The Cult of Azrael (AZ-rai-el)

An Inevitable Development

Written by J. L. Gryphon

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Ambient sounds courtesy of tosha73 and EminYILDIRIM

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Greetings to those below. I am Death, though I will ask you call me Azrael. Members of our topic today certainly heard my request, but . . . ah, dear. This is something of an embarrassment for me, though I should clarify a few things. The Cult of Azrael is not a religion, and by that I mean I am not worshipped as a god. I am, instead, seen as more of a guide, which is a relief considering my master who is a god. I would never want to step on any toes.

That said, I am uncomfortable with being seen as even this. I hope my subtle attempts at guiding this . . . “cult” have placed it on a more positive path. Certainly a death cult sounds like a nasty thing, but I do believe “cult” is not the right word, either, despite that being its most popular name. In fact, I think the best way to understand the Cult of Azrael is to see it as the observation and awareness of a specific idea brewing in the greater cosmos.

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The Concept of "Use"

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by Nur Fajar from Pixabay

Those who consider themselves followers of Azrael—uh, me—have caught on to an idea that is true, even if placing me at the center of it is a bit of a displacement. I do not collect without instruction, and it is in fact my master you might place at the center of all this; however, my master’s presence on Orosta has diminished greatly in recent centuries, so it is an inevitable development, I suppose, that people have sought out other points of guidance such as myself.
The main concept behind the cult’s beliefs is that Death—me—likes life to be efficient, and because of this, a person may go on living so long as they are useful. Fortunately this has not translated into people killing those they deem less-than-useful. Instead, they mostly defer to my judgment on measuring someone’s use. Rather, a given follower of me strives to provide their own usefulness to stave off a visit from myself. If they prove themselves useful, they might live another day.
For my part, I do believe “useful” sounds too mechanical. Of course every life has value regardless of its so-called use; however, it is true my master believes that to continue living in Orosta’s broken world after one’s purpose has finished is an ultimate cruelty. Therefore, when one has completed their part in the story, their time comes to an end, and my master directs me to collect them. As I have said many times, I am not good, but I am merciful. Therein lies the truth behind what those observant souls have interpreted as “use.”

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A Cosmic Metaphor

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by Jim Cooper from Pixabay

As for the story, well, that is my master’s grand plan. Because Orosta is broken, of course this creates the need to fix it, and that is exactly what my master intends. To do so, however, requires careful strategy, and as it stands now, not all the moving pieces of this . . . battle, you could say . . . have “crawled” into place. By crawled, I mean the following metaphor:
I like to think of this whole thing as one vast spider’s web. My master can see the entire web and the stories that will come from it. The ultimate story, the ultimate goal, is of course Orosta’s reparation. The Orostians, then, are the flies caught in this web. Each one is important. Each one is a chapter in the ultimate story. They, though, cannot see the entire web, and so they must crawl down their individual threads. They may choose a new thread to travel down at any time, and in fact each choice is its own branching thread, but always they will be blind to what lies at its end. My master endeavors to make the threads safe, or, at the very least, make the threads lead somewhere beneficial to the ultimate story, but as with any spider’s web, there is the spider. In Orosta’s case there are several hungry spiders, and unfortunately, they do enjoy playing with their food. So then, this goes back to the idea of “use,” but as I said before, I do think a better word might be “meaning” or “purpose.” Rather than leave them to be tortured by the spiders, once a fly has traveled down their last beneficial thread and so completed the last page of their chapter in the ultimate story, my master sends me to collect them. The poor creature need not fear the spiders any longer. Their task is done. Now they may rest, the ultimate story that much closer to being completed. Fractured, broken Orosta, will be that much closer to being healed.
If this all sounds uncomfortable to you, I understand. This does make it sound like each Orostian life is nothing but a pawn in some cosmic contest, but it is not so cold and unfeeling as all that. As I said, each life matters. Each life has value. Each life is important. So while my master’s goal remains what it is, it does not mean he forgets the daily goings on. Is there such a thing as a benevolent chess master? I’d like to think so, though my brother will swiftly tell you there is not. Hmph. So the spider flicks the web, and its vibrations scare the fly down a path it would not have chosen otherwise. A dangerous web indeed. The stakes could not be higher.

