Cult of Garus

"There is a purity in rage. It will burn out sorrow. For a time. It will burn out fear. Even cruelty and hatred will seek shelter, rage wants none of them, only to destroy."
-Gencii Arkot, of the Blooded Tooth

The Cult of Garus is a small but ancient Cult within Tural made up mostly of itinerate warbands and a few scattered temples in the east where the Cut is not outlawed. The Cults size was once far more widespread, and every Khesum was taught the story of Garus and his men, but over the last thousand years this has waned as the Khesum have become more civilized, growing to see the Cults harshness and "eye for an eye" mentality distasteful.

Beliefs

Primarily, Garus is the Deity soldiers and warriors turn to when a comrade or family member is slain in battle, be it just or unjust. However, anyone seeking vengeance can join the Cult, or employ one of its members on their behalf to carry out their revenge. No injustice is too large or too small for revenge to be sought and punishment meted out.
The cult considers itself the guardians of the old Khesum traditions and lore, having the most complete accounts of their past under the old masters, and as such do what they can to spread their Gods message; The masters still live. The ancestors pushed them back and freed us only for us to sit back and allow them to recover. We must strike now, and fast, or they will come to chain us again. This is their "Great vengeance". What every Cultist seeks and moves towards by showing others that they are strong. That they can fight back against those that wrong them. That this is good, and just. They claim to have strong links to these ancestors despite what the Cult of Morr may say, and the oldest members of the Cult are said to be able to contact these ancestors with the aid of certain plants or seeds and ask for aid in their work.
Garusii want neither riches nor luxury. They live off of what they are given, be it a soldiers rations and a tent, or the gifts of a relieved victim after a job well done. There are limits however: if a Cultist is thought to be acting immoderate - hoarding riches or demanding gifts they don't need for example - his brothers and sisters take care of him. He is taken from his place of debaucheries and tied to a post to be whipped. This continues for hours until his back is a mass of cuts and welts, and the pain has cleared his mind and reminded him of what and who he is.

Strictures

• Obey your Caffi.
• Listen to your Gencii.
• Seek Vengeance for deeds done against you or others.
• Spread the Cults teaching and message to others.

Structure

"Every law of Cult or State seeks to separate you from your anger. Every rule is there to tame you - to take from your hands that which you should own. Every stricture aims to place the vengeance that is yours in the grasp of courts, juries, justice and judges."
-Gencii Inessa, of the Stained War

Temples of Garus are independently set up by Priests mainly as waystations and barracks for fellow Cultists on their travels. As such there is no real unified structure to the Cult, and the bands are only loosely associated with one another through their shared beliefs and history.

Initiation

To join the cult a prospective Garusii must prove himself worthy of the warbands time. This usually involves some life-threatening trial such as stalking and killing a beast in the jungle, or the old favourite of sneaking into an enemy camp and tapping a sleeping soldier on the head with a stick. The rites of acceptance vary from place to place, but they are always dangerous. The applicant should not expect anyone to help. Even if the beast has him pinned the Cultists will do nothing. Either the ancestors lend them strength to their struggle or they do not. If not, perhaps the fire of vengeance did not burn hot enough, and they would have been a liability.
After this they join the warband and are guided through the making of their Ancestor mask, a curved white piece of carved wood with two eye holes and some grills. This is to be worn whenever the Cultist goes to war, or is on the hunt for their quarry. When a person sees such a mask, they know that death has come to exact its toll. Their vengeance is still far off, but they are one step closer.

Cultists

Khesum Garusii Cultist

Being predominantly a cult within a societies military, a Cultists dress usually consists of their armour or uniform, and their Ancestor mask, with some form of red addition such as an arm band, leg band, or a scarf. There is little ornamentation in their garb, beyond some additional animal skins, beaded necklaces and bracelets made from teeth or stones and some decorative paint on their armour.
Every day, they must train. Walking and running through plains, jungles, forests, and ruins to hone their fitness and agility. They climb mountains and jump chasms, roll with the impact, and hit predetermined stones and trees with their weapons. They battle each other, fighting to the first blood. Their ancestors would not accept anything else.

