Tithing of Eawulf

## History

A scant five years ago, in 475 e.v., Eawulf was a moderately successful priest in Berroc. He had a loyal flock that provided for his needs and hung on his every word. His church, although isolated from the world at large by a dense forest, served the needs of the small community at his doorstep. Then, it all fell apart.

A traveling priest, Forstes, swept through Eawulf ’s tiny congregation one day and quickly had everyone believing his eschatological pronouncements. Even Eawulf fell for the man’s subtle tweaks of Christian doctrine, and soon started following the man’s teachings. The longer the congregations followed Forstes, the more divergent his teachings became. And everyone went along willingly, reveling in the worship.

During a sermon by the new priest, as Eawulf hoisted the screaming sacrifice to the rafters of the church, he caught a glimpse of the priest’s true form: a misshapen, hunched man surrounded by roiling black smoke. Eawulf quickly turned his gaze back to the howling woman who was to soon be eviscerated; however, when he looked back to the pulpit, Forstes appeared as his normal self, a knowing smirk on his face. Albeit fallen, Eawulf was once a man of God and knew the devil’s face when he saw it.

Eawulf screamed and fled into the forest. At first he had to avoid search parties during the day and strange, mocking birds at night. As the weeks turned into months, attempts to find him faded away and Eawulf hatched a plan. One night he stole back to his former church under the cover of fog. The sermon of Forstes, preaching of the coming of his great God, reverberated through the clearing. Making sure none of the ugly birds were perched on the roof, Eawulf barred the doors from the outside and set the building on fire. The pitiful screams of his former community rocked Eawulf to his soul, but what frightened him most was the calm voice of Forstes continuing his litany even as the voices of the congregation faltered one by one.

Within hours, the building had burned to the ground. Standing at the center was Forstes, in his true form. He held Eawulf ’s gaze for a long minute, the same smirk on his face, before turning and walking into the woods, slowly reforming into a new guise. When he tried to follow, a guttering brand still grasped tightly, Eawulf found himself rooted to the spot. Eawulf was forced to stand amid the carnage he had wrought, watching the bodies of his former congregants burn, the odor of their charred flesh lingering long after the fire subsided. When morning came, whatever bonds held Eawulf loosened and he fell to the earth, sobbing.

Eawulf spent the next year and a day as a wandering lunatic. He relied on the kindness of other for his daily sustenance. One day, while seeking refuge in a town, he saw Forstes talking to the thane. Eawulf’s mind snapped into action. He grabbed a rock and charged Forstes. The thane’s hearthwaru stopped Eawulf and ejected him from the town, only the kind words of Forstes saving Eawulf from exile and outlawry.

Eawulf once again resumed wandering, this time with a purpose. He sought out those who believed his claims that the devil walked among them. Eawulf formed a tithing of nine like-minded men and women. Now, those ten people hunt Forstes, believing him to be the Christian Devil, unaware that in fact Forstes may be actually something much, much worse.

Eawulf and many of his people take a hard line against anything they view as diabolical. They won’t hesitate to subject someone to an ordeal or outright kill them if they believe the person has a connection to the Devil. Eawulf doesn’t share the Church’s opinion that heretics should be given every chance to reform and repent.

## Influence

The Tithing of Eawulf is very localized. It has little influence outside the community in which Eawulf operates from. Within that community, however, Eawulf and his tithing can be influential in swaying some opinions.

Eawulf and his tithing are frequently viewed as extremists by members of the Church. Eawulf is considered to be a man who has lost everything and who isn’t adequately coping with that loss. Among the common folk, though, Eawulf and his group are sometimes viewed as heroes, struggling to rid the world of the Devil. That is, until Eawulf decides that one of the common folk is subject to diabolical leanings and proceeds to inflict punishment on the allegedly evil person. Then, the community turns on Eawulf and he moves to another region in search of his nemesis, Forstes.

## Joining

Whenever the group has less than ten members, new ones are recruited. Members are lost through death, insanity, or disloyalty. Someone has to prove their worth to the organization and take a pledge to be responsible for the actions and responsibilities of the other members.

## Structure

Each tithingman, a term used irrespective of the person’s gender, is equal to all others, although Eawulf is the current headborough (leader). He guides the decisions of the Tithing, but can be outvoted by the other members. As such, the structure is very flat. Anyone can make a case to be headborough. If a majority of the other members agree, that claimant becomes headborough and the former headborough becomes a tithingman.

If the headborough is ever killed, driven insane, or leaves the Tithing, anyone can make a claim to be headborough. If the majority of the tithingmen agree, the title is conferred to the claimant. If there’s dissent, the matter is settled through a holmgang (ritual duel) ~ something Eawulf learned from some Scandinavian travelers.

## Resources

The Tithing of Eawulf has few resources to offer investigators other than the safety of the homesteads of its members. Eawulf believes he is fighting the Christian Devil, so he’s accumulated no Mythos lore or artifacts. However, Eawulf and his fellow members have stockpiled a large cache of spears, knives, and shields. The homesteads also stock bags of salt and various herbs, both believed to be proof against the Devil.