The Cult of Shadow

From Shadow and darkness I tell you this tale, false faith of the Light shall no longer prevail, you speak of Forsaken and what you will do, but now it is our turn to persecute you.
You hunt us and hang us for Lights Holy cause, now the Lightslayers come to even the scores, you are the hunted so run for your lives, for they are preparing and sharpening knives.A storm on the horizon is gathering pace, cut one of us down you'll find two in their place, our Religion will guide us in what we must do, restoring the balance that has been taken by you.We will be waiting when judgement is passed, you'll scream for forgivness with your last dying gasp, the Darkcallers will welcome you as you rise from your grave, forever Forsaken, no longer a slave.
== Guild Description ==
The Cult of Shadow is a Forsaken only Roleplaying Guild based upon the Religion of The Forgotten Shadow , our aim is to bring Forsaken Roleplay to Defias Brotherhood and give something for those Light lovers to fear.
[Promo]
== Background ==
The cobwebs decorating the walls and the ceiling of the old Church in Deathknell swayed gently like tattered curtains blowing in a gentle night breeze. Flakes of dust floated in the air before settling on the already dusty floor. Favius knelt before Shadow Priest Sarvis, once a week he would attend the Church, reaffirming his vow to the Forgotten Shadow, reciting the three Virtues and receiving the Priests blessing, but, this week it would be different, this week the Shadow Priest asked Favius to stay behind when the rest of the Congregation had left.As the last of the faithful left the Church the Shadow Priest extended his rotting hand towards the still kneeling Favius, the flesh, paper thin and torn, hung in strips like torn bandages from the Priests fingers. The index finger bore a large ring, ornately crafted it seemed to warp and mishape the light around it, the seal of The Forgotten Shadow, set in the center of the ring, distorted the light into tendrils of shadow that reached out towards the Lightslayer. Favius kisses the Seal of The Forgotten Shadow, the tendrils danced and extended as if searching for something within the Lightslayer, probing his ears, his mouth and eyes before shrinking back to the seal.“Stand, Brother Favius” The shadow Priest turned and walked towards a broken bookshelf at the back of the Church as Favius slowly stood up. “Your faith is strong Lightslayer” the Priest continued as he ran his finger over the dusty bindings of old books that had been neatly stacked in the bookshelf, “Perhaps your service to the shadow should be rewarded? Perhaps we should give you something more to do than merely hunt down those who persecute us in the name of their false religion? What do you think.. Lightslayer?”Favius, surprised by the candidness of the Shadow Priest chooses his words carefully, “Your Eminence, my service to the Church has never been for personal gain, I have listened to your teachings and I have never wavered from my duty, I practice the three Virtues daily… I merely serve, a tool to use to further our ideals…” Shadow Priest Sarvis raises his hand slightly, his back still to Favius, the Lightslayer immediately finishes his sentence.The Shadow Priest takes a book from the bookshelf and turns towards Favius, the book is bound in flesh and covered in dust “Take this book Lightslayer, it is one of many, it contains the teachings and virtues of the Forgotten Shadow”. As Favius takes the book his mind is overwhelmed for a brief moment, the cries of a thousand tortured souls flood his senses, victims of the Undead Plague that have been tortured and persecuted by those who worship the Light.“From this day forward you shall be a Lore Master, a guardian of the book, it is bound to you as you are it, as a Lore Master you must teach our brothers and sisters of the Forsaken to embrace the religion of The Forgotten Shadow, teach them the virtues of respect, tenacity and power, show them the weakness of the false religion of the Light, unite them and unleash them as an unstoppable force of vengeance, our congregation dwindles Brother Favius, lead them to us so we may become strong, strong enough to bring death to the living, strong enough to protect our people, our Queen and our land…. Death to the living, Brother Favius…”Favius could feel the hatred for the living swell inside him making him shake with anger, “Death to the living!!”.
=== The Black Knight of Tirisfal ===
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Nassulra Othlar, the self crowned Black Knight of Tirisfal was once a Curator of the Cult. But revealed a traitor he haunted Rasonal Dranger for months and turned cult members against eachother more than once.
He was defeated by Rasoanl and Sinclair the 24th of December and only left a shard on the ground, which was taken by Sinclair for safeguarding.
This, however, did not last for long. A group of loyal followers of Nassulra managed to bring him back, setting the Cult in an uproar and almost civil war. Negotiations have commenced, and the Prophet has accepted the excommunicated and even Nassulra himself back into the Cult.
