S'gothgah's Cult of Bane
S'gothgah's Cult of Bane was a sect of the greater Cult of Bane active along the Sword Coast North in the 1490s until its dissolution at the hands of the Heroes of Saltmarsh in 1496.
While the members of the sect composed creatures and humanoids of all types, nearly every member was enslaved or manipulated by the cult's leader, the aboleth S'gothgah, and thus very few members worshipped Bane of their own free will.
Structure
The aboleth S'gothgah sat at the top of his cult of Bane as one of the few non-mind-controlled creatures within it. While aboleths are normally limited in the amount of creatures they can mentally control and the range of their effective control, S'gothgah was able to bypass most of these weaknesses through the use of the Banesmark, a symbol crafted by Bane that allowed for those with the mark on their skin to have their thoughts and actions controlled by another. This synergized perfectly with S'gothgah's natural abilities as an aboleth, allowing him to control dozens upon dozens at a time across the Sword Coast North.
However, this focus on complete control had a drawback for the cult's efficiency, as it meant that few creatures could act outside of the parameters set by S'gothgah, weakening their overall effectiveness if the situation they were in radically changed.
History
The origins of S'gothgah's cult of Bane trace back to the aboleth's rediscovery of the Banesmark on the Isle of the Abbey on New Years' Day of 1496, giving S'gothgah the unprecedented powers of mental control that would allow the cult to spread.
Over the next several years, S'gothgah would subtly expand his control and influence, setting his headquarters in the Seaton Temple of Bane in the Styes and begin ennacting his ultimate plan. Using a modified version of the Feast of Corruption, a forbidden ritual that accelerates the maturation rate of any creature placed inside of it by feeding on despair, misery, and other negative emotions in the air, S'gothgah would speed a kraken's growth to adulthood by creating or exacerbating conflicts across the northern Sword Coast. Then, once the kraken reached full maturity, S'gothgah would summon a Sliver of Bane, a physical piece of Bane's soul, and merge it with the kraken to crate an Avatar of Bane.
In 1496, the cult would begin making its move, officially starting the Banesmark Crisis, resulting in the attack on the Neverwinter Gala, Battle of the Spire, Neveren Orc Riots, conflicts between the town of Leilon and the hill giants of Grudd Haug, and more. However, these actions also drew the attention of the Heroes of Saltmarsh, who began slowly uncovering S'gothgah's hidden control across the region.
The Heroes were able to disrupt or foil many of S'gothgah's plans, resulting in the aboleth expanding his control deeper into Saltmarsh by controlling more of its populace. However, the Heroes were able to neutralize this influence in Nightal of 1496 by convincing the town the Banesmark was a Shadowfell parasite that caused irrationality, causing the Marshers to ignore and quarantine those afflicted.
With the Heroes approaching his lair, S'gothgah launchd his final act of terror to hasten the kraken's growth by attacking the Neveren Trade Fleet, but the Heroes arrived partway through the attack, killing the kraken and sealing the Sliver of Bane away in the the God Trap, an immensely powerful soul trap. His plans ruined and his source of power uncovered, S'gothgah fled into the open ocean.
Disbandment
In Hammer of 1497, the Blackstaves of Waterdeep and the Hand of Mana worked to magically remove the Banesmark from all the afflicted they could locate and killed the few skum that remained and couldn't be saved, thus ending the S'gothgah's sect and the power the aboleth had over his minions.
Political Influence & Intrigue
Nearly all of the power of S'gothgah's Cult of Bane came from it's ability to forcibly recruit members and leaders from a variety of organizations through the use of the Banesmark.
Examples from the Banesmark Crisis include Anders Solmor and Manistrad Copperlocks of the Saltmarsh Town Council, Eliander Fireborn of the Neverwinter Guard garrison in Saltmarsh, members of the Neverwinter Assocation of Orcs, members of the Free Focos Movement, the Grand Shade of the Twilight Monastery, and more.
The cult also had a uniquely willing participant in Mr. Dory of the Seaton Committee.
DISBANDED/DISSOLVED
1492 - 1496
Type
Religious, Cult
Leader
Parent Organization
Deities
Location
Controlled Territories
Notable Members
Comments