Cydeth, God of Wrath
Cydeth
[Hermaphroditic, Evil]
Cydeth, known to many as the god of Wrath, represents the darker will of mortals that wishes to do harm to others, and the secret pleasure that they feel from destroying something they hate. It is perhaps because of the unpleasant aspect of mortal instinct most hate about themselves that the deity has been able to find root in so many different cultures. Cydeth appears to be of no specific sex, lacking in any telling physical features, as Wrath can be found in any being with even a spark of evil will. While Cydeth is represented in a variety of depictions across cultures, several distinct traits are always present. In place of his head sits a three-sided pyramid, each point sharpened to a cruel edge. Along the forearms are serrated blades meant for the carving of flesh. Lastly, the dark deity always appears clad in robes of black or red, faces of tormented souls that were savagely murdered trapped within his body, forever seeking to escape.
Cydeth seeks to bring suffering, brutality, rage, and death into the hearts of all living things. He is in a constant state of anger and discontent, as his edicts demand nothing less than senseless slaughter and sacrifice for its own sake. This makes it difficult for followers of Cydeth to establish a stable base of operations, so the god always seethes, always rages with endless hatred at his self-imposed madness. Those who draw closer to Cydeth soon become lost in the cyclical nature of hatred, joining him in his insanity.
Portfolio: Murder, Brutality, Killing, and Hate
Cleric Training:
Clerics of Cydeth are indoctrinated through brutal physical abuse and psychological torture at the hands of other fanatical followers. Very few would willingly worship such a god, so rather than attempting to lure in members with promising rewards, the Church of Wrath simply captures potential recruits. They are then made to suffer until they learn to worship Cydeth with their broken minds. Those who show an aptitude for sadism and genuine evil in their hearts find that their connection grows quite quickly. New clerics of Cydeth most commonly climb their way up the loose hierarchy through fear and a serrated blade driven into the backs of their masters. Such foul acts of betrayal and anger are greatly rewarded, murderers and serial killers making the most apt of high priests.
Clerics of Cydeth are expected to display supreme dominance and ruthless savagery to their flock, leading as both an example and a warning to those who would be free of Cydeth’s call. On the field of battle, which is often any field that the Cult of Wrath walks upon, the Clerics are trained to drive their men mad with rage. They whip them into a frenzy that creates a loss of control, but grants incredible power, then they afflict themselves with this madness to join the bloodshed. When the dust settles, the losses on both sides are typically horrendous, but this senseless slaughter pleases Cydeth most of all, and the few that survive are elevated to greater heights of power. Those who did not follow him to begin with but were baptized in the blood of murderers, will soon find themselves weakening to his call.
Quests:
The Blood Soaked Bastion
The followers of Cydeth pass down legends of a large, unhallowed ground that exists for their own perverse use. The only setback in finding the Blood Soaked Bastion is that this land does not exist, it must be created. A large and vibrant plot of land, roughly 5 miles in length must be soaked in the fresh blood of enough victims to drown all of the plant life within the area. When at last all things wither and die within this space, and the ruined earth is forever stained the color of blood, then a ritual shall be delivered to Cydeth’s followers by Imbru, his herald. When the ritual is completed, requiring the sacrifice of One Thousand Pounds of Flesh, then the land will become a permanent outpost for Cydeth’s supernatural forces. For every sacrifice or murder committed within the land from then on, the leftover corpse will be consumed by the Bastion, and an abomination of insatiable hatred and murderous intent will emerge in its stead to spread the gospel of Wrath.
Prayers:
The Prayer of Carnage
Tide of blood wash over us, bathe us in the juices of our prey. We are the takers of life, the unclean and the emboldened. In Cydeth’s name we cut them all, and in Cydeth’s name they Bleed.
The Hymn of Rage
Suffer, o’ man
Blood is to be spilled
Flesh is to be ripped
Life is to be tilled
The soil shall roil
With our blood as it boils
Temples:
The Broken Temple of Lafidonous
One of the greatest monuments to Cydeth’s deception, this massive stone structure is surrounded by crumbling stone walls, much of its structure left to decay and neglect. Long ago, this temple was built by Cydeth’s followers under the name of a false god known as Lafidonous, near the town of Ironbell Falls. The members of the cult lured the villagers into membership under false pretenses, and slowly turned them to the ways of Cydeth. Eventually, the followers of Sul received word of the deception, and arrived in force to clear out the cult.
