Cult of Sanguinity

## Description:

The Cult of Sanguinity is an international Vampire-worshipping organization dedicated to the veneration of Vampirism and its source, Hell, as a holy and sacred blessing from their Demonic gods. The Cult operates in secret, and wishes to bring about the total domination of mankind and the destruction of mortal civilization via any of the numerous world-ending methods and myths present in Sanguinity's mythology.

The public may have heard of the Cult in passing, or know someone who fell victim to its rhetoric or the fangs of its members, but likely do not know anything specific about the group; the cult's secrecy and mysterious nature ensure that few individuals beyond the cult's membership ever interact with the group directly.

## Organization:

#### Capital: Unknown

The Cult of Sanguinity has a rather unique leadership structure; while the group is actively led by the Council of the Sanguine Six, or just the Sanguine Six or the Crimson Court, the group attributes its actual leadership position to [REDACTED], the group's god of blood. The Council of the Sanguine Six act as the spiritual leaders for all of Vampire-kind, managing the Vampiric philosophy and handling disputes between Vampire Houses; the Sanguine Six also act as the interpreters of ancient scripts and legends, telling the prophecies and stories of the many ways Vampire-kind seeks to end the world. The Sanguine Six are the oldest members of the organization, considered ancient by human standards, and wield unimaginable power over many forms of magic. Underneath the Sanguine Six sit the [REDACTED]. Below them sit the Blood-Priests, devoted cultists who practice the group's nefarious rituals and possess an expertise in blood magic. Normal Vampiric adherents to the Cult do not receive a special title, nor do the Thrall servants and adherents.

The Cult of Sanguinity recruits from the Vampire population, negotiating bargains with various Vampire Houses across the world to ensure that the Cult's infernal priesthood receives enough suitable recruits. Additionally, the Cult also recruits from mortal beings, converting living mortals of various races into Thralls for their cause; these mortals act as ambassadors to the living, acting as lures for other mortals to guarantee the Cult an adequate supply of fresh blood and meat for their rituals and rites. The Thralls, by their very nature, are zealously loyal to their Vampiric masters, and will do anything to appease them and earn their next taste of Vampiric blood-essence. The Cult is also known to employ plenty of Undead and Demons among their ranks, often acting as "pets" or mindless guards.

The Cult's primary activities include the spiritual guidance of Vampires across the globe, the performance of horrific human sacrifices and blood rituals to appease their "god," and the continued effort to bring about the end of mortal civilization as a means of elevating Vampires to the dominant position on Earth.

The Cult maintains a very strict hierarchal structure, and will severely punish or kill even Vampires that dare speak out of turn or in anything resembling an insulting manner; going against the Cult's ancient structure is considered heresy of the highest order. The system is in place to ensure that all Vampires know, understand, and enforce their superiority over the mortal beings of the world and treat said mortals as little more than livestock.

1. Avatar of [REDACTED]: The position held within the organization as a symbolic place for [REDACTED], the group's infernal deity; should the group manage to create an Avatar of [REDACTED], that chosen individual will sit at the cult's head in place of the Sanguine Six.
2. Council of the Sanguine Six: Incredibly powerful and ancient Vampire mages that advise Vampire Kings and Lords and lead the Cult of Sanguinity.
3. [REDACTED]
4. Blood-Priests: The standard rank of the clergy within the Cult of Sanguinity that act as advisors to their assigned Vampire nobles/Houses and lead rituals at the local level, often overseeing a single property or village as its spiritual leader; devout believers and practitioners of blood magic.

#### Cataclysmic Prophecies:

The Cult of Sanguinity propagates a number of apocalyptic myths and legends, all of which originate from multiple sources. These myths act as the driving force for the Cult, who seek to bring about one or more of these catastrophes to end mortal civilization and domination of the world. A list of the currently known apocalyptic prophecies believed by the Cult is provided below:

1. The Bloodtide: The term used for the Cult's prophecy that a tidal wave of blood, summoned by [REDACTED] from the Sanguine Sea, will wash over the world and drown all mortal beings that are not under the Cult's protection, resulting in a crimson-colored world for Vampires to then inherit and conquer. The Cult believes that the Sanguine Sea is fueled by the sacrifices they make and the blood Vampires spill in their god's name, which has led to many grand-scale massacres over the millennia as a way of hastening the approach of the mythical Bloodtide.
2. Reign of the True Vampire: The term used for the Cult's myth of the True Vampire, a transcendent Vampire created from the blood of a Vampire King implanted into the womb of a living mortal virgin woman. Many Vampire Houses, House Moldark most famously, are obsessed with discovering the ritual and information required to create this being of legend, although none have succeeded in the millennia of their many attempts. The creation of a True Vampire is said to mark the end of the world for Vampires, and will lead to the domination of mortals by Vampires under the iron fist of the True Vampire and their associated House; as a result of the associated House becoming the most powerful, many Vampire Houses seek out this legend with unstopping fervor.

### Equipment:

The Cult of Sanguinity maintains a moderate level of technological capabilities, using whatever technology is in the local region to their advantage; different Vampire Lords and Kings prefer varying levels of technology and provide varying levels of technology to their servants, which greatly affects the technological access of the Cult.

The Cult is far more standardized in its knowledge and application of magic, making extensive use of blood magic, necromancy, divination, enchantment, and evocation. The Cult's magical knowledge is considered unholy and forbidden by most groups like the Catholic Church and JPCU and is to be kept away from the public at all costs. The Cult is not afraid to use its powerful magics on its own members if a deed calls for such a punishment.

