Red Cult

Audalad Name: Sangadi Sect of Hukar Sharud, colloquial name Red Cult. The Blood God is called Yara-Sanguid (All-Blooded) in Audalad.
The Red Cult is a shadowy religion that hid behind the scenes of Urnu-Arrak. When the peninsula was young, its native residents worshipped a malevolent and merciless god that demanded sacrifice and war in return for crops and prosperity. After a majority of the native population went missing, settlers resettled the town and reclaimed much of the ruin that was left in the wake of whatever happened. Husks, lost souls, perhaps those sacrificed to the Blood God, stalk the desert wastes preying on the souls still living among the sands. While most remnants of the religion are gone, the Red Temple and its chambers are still standing tall in the center of the city. 
Curently, The Red Cult is split between two depictions. An Audalad Interpretation lead by Foxmunk and the more Druidic Charm interpretation lead by V0idF1sh. Both interpretations see themselves as the true interpretation but the Charm one does not have any ties to Yimmu-Audal since Voidfish was entirely removed from the Audalad Dynasty, having previously been considered Dajir Âudalad. Charm uses a version of Liber Sangunius that was made after the Proclamation of Amos 551 which depicts that Voidfish was a Sangadi, he branched out of the Audalad interpretation because Foxmunk did not follow the faith in the way he believed it should be followed. The Audalads became “tame” in their practices and this upset Voidfish. The primary separation was the form of sacrifice. Audalads sacrificed animals and didn’t believe in war, Charm believed in the extreme right to murder and sacrifice all races. 
== Origins: ==
Before the modern-day settlers arrived on the Peninsula of Urnu-Arrak, it was home to a thriving native population that lived in tunnels dug underneath the sands. During the day, it was practically impossible to leave the tunnels due to the extreme heat of the desert. The natives worshipped the Sun God, a god that brought good will and demanded no sacrifices and instead only ritual prayer. Worship of the Sun God continued until one day the Prophet Nabiin discovered a dusty tome called "Liber Sanguinis" that described the practices of this new religion and the power it would give its worshippers. He began to practice his religion in secret for most of his life, but as he, did more and more joined him until most of the city's residents had stopped worshipping the Sun God. Perhaps by divine interference or by some otherworldly, power the citizens of the city awoke one day to discover that the sun had turned blood red. Seeing this as a sign from his true god, Nabiin and his followers overtook the rest of the city and began practicing the religion in daylight. This day in the history of Urnu-Arrak is known as the day of the Red Sun. In the following years, Nabiin developed the religion and began to further inscribe the will of his god upon the walls of his city. In turn, the truths were revealed to him and some were inscribed by the Volkhv, who at the time was Dexter Og.
== Liber Sanguinis ==
by The Red Follower / Dexter Og
In this wretched wilderness I raise up my voice that you may hear: Death to the weakling, wealth to the strong! Open your eyes that you may see, Oh men of mildewed minds! For I stand forth to challenge the wisdom of the Sun God, a being whom you called "holy".
I dip my forefinger in the watery blood of your impotent, mad redeemer and write over his bloated brow; The TRUE prince of evil - the king of the slaves! I break away from all conventions that do not lead to my earthly pleasure and happiness!
I gaze into the glassy eyes of your insipid Sun God, and pluck him by his rotten tongue; I uplift Blood God's broad-axe, and split open his worm-eaten skull! I blast out the miserable contents of his pitiful sermons and laugh with sardonic wrath!
Behold his pallid, impotent corpse hanging on the crucifix, his fetid flesh eaten by the dogs! Too long the dead hand has been permitted to sterilize our lives! To long right and wrong have been inverted by the false prophet!
"Love one another" it has been said is the supreme law, but what power made it so? Upon what authority does the gospel of love rest? Why should I not hate instead - if I "love" others does that not place me at their mercy? Are we not all predatory animals by instinct?
Give blow for blow, scorn for scorn, doom for doom! Eye for eye, tooth for tooth! Make yourself a Terror to your adversary! Blessed are the strong for they shall inherit this world, cursed are the weak for they shall inherit the yoke!
