Cult of Mammon
Mammon's area of expertise was not diplomacy but the soul trade, and after realizing his inability to form new relationships with the major figures of Hell, he devoted himself to it further. Of all the archdevils, his efforts to reap souls always proved the most bountiful, and he did so, as one might expect, with his raw affluence. As patron of the greedy and lustful, Mammon drew in the materialistic mortals that not only desired the pleasures of wealth but the pleasure of denying it to others, spreading their avarice like a virulent plague. He also, based on the principle that "money is the root of all evil", incited the rich and powerful into abandoning acts of charity, sabotaged industries, and bankrupted once prosperous nations. In his mission to cause economic collapse, he had sent a vast number of his devils to mortal realms, each desperate to sow desperation and send the millions in destabilized regions to Minauros.
Like Mammon himself, his followers excelled at managing relations between groups by two-facedly switching between attitudes. They would stoop to any tactic, no matter how humiliating, awkward, or otherwise unpleasant, to get what they wanted, flipping between merciless violence and cowardly retreats in an instant. Completely lacking in shame, they conversely had no honour—lying, cheating, and stealing as needed. Rarely could they operate within a group of supposed allies before quickly betraying them in order to get ahead, avoiding personal risk by sacrificing their companions. Such reputation, along with other unsavoury behaviours, forced them to live a con artist's life of constant, solemn travel, moving on before word of their infamy caught on in the local area.
Mammon's influence on the Material Plane wasn't limited to lone scammers, for he also had widespread cults. Having gained exorbitant wealth from dirty dealings, coercion, and extortion, such cultists could be found at the peak of high society and in merchant or trade guilds. The powers offered by Mammon allowed his followers to thieve and deceive with almost supernatural skill, grasping unkept items from several feet away and manipulating the idea of value and where it laid in the minds of others. Races typically found underneath Mammon included duergar and goblinoids, along with several less conventional worshipers like beholders. Illithids were also in his ranks to the point where he had a special team of information gatherers comprised of them, as well as the more interactive of evil dragons, them being his most favoured followers.
Rituals:
Mammonian cult initiation required the neophyte to betray their closest friend for personal gain and perform a perverse ritual as demeaning as it was disgusting. Such behaviour was in line with the gross service provenly loyal cultists could have to endure if invited to Mammon's court. While horrendous, attending his court could curry wealth beyond the imagination of mortals. One such regular attendee was the former cleric of Hextor, Zbavra, and other notable cultists included the dwarf Dorban Smokestone and the illithid Ruulam. Mammonian clerics, also known as coveters, wore gold-trimmed red robes and golden ornamentation. Rogues and bards, typically those interested in money rather than murder, could occasionally be found as his disciples. Mammon's temple were obscenely ornate and ungodly gaudy, showcasing so much treasure that the raw garishness bordered on ridiculous. True to Mammon's nature, the lairs and implements within weren't so much tools to protect their wealth but wealth that also performed a function. From the altars, to the sacrificial daggers, to the temples themselves, almost everything was made of gold and adorned with gemstones. Cultists prospered by using temples as locations for back-alley deals, conspiring together and making commercial pacts within that would carry out into the wider world. Temples were chocked full of wards, traps and guardians appropriate for defending such riches, often the types of non-humanoid monsters that served as Mammon's cultists. Aspects:
Mammon's aspects were abundant in Faerun, often under the guise of a yuan-ti, spreading and encouraging avarice in order to more easily manipulate mortals. They found sunny climates unpleasant, being used to the polluted dampness of Minauros, and were rarely found in natural settings. Instead they lurked in urban areas, anywhere from behind the walls of the Zhentil Keep, to the streets of Sembia, to the alleys of Waterdeep. Even in terms of fighting, they were greedy creatures with a "me first" attitude that impeded their ability to work in concert with their servants. Part of the reason for their rapaciousness, outside of it being in their nature, was that they had no possessions outside of special gear given for their assignment; all other acquired goods were sent to Mammon, leaving them with nothing but unfulfilled desire.
Mammonian cult initiation required the neophyte to betray their closest friend for personal gain and perform a perverse ritual as demeaning as it was disgusting. Such behaviour was in line with the gross service provenly loyal cultists could have to endure if invited to Mammon's court. While horrendous, attending his court could curry wealth beyond the imagination of mortals. One such regular attendee was the former cleric of Hextor, Zbavra, and other notable cultists included the dwarf Dorban Smokestone and the illithid Ruulam. Mammonian clerics, also known as coveters, wore gold-trimmed red robes and golden ornamentation. Rogues and bards, typically those interested in money rather than murder, could occasionally be found as his disciples. Mammon's temple were obscenely ornate and ungodly gaudy, showcasing so much treasure that the raw garishness bordered on ridiculous. True to Mammon's nature, the lairs and implements within weren't so much tools to protect their wealth but wealth that also performed a function. From the altars, to the sacrificial daggers, to the temples themselves, almost everything was made of gold and adorned with gemstones. Cultists prospered by using temples as locations for back-alley deals, conspiring together and making commercial pacts within that would carry out into the wider world. Temples were chocked full of wards, traps and guardians appropriate for defending such riches, often the types of non-humanoid monsters that served as Mammon's cultists. Aspects:
Mammon's aspects were abundant in Faerun, often under the guise of a yuan-ti, spreading and encouraging avarice in order to more easily manipulate mortals. They found sunny climates unpleasant, being used to the polluted dampness of Minauros, and were rarely found in natural settings. Instead they lurked in urban areas, anywhere from behind the walls of the Zhentil Keep, to the streets of Sembia, to the alleys of Waterdeep. Even in terms of fighting, they were greedy creatures with a "me first" attitude that impeded their ability to work in concert with their servants. Part of the reason for their rapaciousness, outside of it being in their nature, was that they had no possessions outside of special gear given for their assignment; all other acquired goods were sent to Mammon, leaving them with nothing but unfulfilled desire.
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