Bring out your cults...

[Bendris Noulg]

Hey, all... I'm currently working on a nasty city in my campaign. It's in the middle of a blasted wasteland, and has gained some measure of isolation and self interest. You can read about it here.

Anyhow, as those who read it noticed, there's a bit of demonic cult activity in the city. Nothing as powerful as a major Orcus temple or anything like that, but enough to cause issues as low as street gangs all the way up to corruption and intrigue amongst the nobles.

As such, while I've got about a half-dozen ideas (three are listed in the thread, although only one is actually "demonic" in nature), I'm looking for quick 1- or 2-line ideas and concepts to use in order to add more substance to the city's flavor. As the PCs will be trying to unravel a mystery/puzzle, having a large number of possible (but false) leads can easily fill three months of game time (which, for us, is often 6-9 months real time).

So, bring out your cults; with everything else I've got to work on, one or two lines from a few people would be a great help.

 

[Crothian]

Cult of Isis (not the egyptian goddess, just used the name)

This is an evil water cult of small standing. Isis is an evil water demi goddess who is being punished by the gods and is trapped. Her cult members will do anything to see her freed. So, they commit all sorts of evil to get powerful magics in hope of one day locating her (she's is on the prime material with them) and freeing her.

You could easily change the name, and use a demon or other such nasty creature that the Cult worships and is trying to free.

 

[Valmur_Dwur]

I'm not really sure how to go here I mean you have demons everywhere I would think the blood sports could be the fuel so to speak for an increase in demons able to "visit". The seperate classes could have a single demon they all worship it just uses different manifestations to each. Make one of your demons a cold or water based one. I like the idea of it providing succour for the right recompense. Hope some of the rambling helped

 

[Hand of Evil]

The Sisters of the Night: This is a group of cleric vampires, that will heal people for the price of blood. They worship a lesser god of blood, youth and the night.

You offer your blood to heal someone, knowing the risk that they may take too much. They also take in and raise young girls, later making them vampires. It is rumored that they also raise young boys but sacfice them.

 

[Nifft]

The Sisters of the Night: This is a group of cleric vampires, that will heal people for the price of blood.

I like this a lot but feel the need to make it more twisted: the blood need not be your own. You can pay for someone else to be healed (which is important if they're not conscious or too badly wounded to move or otherwise incapacitated) -- OR -- you can bring an unwilling victim to be bled for your curative. Street gangs are always looking for some extra "cures", since having blood on hand makes fighting safer. They call weak-looking strangers "blood", "cure" or "fix".

-- Nifft

 

[Dog Faced God]

Pythagorus (the dude who theorized the Pythagorean theorem) had cult followers. I think it would be cool to have a cult based on the anti-thesis of geometry (if such theories are relevant in your campaign). For example, they believe that they can create a triangle such that all three angles don't add up to 180 degrees.

 

[Bendris Noulg]

Crothian:
That actually fits part of the campaign's metaplot. Should fit with minimum effort. (Consequently, this is the same place as would be found that assassins I inquired about on the House Rules board.)

Valmur:
Some potential there, at least for a few of the cults to be unknowingly connected to one another. Would make it hard to determine such a demon's goals and motivations.

Hand:
I like it. There's a bit of a shortage regarding undead in this particular world, but I can see a few seeds in your idea. I'll see if I can make them grow a bit. Nifft's ideas are adding to it as well.

Dog Faced God:
That could take some work. Care to elaborate? (Perhaps I'm just too logic-centered personally for it to make sense..?)

 

[Dog Faced God]

Cult of Imka:
Imka is a lesser diety that is basically opposed to an ordered reality (chaotic neutral fits fairly well). Her followers are actively trying to alter and tear apart the order of the world. Most adventurers get a will save to disbelieve illusions, right? The most powerful of Imka's followers get a saving throw to disbelieve reality, and replace it with their own. To them, reality is an illusion.

The most powerful followers of this deity would probably be outsiders with some sort of contempt for the 'prime material'. They would probably try to recruit opium addicts, hopeless alcoholics etc... pretty much anyone who could be convinced to believe that reality is just an illusion, and it needs to be peeled away to reveal the truth.

 

[Hand of Evil]

The Sounds in the Wind - a cult of bards that mostly cause unrest by raising the poor against the weathy. They create songs and cartoonish plays for the most part but have been know to cause riots against people that do not support them. Mostly it is a protection racket.

 

[Fade]

Crothian: What if it's a *good* demi-goddess, but the cultists are still doing evil to gain power because they think it's more important to free her, and because they have lost sight of their own aims. Just seems less cliche than 'evil cult trying to bring back dark god' to me.