Cult of the Silver Serpent

Religion: The Silver Serpent.
Basic Beliefs:

Selfishness and materialism is good for one's own happiness.

A person must seek one's own desires through any means necessary, such as manipulation and deception.

The pursuit of wealth, power, knowledge and pleasure is the only way to enlightenment.

The weak are unworthy and must be taken advantage of to further the interests of the Cult and its followers.

War is a means for the Cult to gain more followers and spread the faith. The Cult believes war and conflict is necessary for survival and progress.

Primary Region Worshipped: Kusagakure and The Stone Village.
Deities worshipped: The Silver Serpent.
Symbols: Snakes, Dragons, or other serpent like creatures. Amethysts and rubies.
Practices and rituals:

Group rituals would include the worship of the Silver Serpent goddess, possibly in an abandoned or hidden temple. Sex would be a key part of the rituals with the followers. The followers would engage in various sexual acts to please the goddess and to please themselves.

Other rituals would include the offering of money, gifts, or offerings to the goddess, in hopes of receiving a blessing or good luck. The followers would seek personal gain and try to exploit others for their own benefit.

Regular ceremonies and sacrifices to their goddess, in order to gain favor and blessings.

Practitioners and followers engaging in debauchery and indulging in taboo, deviant and carnal acts

The teaching of forbidden arts and knowledge.

The spreading of their religion through proselytizing and recruitment of more followers.

Engaging in occult rites in order to summon and commune with the goddess.

Participating in orgies, sex rituals and hedonistic practices.

Practicing dark arts and forbidden jutsu to exert power and control over others.

Consuming hallucinogenic and narcotic substances to tap into altered states of consciousness.

Celebrating religious and spiritual festivals in which wild behavior and debauchery is the norm.

Holidays:
1. The Solstitium - A festival in honor of the goddess's birth, marked by wild celebrations of all kinds.
2. Shadowfall - To mark a new darkness which is the start of the goddess's reign. During this holiday they engage in dark practices, including blood sacrifices.
3. The Vernal Equinox - Celebrated as a rebirth of the goddess, marked by wild dance and revelry where all are welcome.
4. Bloodmoon - During this holiday the cultists celebrate by engaging in blood rituals and human sacrifice.
Taboos:

showing any sort of respect to or seeking help from any other god or goddess other than their goddess.

They have a taboo against revealing the secrets of the Cult to anyone outside the faith.

questioning or rejecting any ritual, practice or commandment issued by the Cult.

showing any sort of weakness or allowing the self to be taken advantage of by others.

Failing to live up to the standards of beauty, sensuality and desire.

Detailed Beliefs:

The weak and powerless are considered worthless and undeserving, and are fair game for the strong to exploit.

Materialistic gain is not only desirable, but it is a necessity, as it allows one to satisfy their desires and pursue their ambitions.

One must be ruthless and cutthroat in order to survive in a world of self-interest and competition.

Self-pleasure and indulgences are considered to be essential to happiness, and should be sought after with reckless abandon.

The most devout followers are greatly rewarded, usually within the form of a wish or minor miracle granted to those deemed worthy enough by the goddess.