See The Black Knight of Tirisfal for full article.
=== Rise of the Prophet ===
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"To those who read this be forwarned. The Light can burn those who know its embrace, just as the Shadow can seduce the most wary with its beauty.
And it will seem, for many a year, that the hand that bears the light shall triumph. Yet when the Light casts its crimson glow upon the lands of the Shadow know that the time is near.
Watch towards the ways of the forgotten, and heed their words. They shall begin the search for the ones who will come.
But fear not for the balance, for there will be two who bring forth the way, and will sweep aside the old order as the wave crashes upon the sand.
They shall come from the Dark, born of the deepest Shadows, to lead your people to a new place within the old home of Kings and traitors. They shall speak, and their words shall light fires and douse anger, and those who can not know the truth shall see the world as if it were reborn to it once more.
Heed their words, for from two will come one, and that shall bring forth the true path of the Shadow, shining darkness and bringing the message to the people of the Shadow.
Bring forth the shadow from its place of hiding, and let them shine forth. The Light will be consumed, and the balance shall right itself.
Heed these words, and know the truth. May the Shadow bear you great fruits."
- Sacred book prophecy regarding the Prophet.
== Propagandas ==
The following are several propagandas, published and spread by the Cult of Shadow:
They Watch
*Posters with the following message are found around all Forsaken settlements, including the Undercity, as usual they are written in Gutterspeak.
They watch.
There are those who stand against us, there are those who stand amongst us. Unfortunately, there are also those who stand against us and amongst us.
They are the termites which weaken the cabin until it collapses, they are rodents, leeches, traitors.
The Scripture of Respect tell us of these persons, it describes them.
“is not the man who stabs a friend in the back, who invents what he never saw, who does not show compassion to his brethren black at heart? Should we not mark and avoid that man?”
Indeed, we mark that man, we mark that man as to avoid him, as to make sure they seek him out.
They watch the ranks, they mark those whom they suspect and then they act.
They hear out the words of the marked, they judge them, and they act upon their judgment.
They are the Inquisition of the Cult, the ears and eyes of the Prophet, constantly seeking out the heretics, heathens, and apostates.
They are respected, they are admired, but above all, they themselves are ever watchful of those they call brethren. Some may say this goes against the Virtues, yet is it not good to do an act of evil, to ensure more good comes of it? What is better than showing compassion to one of the Forsaken? Indeed, showing it to more than one Forsaken.
Theirs is an eternal vigil to keep the Cult save, and at first glance it is not a glorious, it is not a task that gains much gratitude, yet it does, the leaders of the Cult, including the Prophet, are ever thankful of their unceasing commitment to their task.
Their importance is duly noted by all, the High Inquisitor, their leader, holds a permanent position amongst the leadership of the Cult as a Darkcaller and his opinion carries as much weight as those of other Darkcallers.
They are the Inquisition, they are ever watchful.
Resolutely We Stand
*Copies of the following posters are spread throughout all Forsaken settlements, including the Undercity yet they can also be found in Tranquillien and the Pools of Vision within Thunder Bluff. As usual they're written in Gutterspeak.
Know not the oppression of the Light.
Know not the malevolence of the church.
Know the freedom of the Shadow.
Know the benevolence of the Cult.
These four things, brothers and sisters, are what we wish for you all. In our former lives we knew the oppression of the Light, what they bound us to and how the malevolence of the church brought upon us destruction and suffering.
Was it not Uther the Lightbringer who mentored Arthas? Was it not he who let this man grow in strength to a point strong enough where he could turn upon his own people? Was it not the Light that Arthas was taught to wield by Uther? Was it then not the Light which gave Arthas the power to turn on his own people?
Then we may point our fingers to the Light and state the truth; it brought enslavement upon us.
Then we may point our fingers to the church and state the truth; it brought enslavement upon us.
It is this church which persecutes those who believe differently, those who stand in defiance against its tyranny, it is this church which perpetrates the rampant persecution of the Forsaken. It is this church which still condones Uther’s actions and thus condone Arthas’ rise for one cannot go without the other.
This church wished its tyranny upon us in life and it wishes to persecute us in death, why do you ask? Simple; to them, we are abominations, not for what we have done, not for what we believe, but for what we are. They show us no mercy, no understanding and no chance for dialogue.
