Cult of Trezekh
The secretive, shadowy group comprised of mostly Sirasion women is universally known as one of the most effective groups of assassins the galaxy has ever seen. Responsible for silent dispatchment of countless enemy leaders, the cult do what they do in the name of the Sirasion shadow god; Trezekh
Structure
The Cult pf Trezekh has only a small chain of command, the initial rank being that of field assassin. However if an individual displays outstanding traits in leadership or simply killing potential they can be promoted to the rank of master. All the masters answer to the Grand Master, a title only ever held by Sypherian .
Field assassins do not earn their rank quickly however. They first have their loyalty to the cult and Trezekh tested vigorously, spending several years living within the Temple of Trezekh on Siran. Here they mind the grounds while they research their beliefs and are consistently tested mentally and physically until they are seen as loyal enough to begin their assassin training properly.
Culture
In the cult, the night is when most things happen. Those loyal to Trezekh claim to have heightened senses during the hours of darkness.When not on deployment a cult members home is the Temple of Trezekh on Siran. Life in this temple mostly consists of sweeping the grounds, trimming back vegitation and tending to the gardens where food is grown. As the sun lowers sermons on Trezekh are given out and other activities such as combat drills and socialising commences. The Cult of Trezekh is primarily female in its member composition, a large portion of it's members being former Scouts. The female Sirasion form is often known for being much quieter and fighting with greater finesse than their male counterparts, despite this there are a few males that are part of the organisation, though their roles tend to be more administrative or supporting than field work. It is also said that Trezekh holds more favour with female Sirasions, with female members of the race reporting stronger feelings toward the shadow god as well as being the only gender to be documented to experience visions from Trezekh. In addition to being predominantly female, Cult of Trezekh members must naturally have a skin tone that suits their dark, shadowy work. If a promising cultist has skin that is too bright, cosmetic surgery is carried out to darken the skin, most commonly to a deep violet of dark, navy blue. The cult of Trezekh partake in numerous rituals to celebrate, pay respects and prove their loyalty to their god. There are many different kinds of ritual that vary in scope and purpose
Ritual of Initiation
The initiation into the cult of Trezekh as a fully fledged assassin takes a full week to complete. The days leading up are spent with the initiate researching, gathering intelligence on their quarry who to succeed the ritual must be killed. The initiate must find an individual in the enemy chain of command that holds enough power and sway that their sudden removal from that rank would greatly hinder the enemy operations. This target is not strictly limited to political enemies of the Sirasion Empire however, pirates and other criminal organisations, even anti imperial propaganda spreaders have been used as targets for this ritual. Once a sufficient mission plan has been crafted, usually with the help of a master, the initiate will go alone or with back up to extract the high value target and smuggle them on to Siran. Once in the temple the initiates prey will be tied to the main alter and left for four days, during this time the initiate will be forced to stay within the main temple with their quarry. This is in order to make sure the initiate will not have any second thoughts about future operations, to see if they can withstand the begging and pleading usually given by their captive. If the initiate passes this stage on day five a stone of Tesseract will be placed at the captive's feet. a Master will then take the initiate onto the alter in front of the rest of the cult and have the initiate recite a number of scriptures from the lore of Trezekh. All of this taking place in the pressense of the captive, who will likely still be begging for mercy at this point. The next day and night will be that of celebration of the initiates final stage being nearly complete. Finally, on the last day following the celebrations, the initiate will don ceremonial gear and be handed a specialised pistol. After reciting the oath of loyalty to the cult, Trezekh and the Sirasion Empire, the initiate will shoot the block of Tesseract, sending the captive hurtling into the realm of Trezekh. Immediately following this the initiate is granted the rank of Field Assassin.Public Agenda
To the outer galaxy, the Cult of Trezekh are a clean cut assassin organisation at the beckon call of the Sirasion Empire. While it is true their actions greatly benefit the Empire's cause as well as working as part of it's military, the actual truth is the Cult of Trezekh assist the Empire out of their own personal loyalty. Trezekh thus far has not commanded the cult to betray the Empire in any significant way, if that were to happen it would be hard to determine the results, if the individuals involved have more loyalty to Trezekh or their own people.
Assets
Equipment
The standard equipment set for a Cult of Trezekh member is all specifically designed and tailor made to each cultist. The biggest part of any member's kit is their MK9 Stealth Suit. The MK9 is a skin tight fit to allow for maximum agility, its material has the unique property of becoming extremely slippy when moist, something that was at first considered a by-product/imperfection of the material the MK9 is made from, but after proving as a useful escape tool in a number of situations attempts to re-engineer it were scrapped. The suit also used strong composite plates to protect the wearer from impacts. On top of all this the suit is equipped with a stealth generator that allows the wearer to disappear entirely, blending in seamlessly with their surroundings. The helmet can be worn as either a full helmet or more commonly as a half face mask. This mask can filter air and do all the same things as a standard Sirasion battle suit helmet, however with the added capability of releasing chemical stimulants that allow the wearer a boost of strength and speed in dire situations. An eye piece attached to the mask also gives the wearer a complete tactical layout of the battlefield, including the enemies vital signs and major organs, as well as the most effect area to target in the case of an assassination, regardless of the species. Like most Sirasion militants, Cult members are armed with a specialised wrist dagger that packs away onto their right or left arm, on the other arm they are equipped with a dart launcher loaded with an array of different toxins to disorientate, paralyse or kill.Vehicles
The cult, after being inducted into the Empire's jurisdiction, had a variety of vehicles designed specifically for it's stealthy missions, including a number of stealth cruisers and aircraft.History
The Cult of Trezekh was founded by Sypherian after she received a divine vision from Trezekh , the Sirasion shadow god. Over the period of several days he filled her mind and her dreams with visions of great power and victory for the Sirasion people all owed to her and a small group of followers. He showed her enemy leaders going on to commit terrible atrocities against her people but also told her how she could stop this from coming to be.
