Cult of the Devourer
The Cult of the Devourer has little organisation or leadership - only scattered, chaotic cults made up of berserkers, cannibals, nihilistic plotters, depraved reavers, and ruthless solarians.
While many of the faithful prey upon nearly every sentient being they encounter, revelling in destruction and mayhem, some members possess a cunning knack for planning, carefully engineering catastrophes and triggering disasters to maximise the loss of life and ruination of property and resources.
Devourer Cults are outlawed on nearly every civilised world, but hidden shrines can be found on remote asteroids and abandoned moons, and many cults form motley flotillas of starships that attack and slaughter all they come across in the depths of space.
While many of the faithful prey upon nearly every sentient being they encounter, revelling in destruction and mayhem, some members possess a cunning knack for planning, carefully engineering catastrophes and triggering disasters to maximise the loss of life and ruination of property and resources.
Devourer Cults are outlawed on nearly every civilised world, but hidden shrines can be found on remote asteroids and abandoned moons, and many cults form motley flotillas of starships that attack and slaughter all they come across in the depths of space.
Structure
There is no central authority that controls the Cult of the Devourer - no specific headquarters, no single acknowledged leader, and no formal hierarchy. A lack of a universal set of rules makes it difficult to even discuss the organization as a whole in any detail...and that’s exactly how its members like it. To the cultists, the destruction of everything is a goal that cannot be achieved by creating new rules or societies.
Lacking any formal hierarchy, each group of Devourer cultists that works together generally refers to itself as a single 'cell' of the Devourer cult. A cell can have as few as two to three cultists, or in rare cases it could have as many as a few thousand, though these larger hordes are more often many cells fused together by an extremely powerful leader or a supernatural agent in order to accomplish a particular goal.
Most cells tend toward the smaller side, operating alone but potentially maintaining contact with other cells to coordinate larger attacks. Violent disagreements are common, and different cells or even cultists within the same cell regularly turn on one another. When a cell fractures, it often splinters into multiple smaller cells, each of which strives to grow and recruit more members, thus spreading their destructive faith across the cosmos. Cells usually have a secret base of operations, and sometimes depend on mobile bases such as starships or asteroids. Within these cells, cultists each join a group (or “choir”) within the cult in keeping with their own devotion to the Devourer. Those who take a public role obvious to all are known as 'wall breakers,' while those who operate in secret are referred to as 'hidden ones.'
Lacking any formal hierarchy, each group of Devourer cultists that works together generally refers to itself as a single 'cell' of the Devourer cult. A cell can have as few as two to three cultists, or in rare cases it could have as many as a few thousand, though these larger hordes are more often many cells fused together by an extremely powerful leader or a supernatural agent in order to accomplish a particular goal.
Most cells tend toward the smaller side, operating alone but potentially maintaining contact with other cells to coordinate larger attacks. Violent disagreements are common, and different cells or even cultists within the same cell regularly turn on one another. When a cell fractures, it often splinters into multiple smaller cells, each of which strives to grow and recruit more members, thus spreading their destructive faith across the cosmos. Cells usually have a secret base of operations, and sometimes depend on mobile bases such as starships or asteroids. Within these cells, cultists each join a group (or “choir”) within the cult in keeping with their own devotion to the Devourer. Those who take a public role obvious to all are known as 'wall breakers,' while those who operate in secret are referred to as 'hidden ones.'
Hidden Ones
Hidden ones have roles that require them to pass as ordinary citizens, and many lead double lives, keeping their cult membership secret from coworkers and family members.Wall Breakers
Most wall breakers are frontline combatants who generally spend their time attacking outposts of civilisation or preparing for such assaults.Atrocite
The greatest successes of the Cult of the Devourer can often be traced back to the arrival of one of the atrocites, horrific divine agents of the Devourer who sometimes appear to cells in order to reveal secret knowledge, task them with specific missions, or organise them into apocalyptic crusades. As atrocite are the only authority a typical cult cell answers to without question, these beings are the inevitable answer to the question of how large-scale groups of anarchists can operate in concert to threaten all of civilisation.Territories
The Cult of the Devourer has centers of worship scattered about Akiton, Apostae, the Diaspora, Eox, and Verces.
Mythology & Lore
All Devourer Cultists believe that The Devourer promises to thoroughly unmake all that is; not just the future but also the past, from the Material Plane to Heaven and Hell, until existence itself has gone.
This is exactly what these cultists desire: the grief stricken can make it that their past tragedies never happened, and the guilty can avoid Pharasma's judgement with the afterlife removed. When the end finally comes, Devourer cultists believe, space-time itself will weep the blood of the gods before finally passing into nothing. Priests of the Devourer disagree on whether this existence would be replaced with a new one, but all are in accord that the current existence is beyond recovery and must be completely erased.
This is exactly what these cultists desire: the grief stricken can make it that their past tragedies never happened, and the guilty can avoid Pharasma's judgement with the afterlife removed. When the end finally comes, Devourer cultists believe, space-time itself will weep the blood of the gods before finally passing into nothing. Priests of the Devourer disagree on whether this existence would be replaced with a new one, but all are in accord that the current existence is beyond recovery and must be completely erased.