Ancestor Masks

When going to war, Cultist of Garus traditionally wear their Ancestor masks: Grinning skulls and animal faces fashioned after Garus or one of his 300. The ancestors. Enemies who find themselves facing these masks know that vengeance has come for them.
After the initiation test, a Sira is taken aside by the Caffi where the two site on a rock. There they drink a pre-prepared brew cooked up by the Gencii, and there they feel the power and presence of the ancestors wash over them and fill their souls. The Caffi guides the Sira in the carving of their mask, a personification of the ancestor they most closely associate with. The effects of the brew fades before the masks completion but it will give the newly raised Garusii the groundwork to develop it into a fully adorned and painted mask over the next week. Every cultist must make their own mask; it is considered the highest form of disrespect to be caught wearing one belonging to someone else.
Once the mask is complete, the cultist will have come to intensely sympathise with the ancestor it represents. A lingering effect of the carving being initiated under the brew. Once the talisman is placed over the face, obscuring the Garusii from view, it becomes a shield over the soul of the wearer, protecting them from such feelings as fear, or doubt. Others may notice their personality subtilty shift, and their reasoning and motivation alter, leaning more towards that of the ancestor that has chosen them. No matter the atrocities the wearer commits, or the terrifying opponents they must face, the mask drowns out conflicting emotions brewing in his heart. Later, when the talisman is removed, there is no guilt and no shame left.

The mask becomes a core part of each cultists identity. So much so that loosing it is considered a traumatic event for the cultist. Whether it is broken in combat or for failing a Moas trials, the Garusii is left spiritually disfigured. All of the emotions suppressed by the talisman resurface: guilt, fear, and shame drown the warrior. The only redemption left is to craft a new mask. If they are still a part of their pack, they can make a request of the Gencii for the brew, and travel alone into the hinterlands to carve a new face for themselves. However, the ancestor who once imbued him has fled from him, and he must hope to be chosen by another.
For one that has been cast out of the cult, the brew is no longer an option. Many of them cannot live without the mask and craft crude approximations in exile - they at least dull the pain, even if they cannot completely heal it.

Ranks

Sira

The solider has survived his lone initiation test into the cult, but things do not improve much. He is pushed around by his new comrades and laughed at. Belittled and given pointless tasks such as sorting grain he finally looses it.
Attacking his comrades does little however, they dodge his fists and block his kicks, laughing at him all the while until he is red faced with humiliation and panting from exertion after this lesson. Alone he is nothing, even with his anger he is weak and will never gain his vengeance.
From this point on, it gets better. He runs with his warband through the jungles and forests, sharpening his senses and his reactions, accepting every conflict and outdoing himself. He will always be in the first line during battles, mastering his weapon of choice against enemies, scouting, kidnaping leaders, whatever he is asked to do.
Once he has once again proven himself, he may rise within the warbands pecking order and aid in the vengeance of those members high up than him. If he has proven himself in melee, he can call himself a Strong one, or Ancii. If he has vanquished his opponents through shrewdness and guile, he becomes a Juncii, or mindful one.

Ancii

As an Ancii, the cultist has taken another step down the path of the avenger. In his dreams he can see the masks of the ancestors. All 400 lined up in front of him.. They are too far away, too quiet, but they still touch him. He creates a bond with his weapon and makes it a part of his morning rites, treats it as a friend, garners its favour. He may now make a case for his own personal vengeance to be pursued with the help of his warband.

Caffi

The Caffi is the warbands leader. Their Captain. Their priest. Through them the ancestors speak and make known their will. To disagree with the Caffi would mean disagreeing with the ancestors. Only the Gencii may question his decisions, and the Caffi must defend them with his fists.
The Caffi is physically and mentally superior to the rest of his warband. He’s a better warrior and a brilliant tactician. While the Juncii makes the battle plan, the Caffi leads his pack into danger, spurs it on, and keeps it together. If one of his warriors falls, he will be held responsible by the pack and the ancestors.
The Caffi decides whose vengeance is pursued and when, depending on signs for the ancestors. When the time comes he leads his warband from their army and onto the road, be it towards an enemy camp or a settlement, their Juncii jogging ahead in search of leads and information. Only if the Gencii challenges him and is then defeated by him can he become the warbands next Gencii, hand picking an Ancii to become the new Caffi in his place.