Particular artifacts of note include a large collection of Blood Diamonds, Sending Mirrors, and items capable of summoning Demons. Among the cult's inventory of powerful magical artifacts is information regarding the location of Crimson Fonts, powerful sites of Blood and Ritual Magic treated as holy sites by Vampires; the Fonts are considered to be the corrupted equivalents of the Fountains of Youth.

### Religion:

The Cult's practiced religion is monotheistic with an inwards direction with a focus on the improvement of the Vampire race and the destruction of mortal civilization. Divine interaction for those of the Cult of Sanguinity comes in the form of blood and feeding from mortal beings, which is treated as a sacred activity. The Cult of Sanguinity involves a strict dietary code for its members, becoming more restrictive the more important and powerful a Vampire is, requiring its members to only drink the blood of certain types of people (e.g. Vampire Kings are only advised to drink the blood of mortal nobles or Elves, etc.). The Cult of Sanguinity's Afterlife dictates that the souls of Vampires go to the Sanguine Sea upon their death, where they can swim, frolic, drink, and sail along the infinite ocean of blood. The existence of the supernatural is everywhere and well-known among the Cult of Sanguinity, and exists in the form of their magic and the mystical nature of their existence. Forms of worship within the Cult include group services, rituals and sacrifices, group feedings and ceremonial hunts, and individual prayers. Holidays within the Cult of Sanguinity are few and far between, but tend to celebrate past miracles, martyrs, and prophecies and include many other ceremonies (e.g. ordaining of new Blood-Priests, the siring of a new Vampire, etc.).

#### Cult of Sanguinity Pantheon:

1. [REDACTED]: The true god of Vampires is believed to be the personification of Vampirism and blood-thirst, a primordial entity so old that his true name is known only by the oldest Vampires of the oldest Vampire Houses; saying the entity's true name has unknown, presumably lethal consequences, so the true name of the being is unknown and feared by even those who do hold the forbidden truth.
2. Bloody Mary: The reanimated spirit of Mary, Mother of God, is worshipped as a form of venerated high saint by the Cult, who view her their guardian spirit and "mother;" this belief has caused multiple heresies within the Catholic Church, as priests claim to worship the "real Mary" only to be unknowingly worshipping a Vampire spirit.

#### Clergy:

The clergy within the Cult of Sanguinity, the Blood-Priests and their masters, exist to advise Vampire nobles and lead Vampire-kind down the path they see as most holy and sacred, leading religious services and ensuring that the traditional ways of Vampirism are upheld.

The Blood-Priests of the Cult of Sanguinity live in the lap of luxury, existing as centuries-old monsters who have access to the accrued wealth and power they have gathered over time. The influence and authority they wield is more than enough to guarantee them a lavish lifestyle.

The Cult of Sanguinity considers True Vampires to be prophets, rumored to be able to state the true name of their Demonic deity without consequence; since no True Vampires have been confirmed as ever existing, there is little information known about the Cult's treatment of these infernal prophets.

#### Cultural Aspects:

The Cult's symbol is a crimson teardrop, and the holy color is crimson. Information is passed down by ancient scrolls and tomes, in addition to oral tradition. The creation myth involves Cain, brother of Abel and son of Adam and Eve, discovering and making a deal with [REDACTED] as a result of Cain's curse following his murder of Abel.

The deadly sins for the Cult of Sanguinity include cowardice, disrespect, and compassion. The Cult's highest virtues are courage, honor and bravery, respect for one's elders, and the treatment of mortals as inferior beings.

Ritual tattoos and scarification, sculptures, and murals are all apart of the Cult's preferred art forms, used to express the Cult's ideals and pass down information. Additionally, the Cult of Sanguinity most frequently defers to the Ten Tenets, the ten (10) sacred rules given to Cain by [REDACTED], in addition to the Gospel of Cain and the Book of Two Fangs.

Due to Vampires living for an infinite amount of time, a Vampire is not considered "mature" until they reach a minimum of one hundred (100) years of Undeath; this number changes from House to House, but the Cult recognizes Vampiric maturity at one hundred (100). Coming of age rituals include active participation in a human sacrifice, the sacrifice being chosen and kidnapped by the maturing Vampire as a test of skill. Vampiric marriage is treated with much pomp and circumstance, as marriage between Vampires is expected to last forever; while many Vampires choose to have lovers outside of their marriage, Vampiric marriages are still treated very seriously. Polygamy is strictly forbidden under Cult doctrine, which is modeled heavily after Medieval marriage rules.

The death of a Vampire is an important event in the eyes of the Cult, who treat such a thing with the utmost respect and honor they can; the funerals for Cult-adhering Vampires are always multi-day affairs with elaborate celebrations, dozens of speeches and speakers, feasts and rituals, and a long memorial. Vampire nobility often have a day of mourning dedicated to them if they were particularly influential or important to the region/their House. Despite their callousness and sadistic nature towards mortals, Vampires are often very sentimental of one another, having forged friendships and alliances over many centuries or millennia, and as such often grieve the loss of a close Vampiric friend very seriously. Treating any mortal as a friend, as an equal, or with any degree of affection is considered a cultural taboo.

Vampires do not treat outsiders with anything but outright hostilities. Mortals that are interested in the Cult or becoming a Vampire through the Cult are tested and then made into Thralls, at which point they must dedicate themselves to the Cult in order to be considered for Vampirization.