Legends

Cults and Choruses of Imarel - by D. Schneider v1.0 2016

Religious practice on Imarel is incredibly diverse, and the established churches of each god are normally unable to provide religious oversight for the entirety of their god's worshippers. This problem is especially present in the case of Xosian and Niraethian worship, since worship is often scattered and shortly lived, and the official churches of those deities are often outlawed.Indarian, Lythian, and Elemental religions suffer from this problem as well. For instance, the Church of Kaal might not have the resources to provide a priest for a small outpost, but a Warlock or Occultist of Kaal might step in and provide alternative worship for Kaal that is no less powerful, just less widely practiced. When people form groups and engage in these practices, they are known as Cults for any chaotic deity or Choruses for any lawful deity. For neutral deities, the interpretation of the deity in question and the personal interpretation of the adherents determines whether it is a cult or a chorus.

Cults and Choruses also provide worship for beings that would normally not be able to exercise their will through an established church. Powerful Xosian and Niraethian beings are popular sources of power for cults, which are often centered around chosen brain-addled “prophets” that experience mad delusions courtesy of the chosen Archfiend. Choruses are usually more integrated into the deity's church, and they serve as ways for local regions to venerate saints and heroes that have made their way to Archangel status. Sometimes, Choruses are groups of priests and seers reinterpreting worship for their deity and seek to venerate their god in strange ways.

History of Cults and Choruses on Imarel The most famous cults throughout history tend to be the ones that worship a powerful archfiend and seek to cause nothing but disruption and chaos wherever they fester. One of the oldest cults, and the one that is often used as the standard when comparing demonic cults, is the Cult of Ysil. The cult was prevalent during the time of the Shar'Vaire Empire, and it is credited with working behind the scenes to ensure that the World Gate to Xos was opened, and Ysil could walk Imarel.

Since then, the cult of Ysil has popped up in various areas through the years to assassinate a politician or to launch deadly strikes against Knightly orders. Occasionally, the cult will attempt to take over a town, initiating a brief and horrific reign of terror that usually ends with many dead civilians, soldiers, cultist, and priests. One famous instance is the cult's attempt to wrest control of the town of Brynmere Glade in southern Tal'Rah during the Shar'Vaire Civil War. The Cult of Ysil's plan to provide a foothold for the Shar'Vaire Traditionalists in the Windsong Republic was only stopped by a group of heroes that banded together to root out the cult.

More recently, the chaos that has rocked Imarel has caused Niraethian cults to become increasingly popular. Even with the destruction of most of the Five that Sleep, the cults to these beings are alive and well. Until very recently, the Cult of Death-Caller was a powerful force in Sengaard. It took the intervention of an outside party, the Hope Company, to root out the dangerous cult and finally break its political power in the region. Also disturbing is the rise of the Cult of the Gnawing Void, a nihilistic and violent cult that has dedicated to the eldritch archfiend the Never Ending.

Choruses are less known for their impact because they usually work within the Church of their chosen deity. The first Chorus was the Chorus of Spring, a group of witches that banded together to act as intermediaries and beneficiaries for the wild areas and the developing elven cities. Over time, the chorus turned into one of the primary ways that the Tallis'Kah interacted with the outside world, especially their Moon Elf cousins. The Chorus of the Flamebringer is known for bringing the will of Kaal to the far and dangerous places of the world, investigating new regions for dangers to the world and bringing the word of Kaal to small towns that find themselves more drawn to fertility and elemental deities.

Choruses also provide vitality to the older Indarian churches. When times change, it is often the Choruses that embrace change and innovate ways to keep their faith relevant. Choruses devoted to Zorah have begun to bring elements of nature to the increasingly compact and dirty Imarel cities. They start neighborhood gardens, establish parks, and provide herbal remedies to those in need. More radical choruses violently defend the shrinking Imarelian wilderness and act to stave off the growing tide of technological darkness. Because of their distance with the established church of a religion, choruses are often able to act in situations where the church and the knighthood might be overtaxed or politically unable.

Choruses are also known to radically redefine the current understanding of a god or spirit. Vengeful choruses of Kaal are known to spring up in times of great distress, and they often end in angry mobs that burn heretics at the stake. It is also not unknown for a “chorus” of a Xosian deity to pop up, though if these dark choruses are actually able to draw power from their deity often a matter of how far they've strayed from their deity. If a Kaalian Chorus seeks to purge anyone who engages in arcane magic, they will find their power from Kaal weaken until it is no more. And, if a “chorus” of Siru begins to spread a message that suffering should be mitigated, their power will wane all the same. However, through arcane and mundane means, these cults will often stick around long after their divine or infernal power has waned.