"The True Xynnites"

"The True Xynnites" are an extremist sect of the Xynnite religion. They were formed after the discovery and translations of the ancient scrolls, which include a story of the formation of Briham and are riddled with apocalyptic imagery.

## The Ancient Scrolls

The scrolls were translated by several students at the Xynnar Monastery under the direction of Kelshan. The scrolls read as follows:

> Behold, the truth of the Gods!
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> One day, there was a great movement of the Earth. This movement tore the land into bits, turning part of the land into islands broken off far from the mainland. The movement was caused by Arctus, who had seen the loyal followers of the Gods turned into nonbelievers.
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> Arctus and Xynna appeared to their followers, and Xynna spoke thus to Man:
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> “WE are ripping apart the Earth to bring you to SALVATION. Your new nation shall bring harmony, and therefore shall be called Briham.”
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> And the followers were moved across the ocean, and their nation was beautiful and holy. And it was GOOD.
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> In the mesa, Xynna showed the followers where to find water, and the places she loved and found holy. The followers were ordered to build a great temple. And it was GOOD.
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> A bit farther away, more believers were camped in the basin of several mountains. Xynna came to the followers and spoke thus to Man:
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> “You are stewards of MY creations in nature. I command you to protect the great mountains and the trees of this land.”
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> And the followers formed a great city at the base of the mountain, and named it Montshire, and it was GOOD.
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> But the nation of the Gods was not good forever. Soon, the disease of nonbelief began to fester across the land. They began to leave the temple and the city, forming communities of their own. And the Gods were angry.
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> Xynna came down from the mountains and spoke thus to Man:
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> “WE are the highest authorities in Briham and in the world. WE shall be worshipped and exalted by all. Those who follow US must be warriors. They must strike down the sinners who stand in the way of OUR strength and progress. These are our commandments: to end the reigns of sinners, to assert Xynnite as a dominant force in all the lands, and to be fruitful across the Earth with Xynnites.”
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> And the sky lit up and rained fire down, showing the power of Xynna herself. An army of undead crawled from a great pit in the earth and waged war on the nonbelievers. The skies turned purple and red, and the seas moved away from the land. Snakes and rats crawled through the cities, and poisoned the nonbelievers as they were poisoning the Holy Nation.
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> The nonbelievers were pushed away from the temple and the great city, as the land grew and split once more. Arctus and Xynna were once again manipulating the earth to show their power.
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> However, the splitting of the land gave an advantage to the nonbelievers. Thick forests grew which the undead army could not pass through, as well as deep channels of water. The fires in the sky could not spread over such a large scale. After a while, the war was lost, and the Gods were sealed in their realm, plotting revenge for the nonbelievers who they felt had tricked them.
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> Before they left, Arctus spoke thus to Man:
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> “OUR return will be marked by the arrival of the one with white scales. HE shall uncover the truth and free us from our abyssal prison. HE shall slaughter those who dare challenge US. HE shall be the Savior of the Xynnites. When HE frees US, the army of undead will be released, and the nonbelievers in Briham and the world shall be destroyed.”
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> The portal was sealed. We must await the arrival of the white-scaled one, and take back our Holy Nation of Briham.
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> One day, the Gods will return, brandishing swords and riding dark horses, bringing darkness and the fires of Arctus to those who do not believe in THEM. The sounds of trumpets will blast in the skies and the sounds of drums and hoofbeats will accompany them. The nonbelievers shall experience terror as their crops turn to dust and their water turns bitter, their cities shall turn to ash and smoke.
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> The white-scaled one shall open the gates of Arctus, and rule over this realm and the realm of the Gods as their Great Warrior. HE shall sit atop a throne of bones and blood, and be the Master of the realm of Arctus. The throne shall sit atop a mountain of brimstone overlooking the lakes of fire and sulfur. It is there that HE shall exalt the Gods and dole out THEIR revenge on the nonbelievers.
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> All hail to the Great Warrior! All Hail Xynna, Arctus, and all the Gods!
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> Tempest VII
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> Xynnite High Priestess
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## Cult Leadership

The cult is led by five individuals, dubbed by the party as "The Big Five." They are as follows:

* Kelshan, known as "The Supreme One" or "The Chosen One"
* Grynn, known as "The Smiling One"
* Rhut, known as "The Scarred One"
* Radhārc, known as "The Hidden One"
* Zevedei, known as "The Shadowed One"

## The Insurrection

Kelshan had his sights set on ruling Briham as soon as he read the ancient scrolls. So, he decided to form an alliance with Grynn, who was the lead translator of the scrolls, and Rhut, a burly and misunderstood Goliath whose family had come to Briham from Hvalbaar. The three began holding meetings in secret after dark at Xynnar, practicing magic and speaking of their plans for the future. However, once their activities were discovered, the church leadership expelled them.

Kelshan travelled from Xynnar to the Montshire Mountains, where he met with Radhārc. She had previously been expelled from Xynnar for practicing magic herself, including mind experiments done at the monastery on Nakir and the transformation of Kohta into an abomination. When meeting with Kelshan, Radhārc bargained for her adopted son, Zevedei, to be inducted into the cult leadership as she felt it was a good way to secure him a prosperous and safe future. Radhārc joined the cult, bringing with her Zevedei and her wife, Rumia.

The cult made their way to Alderdeen, seeking council with Zartü The Younger. There, the cult were able to manipulate him into admitting that he thirsted for power himself. Kelshan convinced the prince that the cult would "cleanse" Spaulding of his brother's influence, and that they would then rule side-by-side. The prince agreed to these terms and began financing and corresponding with the cult, even providing them with a map of Castle Spaulding.

Grynn, who was born in Spaulding, volunteered to spy in the King's Army. During their time in the army, they corresponded with Kelshan regarding battle strategy and timing of the attack. During this time, Kelshan and the others travelled between Balerno, Montshire, and the Montshire Mountain Range to gather supplies, train, and gain forces. What Grynn did not anticipate was falling in love with Svalgar Drax, another member of the army. Although Grynn loved Svalgar, he was hopelessly loyal to the King, and Grynn knew it would be pointless to attempt to persuade him to join the cult. Instead, just before it was time to attack Spaulding, Grynn wrote to Kelshan:

> "I have found a wonderful man who I love endlessly. If he were not such a blind follower of the Bastard King, I would bid him to join us. He is a skilled fighter, and I find myself comforted in his embrace. I know that the world we are creating will tear us apart, and I weep at the thought. I beg of you Master Kelshan, spread your word around your troops. Please do not let them kill my darling..."
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During the battle, cult soldiers stormed Castle Spaulding. Kelshan had obliged Grynn's request and told his troops not to execute Svalgar, but to eliminate him as a threat. The cult soldiers fought with him, and one chopped off Svalgar's arm. Svalgar passed out due to blood loss, and the cult soldiers staged him in a cult medical tent, healing him, waking him up, and telling him Grynn had been killed. They had set aside a rowboat for Svalgar, and bade him to get to Caerfyrdin. Of course, Grynn was not dead, but instead was fighting side-by-side with Kelshan.

The cult overtook the castle, taking the king prisoner until they could decide what to do with him and turning Castle Spaulding into their own personal fortress and center of operations.