Adiart Kingdom, in all its glory, has faced many adversaries in its time. Yet, none are quite as dangerous as the mysterious Cult, who worship both Mithras, the god of blood, and Corax, the god of darkness.
While neither god usually influences the world, choosing to remain passive, their shared Cult was falling apart. Due to the lack of a strong leader, the members of the Cult were failing to motivate themselves into a life of servitude. The gods realized a solution to their problems: bless a chosen cult member to become the leader. Mithras gave the new leader the power to sacrifice his fellow cult members as a trade to help them kill, to advance the cult. Corax decided he would bless the leader with the ability to brainwash others into joining the Cult, whether they wanted to or not.
With blessings from the gods, the new Cult Leader was able to motivate the cult with ease, allowing them to further their influence in the world. He chose to target Adiart for a good reason: although the land was large and bountiful, it’s leadership was small in numbers and struggling to keep their power. The leader sent two of his best followers, bestowing upon them several gifts: the first received some of the gods’ blessing, allowing him to serve as the leader of the Adiart branch of the Cult. The second received several new powers: the ability to identify the faction of those who oppose the cult, and the ability to gaze into them to reveal personal details about themselves.
With these blessings and powers, they thought they would be able to infiltrate and take over Castle Adiart with little resistance. Unfortunately, they were not prepared for the eccentric types of people who awaited them there. Among them was the somewhat unhinged Prince, a red-haired man and the rightful heir to the throne. The Cult intended to brainwash and convert him, but due to his unfortunate mental condition, he would not listen to them. They soon found out that the Prince kidnapped and held hostage random members of the court, demanding they tell him who they are. The Prince would even on occasion do this with people he had already met and got to know, later claiming it was an accident.
The Prince seemed the be the Cult’s biggest hurdle yet. What do you do with a man who won’t be convinced? The answer was soon clear to them, with more members now bolstering their ranks. The Adiart Leader saw fit to sacrifice one of their newer members, known as the Ritualist, in exchange for the ability to take the life of the Prince. The leader drew out a Kris blade, laid out the Ritualist on their cold stone table, and drove it into his chest. The Ritualist stifled his own screams, knowing that for the sacrifice to be completed, he must not resist. As the colour and life drained from him, his last thought was of the afterlife, and how Mithras will treat him well for his sacrifice.
With the sacrifice complete, the Adiart Leader prayed to Mithras, asking for the blessing to be bestowed upon him once again. Mithras granted his wish, giving him to power to extinguish the life of the Prince. The Cult members all smiled, knowing what needed to be done at the end of the next night. During the day, each of the members hardly kept a straight face, in pure delight of their upcoming success in removing the most troublesome member of the castle. But as night fell and they scurried off to their rooms, one of the castle Knights heard the strange cackling.
The Knight was immediately suspicious, and so made sure to guard the Prince’s door tonight, knowing that if anyone would be made a target, it would be him. As the Knight was beginning to fall asleep, it finally happened. A strange looking robed figure approached the Knight from down the hallway. He asked to be granted entrance into the Prince’s quarters, as he needed to speak with him. The Knight adamantly refused, knowing that this was an assassination attempt. The Adiart Leader cackled, asking the Knight if he had a death wish. He expressed that it would be better for him to die than anyone else.
The Cult Leader drew his dagger, and rushed the Knight, trying to stab him. The Knight drew his sword, attempting to swing at the leader. However, the leader was too fast, dodging his sword swings and managing to slash at the Knight’s neck. The Knight soon realized he was outmatched, and knew what he needed to do. He had made an oath with the Blue Dragon, to do whatever it took to protect them. He lunged at the leader, this time catching him off guard. He drew his sword through the leader’s stomach, piercing through the other side. However, it was at a cost, as in the leader’s dying moments, he managed to slice the Knight’s neck. Neither survived the encounter.
The remaining cult members, who believed that the Prince would lie dead in the morning, were shocked to hear the news of their leader’s death. They understood after hearing about the altercation, however. The three remaining members looked at each other, and silently agreed that the cultist known as the Seeker, the original partner to the Adiart Leader, would take on the title of Leader and receive the blessing of the gods. When they once again met at night, they were in agreement still, and the gods granted the blessing to the Seeker, now known as the Adiart Leader. They also agreed on their plan: to once again attempt to kill the Prince. Although it may seem suicidal to do so after an attempt was made on his life, they knew the other Knights of the castle well, and were in agreement that they wouldn’t expect someone to immediately try to kill the Prince again so soon, and wouldn’t bother keeping watch or guard on him.
They sent the new leader to carry out the task. This time, the leader was successful in getting into the Prince’s quarters. He was fast asleep in bed, looking weary after a long day of accusations. The Adiart Leader drew his dagger, and plunged it through the chest of the Prince, linking the Ritualist’s sacrifice to this attack. Mithras blessed and empowered this attack, allowing the dagger to quickly and quietly silence the Prince for good. The Cult had succeeded, and with their biggest threat out of the way, they were now destined to take the Adiart throne.
The members discussed their plan in private, thanks to the telepathic abilities of the Apostle. They discussed who would be the best fit to take the throne, and decided on the Apostle. Before joining the Cult, he was a Noble, with enough standing in the court to have no objections when asking to be the new King. With their chosen member to take the throne resolved, the now needed to know one thing: how would they kill the King, when he was likely to have armed guards protecting him at all times?
They came to the conclusion that they would have to enlist the help of a certain neutral individual, one who did not align with the current throne or the Cult. This person was the Alchemist, a talented woman with the ability to poison and kill someone with ease. They asked her in private if she would help them, revealing why they needed her help. After some thinking, she decided to agree, believing that their plan would end up benefiting her, as they would leave her alone once they have the throne. That night, the Alchemist asked permission to enter the King’s room, and slipped a poisonous liquid into the King’s wine while nobody was looking.
The following morning, it became apparent that the King was in fact quite dead. The Alchemist had already fled the Castle, hoping to return once the Cult has control of the throne. After mourning the Good King’s untimely death, the court was all thinking about the same thing: who would take the throne? The Apostle took the opportunity to express his wishes to come the next King, saying that he would rule fairly and kindly to all, as the previous King did. There was no opposition to this, with the court believing the one they thought was a Noble had all good intentions. With the throne secured, the Cult had everything in place they needed to take over Adiart!
Several armoured figures revealed themselves from the shadows, proclaiming that the Cult would now serve as Adiart’s new rulers. A fair few in the court were shocked and appalled at the grave mistake they had just made. It was clear that the Cult had enough armed guards to kill anyone who opposed them, so all the court’s nobles and visitors expressed their interest in the Cult. With the King beaming and the Adiart Leader cackling, the Cult now had everything they needed. Adiart had fallen into Cult hands, and the future of the land was now in the questionable hands of Mithras and Corax.