Influenced by his persistent visions Sypherian left the Scout Division, the branch of the military she served in at the time, and formed the shadowy cult of Trezekh. At first their numbers were few and they were completely un-funded, they dwelled mostly within the Siran jungles in the long abandoned Temple of Trezekh, used by a similar organisation thousands of years prior. However being so in tune with the shadow god it gave them an almost uncanny affinity for stealth and subterfuge. This affinity combined with intense training from Sypherian, an already adept leader and assassin, made the small group into a force to be reckoned with.
Their first mission, given to them by Sypherian, was to assassinate an Alliance propaganda spreader within imperial space. They not only killed him, they made a brutal example of him by executing him in full view of the public. At first, the public were fearful and outraged a group of seemingly independent Sirasion assassins were allowed to run free within an imperial city, but as these operations continued the cult's notoriety only grew.
Eventually Sypherian realised that the authorities were leaving them be on purpose, as they were only hunting down enemies of the Empire. But even these small missions were difficult to pull off with virtually no funding. Sypherian knew she had to get the attention of the higher ups if she wanted her cult to have any hope of making a difference. So a plan was hatched to assassinate an Alliance field commander. This mission would be unlike any they had attempted thus far, to succeed they would have to interfere with the imperial military, and if they were to fail it would be both sides hunting them down.
Despite the challenge, Sypherian and her small taskforce of mostly ex-scout personnel made it down to the planets surface, having plotted out exactly where the commander would be. It is still debated whether it was the cult's meticulous planning that allowed them to find the commander or just luck, or even Trezekh guiding them, but they found the enemy commander in his bunker, having snuck passed imperial and Alliance forces.
The capture of the enemy commander lead to that conflict resulting in an imperial victory. Finally Sypherian had got what she wanted in that the empire's higher ups had finally noticed her and her cult. Sypherian and her small organisation were officially inducted into the imperial military, receiving full funding and recognition as an official military body.
From here on the Cult of Trezekh only grew, mostly drawing in ex scout members, making the organisation primarily female. Because of their religious beliefs contrasting with that of the Empire's they were regarded with subtle caution by imperial officials, often being used as a last resort in an effort to keep the limelight off of them. But despite this, when an enemy individual had to be taken care of in the most quiet and efficient way possible, to the Cult of Trezekh there is no equal.
Disbandment
The Cult was ultimately disbanded when Trezekh left the material universe. Sypherian, who had been closest to him spiritually and physically could no longer feel his presence in his own realm. She concluded that he had exhausted all the power he had left or been punished for his interference with mortal affairs , what she didn't know is it was actually both.
Sypherian and the rest of the cult became more separate from their patron until rituals dwindled out completely. The assassinorial skills of the cult however were too much of an asset of the Empire to lose. Instead of allowing the organisation to disband its members, including Sypherian, were placed in the newly formed Sirasion Intelligence Sector, which in reality was just the cult of trezekh without with rituals and religious significance.
However some continue to believe Trezekh is watching over them, and in recent times recolonising the formerly abandoned temple and continuing the grim work of the cult, this time out of the jurisdiction of the Empire
Mythology & Lore
As the name suggests, the Cult of Trezekh is dedicated fully and whole-heartedly to the worship of the shadow god; Trezekh. They live their lives by his teachings, many of them are nocturnal by choice as they feel more invigorated in the dark.
In the Cult of Trezekh it is believed that Trezekh is watching over your every action. offering guidance and criticism when needed most. The intuition naturally felt by an individual, to the cult, is Trezekh carefully guiding them.
Like the other Sirasion gods, Trezekh is a real being, just of a complex nature difficult to be comprehended by the material universe, so sometimes if he so wishes it, can directly influence a person's actions, show them specific visions and alike. Trezekh most commonly communicates to his followers through dreams, showing them obscure visions. often showing multiple individuals the same one. These visions usually show who Trezekh wants to be killed next and ways to do it, but they can range from this to anything else and sometimes can be completely obscure.
There is no end goal as a follower of Trezekh, ones goal as an individual is to serve him to the greatest of your capacity in life. The Sirasion people do not believe in an afterlife in any regard, there is no exception with the cult of Trezekh. Unlike many religions there is no drive to serve in life so one may be rewarded in death. The Sirasions often viewing these concepts as silly as they have scientific proof of the existence of their deities. Like many things what happens after death is a mystery, sirasion individuals that have been resuscitated report a number of different visions. This doesn't make death any less significant in Sirasion religion. For followers of Trezekh, when one of their members perishes either in battle or of natural causes their body is ritualistically burned with a stone of Tesseract. When the fire has burned out and the stone remains, it is then shot with a ceremonial pistol, catapulting the remains of the pyre and ashes into the realm of Trezekh as one final sacrifice.
Divine Origins
The worship of Trezekh is actually relatively new in recent Sirasion society. In the time before The Sirasion Empire there were tribes and societies that worshipped Trezekh as their primary deity. They had similar ideals to the cult, being more active at night, doing similar rituals and alike. But once the Sirasion Empire united the tribes the worship of Trezekh largely dwindled out.
That was ofcourse until Sypherian received a series of visions sent by Trezekh telling her that she had to establish the cult, how the empire would benefit from it and most importantly, how instrumental it would be in bringing about change within the Empire. Sypherian, who was getting tired of her position in the scout division, finished her tour of duty and left to form the cult of Trezekh.
DISBANDED/DISSOLVED
Shadows call, we answer
2274 - 2304
Type
Guild, Assassins
Demonym
Cultists
Leader
Leader Title
Parent Organization
Deities
Divines
Location
Notable Members
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