Tes4Mod:Stirk/Varieties of Heresy

[Editor's Note: At the age of seventeen Julina Morocorus was the victim of the charismatic Curolinus Lusarino's cult. She was later found and rescued by the Imperial Cult. Since this time she has spent her life helping and protecting others from the dangers of such groups.]

In my years of service to the Imperial Cult, I have had the misfortune to encounter all manner of strange and downright unwholesome cults. As any servant of the Nine Divines would do, I have tried to correct these misguided sects. For the most part I have been successful.

This work focuses upon those whose faith in their heresy rarely falters, those who seek to deny the very existence of any divinity or those who worship powers who demand such bloody sacrifice that they must surely be the products of some maddened mortal mind. Those, in short, whom the typical layman should avoid at all cost.

I. Worshippers of Beastmen

There are, typically amongst some of the more primitive peoples, groups dedicated to the worship of what we refer to as beastmen. These foolish groups center their worship around the veneration of some manner of beastman, be it the werebear of Skyrim or the werelion of Elsweyr. Often these groups appear normal by day, seeming to be a typical village or tribe, but by night they reveal a far more sinister nature.

At sundown, the leader, or icon, of their cult (rarely the leader of their daytime community) is placed within some manner of strong cage or deep pit, where he or she will spend the night. Once their cult leader or icon transforms into a beast, the cult begins whatever manner of ritual they have developed. Often, these rituals involve the donning of the skin of some beast or the re-enactment of a symbolic hunt. No matter what form these rituals take, they invariably culminate in the sacrifice of some hapless victim, typically livestock, to their beastly leader.

I am uncertain as to what these cultists seek to achieve with this, but the theories my colleagues have put forth may offer the layman at least a general sense of the purpose behind these strange cults.

A popular theory holds that such groups do not so much worship the beastmen as hold them in trust for use in war against neighboring peoples. Indeed these cults are typically found in groups that are inferior to their neighbors in either numbers or weaponry. However, these cults are also often found in regions that were pacified long ago and nothing more than common highwaymen pose a threat anymore.
A second theory holds that these groups attempt to gain the power of the beasts in hunting. The existence of such cults among settled, farming peoples seems to discredit this theory.

Yet a third theory suggests that cults such as these attempt to placate the fearsome beasts that roam near their communities. This, again, is only somewhat plausible as a number of these groups live in areas where most hostile animal life have been nearly eliminated.

Whatever the motivations of these groups, they should be avoided by the layman at all costs.

The Wulfserk Cult of southern Skyrim legend is one of the best known examples of such beastmen worshippers.

II. Worshippers of Destruction

Amongst those born into a chaotic world, there are always a few who find solace in the belief that Tamriel will soon cease to be and that the end is near. Often times these cults are harmless, simply a group of misguided peasants perfectly content to spend their days preparing for their perceived end. However, there are other cults that pose just enough danger for the laymen that they should be wary when rumors of such cults are heard.

These cults center on an apocryphal prophecy focusing on some catastrophe or a particularly charismatic leader who claims that the end will soon come. Typically, cult members fanatically devote themselves to a code of conduct which they believe will save them from this end. In the more benign cults, these codes dictate little more than a humble life in contemplation. In the more malignant cults, these codes can dictate suicide and even murder.

It is difficult to fathom why these cults arise, but a fair number of theologians suggest that they may arise during times of crisis as a manifestation of peoples' fear of the unknown and uncertain future. Another group of theologians suggest that it may be the influence of one of the Daedra.

Recently a colleague of mine discovered rumors of such a group in Mournhold, calling themselves the End of Times Cult. Whether these cultists are a danger to others remains to be seen.

III. Worshippers of Mortals

Of all the heretical faiths I have described, the most insidious by far are those that center upon a mortal mer or man who has, through deception or delusion, placed himself on equal footing with the gods. Rather than lead by virtue and strength as our lord, Tiber Septim, did, these lowly mortals lead by fear and intimidation. These heresies are insidious in the extreme, and a layman must be careful to avoid them lest she fall victim to one of their leaders' charismatic contenance and his silver tongue.