Juncii

The Juncii is the strategist of the warband. They scout ahead to watch enemy movements, track down a quarries location, discover useful terrain features, and keep an eye on the weather. Often they are used as diplomats and go-betweens by the Caffi and the parent army the warband is a part of in order to exchange relevant information. When on the battlefield or off, they deploy the warband, devise the plan of attack, and point out the enemies weak spots.
If the plan fails and a battle is lost or a quarry gets away, just like the ancestors the warband turns their back on the Juncii.

Vancii

The vengeful one, or Vancii, is the member of the warband who's vendetta is currently being pursued. When the time comes it is they who challenges the quarry, fighting or running them down relentlessly and exacting their retribution. To aid a Vancii in this final confrontation would mean diminishing his heroic deed and is considered unforgivable.
After a particularly legendary battle, the Vancii may be honoured by the Caffi who makes them a Gencii. A hero of the warband. A taboo.

Gencii

The Gencii contains all of the Cults knowledge and deeds, and is considered the warbands conscience made flesh. A tutoring that takes many years under the care of the previous Gencii, or as a guest among another warband. A Soulful one must lead the warband by example both physically, spiritually, and mentally.
Their position is irrefutable. He may not lead, but he’s the only one who can question and physically challenge the Caffi. If he wins the battle, the Caffi has to respect and hold his opinion. A Gencii may never be challenged, it is always they who challenges.

Moa

Kisaan

Sects

"Prisons and executioners stand only to keep your hands from the blood of those who have wronged you. Every part of those systems of law exist to put time and distance between deed and consequence. To lift us from our animal nature and its gift of rage, to cage and tame the beast."
-Gencii Inessa, of the Stained War

Divides within the Cult come almost exclusively from which ancestor each cultist is dedicated to, as each cultist will try to push what their ancestor wishes on their warband. When multiple servants of a particular ancestor meet, their influence is felt by all in attendance.
There's a tingle that runs through the body, the breath quickens, and gibberish floods the mind. The emotions triggered jump from person to person and spreads out like a bubble. The people are carried by the wave: at the epicentre, the emotions smash the walls of reason and determine the cultists thoughts, emotions, and actions. A few hundred paces further out, the effect fades. The given emotions sink to the subconscious, and after a few days, the effect fades completely.
These moments can drastically change a warbands desires, dropping what they were doing and taking up another cause immediately, going about their new task with singular purpose and fury. Such tasks vary from the intense construction of fortifications in seemingly odd or random places, to the sudden need to find wives or husbands, and producing children. When two or more cultists dedicated to Garus himself meet, this new task always involves gathering as many warriors and cultists as they can and charting a ship into the east, where they are never seen again.

Temples and Holy Sites

Garus himself never set foot on Tural, nor did any but one of his followers, and for all intents and purposes they are foreign deities and powers. As such there are no holy sites blessed by their passing as in other Cults aside from the hidden tomb of Gonas the Dirge somewhere in the Iron Mountains. Garusii care little for such forms of worship anyway, instead dedicating their deeds and actions to their God and ancestor rather than quiet words.
The closest thing the cult has to temples take the form of fortified military compounds with a central shrine surrounded by battered shields and broken and rusted blades to honour fallen cultists. Such temples are used as refuelling and rearming stations for wandering warbands, replete with armouries, barracks, mess halls and training grounds.

Cult of Garus

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Garus' Icon

Seat of Power

Nomadic

Head of the Cult

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Primary Orders

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Major Festivals

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Holy Books

The Cult does not keep books, but instead shares tales and legends as part of a living history

Holy Symbols

Bloody Barigs, Red trumpets (flower)