Lore:Bloodthorn Cult

The Bloodthorn Cult was a   cult devoted to   and led by a   named   the Gravesinger. It was established during the attempted   in  , at the time an independent kingdom ruled by the Despot of  , although it welcomed initiates from other backgrounds as well.  The cult was known for harnessing dark nature magic through the cultivation of Bloodthorn vines, and used them to corrupt the land and raise  s.  

Bloodthorn cultists were believed to wear yokes in form of chains of braided, thorn-covered vines that bite into their flesh. Some members ofthe cult were known to carry stoppered vials filled with presumablty dangerous substantion wrapped in thorny vines adorned with sigils of their organization. 

Angof's main goal was to conquer and corrupt the region of   in  . He headquartered the cult at the ancient cemetery of  , seemingly establishing his presence there as early as  .  However, the cult's invasion didn't begin until the onset of the   in  . The cultists first took control of the many burial sites in the   region, raising the dead as minions. Angof himself travelled to the ancient battlefield at  , resurrecting the long-dead   general  .  Faolchu was a powerful   in life, and was forced to serve Angof by spreading   throughout Glenumbra, ultimately overrunning the city of   and infecting the   nobility. 

News of the cult's activities were slow to spread, and its corrupting influence extended as far south as the region's capital of  . The cultists allied themselves with the   and began an attempt to corrupt the  , the source of all life in Glenumbra. To do this, they created  s and trapped the Guardians of the  , ancient   worshipped by the local witches. An associate of Angof called   looked beyond Glenumbra and secretly established the cult on the small island of  . He discovered a powerful   relic on the island in  , and disturbed the Ayleid, Breton and  ish spirits of the island in order to obtain it. With the relic, Vardan planned to wipe out the local   and gain control of Betnikh before betraying Angof and claiming Glenumbra for himself. However, the Seamount Orcs learned of the cult's activities and slew the invaders with the help of the  . 

Reeling from the cult's threat, the Seamount Clan sent a petition to Daggerfall to join the  . King   initially disregarded the threat of the Bloodthorn Cult, until an attempt was made on his life. The   were duly ordered to march north and put an end to the Bloodthorn menace. The Beldama Wyrd succeeded in freeing the Guardians and restoring the Wyrd Tree, and the Lion Guard were similarly successful in protecting   from werewolves, retaking Camlorn from Faolchu, and breaking the cult's alliance with the Red Rooks. However, the settlement of   fell to the cult, and its entire populace were raised as zombies. The briefly-lived plane of   known as   was created during this event by another cultist-turned-renegade. The Lion Guard would eventually lead a final attack on Cath Bedraud with the help of the Vestige. Angof was defeated in combat and the threat to Glenumbra was ended, allowing the region's dead to return to their rest. 

In death, members of the Bloodthorn Cult went to  , their   claimed by Molag Bal. As punishment for their failure, Bal sent them to the   to partake in unending battles led by Angof. Angof became repentant in death, seeking to redeem himself and cure his disfigured body. Under the watchful eye of a   known as  , the cultists were forced to face off against the   led by   and the   led by High Kinlady  . Later that year, a  ic invasion force entered Coldharbour to put an end to the Planemeld, and several members of the   ended up trapped on the Cliffs of Failure. The Vestige entered the games to rescue them, although the Overseer gave the option to save Angof, Thallik or Estre instead. Angof promised to aid the invaders in a final assault on  , although it is unknown who was ultimately saved. 
See Also
For game-specific Bloodthorn Cult information, see the ESO article.

References