So we stand resolutely against it, so we raise our swords and our shields to defend our existence, for we have no choice.
For in enslavement we found a blessing and in a blessing we found freedom.
Free from the tyranny of the church, free from the corruption of the clergy.
The Shadow gave us freedom, gave us the ability to walk the Path of Ascension, the Shadow allows us to come to our full potential, and beyond once we Ascend.
Where the church is malevolent the Cult is benevolent; Where the church attacks, the Cult defends, where the church raises its banner of tyranny, the Cult tears it down in the name of freedom and the Blessing, where the church brings the Light into Lordaeron, the Cult strangles it for the people of Lordaeron.
For resolutely we stand against the oppression of the Light.
For resolutely we stand against the tyranny of the Church.
For resolutely we stand in the name of the Forgotten Shadow.
For resolutely we stand in the name of the Dark Lady.
For resolutely we stand in the name of the Forsaken.
Ascension awaits.
The Plagued Land Stirs
*The following posters are spread throughout Brill, the Undercity, Deathknell, Vengeance Landing, New Agamand and Venomspite. They are, as usual, written in Gutterspeak and carry the mark of the Cult
War!
For some peoples it is the last option, for some people it never happens!
For us though, for us, the Forsaken, the Blessed war is often the only choice!
Often it is forced upon us, often we must react! Now we mustn’t react, now we must act!
War comes to the shores of Lordaeron! War comes to the fields of Lordaeron! War comes to the cities and towns of Lordaeron!
Yet this war can be held away from our lands! This war can be turned on our enemy! This war must not be on our lands, this war must be brought to the infidels in the south!
Why do we speak of war you ask? There has been an assassination attempt on the Prophet of the Cult of the Forgotten Shadow! There have been spies seeking out our weaknesses! There have been probing attacks on our borders!
The Chapter of ‘Holy’ Anethion prepares to invade! These acts are merely the first chapter in the book of history they intend to write! 
Yet the Prophet and her Darkcallers have stolen the pen with which they hope to write and they have written the first chapter!
By divine right the Prophet declares that war shall come to the mountains and passes of Alterac for it is there that the Chapter were last seen amassing! This kingdom provides a safe haven for all who seek to invade Lordaeron!
The Prophet declares that there shall be no normal war, this is a sacred war! Human prisoners have already been taken and dubbed it an ‘Unholy Crusade’!
The Alteracian body has become infected with Anethionist parasites, it is our sacred duty to purge this body of these parasites, if we must kill the body then so be it, such is the way of the Unholy Crusade!
Such is the way of the Forsaken, was it not our beloved Dark Lady who said that we shall slaughter anyone who stands in our way, now we must make our deeds match our words! We must bring to this nation the righteous fury of the Dark Lady, of the Forsaken, of the Cult and of the Prophet!
Already the Cult marches to the borders of Alterac! Already the nation trembles in fear! Already they beg for forgiveness, yet how can we forgive when are not their own masters?! How can we forgive a puppet?! How can we forgive their masters in the Chapter who seek to destroy us?!
We cannot! We must extinguish the fire of these infidels once and for all for if we do not they will seek to extinguish the last vestiges of justice in Lordaeron!
Yet this is no war of Gnomes, of Elves and Orcs. This is no war of Draenei, Trolls and Dwarves. This is a war of Faith and the Forsaken! Our Faith drives us forward into the hearts of the Anethionist infidels! They scream that Faith shall overcome! They are right! The Forgotten Shadow shall overcome!
The faithful ask the Darkcallers; “How are we to wage this war?” their answer is simple; “With ruthless perseverance.”
The faithful ask the Darkcallers; “How long will this war take?” their answer is simple; “Until the Alteracian land falls to us.”
The faithful ask the Darkcallers; “Will we occupy Alterac?” their answer is simple; “Until it is of no more use to us.”
The faithful ask the Darkcallers; “Will there be prisoners?” their answer is simple; “Only their leaders so we may parade them through the Undercity.”
The faithful ask the Darkcallers; “What then when Alterac falls?” their answer is simple; “Slaughter the civilians, occupy the land, exterminate the Chapter.”
The faithful ask the Darkcallers; “What if not all the Chapter is in Alterac?” their answer is simple; “They will die nonetheless, this war knows no borders, no innocents, only victory for the Forsaken.”
