Cybele

Thousands of years ago the family of a young girl, named Cybele, left her to die in the Phrygian steppes because they could not afford to keep her. Nature intervened, with leopards and lions raising her. When she was full grown, Cybele met a shepherd named Attis and fell in love. Tragically, her love was too strong for Attis and he fell into insanity, first castrating himself and then committing suicide. Since then, according to her cult, Cybele wanders the earth looking for Attis, whose castration and death represent the land’s fertility.

In 205 p.e.v., the black stone of the Phrygian goddess Cybele was transported to Rome and the goddess transformed into Magna Mater, the Great Mother. Ostensibly a symbol of the earth and all life that flows from it; Magna Mater is worshipped primarily by women.

Remnants of the once powerful cult linger everywhere that Rome had a presence. A particularly powerful splinter of the cult can be found in Exham Priory. The cult typically builds its temples near caves; places holy to the goddess. Women sleep in the temples hoping to be touched by Magna Mater and invigorated with healing powers. Priestesses consecrated in the Megalesia also hold several other festivals that are open only to them. The doors to the temple are locked and no one is permitted entrance. It’s believed that during these times the priestesses truly commune with the Magna Mater.

## Magna Mater and the Brothers of Chrysostom

The Great Mother, the fertile goat from which a thousand young spring, Cybele ~ Shub-Niggurath. The fortunes of the followers of this fecund beast have waxed and waned throughout the history of Constantinople, but never as powerful as during the 1st and 2nd centuries e.v. The first crushing blow came at the hands of John Chrysostom who, in the 4th century with the Patriarch’s blessing, led bands of killers throughout Phrygia slaying any followers of Magna Mater he found. Later, when Chrysostom became a bishop, he funded similarly minded monks who roamed the Phoenician hillsides, destroying any remnant of the worship of Magna Mater.

As warfare has started to sweep the Empire, the monks and their mission are being forgotten. Worship of the Great Mother is slowly twining its tentacles through some of the learned of Constantinople, integrating itself with worship of the Virgin Mary. Most Orthodox Christians view the concept of a fecund Mary as heresy and the Patriarch, Acacius, has excommunicated any who espouse this view.

Although forgotten, the remnants of Chrysostom’s monks still exist, living in an ascetic commune deep within the Goreme Valley of Cappadocia. They live in a monastery hollowed out of the soft volcanic rock, worshipping the Christian God as one of anger and vengeance, particularly against women, who they view as embodiments of Magna Mater. In fact, many members view the charismatic and fiery Chrysostom as a savior and his exile from Constantinople as the defining factor in their decision to remain in the mountains.

As the decades between the death of Chrysostom and the resurgence of Magna Mater grow, Chrysostom has taken on a greater Christ-like image in the minds of his monks. Their numbers dwindle yearly, but the order still tenaciously clings to this world. Recruits are typically drawn from the ranks of village misogynists and the member’s own efforts to grow their number by kidnapping male children, as well as women to serve as vessels for bearing male children. Should the need ever arise for the followers of Chrysostom to take up the sword in the name of the almighty Father again, it’s not clear whether they would be any better than those they are fighting.

As a resource for knights, the followers of Chrysostom can lend a strong arm and an impressive library. The library is unlike any most knights would have seen before. There is no scroll, parchment, or vellum. The history of the monks, their beliefs, and knowledge regarding Magna Mater has been carved over the centuries into the walls of their monastery. Each monk adds to the library as his knowledge grows. Dedication, earthquakes, time, and the innate ability of people to add detail when none is needed have led to a massive living history that is fragmented, circuitous, and in some places, downright confusing. The carvings cover the walls and ceilings of roughly a quarter of the monastery and without a guide a knight will be hard pressed to know where to begin.