Kusatta

Kusatta, once the first mortal necromancer who crafted the Infinus Apocryphum, is a condemned saint of destructive and evil secrets, Magic, hidden knowledge, and intrigue. While not given sainthood by the rest of the Mortal Heroes's worshippers, he was posthumorously given the status by numberless secretive cults and covens who wielded necromancy in all its most dreadful forms.
Kusatta used dark shamanism to battle the remnants of the Ak'teshi Empire. This dark magic was the first of its kind and enabled him to manipulate the primal forces of soul and spirit to craft devastating curses, to puppet the bodies of the dead, and to rend flesh asunder.
After many years of intense abuse of dark shamanism, his human covens became the ancient Orcs. Blood magic became a staple of Kusatta's practices, manipulating and draining the life energy of his foes to fuel the addiction of his coven as well as his own. He earned himself the name, Kusatta the Bloody.
The Ak'teshi empire drowned in a tide of undeath conjured by Kusatta and his rapidly growing coven within the Morbog at the time.
After the war was won against the empire, he told others of his techniques, particularly those who followed the other Mortal Heroes. However, he was exiled by the Mortal Heroes for his grim and terrifying practices. Kusatta the Bloody took his coven with him and journeyed to the far south-eastern lands of the world.
Some of his followers stayed behind, spreading Kusatta's teachings and sewing doubt among those still loyal to the Mortal Heroes. These ideals wove their way into the ancient magocracies of Nidea, which eventually lead to the Sinking of Sekkar & Vauldis Rises to Lichdom.

Depiction

Very few depictions of Kusatta have outlasted the weathering of time and defacement by those seeking to erase his memory and teachings. Most visages of Kusatta depict him as little more than a tall, skeletally-thin, figure cloaked in a form-obscuring black robe. His face is often hidden in darkness, and when his face is shown, it is gaunt and orc-like.
He is always depicted with the absence of eyes and a mouth that has been stitched shut, symbolizing his blind and mute secrecy; stories tell that he gouged out his own eyes after writing the Infinus Apocryphum.

Tenets of Faith

Kusatta's faithful believe in the power of secrets and their ultimate ability to destroy anyone, no matter how powerful. Kusatta's worshippers hope one day to destroy every other deity in existence, leaving Kusatta the sole ruler of creation upon his return.
Another tenet of Kusatta's faith is the doctrine of a secret evil within every being, no matter how virtuous. This seed of evil, Kusatta teaches, can and should be exploited by those able to identify it. Kusatta's followers never reveal all that they know.
Never reveal all you know. Information is power. The more information you possess, the more powerful you become, and the greater hold you have over others. You should treat knowledge like currency, spending as little and as seldom as possible, always trading for a better bargain. If you surrender too much information or the wrong kind of knowledge, you surrender some of your power and perhaps grant power to another. A lie of omission is not only appropriate but also expected.
Find the seed of darkness in your heart and nourish it; find it in others and exploit it to your advantage. The use of dark knowledge and the collection of dark secrets together offer the only true path to power and influence in this world or any other. At heart, all mortal creatures possess a sinister nature, even those appearing good and noble on the surface. Seek out the darkness in one's own heart to cultivate it, nurture it, and allow it to flourish. By doing so, one turns a weakness into strength.
Once one masters their own darkness, one must seek that element out in others. Use greed, jealousy, anger, hatred, and sorrow of others to one's advantage, and gain power while exploiting weakness. It is far better to conquer your enemy’s heart and soul than his physical body.
Oppose the followers of all other deities so that Kusatta alone can rule creation. Relish the death of all other gods and seek total domination over the world, so that Kusatta may rule alone, independent of any outside being. There is no value in other divine beings, for they are worthless and untrustworthy. Do not share anything with them, regardless of what is to be gained.
Seek out information, spells, relics, and artifacts with the ultimate goal of slaying all other gods. Destroying Kusatta's enemies, and bring creation to heel before his throne. No secret is too vile, no weapon too powerful to escape his notice. Scour the world in search of every possible advantage.

The Church of Kusatta

Kusatta's cult is very secretive, and cells have been uncovered at various points in history. Temples to Kusatta have also been reported buried far below Mountainholme, Port Morkney, the mouth of the Casmian River, and the Devil's Stepping Stones.
Clerics of Kusatta often don't realize which god they're serving when they're first initiated. Many are carefully groomed and often believe they are joining an obscure sect of some knowledge god, and are only told the truth when they show their willingness to do anything in pursuit of knowledge and power. The truth is not revealed to them until they show their willingness to do anything in the pursuit of knowledge and power.
The priests of Kusatta seek the lost Infinus Apocryphum as well as the evil power it grants.
As a secret cult, members do not wear anything that denotes their service in public. Even in private ceremonies, clerics tend to wear inconspicuous black hooded robes. Higher-level priests may don black robes with a purple fringe, often with a purple symbol noting their title.
Kusatta's clerics amass knowledge and secrets by any means necessary. They are spies, blackmailers, and corrupters, using the knowledge they gain to hold power over others. They work to corrupt and destabilize nations by turning the rulers or their advisors to Kusatta's teachings. Some of the oldest and most ancient human texts recovered from the ruins of Nidea describe an elaborate conspiracy among its magocracy orchestrated by the arch-necromancer, Vauldis. This conspiracy is said to have spelled the decadence and downfall of the civilization, ending with the Sinking of Sekkar & Vauldis Rises to Lichdom, and the ascension of Vauldis into the first lich.
Each position in Kusatta's cult is named for a certain body part. At the top is Kusatta himself, followed by the Voice of Kusatta, which can only be filled by Kusatta's manifestation. Some texts describing the ancient magocracies of Nidea hypothesize that Vauldis himself may have been the most recent Voice of Kusatta.
Next is the Heart of Kusatta, the high priest of the cult, and immediately below the Heart of Kusatta are two bizarre monsters known as the Eyes. The Eyes of Kusatta appear as slender humanoids with bloodshot eyeballs for heads.
Individual congregations are known as Organs. Each Organ is led by a Thought of Kusatta. Lesser priests are known as Memories of Kusatta.
Lay members of the cult consist of the Teeth, Fingers, Blood, and Spawn of Kusatta. The Teeth of Kusatta are made up of wizards, and specialize in arcane spellcasting and crafting magical items for the cult. The Fingers of Kusatta consist mainly of thieves, who engage in various forms of subterfuge. The Blood of Kusatta are mainly warriors charged with the protection and enforcement of the cult and its goals. The Spawn of Kusatta are the lowest in the cult hierarchy, and consist of the common people who honor him.

The Awakened

Other Kusattan organizations are known to exist outside of the mainstream cult, and some may have similar or identical names. Relations between these groups and the mainstream cult may vary. The most significant splinter group are called the Awakened, who revere the memory of the first lich-lord, Vauldis, as the second coming of Kusatta. The Awakened are the largest, oldest, and most powerful Kusattan cult, having nearly completely absorbed most of the original cults under a single banner, and were responsible for the The War of the Undying.

Portfolio
Evil, Knowledge, Magic, Secrets, Intrigue, Necromancy

Divine Classification

Saint

Religions

• Mortal Heroes

Alignment

Neutral Evil

Species

Orc

Gender

Male

Related Historical Events

• C. -10,000 → C. -9,950 (Estimated)
  War of Broken Chains