Umbral Benediction
"We pray to the Four, might for sacrifice
We pray to the Wanderer, may others lose their way that we may find ours, may the lost lamb fall prey to the lion.
We beseech the Desolation, may our foes divide, may they be isolated that we may come together in unity.
We entreat the Ravener, may we consume the food of our enemies' tables and leave them famished.
We beg the Umbrage, enter our hearts that we may slaughter the unworthy!
We command the swarm, life for lives, the many for our few.
We invoke the One that is Yet to Come, may the gaze fall upon us from the aeons!"
~Invocation to the Four
Structure
The Umbrals operate in cells dedicated to one of their gods. The nature of the cult allows them to operate both in concert and with complete autonomy, as they all ultimately work towards the same result.
Each cell is led by a Broker, and the 4-12 other members of the cell are known as Supplicants. Auditors the only member of the cult aware of more than two or three cells, and visit them in person to collect their sacrifices and deliver their requests or mete out punishments and rewards.
Culture
Each cell is dedicated to one of their gods. These cells 'ascend' to the next level when they have created sufficient misery for their current god. The culture of the cell changes significantly based on which layer they are on.
Public Agenda
To the uninitiated unfortunate enough to encounter the cult, their agenda seems to simply spread pointless misery and entropy.
Mythology & Lore
According to the Invocations of the Four, the Four are the misery shed by sentient beings when they die directed by those wretched souls for whom that toxic psychic sludge is their final destination. They represent four states of misery, each leading to the next.
The Wanderer represents those lost, aimless, apathetic and confused. This is the First Misery, and the one that leads directly or indirectly to all others. The Wanderer seeks to assault truth itself, directions, reality, material life all need to be torn down to strip attachment from mortals.
The Desolation is the loneliness and isolation, even in a crowd. The lack of human connection, paranoia, lack of trust, suspicion, blind hatred, and the ugly evil of criminals and monsters are all that the Desolation requires.
The Ravener is deprivation incarnate. Famine is the most obvious manifestation, but the tyranny of addiction and illness as well as distrust of what people do have engendered by rotten food and poisoned water. When the desperate souls afflicted by the Ravener have nothing left, rage and anger begins to take over.
The Umbrage is the strongest of the Four. Rage, mindless destruction, and bloodshed are the hallmarks of the Umbrage. More specifically, political assassinations, destabilization, coups, war, and the destruction of beautiful things are important to Umbrage, the sort of violence that begets more violence until there is nothing left.
The Final Misery, the One That is Yet to Come, the Basilisk are all names for the next and most powerful shadow god. While the others represent known horrors of mortal life, the Final Misery is an unknown suffering not yet experienced by anyone and unimaginable to current, lesser minds. According to cult dogma, any that learn of the One That is Yet to Come and opposes or even fails to assist their creation or ascension will have their souls thrown into eternal torment, even if they die before the One That is Yet to Come is born.
Divine Origins
The true origin of the cult is shrouded in mystery. That being said, there are three mutually exclusive tales describing the beginning.
In one tale, the Genius of Spite recruited the first Intercessor as part of a treaty with the Four. In this version, it was she herself who sewed the Umbral Shroud for the cult. In this origin, when enough Intercessors have gathered within one vessel they will ascend to become the One That is Yet to Come.
In another tale, a powerful archfey was exiled from the Feywild and had their name scrubbed from existence. This is the most common version, and in it this archfey will ascend to godhood as the One That is Yet to Come.
In the third and final tale, Maklub the god of Greenskins, before attaining that title, gave the first title of Intercessor. This is primarily the belief among cells in the Badlands.. In this version, the One That is Yet to Come and the fabled Goblin King are one and the same.
Tenets of Faith
The Umbral Benediction is a transactional faith. In short, spreading misery and lingering death to feed the gods is what is asked in exchange for power, wealth, or success.
Ethics
Failure, incompetent, desertion, inactivity, and opposition all have the same result: eternal torment at the as yet unformed tentacles of the Final Misery.
Worship
Those on the first layer seek to sew confusion and disinformation in societies in the name of the Wanderer. They break down the concept of truth itself and attempt to promote chaos, discord, and inefficiency. When they have eroded trust sufficiently, they ascend to the second layer.
On the second layer, they seek to increase the isolation of individuals for the Desolation. Ironically, this is when their own ranks begin to swell as the disaffected, desperate, and insane become vulnerable to the psychological predations of the cult. When the community has essentially become isolated pockets of tiny but immutable factions, the cell ascends again.
On the third layer, they seek to appease the Ravener by depriving others. Burned fields are as common as wild parties that empty the purses of the Plutarchs. Racking up massive debts, poisoning wells, spreading disease and famine, all aimed at the wasting and consumption of all resources until true desperation sets in. This is the height of the cell's power, and the last chance they have to walk away. Surprisingly, those who choose to desert can expect long lives so long as they keep from mentioning the cult to anyone, though cultists are told that leaving will eventually invoke the wrath of the One That is Yet to Come. Even death is no escape for this entity.
Upon attaining the next level, the cell attacks. They are expected to give as much blood to the Umbrage as they can, as quickly as they can. Hunting of intelligent creatures, slaying prisoners, arranging battles and raids, cannibalism, blood orgies, pillage, murder, and wanton destruction are all hallmarks of cells that have reached the fourth level. If they survive this while shedding enough blood, they are likely to receive instructions for the Final Ecstasy, arranging a new Intercessor.
Throughout this rot of misery and pain, there is the retroactive presence of the One That is Yet to Come.
Granted Divine Powers
The Intercessor is gifted the ability to control shadows and the wretched souls, as well as the ability to bear the Umbral Shroud.
Misery for Joy
Founding Date
Heroic Age
Type
Religious, Cult
Alternative Names
Contract With the Shadow
Demonym
Umbral
Leader
Leader Title
Related Ranks & Titles
Related Items
In response to the prompt Describe a cult in your world. How did they form and what do they believe in?
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