The Necrocult
The Necrocult is a global death cult made up of worshippers of deities related to death, destruction, war and murder. Many worship many such gods of different pantheons if the individual knows of such. Both living and undead make up the ranks of this cult, all ruled over by a two-tier ruling body. The ruling body at the lowest level consists of Mummy Lords, Vampires, and/or necromancers, whilst the upper echelon is made up of 13 Liches (scattered all over the world). Demiliches and Dracoliches sometimes vie to try to take spots at the Lich level, but are usually unsuccessful, and kept as advisors, bodyguards and enforcers to the Liches.
Each cult is essentially independent with only the ruling class keeping in close contact with each other to allow for information, targets or the like to be shared. Each of the Liches live in relative isolation deigning only to deal with each other when absolutely necessary. The cult above all else is to swarm the Earth in an endless tide of death, using the sentient species of the world as cattle for their overlords.
Many cults operate near settlements or other regions where there is a constant supply of dead bodies. Graveyards and mass battle sites are constantly raided for fresh material, and poisons & diseases are spread through the settlements to kill as many as possible speeding up the process.
They have led a shadow-war against all life for hundreds if not thousands of years, with only a few of the living ever truly knowing anything about it. The cult itself is more recent than the actual Liches Council as it is known. The Liches are rumoured to be made up thirteen humans from the time of Pangaea, and learned the arts of Necromancy from the necromancers of the Elder Races. The Elder Races consist of Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Dragonborn, and the Yuan-Ti. The gods they originally followed still exist and many are still worshipped under different names by the race of man. All thirteen split up when the tribes of early man found that they were dabbling in dark arts and tried to kill them. Each travelled to a remote region claiming it in the names of these dark gods, and proceeded to attract followers. With the help of the latter they build a number of secret laboratories to continue their work, and means of communication between themselves. They taught many cultures the practises of embalming the dead, and how to restore these to life, and of blood rituals on how to extend life using the lifeblood of the living for sustenance creating the first vampires.
Many of these rituals also helped corrupt different species and angelic beings turning them into monsters and demons. The Liches also managed to crack the secrets needed to become a Lich and proceeded to do so. In some cases they have attracted the attention of Demiliches and Dracoliches who crave the same power as the Thirteen. In the eyes of the Thirteen the world is to be made into a giant tomb, with all life bowing to and being used by them and them alone.
They have their lairs deep inside old ruins, the Underdark, deserts, jungles, swamps, mountains, artic & sub-artic regions. The Liches council is known to some as the Council of Thirteen.
Structure
At the top of the Necrocult is the 13 Liches. Powerful individuals, many have led the Necrocult for millennia if not longer. Each lives in a hidden location spread throughout the world, with little contact in the day to day running of it. Some have been replaced with younger Liches that have killed their predecessors, or stepped up when there were space.
Below them is a council of elder vampires, mummy lords, and necromancers. The council itself is loosely based. Both are split over the world as much for their own protection, as well as the narcissistic tendencies of the members. They are usually served by Demiliches & Dracoliches who enact their will, and used for communication between cells of the cult.
Below that is the majority of intelligent undead such as the majority of necromancers, vampires, mummies, wights, and the like. They act as officers of different levels, lead troops, fulfil roles like ambassadors & diplomats, assassins and such. Each can be ambitious in their own right and will happily kill their way up if possible.
The rest of the undead fill the role of serfs, and line troops, carrying out the basic duties of their masters when not terrorising the living.
Culture
Each branch of the cult acts in a way that appears like a corrupted form of the society they come from, or have regular contact with. Sometimes these can be at odds with others, yet in each instance the Lich (or council members) in each region will stamp their own mark on the 'cell'.
Assets
The Necrocult has an extraordinary treasury of magic items, wealth, weaponry, armour, metal ingots & ores, gems, spell books & grimoires, scrolls, and access to magical components that would put Tiamat to shame. The sheer amount of basic undead they command is horrendous, where they could easily swamp vast regions in a tide of rotting corpses & spirits. Massive workshops, storage areas, armouries, and a stream of corpses, are found hidden underground ready to be unleashed.
History
The Necrocult has been in existence from the time of Pangea. The earliest incarnation had a handful of undead, awoken & skilled in the magics of the dragons, giants, Yuan-Ti, and immigrants from other worlds. The practise of necromancy to many of the younger races were highly sought after due to the ability to live even longer, or to even transcend the mortal flesh into something else.
Growing from there they grew stronger, amassing information from any source they could. When Pangea split they seen their core groups split up too, so took precautions and used magic to stay in touch over vast distances. In many cases they fought the Yuan-Ti for dominance of some territories, winning some, loosing others.