History:
I. Origins: The Cult of Kunshun
The Cult of the Silver Serpent traces its origins to the ancient Cult of Kunshun, rooted in a civilization now lost to the sands of time. This civilization, whose people practiced arcane rituals, believed in the power of the great dragon, Kunshun—a mythical being said to exist between the mortal realm and the spirit world. The dragon embodied the dual forces of creation and destruction, life and death, which became central to the cult's beliefs. Followers revered Kunshun as a god of both prosperity and devastation, believing that only through him could one transcend mortality.
The cult’s early followers sought to unlock Kunshun’s forbidden wisdom and power. They practiced dark arts, invoking the dragon through blood sacrifices, ancient rites, and communion with the dead. By offering the souls of the weak, they hoped to gain Kunshun’s blessing, commanding forces that would allow them to reshape the natural order. Over the centuries, the Cult of Kunshun grew both feared and reviled by the outside world, who saw their practices as heretical and dangerous.
As neighboring powers waged war against them, the cult was shattered, and its followers were hunted. What remained of Kunshun’s teachings became an obscure myth, preserved only by the most devout who went underground, keeping the ancient rites alive in secrecy.
II. The Emergence of Shirohebei Kaguya
In an age of chaos and spiritual decline, centuries after Kunshun had been forgotten by most, Shirohebei Kaguya appeared. A mysterious figure with a dark past, Kaguya’s soul had been bound to a piece of Kunshun's own, which infused her with the long-lost power of Kunshun. Haunted by her past and consumed by vengeance, Kaguya sought out the remnants of the Cult of Kunshun, convincing them that the dragon’s spirit had chosen her as its new vessel.
Claiming to have communed directly with the dragon’s essence, Kaguya took on the mantle of the Silver Serpent, an earthly embodiment of Kunshun’s power. She proclaimed herself as the dragon’s oracle and declared that she alone could bring about its resurgence. Her charisma, combined with her ruthless leadership, quickly drew followers to her side—disillusioned souls seeking salvation, power, or revenge. Through Kaguya, the Cult of Kunshun was reborn, now known as the Cult of the Silver Serpent.
Kaguya promised her followers that through devotion, sacrifice, and obedience, they could achieve immortality and command the forces of creation and destruction just as she did. Her presence radiated a divine aura, and she was seen as a goddess in mortal form—both feared and worshipped by her cult.
III. Rebirth of the Cult
Under Kaguya’s rule, the Cult of the Silver Serpent experienced a dramatic revival. The once-fragmented sect was brought under her control, and their ancient practices were reignited with renewed vigor. Kaguya twisted the ancient teachings to fit her own ambitions, declaring that through rituals and blood sacrifices, her followers could unlock the full power of the Serpent, achieving not just immortality but also dominion over life and death itself.
IV. Growth and Influence
As the cult spread, it began to operate through a network of hidden temples and shrines, protected by Kaguya’s most devout followers, known as the Children of the Serpent. These zealots devoted their bodies and souls to the Silver Serpent, believing they would be reborn with greater power through their sacrifices.
Shirohebei carefully manipulated the structure of the cult, keeping its true goals shrouded in mystery. While most followers believed they were working toward the resurrection of the Serpent’s full power and a new world order, Kaguya’s personal ambitions remained hidden, known only to her closest confidants. She quietly amassed more cursed energy and forbidden knowledge, preparing for a greater ritual that only she fully understood.
The cult also began infiltrating political and spiritual institutions, embedding spies and loyalists within societies to extend their influence. While the world remained largely ignorant of the cult’s resurgence, rumors of a shadowy group performing ritualistic sacrifices and gaining dark powers began to spread, further adding to the fear and mystery surrounding them.
V. Legacy of Shirohebei Kaguya
As the cult grew in power, Kaguya’s ultimate intentions became a matter of speculation even among her most trusted followers. Some believed she sought to become the true incarnation of the Silver Serpent, ascending to godhood and bringing about a new world order. Others whispered that her goals were far more personal—driven by revenge and the desire to destroy those who had wronged her and her family.
Whatever her true motives, the Cult of the Silver Serpent became a force of darkness, shrouded in secrecy, with Shirohebei at its helm. She orchestrated grand rituals and guided her followers with promises of a better future, all while hiding the true extent of her powers and ambitions. In times of her absence, the cult was managed by its high-ranking leaders, but it was Kaguya’s word that dictated their most sacred practices. They continued to perform their dark rituals, waiting for the day when the Silver Serpent would fully rise again, and the world as they knew it would be consumed by her power.

Allies: ???.
Enemies: Jashinists.
Known Worshippers: ???.
Known Artifacts:
The Serpents Tome- A tome containing forbidden knowledge and arcane secrets of the cult.
Known Churches/temples/sacred grounds: ???.
Known Creatures: ???.