Cult of Ahai

The Cult of Ahai is an Aratean, demonologist Religion concerned with world conquest in the name of a supreme being called Ahai, the Deepdark King, the Second Conqueror, the Lurking Darkness, the Devourer of Worlds. Its members are most well-known for building cavern cities, deep underground from where they spread the corruption called Skulk. Other claims to fame are their ability to summon wardens and frequent raids on settlements, especially in the southeastern quadrant of the map.
== Background ==
The Cult can be described as an offshoot of Arateanism, though it diametrically opposes its teachings. In Aratean Mythology, Sode Shira was created from the essence of Mora and Shiv, the mythologys supreme beings of light and darkness in order to separate them from each other. The interplay of creation and destruction is then the thing that resulted in Abexilas as we know it today. And while the gods of the heavens, who are eternal and unchanging think of Abexilas as a fundamentally flawed project, due to its decay, the gods of the void envy the world for the structure it provides.
While Mora, the supreme being of change, revolution, disorder, darkness, death and the below is made up of an infinite number of facets and entities, called “Demons”, six of them stand out for their raw power and influence they hold within the Mora. These are the so-called Primal Demons, who regularly assault Abexilas to ursurp it for themselves. 
Ahai is considered to be one of two Primal Demons who has successfully invaded Abexilas in the past. That said, it turned out that invading Abexilas was easier than claiming it for oneself. A world of limitations like Abexilas is not a good place for an unlimited being to reside in. However, Ahai was has greedy as mighty and his dark tendrils soon gripped most of Abexilas and reached for the sky. In one moment, it seemed like Abexilas would be destroyed, but then Morbar, the Invincible Sun-God stepped down from heaven. The forests burned wherever he stepped and the glaciers melted within seconds, as he scorched Ahais body with his lance.
Ahai struck back, pouring his malice and might into the sky to blot it. But Morbar was the firstborn of Shiv and his fire burned brighter than the Darkness within Ahai. The Demon withdrew underground, but Morbars wrath could not be contained. He chased the demon to the depths, burning stone and cave until no life was left.
It was here that Arashi, the Moon-Daughter of Shiv intervened. She pleaded with Morbar, that continuing his rampage would result in the annihilation of Sode Shira, his sister, whose body is the body of Abexilas. She told him, that he would burn all life out of the world, before he would be able to remove all the essence of Ahai.
And Morbar looked around, at the scorched and burnt surface he had created and he conceded, returning to the heavens and leaving Abexilas to recover on its own terms. It is said, that upon his renewed ascension, he felt to terrible about the damage, that he made all other gods of the sky take a vow to never enter the world again, as the consequences would be ruinous.
== Mythology of the Cult ==
The Cult follows the teaching of a mysterious priest named “the Eye”, according to which, key notions of the Aratean creation story about Ahai are wrong.
For one, Ahai was not the second, but the first to enter Abexilas and he did not do it by force. Rather, Sode Shira let him in voluntarily, as she was in love with Ahai and intended to make him her husband, so they could rule Abexilas together.
The second thing they dispute is Morbars motivation to come down . Rather than to protect Sode Shira from Ahai, Morbar was jealous and apalled that his sister had chosen a god from the below as her husband. So he came down and struck her with his golden lance.
The third thing they dispute is Morbars victory over Ahai. Rather than striking when Ahai was at his strongest, and beating him in fair combat, Ahai was occupied with merging his own powers with those of Sode Shira, in order to preserve her life after Morbar struck her. In fair combat, Ahai would have beaten Morbar.
The fourth thing they claim is that Sode Shira died in Ahais arms and entrusted her essence to him, leaving Ahai the new, true ruler of Abexilas.
The last thing they dispute is Morbars remorse. They believe that the true threat to the world comes not from below, in the shape of the Primal Demons, but from above, as any god of the sky will once more scorch the planet and leave it uninhabitable for hundreds of generations should they enter the world once more.
They claim that the ancient cities below ground were sanctuaries for the players, built by Ahai after the calamity of Morbars betrayal and that playerkind only survived this period in Abexilan history because they were able to shelter there. For a long time, the people from the underground and above ground are said to have had good relations. But then a wicked surface-dweller by the name of Loram was deceived by the gods of the Sky and given a sword named Godsbane. He was instructed to pretend to give this sword as a gift to Ahai himself. But as he was allowed to step close to the demon-core, he stabbed the great King of Abexilas and wounded him dangerously. All over Abexilas, hostile wardens spawned and the people of the underground had to flee from their cities to the surface.
Here, they were willingly indoctrinated by the treacherous sky-gods, who had created false prophets, in the shape of Dragons and named them Aratri
Now, none but the truest knights and followers of Abexilas rightful King exist. It is said they have restored one of his grand cities, and plan to bring the wounded core of the mighty God there, where they will heal him and enact revenge against the surface-dwellers.
With skulk and blood.
== Recruitment ==
The Cult of Ahai has its own society, in which adherence to the Cult is passed down from generation to generation. They have lived isolated in the underground for many hundreds of years and have thus a different physiology, such as being able to live off of Skulk as primary form of nutrition, pale skin and light-sensitive eyes. 
In recent years, with the rediscovery of the Ahailra (Mukshoshu for "City of Ahai"), there have been people from the surface who have joined the cult. The reasons for these are varied. For one, Ahailra is a safe haven for criminals, who are seeking to avoid imprisionment and persecution. Furthermore, it can be an appealing point for a "fresh start", if you listen to Pro-Ahai preachers that operate in the Sentaran underground. And lastly, although Sentara is a largely wealthy and free society, it is no paradise and people that fall through the cracks of society sometimes resent it enough to join the dark king in his global conquest.
Their recruitment tactics are mainly threefold. For one, they attempt to get people hooked on skulk, which carries direct influence of the dark king. They do this with a series of brews that carry beneficial effects and that compete on the Sentaran market with other, cleaner brews. Their second recruitment tactic is by distributing propaganda in the Sentaran underground that carry hidden messages. People dedicated enough to figure these out are then led to a location frequented by other Ahai-sympathizers, from where they can be recruited. And the third is the direct spread of skulk. By growing the Skulk and lacing the earth with veins off it, they can make people ingest it through food and absorb Ahai's influence passively. This makes them sleepers who would be very supportive once Ahais army surfaces for the conquest.
== Methods ==
Currently, the Cult is still attempting to find its footing. With only one major city of their king restored, they lack the forces for an all out war. Thus they resort to assassinations of Sentaran leaders, banditry along trade routes and griefing. One of their goals is to destabilize Sentara while at the same time growing their ranks. 
They also engage in extensive skirmishes with the Knights of Shiv, an organization of Aratean fundamentalists, who have dedicated themselves to the fighting of demons. Battles between the Knights of Shiv and the Wardens of Ahai happen frequently in Deepdark Bioms.
It is certain however, once a decent enough number of Ahai followers have been gathered, that they will surface once more and attack nearby cities in an effort to corrupt them and convert them to the faith of the great Deepdark King