It begins simply enough. A strange and alluring man wanders into a small village on the edge of Cyrodiil or Skyrim and offers the promise of a better life for all if only they will place their faith in him. He targets the young, those who are not yet wise to the ways of the world, those naive enough to place their trust in a total stranger. He targets the mourning, those who have lost someone and have not yet come to terms with it. He targets drunkards and the skooma clouded, those who make friends quickly so long as their new friend has a few septims to spare. He targets those who are in some way weak, and through his strength of personality, he slowly forces them to follow him - to serve him.

Eventually he will move on, his willing slaves in tow, bound to him by chains of ignorance and false hope. He will continue in this manner until he is stopped by the hand of the righteous, or until he feels he has a sufficient number subjects. If he is allowed to stop of his own will, he will settle somewhere with his piteous slaves and create a dark stronghold for himself. He will make such a stronghold wherever the righteous cannot threaten to expose him, unseen amongst the warrens which lie below decadent cities or far beyond the roads of the countryside.

Once his stronghold is made, this despicable leader will select his chosen. His chosen's heart will swell with pride at their selection, for they feel as though they have been called by some great power for some high and holy purpose, and they will gladly obey his command, no matter what it may be. Commonly, those chosen from amongst his male followers act as his guard, protecting their master and dispensing his punishment upon the others with great zeal. Those chosen from his female followers will share his bed.

As time goes on the deceitful leader grows more and more tyrannical, first ceasing to allow followers to leave. Then sending forth his guard to suppress those who he believes are undermining his rule. Finally he imposes himself upon his chosen. His tyranny continues, month after month, until at last he submerges into the madness that has ineexoraly been consuming his mind.

I have heard that some sink so deeply into this madness that they order the deaths of their followers and at last bring an end to the terror themselves. I have also heard that such events are often caused by the arrival of an outsider, usually someone who accidentally stumbles upon them. Because of this, any layman who encounters such a group should quietly leave and seek out the nearest Imperial Cult shrine. The Imperial Cult has a long history of putting an end to such terrible heresies relatively bloodlessly and helping the victims of these madmen.

My colleagues and I have great difficulty understanding how these madmen begin down such a path. Many suggest that if such madmen could be found early on, they could be treated and possibly prevented from ever engaging in such practices. I am certain this is impossible. There is only one cure for their madness.

The infamous Bedabi who led his followers into the wastes of the Alik'r to die is perhaps the most notorious of such madmen.

IV. Worshippers of Science

There are those among you men and mer who believe that all gods are false. They would have you believe that we can surpass the realms of magicka by putting our faith in science. Now, science in itself is not an evil thing. Indeed, it is a great aid to our lives; one need only look at the local windmill or watermill to understand that! But when men or mer worship it as a god - their only god - they endanger us all. The layman would be wise to distance himself or herself from the science worshiper's peculiar faith.

In their cluttered workshops, these worshippers - scientists they call themselves - have lost their senses. Unlike their brethren, the gods-fearing natural philosophers, these scientists rarely leave their cog-strewn dens to look at the world the gods have made for them. Because of this, they seek to unravel the mysteries they see around them.

When others see the clear power of the gods in lightning, these scientists see some great natural phenomena and babble about unseen forces traveling along invisible paths. Where we see the gift of Magnus, magicka, they see some great force that can be explained not through careful meditation but instead through measurements and yet more unseen forces.

This search for mysteries to unravel where there are none eventually drives them quite mad. One need only hear their inane theories to understand this. One scientist went so far as to propose that one day machines like those of the Dwemer would enable travel in carriages faster than any horse or perhaps even flight. I will trust the unfathomable mysticism of the gods rather than place my faith in some rusting, steam-powered monster.

All of this may sound quite harmless, but the layman should keep this in mind when discussing the faith of the scientists: they seek to make us like the Dwemer. Can they not see that the gods condemn those who would turn their backs upon them and embrace the faith of science' Can they not look upon the empty fortresses of their ancient predecessors and comprehend that such a fate awaits all those that would dare travel down that path' Do they not realize that the gods condemn an entire race of people who would tread that path'

This is why you must not allow the scientists to continue with their work, for if it reaches fruition, it will surely doom us all. Do not, of course, harm them physically for they do not pose a physical threat to you. Instead, dismiss them, disbelieve their foolishness and ignore them. Turn your back upon them as they would turn their backs upon their gods. After all, they surely cannot last long prodding at lightning, can they'

It is advised that the layman avoid Cordanus Krauserus's work and his associates as they are amongst the worst of these scientists.