Shortly after, they rededicated the temple to Sul, and the town began the process of healing ...except that Cydeth had not left. As time went on, the seed of evil, planted deep within the structure issued its call, attracting murderers, killers, and even a descendant of the original High Priest of “Lafidonous” himself. Soon after, the region was plunged into chaos as a blight of wrath grew from the land, converting its inhabitants into raving lunatics bent on murder. Those who were not affected, were quickly dispatched. The temple sits to this day, corruption seething within and without, slowly eroding the will of the Greywood.
The Blood Grotto
Deep within the Black Mountains, in a country known as Surk, lies a den of sin and corruption known only as the Blood Grotto. Formerly a large, mostly clean labyrinth of natural caves featuring an elaborate network of streams and pools, it was once inhabited my several tribes of Greenbloods. While not peaceful by any means, they lived in a mostly stable balance with each other until a particularly ambitious Orc by the name of Masokai learned the secrets of the Darker Arts. While the neophyte believed he was practicing sorcery, Cydeth saw in him the will of a murderer, and intercepted the humanoid’s training with insidiously masked lessons of his own.
Not long after Masokai’s training, the Orc, now a Bloodcaster, began sacrificing his own kind within his sanctum to the glory of Cydeth. As the sacrifices grew in number, other Greenbloods, Orcs, Goblins, and Hobgoblins, began to feel the call. After a year of such erosion, all of the original inhabitants had been murdered, or converted.
The Blood Grotto now sits within the Black Mountain, its inhabitants exploring ever deeper into the caves, desperately searching for new sacrifices. The once clear pools of water now run red with blood, no longer fit to drink. Somehow, the renamed Clan of Slaughter seems to persist off the tainted fluid, and in fact drink nothing else.Rites: The commonly performed rituals of the followers of Cydeth do not tend to have a great deal of practiced ceremony, although the setting and implements used are considered important. Revelers are often called upon to maintain a simple chant while victims are sacrificed to Cydeth in violent fashion. In cases like these, the act is expected to be performed with exuberance, savagery, and sadism, so the methods used can vary greatly. The Cult of Wrath believes that murder performed with earnest surrender to one’s baser instincts is the highest form of spiritual connection to the essence of slaughter.
While rites can be performed outside of a prepared setting, it is a firm belief among worshippers that the pain and terror of the victims slain can be better received by Cydeth with the implements, trophies, and ornamentation of killers permeating the area. More elaborate setups will feature red and black ceremonial robes worn by ranking members of the cult, along with elaborate sacrificial altars that can best distribute the blood of their victims.
Lastly, many members are willing to offer themselves as sacrifices, believing that allowing oneself to be murdered to promote murder is as just a cause as any. However, due to the difficulty in sustaining membership in a religion with such volatile beliefs, this form of self sacrifice is rarely encouraged, but still praised if offered.Burial Rites: Burial Rites within the Cult of Wrath are macabre things. Acolytes and Priests are expected to assist in the dismemberment of their dead and the bodies of their victims. These remains are placed in thick sacks or barrels, and buried in areas where sin and anger run rampant. They believe that by doing this, the rage of their slain members or the violated innocent will persist through death, and bring the land closer to Cydeth’s call.
Cydeth supports these actions, and in the past has been known to send his avatar to the site of enormous massacres being prepared for relocation.
Tithe: Members of the Cult of Wrath are expected to give up all of their worldly possessions upon joining. These goods are knowingly accumulated by a High Priest or highest ranking membership for personal greed. Cydeth does expect that the recipients of these goods use a portion of them to maintain sites of worship and increase membership. As long as these courtesies are observed, the god cares little for what is done with material wealth.
Lower ranking members who have given up their previous lives are still expected to tithe, with two specific restrictions. Any money earned through honest labor or trade is expected to be surrendered in whole. Capital gained through the act of killing, however, may be split in half between the member and the church. This helps to incentivise and promote Cydeth’s relentless desire for blood.
Benefits: Followers of Cydeth gain access to a litany of powers that grant them power over the lives of other mortals. They are granted magic that manipulates the body and blood of a living creature, as long as the power is used to cause harm. In a similar vein, they are also granted equipment to better help them kill and dismember humanoid bodies. These implements are often crafted with sharp, serrated edges, ideal for cutting through resistant substances
Perhaps one of the greatest gifts of Cydeth is to infuse a follower with the power of Rage. While in this state, the recipient loses all control of themselves, surrendering to the pure impulse of madness. This angry insanity fills them with raw physical power, allowing them to destroy their adversaries through sheer, psychotic brute force. This often times leads to the killing of one’s own comrades, but if it is in the name of murder, it is viewed as justified by members of the cult.