In one case, they didn't go to war, at least directly. This involved what would become the Children of the Nazarene. Exactly why has now become murky at best. It seemed that many members, especially the vampire classes, were torn between the two. They seem to have reached an accord where they could co-exist, as their basic needs were slightly different. Where the Children of the Nazarene required living prey, the Necrocult needed the dead or dying. The accord between them allowed for managing of territorial squabbles, avoiding outright war where it can be avoided, and sometimes swapping members when needed.
They still end up in outright conflict at times when one side or the other oversteps their bounds, or harbouring fugitives from the others, or where one side is looking to dominate a region above all others. Sometimes they can end up at each other's throats just by a leader on one side or another thinking they have some way been slighted by the others.
Foreign Relations
The Necrocult is at constant war against every other foreign power except the Children of the Nazarene. Nobody is willing to actively trade of side with them unless in the direst need.
"I seen 'em! Really, I seen 'em! Never do I want to do that again. A bunch of us had heard there was an old cache of weapons, armour & gold down below, y'know, below the old castle. The one that was the old Roman fort in it's time. Nottin had lived there for decades at least. We had ropes, torches, crowbars, an' lockpicks wit us.
Managed to find a way in, an' then the entrance to the basement. From there we 'ad little to do except a bit o' diggin' to shift some dirt from the hole into the underground chamber. Took no time.
It were the smell first, like musty old rotting leather. got stronger an' stronger as we went down an old shaft below. Eventually reached the end. Looking around it was a natural cave system with this stench even worse. Found piles of old rusty weapons, and plenty of crappy armour well outta date. Lookin' through, we found another cave just beyond thinkin' there may be more, we seen the first movement. Ten, twenty they were, shufflin' forward. Skeletons movin' in old Roman armour, in a squad towards us. Spears & shields at the ready. Evenly matches we thought we done well, until we noticed more spilling out from the other side of the cave. Double the bloody number, an' some hooded bein' wit them with glowin' eyes, an' makin' a movement wit his hand in the direction of the skeletons we had destroyed.
They started to stand up again those bastards!! Every one of 'em were knittin' t'gether as if nothin' had happened. At that time we ran, and sadly I was at the front. by them the rest were hacked apart, and I would've been next. Was conscious of the glowin' eyed one watching me from the shadows when I fled. Felt as if they were right by my ear whisperin' in me ear, like. Said ' We live, we live below you, in the city of the living dead, and amongst you. We are coming for you. For all life.'
I'm just glad I got back in one piece. Even from such a distance I could here them, an army on the march in the dusk heading south west.'
An unknown thief picked up by Novgorod guards at the east gate.
Maps
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Necrocult City of the Dead (Ural Mountains)
Old vellum map of the city of the dead under the Ural Mountains.
"The visions... they are the worst I've had. Ever since I started to translate that text for the Ulmist Inquisition. Nearly every night, especially during blood moons, I see it and hear that voice. I'm looking down across a massive cavern like none has ever seen, there is a city, made of dark stone, with what little light is a sickly yellowish green thrown from braziers placed haphazardly round. Moans and shuffling are heard, and dark figures seem to trudge in shadowed streets. There is a smell too, a stench of decay like I have never encountered before, with a a musty tinge just in the background. The movements of what I can make out are slow & purposeful, yet at times jerky for most inhabitants.
That is not the worst. It's the voice that accompanies these visions, a whispered voice, wheezing and raspy, as if forced from a damaged bagpipe. It beckons me, offering knowledge of powerful magic, of what sits on the other side, and immortality. It whispers that there are many paths to this, and it will not judge me for which path I choose when I come to it.
I hope the Inquisitor gets me help soon. I know I cannot hold out long now. The pull is so strong, and the only choices left is the blessings of a priest or to flee. The latter is harder to fulfil. Where to go? North east to the Urals? Or south to the deserts of the Sahara?"
C.D. Ward, investigator of the Ulmist Inquisition. Currently locked in a chamber in the Vatican City.
Type
Secret, Occult
Alternative Names
The Cult of the Dead
Government System
Magocracy
Power Structure
Semi-autonomous area
Economic System
Barter system
Legislative Body
The Lich Council followed by the lesser council of vampires, mummy lords, and necromancers.
Judicial Body
The lesser council.
Notable Members
Related Species
- Banshee
- Blood Drinker Vampire
- Bone Naga
- Boneclaw
- Boneless
- Cannibal Zombie
- Crawling Claw
- Demilich
- Ghast
- Ghost
- Ghoul
- Ghoul Lord
- Lich
- Mind Drinker Vampire
- Mud Zombie
- Mummy
- Mummy Lord
- Necrichor
- Necrotic Plague Zombie
- Nightwalker
- Nosferatu
- Skeleton
- Stirge
- Strigoi
- Vampire
- Vampire Spawn
- Vampiric Mist
- Wight
- Zombeavers
- Zombie
- Zombie Fog / Cadaver
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