Blood for the Blood God! Kill before you're killed! Do not plow! Reap and devour! Embrace the Beast that lies sleeping within you, sharpen your fangs and talon! Scream Blood God's name when they tear apart your enemies! After all, there is only one truth. Hunger--and the end.
== Practices: ==
While the religion is mostly gone now, some of their practices are still inscribed into the walls of the monuments they left behind.
# Wake up every day to a new sun, killed at the end of its reign and reborn a disciple of the Blood God. Followers believed that the red of the sunrise symbolized the day of the red sun and as a reminder they would wake up every day at dawn to memorialize it.
# The strong outlive the weak, and the strong are most deserving of the Blood God's love. Those unfit to live shall be buried while they breath to please the Blood God's hunger. Ritual sacrifice in the society at the time was an incredibly common thing; and babies who were weak, small, or sickly at birth were buried in the tower behind the temple. The bamboo stalks there are the remnants of their souls on the material plane, according to some scholars.
# The strongest among us shall lead our people to new heights. Those who are willing to become our leader must do battle to the death so that they might prove themselves most worthy of the blood gods love. If you wanted to become emperor, you had to fight everyone else who wanted to become emperor in a tournament to the death.
# Death does not excuse you from your worship, bury yourself with a vial of your blood and you shall rise again as a holy warrior of the Blood God's conquest. Some people think that the highest priests of the Red Cult could perform necromantic rituals to bring back souls from the dead as unfeeling Husks that would fight in the nations army. Tales of the undead army of the Geshemi people terrified some towns into packing up and leaving before the armies of the Blood God even arrived.
# Upon the day of the Red Sun, all the followers of his holy must make a pilgrimage to the Red Temple and draw blood at the altar so that the Blood God may taste the bounty of his power. Every time the sun would go red, which was once per year, every follower of the Blood God had to bring their blood to the temple and draw it in the altar as a sign of devotion to the holy god.
== Rituals: ==
====== Sacrificial Rituals are central to the religion and guide the worship and faith of it's followers. ======
====== Human Sacrifice ======
# Bring your prey to the altar, if they are of blood, they are fit to be killed in order to gain the god's favour.
# Read passages from Liber Sanguinis, by memorization or from it's pages. Each passage is open to interpretation, and they are to be used accordingly during sacrifice.
# Chant "Blood for the Blood God" 3 times each for every member of the cult present.
# Slay your sacrifice and drain the blood from their eyes, to be saved for later necromancies. 
====== Sacrifice of Material Goods ======
# Bring your goods to the altar. If they are armaments or armor, they are more worthy of being sacrificed. 
# Solemnly describe why your item has meant something or has worth, and then cast it away for destruction. Existence is meaningless, nothing has value. 
# Draw blood at the altar, chanting for the blood god.
== Theory: ==
Theorists have differing ideas of the Blood God's true identity. Some Sakrelists believe he is a flawed interpretation of Triur, one of Theios' archangels. This belief is what was legal in Theios-Essukdal, whereas more classical interpretations stray from the altruistic versions of the Blood God's depictions. Dex_Og, who is the creator of the religion, believed the Blood God to be the one true god of Rathnir, and the creator of the universe. He believed that the Blood God seeks to end the entirety of Rathnir, and return it to the void, because the Blood God believes that existence is meaningless and if eventually he can return the world to the void he will have proven his ideas.
== Roles: ==
=== Volkhv ===
The Volkhv is the highest role in the cult aside from the Prophet, who created the religion. They oversee rituals and summonings of higher order and partake more commonly in frequent necromancy. They also engage in regular priestly duties, such as guiding people to the Red Temple for pilgrimages.
=== Mahant ===
The Mahant are long time devotees to the cult, and regularly participate in sacrifices and oversee certain inner-workings of the cult. They have authority over a certain region or group of cultists. 
=== Bhagat ===
Respected as Mahant, but without the duties that come with the role. These members are often elders or well-liked members of the community.
=== Cultist ===
A member of the cult that participates in sacrifices and pilgrimages.