There are little financial, spiritual, or personal benefits to following Cydeth.Herald and Allies:
Imbru [Herald]
Imbru appears as a muscular yet emaciated humanoid with grey skin, draped in ragged black clothing. It wears a simple loin cloth, and several scraps of blood-stained material are wrapped around its limbs, giving the appearance of bandages. On its face sits a jagged, crude metal mask that encompasses the entire head, save the lower jaw which is filled with a row of perfectly sharpened, blade like teeth. When it speaks, blood oozes from its torn gums in almost impossible amounts, creating a steady stream of blood and saliva. The mask itself has no apparent openings for the eyes, ears or nose, yet it seems to navigate its surroundings with incredible perception.
For equipment, Imbru wields a one-handed Sickle, the blade forming a jagged, red-tinted crescent. While the weapon looks crude and dull, any who are flayed by it find the flesh stripped from their bones as if it were a hot knife cutting through butter. Other than this, it seems to have no other weapon, save its very skin. Poking from underneath, in nearly every part of its bizarre frame are strips of blood red barbed wire. The lines of wire can be seen circulating throughout, but every barb pokes through the skin, threatening to draw blood from any creature foolish enough to approach.
Imbru appears most often in the wake of a great massacre, searching for a suitable environment rife with enough blood, anger, and death to serve as a potential entrypoint for its master. Battlefields are unusable, for while a great deal of death has occured, most of the slain were willing participants in their own demise, which goes against the essence of murder. Since the scope of slaughter must be equivalent, however, it is rare for Imbru to show itself. Mass killings large enough to attract the attention of
Cydeth’s Herald require a level of sadism and dedication very few humanoids are capable of.Relationships with other Gods: Despite his reputation as a monstrous god, even Cydeth has found ways to align with other gods that benefit from his existence. Chief among these are Veo, the god of Torture, Pain, and Agony. Hemotis, the King of Demons, often aligns its armies with servants of Cydeth, as their goals, if not their motivations, are the same: the death of mortals. Perhaps a bit unusual is Heme, the god of Blood and Mortality. While Heme deals more with the exchange of death and life through blood, and not the unnatural ending of life, Heme and Cydeth do share a somewhat symbiotic relationship. On some rare occasions a particular group oppositional to Heme’s goals might grow too large, and while Heme is unable to propagate mass genocide, Cydeth has no such restrictions.
Factions:
Very few mortal factions openly associate with the Cult of Wrath. On occasion, some have been known to hire out particular sects of Cydeth’s following known for being capable of focusing their efforts. Both the Bleak and the Reavers have utilized their services in the past, and continue to maintain a neutral affiliation with Cydeth. The relationship is purely transactional, however, and could be easily terminated at the first sign of betrayal.
Relics:
The Gorestone
This large, dark grey stone is smooth and polished, a perfect sphere. Along its surface and deep within the dark stone itself run blood red veins of a strange substance. These veins are filled with the blood and flesh of Cydeth himself, the stone’s magic constantly recycling any of the fluid that may be drained from it. The fluid has a variety of heinous properties depending on how it is used. If consumed, it will quickly drive a mortal into a mad rage, never to escape. If distilled and refined, the liquid can imbue one with a similar strength and none of the drawbacks. It is said that if enough of the material is distilled, left to dry, and then ground in with bits of the flesh, the resulting paste will curse the consumer with a more permanent affliction.
Fleshreaper
This curious knife is a minor artifact, gifted to a particularly talented killer following Cydeth’s designs (whether they know it or not). It appears as a miniature scythe, the blade bent at a 90 degree angle. The blade can be flipped down into a slit within the worn wooden handle to conceal it, or flipped up to appear as a more traditional blade. However, the blade is thick and heavier than it would appear, and is best used as a slashing weapon despite its size. The blade shears off flesh with the greatest of ease, causing victims of an attack to bleed profusely. Wounds created by this weapon are extraordinarily difficult to heal, requiring powerful healing magic to close them. Should the wielder of the weapon use it in a premeditated act of murder, they will find their connection to the blade growing stronger, while simultaneously turning more aggressive in their need for killing.