful believe their gods were slain by the Snake Queen of the Nagas, and that they seek the souls of the living to rejuvinate themselves and return to life, while others claim they continue to battle her and require these souls as fuel. Still other believe the Snake Queen has nothing to do with their gods and is a false deity.
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