Priesthood
Each cell normally has a few senior cultists who guide and command other members of the cell. Called 'longteeth,' these elder cultists are respected and obeyed not due to any formal rank they hold but simply because a Devourer cultist does not achieve seniority within the cult without battle acumen, cunning, and a long track record of destruction. In some cells, the longteeth are mostly hidden ones, entrusted with planning and organizing tasks the wall breakers then carry out. In other cells, the longteeth are drawn from both choirs and divide their duties to fit their skills and inclinations. It’s rare for a cell to have primarily wall breaker longteeth, though a few cells dedicated purely to acting as wandering warbands follow their most accomplished warriors.
If a cell is too large for the longteeth to directly command all the cultists, intermediaries step in to lead smaller groups of cultists. These intermediaries are most often called 'fangs,' though cells develop numerous other terms for them. Fangs arise from subgroups within the cell as needed, primarily through leadership and longevity. If fangs live long enough, they become longteeth. If a fang dies, some other cultist attempts to fill the fallen fang’s role.
Above all of these are the atrocites, supernatural agents of the Devourer that sometimes spawn, expand, command, or train specific cult groups in order to accomplish some task important to the atrocite's own efforts to bring an end to all existence. While atrocites never devote themselves completely to a single cell, they occasionally combine cells into vast hordes under their nihilistic banners, and the largest and most effective cells may be visited by them on a regular basis.
If a cell is too large for the longteeth to directly command all the cultists, intermediaries step in to lead smaller groups of cultists. These intermediaries are most often called 'fangs,' though cells develop numerous other terms for them. Fangs arise from subgroups within the cell as needed, primarily through leadership and longevity. If fangs live long enough, they become longteeth. If a fang dies, some other cultist attempts to fill the fallen fang’s role.
Above all of these are the atrocites, supernatural agents of the Devourer that sometimes spawn, expand, command, or train specific cult groups in order to accomplish some task important to the atrocite's own efforts to bring an end to all existence. While atrocites never devote themselves completely to a single cell, they occasionally combine cells into vast hordes under their nihilistic banners, and the largest and most effective cells may be visited by them on a regular basis.
Granted Divine Powers
Mystics of the Cult of the Devourer often favour Devastator, Mindbreaker or Star Shaman connections.
Sects
Some broad, informal sects within the Cult of the Devourer have differing goals and philosophies on how to best serve their uncaring god - although these are defined more by vague similarities in beliefs and operating methods than by any formal orthodoxy. A cell might drift from sect to sect as its membership and goals change over time, but for all their chaotic squabbling, few cells bother to devise and promote their own doctrines. While these distinctions have little impact on how other organisations view or deal with cells of the cult, understanding them can be useful in predicting what sorts of attacks a cell may attempt.
The Blood Scourge is believed to have become an atrocite, and while her cell broke up upon her disappearance, its starships formed the cores of dozens of smaller cells.
Blood Door cells endlessly seek to increase the number of lives they claim by whatever means possible, and they keep themselves mobile to constantly search for new targets. They see every death they cause as a sacrifice to the Devourer - the act of killing is referred to as forcing the victim “through the Blood Door” - and they believe such offerings increase their deity's power so it can more easily destroy the universe. Some Blood Door cultists insist that when enough sacrifices have been made, the slaughter will create a portal through which the Devourer will enter from some other realm to begin its final onslaught.
Their name comes from sect members’ tendency to engage in cannibalism, consuming the body of their foes as a form of destruction.
Blood Door
Blood Door cells are motivated by the example of the Blood Scourge, a Devourer mystic who led a small fleet of cult starships to attack lone merchant ships, minor colonies, and outposts at the edge of stellar nations’ zones of control.The Blood Scourge is believed to have become an atrocite, and while her cell broke up upon her disappearance, its starships formed the cores of dozens of smaller cells.
Blood Door cells endlessly seek to increase the number of lives they claim by whatever means possible, and they keep themselves mobile to constantly search for new targets. They see every death they cause as a sacrifice to the Devourer - the act of killing is referred to as forcing the victim “through the Blood Door” - and they believe such offerings increase their deity's power so it can more easily destroy the universe. Some Blood Door cultists insist that when enough sacrifices have been made, the slaughter will create a portal through which the Devourer will enter from some other realm to begin its final onslaught.
Feaster
Feaster cells focus on complete, unrecoverable destruction. While this sounds obvious given their faith, the requirement to prioritise utter annihilation actually causes them to act differently from many other sects. For instance, if a cult of this sect is in a position to damage twenty starships or obliterate just one, its members would zealously focus on the one they can destroy utterly, on the premise that while damage can be healed or repaired, there is no recovery from total annihilation. This also makes them extremely dangerous in ground combat, as a Feaster is likely to take the time to slit the throat of an injured enemy to confirm the kill rather than focus on those still attacking him.Their name comes from sect members’ tendency to engage in cannibalism, consuming the body of their foes as a form of destruction.
Nightmare
Nightmare cells hide within society and work to spread discontent, fear, and misery. They are inspired by a book known as The Darkest Night, a tome outlawed on many worlds that presents the idea that societies are nothing more than a series of interconnected conveniences and will ultimately collapse if those within them can be made to question their safety and value. The goal of such a cell is to destroy the perceived worth of society, eventually causing a complete societal breakdown, though many also use these tactics to foster upheavals such as civil wars. Members of this sect are nearly all hidden ones, with a rare wall breaker recruited for use in suicide missions. Their efforts often take decades to come to fruition.
Type
Religious, Cult
Training Level
Semi-trained
Veterancy Level
Experienced
Demonym
Devourer Cultist
Deities
Divines
Related Ranks & Titles
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