So then do the faithful march to Alterac! So then do the faithful march to victory! Yet they look to all the Shadow Guard for inspirational words and the Shadow Guard whispers; “The Shadow comes to Alterac.”
The Shadow Guard stand bestride the Prophet and she proclaims; “This is not the end, this is neither the beginning, yet this is a new chapter, a chapter holding tales of glory. Tales of the Forsaken, of the faithful. Tales of Ascension.”
So, you faithful, answer the call!
The Prophet’s Unholy Crusade beckons!
The Light shall be doused, for the Forsaken are roused, so answer the call, for Alterac is the first to fall!
== The Tirisfal Times ==
The Following are Issues from the Tirisfal Times, Forsaken Newspaper ran by the Cult of Shadow.
Editors: Visceril, Alexios.
Writers: Cult of Shadow members.
Issue 1 - Page 1
Issue 1 - Page 2
Issue 1 - Page 3
Issue 2 - Page 1
Issue 2 - Page 2
Issue 2 - Page 3
Issue 2 - Page 4
Issue 3 - Page 1
Issue 3 - Page 2
Issue 3 - Page 3
Issue 4 - Page 1
Issue 4 - Page 2
Issue 4 - Page 3
Issue 5 - Page 1
Issue 5 - Page 2
Issue 5 - Page 3
Issue 5 - Page 4
Issue 6 - Page 1
Issue 6 - Page 2
Issue 6 - Page 3
Issue 6 - Page 4
Issue 6 - Page 5
Issue 6 - Page 6
Issue 6 - Page 7
== Organisation ==
Prophet: The Prophet is the leader of the Cult, she guides the Cult and its members towards Ascension, her words can be considered the will of the Forgotten Shadow.
Shadowpope: The second highest ranking member within the Cult ICly, the Shadowpope is the spiritual leader of the Cult in the absence of the Prophet. (Officer rank)
Darkcaller: The Darkcallers are the leaders of the Cult, taking care of many of the tasks within the Cult. (Officer rank)
Chosen: An umbrella rank for factions within the Cult, notable amongst which: The Lightslayers and the Inquisition.
Cultist: A Cultist is a member of the Cult who has chosen to indulge in its teachings, they preach their faith to others and are considered quite knowledgeable of our religion.
Deathblade: The Deathblade is a proven member of the Deathblade militia, he has taken it up to himself to defend the faith, the Forsaken, and the Prophet, this does not mean however that they are lacking in knowledge of the Virtues as it is considered a basic necessity to know and understand them.
Acolyte: An Acolyte is a newly inducted member within the Cult who seeks to learn as much as possible of the Virtues so that they may, amongst others, once preach their faith.
Recruit: A Recruit is a newly inducted member within the Cult who has come to the revelation that armed force will sometimes be necessary to defend the Cult, yet this member has yet to prove himself within the militia.
Citizen: The Citizen is the rank one gains upon a guild invite, it is that of a Citizen who follows the Cult's teachings but has yet to choose whether to indulge in the teachings or to take up arms for the Faith. It is, of course, possible to remain a Forsaken Citizen affiliated with the Cult and not join the more zealous parts of the Cult.
As it can be seen, the cult is organized into three main sub-faction.
The Deathblade millitia, which is the sub-faction which focus more upon sharing the virtue of Death, defending the Forsaken and the cult. Member of it must know the virtues by heart, and follow them truely, but aswell learn the art of battle.
The Cultist side, which is the sub-faction which focus more upon preaching the virtues, exploring them and the art of the Forgotten shadow, explaining the virtues better. Member of it can know the art of war aswell, and fight for the Virtues, the Forgotten shadow and the Forsaken nation, but above all it must Know the virtues very well, learn them every day, try to explore them into higher levels of knowledge, and be able to preach about them, the Forgotten Shadow, and the Forsaken.
The chosen ones, which is the sub-faction of the cult's special parts, which includs within the Inquisition, the Lightslayers, and more. Those usually know the art of the Cultist side of the cult, the Army side of the cult, and something beyond those two. Therefore, they are the Chosen ones.
Another part of the cult is the Death-Deliver Cells. This sub-faction is in charge of the Subtle attacks on the cult, Hit and run attacks, Special attacks, Kidnapation, Spreading fear, Spreading the Truth of the Forgotten shadow where it is stationed, and more.