by Schmidsi from Pixabay

The Cult of Azrael, then, and those who follow it, are merely people who have come to recognize what I have said. Their poor choice of words aside, they understand there is a web and that “use” is what governs it. They also understand they are flies blind to their individual endings, and so they seek guidance from me to choose their chosen threads with as much wisdom and foresight as possible. This does lead me to the problem of displacement, though. I am Death, and therefore all I can see are endings. Beginnings and middles so often elude me, so while it is true I can see more of the web than the average Orostian, I, too, cannot see all of it. So, I hope you understand me when I say that, ultimately, I am not equipped for the task The Cult of Azrael asks of me. I do believe I am inadequate. However, since the displacement has happened, my master provides me the occasional insight to help.
The hags, for example, have the unique ability to see me. They, to a lesser extent, may see beyond their own individual thread and see multiple branching threads so long as those threads are connected to my various appearances—those appearances being when someone or something dies, of course. This is often why you will see hags serving as so-called missionaries for the cult. They, unlike others, do have some insight into my affairs. Except, I will caution you, those below, that while hags can see me and the threads I affect, they are abominations. Since abominations are wrong, the hags, too, are often wrong in what they see. I will advise, then, that you take their visions with a dose of caution.

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Impacting the Web

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by J. L. Gryphon via Artbreeder

So then, what is the Cult of Azrael’s primary goal? Nothing in particular. As I said, it is not a religion in the strictest sense. They have no rites or customs, no days of congregation, or even a deity. Really, its only aim is to make people aware the web exists. In doing so, they pull back the cosmic veil at least a little bit so that, while the flies will still be blind on their threads, at least they will know they are on one. At least they will know there are spiders. And at least they will know their is a purpose to the thread they are on, and when they have fulfilled their purpose, I will come to grant them a final peace from their struggle.
I suppose it is a comforting message. Certainly that is my intent to give people peace and rest when I collect them. I am not good, but I am merciful. Perhaps if more people knew that, they wouldn’t be so afraid of me, which I suppose means at least that part I am glad the cult understands and spreads as part of its message. But I don’t know. I suppose, so long as they don’t actually start worshipping me, I think I can begrudgingly accept this for now. It’s just, I don’t think I would make a very good god. I think I would be, too, . . . myself . . . if that makes any sense, hm-hmm.
But on that point, I will say farewell for now, those below. Explore the Cult of Azrael if you like, but please keep in mind my shortcomings. And maybe tell those hags that “use” really isn’t the right word. My example of flies aside—an insect that was used purely because it is the most common insect you might find in a spider’s web—I do like you, those below. I care, as much as I am able, and I do recognize there is more to you than your contributions to the ultimate story. Amidst the ultimate story, there are millions of smaller stories, and each one has some intriguing surprise I delight in. So go on, those below. Live your story, and know that it does have value.

Signed your deathly narrator,
Azrael the Star of Death

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Book Information

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Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

Type

Religious, Cult

Alternative Names

• The Cult of Death
• The Gryphon Cult
• The Cult of the Veil
• The Uncollected

Predecessor Organization

• The Children of Le Sair

Demonym

• Veil-seekers
• Gryphonites

Leader

Grott Roiz

Currency

Kessa coins

Divines

• Meet the Narrator

Official Languages

• Orostian

Related Species

• Abomination
• Elf
• Jeenta
• Merrow
• Siren
• Star
• Tressian
• Undine

Related Ethnicities

• Altyman
• Astrela
• Gigantes
• Hag
• Hassigi
• Het
• Hok
• La Siellan
• Rhyonian
• Rill
• Sithuwaye
• Zurrinaih

Related Myths

• The Morsus Swamp
• The Ripping