Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness Update #42 - Religions and Cults in Yerengal
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GrapeOcean Technologies brings us a new lore-focused Kickstarter update for their upcoming CRPG Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness. It tells us a bit about some of the cults and religions you’ll be able to encounter while exploring the world of Yerengal. Here they are, along with a few paragraphs of backer reward talk:
Ho there, adventurers!
Last week, we started collecting input from backers with the following reward tiers: Royal Herbalist, Boxed Edition, Undead Miser, Early Access, Royal Historian and all higher-level tiers that include their rewards. If you have any of these reward tiers and haven't yet filled out the survey we sent you for the corresponding reward items (such as a message in a Catacomb/Crypt, Undead miser loot, or a herb choice), please make sure to do so before 26th March 2021. Since the development of the game is concluding these months, we have to lock down the design of many things on 26th March, which means it will not be possible to add your input into the game after this date.
Input for reward items with more advanced design (such as helping us in the creation of an item, NPC or adventurer party) hasn't been initiated yet, so the above deadline doesn't apply here.
The Cults and Beliefs of Yerengal
In the current update of our lore series, we will discuss cults and beliefs in the world of Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness.
Kingdom of Isilmerald
Religion is a simple matter in Isilmerald. The people living here believe in a pantheon of gods, of whom the most important are Alnarius the king-god, and Tilindia the mother-god. Various aspects of the world are attributed to each of them, and all of them are worshipped to some extent. Those living in the bustling cities traditionally built churches for Alnarius. While many of them ended up joining the expanding human cities, the wood-dwelling Deroni elves centered their beliefs around Tilindia. It is also common for folks living close to nature in remote areas, to pay more attention to the mother-god. In port cities and fishing villages, Omeyrenon, the god of seas is worshipped.
Gods of less benign nature are respected, but seldom worshipped on the lands of Isilmerald. Those who do are shunned and cast out of society. Thus, these outcasts will often gather into sects and cults, to carry their rituals out in secret.
The Eastern Empires
For the people of the Eastern Empires, there is only one true god – albeit a demigod himself -, named Elenuator. It is natural for the Rillow to regard him as such though, as Elenuator himself breathed life and soul into the desert sands to create this elephantine race. Their fanatic respect for their creator is above all. The few Rillow who still dare defy his will, or turn to another religion, are quickly exiled and treated as traitors. Assassins are often sent out to rid the world of such heathens.
The Cult of Rothgor
Out of the many cults respecting the forbidden gods of Yerengal, the one that worships Rothgor is probably the most secretive. Members must advance through many ranks of initiation before they are allowed to feel the true influence of the devil-god. They are kept on a short leash, and those who lack devotion often end up as sacrifices for their various rituals and experiments. There is of course no way out of the cult, once one is initiated. Therefore, barely anyone knows about this sect other than its members. Devotees that have proven themselves receive the mark of Rothgor, a black rose that is the symbol of the devil-god. As their minds and bodies are corrupted by his influence, the whites of their eyes turn black, and their skin pales. The most trusting believers get to be joined by a Courier. A spirit under the direct influence of Rothgor is imparted in their minds, controlling every move they make. It is the greatest achievement for these vile fanatics to live this way.
The Cult of Zoria
Members of the Cult of Zoria devote their lives to strengthening and supporting the goddess of night. She is a goddess of death and decay, with motives beyond the understanding of mortals. The cult seemed to surface and disappear many times during the past decades, as if Zoria’s power has vaned and returned over and over again. The cultists of Zoria often practice necromancy, channeling the essence of undeath to strengthen their goddess. Disobedience among their ranks is punished severely. Such members are turned into Abominations and Moon Horrors, hideous creatures that roam the night. Other unfortunate souls might be slain, then resurrected as mindless ghouls to protect cult members from outside harm.
Monks of the Broken Monastery
Little is known about the religion that formed around the god believed to reside over the mountain range to the west of Freynagar. Those who dared to set their feet in the forlorn halls of the Broken Monastery have found similarities between their icons and later depictions of the god of frost, Böor. The people of Yerengal can never be sure, as the monks who used to reside here have seemingly disappeared without a trace. What has become of them is unknown, and their many books and scrolls have not withstood the test of time.
Our next update will cover the lore of some creatures and monsters tied to the dark cults of Rothgor and Zoria. See you later next week!