List of current and former officers 
== Beliefs and Virtues ==
The Cult of Shadow practices the three virtues as preached by The Forgotten Shadow: respect, tenacity, and power.
Respect 
The universe is the physical manifestation of other's wills. Thus, for a person to denigrate the universe is to ignore the personal power of those around them. This is not only disrespectful, it is dangerous. A follower of the Forgotten Shadow must develop his personal power in order to exert his will on the universe, but seeking too much power too quickly puts him in conflict with other, stronger beings. Only a foolish follower seeks to challenge his superiors right away. Showing respect ensures a measure of self-protection.
Tenacity Followers of the Forgotten Shadow put even greater stock in the virtue of tenacity. It may at first seem impossible for a person to change the universe when countless others seeking to do the same surround him. Through unwavering perseverance and tenacity though, they may triumph.
Power
Power is the third virtue of the Forgotten Shadow, and the most difficult to attain. A Forsaken who grabs greedily for power might encounter power too great for him or her to handle, and die in their attempt to master it. A Forsaken who succumbs to despair and seeks no personal power has no reason to exist; he craves nothing, desires nothing, he sits alone and pines for his old life. To the cult, Forsaken who do not seek to better themselves might as well still be part of the Scourge. The quest for power requires caution, forethought, and a subtle touch.
Other Virtues
Some branches of the Forgotten Shadow consider death to be a fourth virtue; most consider it sub-virtue of power. Additionally some members of the Forgotten Shadow still show a limited yet twisted version of the virtue of Compassion (one of the Holy Light's main virtues).
Death
A Forsaken reaches the pinnacle of power when he masters death itself, transcends it. This power over death requires the same delicate touch of any other power. A Forsaken must not kill indiscriminately, nor can he withhold death from the weak. To kill wantonly escalates the Forsaken's risk of encountering power too great for him to overcome. It also robs him of his strength; a Forsaken who spends all day slaying wildlife and human peasants might exhaust his power, and be left defenseless when a true threat arises. Likewise, a Forsaken who shows mercy to the weak and forgoes regular exercise of his power may gain a reputation for weakness himself. This draws predators and offends the cult. He must always preserve a balance.
Compassion
Despite their mercenary outlook, the cult possesses a streak of compassion. The living world fears and shuns the living dead, and who can blame them? The cult understands the plight of the Forsaken and wishes to ease their burden if only a little. This compassion tempers even the most heartless priest - though compassion is limited to the Forsaken.
Ascension
The ultimate goal of practitioners of the Forgotten Shadow is to ascend. Ascension occurs once a person achieves complete control over his/herself and the power to transcend death. A Forsaken who ascends becomes invulnerable, invincible and eternal. In essence, he/she becomes a god.
The Cult of Forgotten Shadow teaches that the Forsaken of Azeroth were too weak to ascend. Their undead state is a curse brought on by that weakness. Once the Forsaken learn to master themselves and control the world around them, they shake off that curse and become what they always should have been. Those on the path to ascension often become shadow ascendants.
Divine Humanism 
Instead of seeing both a self and a universe and seeking to create a bond between them through compassion, the Forgotten Shadow preaches a much more self-oriented idea. Priests preach that the self has power over the universe, and the universe revolves around the self. They preach that if an undead was powerful enough to rise from the grave on their own freewill, and become sentient, the undead may strengthen himself by increasing his control of the world around him, thus becoming more godlike. Many priests dub this concept "divine humanism".
Divine humanism is the concept that the self shapes the universe. In essence, each sentient creature in the world is a tiny god, able to exert her will to manifest small changes in the universe. A minor example of divine humanism might be something as simple as mood. The Holy Light teaches that to be happy, one must work to better the universe, and the effort of reflecting joy back through the universal bond spreads happiness. However, divine humanism notes that an angry individual who shows his/her rage triggers anger in those around him/her. She does not change some insubstantial universe "out there" - he/she makes a choice and others sense the strength of her emotions and change themselves. In short, the Holy Light teaches that by changing the universe, you change those around you. The Forgotten shadow teaches that by using your power, you can change those around you and change the universe. Power is key, not some mythical bond.
Balance between Light and Shadow-
While the undead can no longer use the Holy Light, and have learned how to use the Shadow, they also preach that there must be a balance between Light and Shadow, and that they must learn the Light as well, but never forget they were born from the Shadow.
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