The Flesh Cult

The Flesh Cult is one of the oldest, though a smaller and more marginal Necroan faction until the aftermath of the Collapse. It is led by a mysterious figure known as the Prophet of Flesh and currently controls an estimated five thousand universes situated near the Timeless Eternities, with most of these being either psychic or more spiritual realms. The group itself is a bizarre mix of religious cult and assimilationist hive mind, regarded as both extremely eccentric and undesirable by other polities.

## History

The Cult's origins date back to the Ascension Wars, where upon one of the commanding minds of the Necroan swarm was partially subverted and merged by a local deity. Once the Ascension Wars were over, the Cult, then known as Swarm Midas, vanished and went into hiding. There have been few appearances of this polity, up until after the Collapse. The faction made it through more or less fully intact during this tumultous period, and the break down of the Weave has allowed the Cult to rapidly expand and assimilate smaller and more minor factions.

## Operation

The central reason the polity is known as a cult, is due to the unified belief system and the purpose that all within the group have been assigned. Those within the Cult venerate an entity known as the Great Flesh, the controlling intelligence of the polity as a whole. The Great Flesh demands that its followers worship it, in exchange for eternal bliss and transcendent power. It is thought that this was one of the primary drives from one of the two progenitor entities, a deity from Point 01, that spawned The Great Flesh.

The cult primarily recruits through assimilation of others, through both physical and esoteric means. The cult uses the standard Necroan powers of psychic and spiritual absorption and assimilation, alongside physical means such as Domains and effector style devices. After assimilation, the personality is rewritten to remove any undesirable thoughts, mental traits and knowledge, losing any sort of free will the being once had and placing its thoughts completely within the control of the Great Flesh.

It is observed that those within the cult exist in a state of rapturous joy at their assimilation into the Flesh, often attempting to persuade others to their cause. Cultists tend not to look too different from their non-assimilated brethren, with the exception of smooth, dark growths lining their body. Other polities question whether those within the cult retain any sort of individual identity or free will, and this question is always met with troubling silence.

A more horrifying aspect of the cult is its use of 'Conversion Chambers'. In order to fuel its military might; the cult has been known to kidnap others, with a focus on more augmented minds to convert into true Necroans. These are then sent to command armies of lesser bodies on campaigns of conquest. The minds in question undergo an extremely painful transformation as they are rewired and changed, leaving very little of the original identity or personality within the new Necroan.

## Beliefs

The cultists of the Great Flesh believe that at the very top of their pantheon's hierarchy lies the Great Flesh and its avatar, the Prophet. The Great Flesh acts as a path to power upon which a follower may achieve Transcendence and join the ranks of the gods.

Below the Great Flesh sit the deceased lords of Point 01, corresponding with the native deities that existed there until the first builders of the Weave drove them out.