Monday, June 25, 2018

a few cults


the Holy Order of the Three Kings
The Three Kings were gods who passed a living birthright along to their followers. Their scripture requires that all follow the lords and ladies of this Divine Heritage and they have only three holy commandments. Obedience, followers of the Divine Heritage must obey the commands of their lord or lady; Loyalty, once service is pledged to the Divine Heritage it must be kept until death; and Protection, all must educate themselves in the Divine Heritage so that they be diligent in safeguarding the lives of their charges and attend to all of their charges' commands. The church of the Templars, the Holy Order of Three Kings, consider all other gods to be false, and refer to any who do not follow the Three Kings as cultists (if the Templar is nice) or heathens. The Holy Order have declared all cults as heresy and actively pursue cultists with the intention of wiping out their beliefs, or destroying the cultists if they have to. Some Templars go straight to destroying the cultists without attempting to convert or torture them into accepting the Three Kings. In the Holy Order's eyes, when their work is done only the Divine Heritage shall remain.
the Hidden Goddess
The most prolific cult hiding from the Templars is also the hardest to find. Those who worship the Hidden Goddess, a deity of secrets, are called to her service by hearing her name. In fact, when her name is spoken aloud to a non-follower the only thing they hear is "the Hidden Goddess" because even her name is held secret against the uninitiated. Simply speaking her name is enough to initiate one into the cult, as she only allows her name to be heard by those who are both willing to follow her and those she wishes to serve her desires. Those who worship the Hidden Goddess know instantly who can hear her name when they speak it, and who cannot. In this way, each worshipper of the Hidden Goddess shares a common secret: they know who worships and serves her. Cultists of the Hidden Goddess have powers of insight and observation, but she also allows them to remain mysterious and obscured from others' prying eyes (including fellow members of the cult). All followers of the Hidden Goddess are given one secret to carry with them which they are commanded never to reveal, else the Hidden Goddess will disown them.
Windcallers
The Windcallers worship the spirits of air and wind, that much they know, but the spirits of air and wind worship the sleeping god Raselom. They only answer to the Windcaller because they see something in them that resembles Raselom. This could mean that the spirits are confused, since they think they are serving an aspect of Raselom. Windcallers are oblivious to this, and regard the spirits as fickle but powerful benefactors. They offer up sacrifices to the spirits in exchange for magical blessings, and are often rewarded for their sacrifice, even when the spirits know they are not serving Raselom directly. Windcallers do not advertise their worship, and they do not maintain temples or fraternities. They are often hunted by Templars and learn to keep their powers discrete or die young. Very old Windcallers have learned to hear the sleeping god's whispers as he exhales dreamily, deep beneath the earth.
the Sages of the Peerless Sea
There was once a god who looked into the future and saw how his people would live, and he wrote of their fortunes on the waves of the ocean. He hid these messages there to hide them from the spirits of wind and air, for he knew they would not be able to read them nor would they be able to destroy them. As he departed the world, he told his people how to read the messages and the very skilled and tranquil among them were able to see the messages as clear as sunlight. Across the Peerless Sea there is an island, a fertile plateau that stands tall above the ocean and never crumbles against the ceaseless waves and tides. The people who live on this island, the Chiryō, are isolated, but blessed with the knowledge that they can read and hear from the waves of the ocean that surrounds them, they thrive. Sometimes they sail west to the continent to trade for crafts and goods they are unable to come across at their home. When these sailors arrive, a few among them may seek knowledge or fortune from "the continent." These Chiryō are called Sages, and they offer their wisdom to those who ask for it. The Sages never travel very far from the ocean, as many of their devotions rely upon meditating on the messages in the waves.