Cult of the Black Earth

Cult of the Black
Earth

The earth cult
worships the implacable strength and unyielding resistance of elemental earth.
Cultists seek the power to destroy the works of civilization with landslides,
sinkholes, or mighty earthquakes, thus demonstrating the true power of
elemental earth and the futility of resistance. Earth cultists see mines,
quarries, and tilled fields as insults imposed upon the living rock and soil.
They believe the earth thirsts for the blood of those who don't venerate it
before all other powers and beings.

The Cult of the
Black Earth appeals to those who draw their fortunes from the earth-directly or
indirectly. In areas where the influence of Elemental Evil takes hold, animals
and monsters that live or burrow in the ground accept the cultists as allies. Creatures
such as ankhegs or bulettes, normally too stupid and ravenous to be trained,
submit to the will of the Black Earth. The monsters allow themselves to be
herded or ridden into battle against the enemies of the cult.

The Sign of the
Black Earth

The symbol of the
earth cult signifies purpose and stability. Cultists sometimes identify
themselves with a hand gesture: they make a triangle by touching the thumbs and
forefingers of both hands together.

Tactics and
Philosophy

The Black Earth cult
is the most defense-minded and patient of the four elemental cults. Earth
cultists admire stoicism, endurance, and unyielding resolve. They are
deliberate and slow to act, careful to consider their plans and gather their
strength before beginning any new enterprise. Once earth cultists resolve to
act, they are inflexible, grinding their way forward through any obstacle or
unforeseen development. They are single-minded in the extreme, and most earth
cultists have little use for social niceties. They see common courtesy as a way
for the weak to put limits on the behavior of the strong, and they scorn
empathy or friendship as weakness.

In battle, Black
Earth cultists are brutal and straightforward. They overpower foes with direct
assaults, although if they have the opportunity to undermine defenses or attack
from below, they unhesitatingly put their skill at tunneling and mastery of burrowing
monsters to good use. They are unflinching in the face of death. Surrender is
never an option.

Earth cultists live
and work underground. They craft weapons from stone or iron and
"bathe" themselves in sand or dirt to feel close to their favored
element. Black Earth initiates know the secret of creating armor from magically
shaped stone, and even their robes include stone pauldrons or masks.

Prophet of Earth

A
medusa named Marlos Urnrayle leads the Black Earth cult. He wields the
elemental weapon Ironfang, a war
pick infused with the power of Ogremoch, the Prince of Evil Earth. Marlos is
vain and cruel, an extreme narcissist who delights in surrounding himself with
objects of beauty and luxurious comforts. Beneath this sneering self-assurance
lies a bitter being who loathes himself and holds everyone around him in
contempt.

Marlos began life as
a human aristocrat, born into a wealthy Cormyrean family. He squandered his
familys wealth on endless self-indulgence, seeking more questionable forms of
entertainment through the years. The Urnrayle estate became known as a place of
outrageous masquerades, bizarre banquets, and grotesque orgies. Marlos required
his guests to don ugly or monstrous masks, thus ensuring that no ones beauty
would outshine his own.

As he aged, Marlos
turned to magic to preserve his fading beauty. After searching for years, he
found a ring that contained the stolen vitality of a lovely fey creature. As
long as he wore the ring, his imperfections vanished and no one could resist
his physical charms-until the day the ring transformed Marlos into a medusa.
The horror of his fate drove Marlos mad. He fled his ancestral home, taking his
collection of masks with him.

After
years of wandering and hiding in one ruined estate or another across the
Western Heartlands, Marlos felt drawn to the desolate Sumber Hills by troubling
dreams and visions. A long stairway beneath a ruined monastery brought him to
an ancient cavern with a hideous altar, upon which lay a war pick of iron. When
the medusa claimed Ironfang, his
purpose finally became clear to him. He established his lair in the dungeon
nearby and began building the Cult of the Black Earth.

Traits.

Unlike many of his
followers, Marlos is genteel and well-spoken. He delights in witty banter and
pointed repartee, although he is quick to make a cutting remark or jest at
someone elses expense. Marlos takes pleasure in mocking others, especially if
he can do so in a clever or elegant way. Marloss previous life had been a
constant search for pleasure, but the only thing that now stirs his loveless
soul is refined cruelty. He can be driven to fits of blind, unreasoning
jealousy if he is outshone by another urbane and attractive individual.

Enemies and Allies

The Black Earth
cultists are highly suspicious of the Cult of Howling Hatred. They believe that
the air cultists are mercurial, unreliable, and generally out of touch with
reality. The earth cultists respect the strength and ferocity of the Eternal
Flame followers, but also find them maddeningly inconstant. Black Earth
cultists ally most often with the Crushing Wave, since they admire the patience
and pragmatism of the water cultists.