Seeking ideas for a Religious Horror setting

[Shadowdweller00]

Looking for disturbing and/or horrific ideas for a large, multifaith theocratic city in my game world. I'm not opposed to a bit of cultish activity, but I want the core religious institutions to nevertheless maintain a gray to white morality.

Some categories of example that I'm pondering:
* Witchhunts (vs real or imagined threats)
* Acts and feats of disturbing zeal - such as self-flagellation or the like.
* Illicit trade in grisly (but magically potent) relics from "saints" or the like
* Vicious politicking
* Areas that are blessed/or cursed within city limits

 

[steenan]

What is a multifaith theocracy? I can see a multifaith city (that is, with several different religions active in it) and I can see a polytheistic theocracy (that is, ruled by the priestly caste of a polytheistic religion). But it's hard to imagine a theocracy (rule by priests / divine agents) that is multifaith (consisting of multiple different religions). What would keep it this way? Why would people want clergy of different faiths in the ruling caste, but not non-clergy people?

If you want the religious institutions to be rather good and at the same time have a horror setting, you need the churches to oppose something horrible. Something dangerous enough that it forces people into making painful and dramatic choices. If the churches are the main line of defense, it also creates a good reason for them to be in power.

Let's say there are demons who plant spiritual seeds in people. A seed grows, gradually take over the body and then turn it into a monster, from inside out. You never know if the person you meet is normal, possessed or on verge of erupting into a bloodthirsty beast.
Priest do what they can to stop it. They set strict codes of ritual purity, aiming to minimize risk of infection. "Never look anybody directly in the eyes", "Wear nothing made of animal skin or bone", "Have no male touch a baby for a week after it was born" and so on. It's not perfect, but it helps. And is someone breaks a rule, they are ostracized, banished or even killed outright. It's not good, but it's necessary.

Now you can put your players between a rock and a hard place. Will they fight the demons, even if it means killing children and turning away from friends? Will they see the churches as the only chance, or as murderous fanatics no better than the demons? What will they sacrifice to the gods to gain a sliver of their power? What will they do if they suspect they themselves could be infected?

 

[Herobizkit]

The World Itself Is Aware... and It Is Evil.

The very planet that the people walk upon is sentient, and for a time, that world has allowed humanity to thrive and prosper. But no longer. Now, like a flea that infests a dog, so the planet now sees Humanity, and it now sends wave upon wave of Demonic horrors to drive Humanity from its back.

The Priesthoods, they who spoke to the Flesh and were able to shape and mould it to their will, now have a heavy decision to make. For now, their great city is protected by a magical ward, but this ward is powered by Blood and must be renewed regularly... by ritual sacrifice.

Now, people are dying faster than they're being born, and it is only a matter of time before the wall comes down and the demonic horde overcomes the city...

I don't know if this helps or is even relevant. :3 But I borrowed heavily from Wormwood, a Rifts Dimensions book that uses demonic grafts as sources of power. I'd consider stealing liberally from 3.5's ruleset for grafts. Here's a nice list to give you some ideas.

 

[Shadowdweller00]

What is a multifaith theocracy? I can see a multifaith city (that is, with several different religions active in it) and I can see a polytheistic theocracy (that is, ruled by the priestly caste of a polytheistic religion). But it's hard to imagine a theocracy (rule by priests / divine agents) that is multifaith (consisting of multiple different religions). What would keep it this way? Why would people want clergy of different faiths in the ruling caste, but not non-clergy people?

The city is run by a council of high-ranking clergy from a handful of officially sanctioned religions. The city is a religious center that grew up around a collection of temples/cathedrals (probably including some magical holy sites) who essentially signed an agreement not to persecute each other. Partly because this is a magical fantasy world where the clergy have some ability to hold the horrible things outside (undead/demons/lovecraftian monstrosities/curses) at bay. There is a hierarchy on the ruling council based on some nebulous measure of the respective popularity, faith, and/or miraculous power of the constituent religions. Hence reasons for competitive behavior amongst the religions.

...However, this takes place in a crapsack, horrible world. So I want the place to be disturbing in its own right, even if the component religions are mostly well-intentioned.