The Breathdrinkers
Followers of the mysterious Dark Spirit, the Breathdrinkers seek to achieve immortality by stealing the life-force of others.
Infrastructure
Most temples of the Daemon-Spirit are crafted in abandoned churches, run down crypts, or other shadowy ruins, and are often located on the outskirts of a small town of village so the the cult has an ample supply of sacrifices to appease their dark patron. They often work to infiltrate the nearby settlement through deception, slowly planting their members in positions of authority. More brazen sects will sometimes act more openly, promising the town amnesty from their cruel acts in exchange for the town purposely waylaying travelers and adventurers into their clutches.
Divine Origins
The Breathdrinkers have been around for millennium, remaining in the shadows and resisting all efforts to stamp them out. It is unknown when the Breathdrinkers started, but many suspect they have been around since the first mortals began to be active during the night.
Tenets of Faith
The Breakdrinker's unholy code is as follows:
- I will take the lives of others so that I may continue to live forever in service of the Dark One.
- I will remain hidden in the shadows and will kill those who would bring our secrets into the light.
- I will further the goals of the church during the night, so that the Daemon of the Darkness can watch my work. During the day, my actions will divert the attention of others away from the church.
- The only ones I remain loyal to are my brothers and sisters in darkness. All others are just energy for the Spirit of the Night.
- I will serve underneath the dark spirits of the nightstalkers and other undead fully. If one needs it, I will give over my essence without hesitation.
- When it comes time for me to ascend to nighthood, I will not hesitate to join the Dark Spirit.
Ethics
The followers seek to prolong their own lives by sacrificing others, and thus have few to no ethics whatsoever. Children are especially valuable targets for their sacrifices, as they believe that cutting the life short causes them to gain the extra time lost from the child./ They treat their sects as a family, and are often very protective of them.
Worship
Prayer to the Dark Spirit takes place in complete darkness, usually at night or in rooms specially designed to block light. These prayers often involve a ritual sacrifice of a living creature. Although most of these sacrifices are animals, the cult will steal away humanoid sacrifices for special occasions.
When an individual Drinker has absorbed enough life-force, the Dark Spirit will often call upon them to commit ritual suicide. Such a process is referred to as ascending to Nighthood, and most drinkers view it as an act as ascending to become part of the deity rather than an act of death.
Very rarely, multiple sects gather together and attempt a horrid ritual to attempt to summon the Dark Spirit itself to the Material Plane. Such attempts often always align during eclipses, and are usually tracked down and stopped by other religions. If successful, the Dark Spirit takes mortal form. While powerless in natural light, this version of the Dark Spirit is strong enough to slaughter entire countries without intervention, and is quick to go on rampages. Even when its mortal form is slain, the the Spirit-Daemon simply reforms in the depths of the Sea of Shadow, plotting its next move.
Priesthood
Most worship of the Dark Spirit is small scale sects ruled over by a powerful priest, usually run by a powerful creature such as a Shadow Giant or a Nightshade. These high priests delegate orders and missions to lesser humanoid priests, and all priests are expected to oversee various live sacrifices and dark rituals.
Granted Divine Powers
Worshiping the Dark Spirit and following its dark tenants extend the lifespan of its followers. Minor blessings include a flickering shadow, increased darkvision, and muffled footsteps. Great powers granted to the most devout include the ability to teleport between shadows, animating your shadow into a Greater Shadow, absorbing the essence of the dying, and being able to use that essence as a buffer against dangerous effects, growing dark claws, and even permanently gain the abilities of the shadowy creatures of the Sea of Shadow.
Those that gain the Dark Spirits disfavor experience smells of stale wind, shadows twisting towards them, and steps echoing when trying to sneak.
Political Influence & Intrigue
In most areas, the Breathdrinkers must remain hidden, as their dark practices are very much illegal, and thus only operate on the fringes and always at night. However, in the Ascua Forest and on the edges of the Sea of Shadows, the Dark Spirit is worshiped more openly, is still with its cult-like ascetic.
Sects
The cult has no main branches, but countless small sects that act independently to carry out the Spirit-Daemons will. Members of the cult rarely travel, but will sometimes infiltrate adventuring groups in the hopes of slaying a strong warrior and retuning with their essence. Such sects rarely last, as adventurers seem to have a knack for tracking down the offender and enacting vengeance for their fallen kin.
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