Cults of the Desperate
Cultural event
With the disintegration of established faiths, Vontia witnesses the rise of desperate cults, including the notorious 'Cult of God's Blood', promising otherworldly salvation through extreme rites, and led by enigmatic figures who command dangerous levels of devotion.
As the celestial silence lengthens, the spiritual void within Vontia becomes fertile ground for the seeds of desperation. The fifty years following the perceived betrayal by the divine see the crumbling of traditional faiths. In their place, a myriad of cults sprouts, each professing to be the beacon that will guide humanity through the darkness.
Among these, the 'Cult of God's Blood' emerges as the most formidable and feared. Its followers, driven by the belief that divine essence resides within the blood of certain potent individuals—relics of the lost gods—engage in harrowing rituals. They offer these individuals to the "Blood Star," a celestial body they worship as a deity. In exchange for blood, they believe the star will grant them salvation in an age to come, a time when the gods' favor will return to the mortal realm. The cult's rituals are macabre spectacles, and the power they promise is as intoxicating as it is terrifying.
Other cults, less gruesome but equally fervent, orbit around the Cult of God's Blood like lesser stars. Some, like the 'Order of the Final Dusk,' preach the imminent end of days, while others, such as the 'Keepers of the Celestial Tear,' claim to hold the last remnants of divine communication—a tear shed by Melecta as she left the mortal plane.
At the helm of these cults stand charismatic leaders, each a self-proclaimed prophet or oracle. They speak with the confidence of one who has heard the voice of the divine, and their words strike chords in the hearts of the hopeless. Yet, their promises of salvation and power often lead to bloodshed, as zeal turns to fanaticism. These leaders become martyrs, their deaths igniting flames of conflict that further fracture the societal fabric.