Cults and Sects

## The Moles of the Word

### Backstory

The Word religion was founded by a corrupt medieval scribemole named Scirpus, who while serving as a scribe in Uffington scribed a text known as the Book of the Word which was essentially one long blasphemy against the Stone. Thanks to his charisma Scirpus was able to persuade some of his fellows to join him and ultimately led them to Whern, where they established a hierarchy and set of rituals and began gathering more disciples against the day when they would attempt to conquer moledom.

### Rituals

#### Snouting

One of the most popular punishments used by the disciples of the Word, in which the victim is impaled through the snout on a barbed wire fence or a thorny branch and left hanging there to die slowly by drowning in their own blood. There are no known survivors of this punishment in the series, though in *Duncton Quest* Boswell implies that it is survivable - albeit not really worth surviving because the damage to the snout effectively leaves the victim completely helpless.

#### Barbing

Similar to snouting, but with the difference that the victim is impaled through the paw instead of the snout. Barbing is a longer and more drawn-out death than snouting, with the victim usually perishing from shock and exposure.

* Master/Mistress of the Word
* WordSpeaker
* Eldrene
* Guardmoles
* Sideem

## The Newborns

### Backstory

* They are also known as the Caradocian Order.
* They were likely founded by Thripp of Blagrove Slide, with Quail deciding on the exodus. Thus, this new way of belief of the Stone was brought to other systems, and from that point on, there would be none that wasn't Newborn -- that is of course, if their plan succeeded.
* 'The Exodus to Caer Carodoc', arranged by Quail had succeeded however, and they likely began using the term Caradocians, around this time.
* The Newborns favour males, and in Spurling's words, 'it's a short pawstep for them to say that is what the Stone decrees, and a short step after that to say that females are inferior.'

### Rituals

#### Strettening

A form of religious torture, that means roughing a mole through bramble, briar, hawthorn, spear-thistle (or other thorny and sharp plants) to death.

#### Massing

A mass punishment in which a large number of moles are forced into a chamber or other area which is too small for them, and are starved and subjected to Newborn brainwashing. Most of the victims were originally intended to survive as mentally broken converts, but as the sect became increasingly corrupted under Quail's leadership massings became used simply as a way to torture the victims to death.

#### Killing of Female Pups

As mentioned earlier, in thinking females are inferior, or that there are too many of them among the males, female pups are often killed, usually by the mother herself. Those who survive are given a servile role.

#### Snouting

The Newborns also practiced snouting in Quail's reign (see above).

## The Community of Rose

Led by Caldey of The Wen, the Community use the gender-assigned titles, Brother and Sister. The Community was founded by Caldey, who once, an ailing mole, was rescued by Rose the Healer herself (who appeared as a spirit but yet very real), and soon, Caldey had chosen the life of a healer. As a healer, she learned many things from other healers, and after helping Meddick, she traveled north and formed the Community of Rose (so named for Rose's guidance over them) where the ailing would be addressed and seen to, then if they so choose, to become a healer themselves, often using the name of a herb as a token of their new life.