== Interaction with other religions: ==
=== Theiosism ===
The Red Cult was officially recognised in the Kingdom of Theios-Essukdal by Ningal MisticCrafter Audalad on 27th March 2021 with the Edict of Treiur. The basis for the legalization was the official viewing of the Red Cult as "Trieur Worship", or in other words worship of the Patron Angel Trieur within Theiosism. The view persuaded the government of Theios-Essukdal to officialize itself and was popularized after the publication of the essay "On Trieur and The Red Cult" which was written by the theologian and Domestikos of Theios-Essukdal Harbardr.
=== Hukar Sharud ===
Following Proclamation of Amos 551 the Red Cult was fully incorporated into Hukar Sharud. Sangadi recognise there are Yimmu-Laharae (Many Gods) but they wish to go against the balance in the Aradusu Aderrid and establish Yara-Sangduid as the sole lahar.
=== Abyss Mysticism ===
The Red Cult and Abyss Mysticsm have been linked since the dawn of Rathnir and predates to Jagdas. Their exact link is kept hidden and revealed only to the most worthy of cultists.
== Red Cult Conflicts ==
=== Days of the Red Sun ===
Two days of the Red Sun were celebrated. One by DecOg where he massacred the citizens of Urnu Arak. One by Foxmunk and Voidfish who did the same. Blowing up multiple parts of the city and summoning undead to help them fight the swarms of Audalad soldiers.
https://youtu.be/tD5aYSO4dxI?si=TifRsokixhrEVE6E
=== Charmic war with Yimmu Audal ===
Voidfish finally for a number of reasons declared war on Yimmu Audal. He sent a messenger to announce the occasion. This was the announcement. This war and the one following resulted in two Charm victories. Claiming Amos in Azuria and finalizing the Charmic Red Cult and the primary followers of Yara-Sanguid.
War of the Red Sands. 
2nd Yimmu Audal Charm War
# **Theiviocracy of Charm Announces**
*A jester dressed in Red and black makes their way to the capitals of the continent of Alteniquia whispering the words of this announcement under his breath. Riding his Ass he makes his way through dusty old towns chuckling to himself.*
Ladies and gentlemen, brace yourselves for a proclamation of utmost gravity and undeniably sarcastic enthusiasm! The Theiviocracy of Charm, in a display of unparalleled wit and sheer audacity, hereby announces the commencement of what we like to call "The Great Chuckle-War" against the so-called "eternal empire" of Yimmu Audal.
Now, folks, let's be honest - we've been feeling a bit nostalgic lately. Its been a while since we last tangled with this illustrious golden empire of sand, and we couldn't help but think to ourselves, "Oh, what a splendid opportunity for a little adventure!" Our beloved citizens are yearning for the delightful spectacle of Yimmie cowards who spend a staggering 70% of their lives cowering behind their precious war shields. It's almost touching, really.
As passionate protests sweep through the cobblestone streets of our charming towns, our mischievous Red Cultists have hatched a plan of epic proportions, deep beneath the enchanting city of Grogonia. Their devious goal? To generously present the artifact known as Jagdasite, wrapped with a bow, right into the heart of YA's holy city of Urnu-Arrak. This act of "friendship" will, of course, result  permanent closure of the portal nestled deep beneath their city. We're all about promoting tourism, you see!
Now, for the sake of peace, we offer Yimmu Audal two choices: Either hand over five of those scenic land claims on the continent that conveniently border the Astyllean Sea, thus gifting us with delightful naval borders - or, in an act of unparalleled generosity, provide us with a mere twelve million chuckles! Your move, dear Yimmu-Audal. Let the hilariously one-sided "Great Chuckle-War" begin!
== Necromancy ==
=== Charmic ===
Few in the Red Cult practice necromancy. Most practice it within Charm. This magic was learned and perfected by Foxmunk who brought Voidfish back to life before the cult schism. This event happened within the catacombs under Grandia City. The artifact used by Voidfish to raise the dead was also created in this event. A netherite staff that channels the spirits of the dead and the power of the Yara-Sanguid.
Category:Religions
Category:Yimmu-Audal
Category:The Red Cult (Religion)
Category:Hukar Sharud
Category:Traveler's Era