The Keto Cult
Faction Color: [#00313C] (A deep, abyssal blue-green)
Description: A secretive cult of abyssal fanatics and sea-monster worshippers dedicated to Keto, the primordial mother of sea monsters. They seek to break the divine chains that imprison her in the Trident Trench, unleashing her and her brood to reclaim the seas.
Detailed Faction Profile
Core Identity & Philosophy:
* Identity: A secretive, apocalyptic, abyssal cult.
* Philosophy: "The Olympians are tyrants. They chained the true mother of the deep, Keto, in an unjust prison. The 'monsters' of the sea are her sacred, blameless children. We are her voice in the shallow water. We will break the chains, open the Eye of Thalassa, and unleash the true ocean—a glorious, chaotic, and primal age of the deep."
History & Origins:
* Founding Story: An ancient cult formed by shipwrecked sailors who claimed to have heard Keto's whispers from the deep. They are the "Broodsworn" of the sea, seeing monsters like Scylla and Charybdis not as hazards, but as divine children to be revered.
* Key Events:
* The Stirring of the Eye: The cult's recent rituals have caused the Eye of Thalassa (Keto's prison) to become more active, "stirring" the goddess within. This is causing strange tides and drawing the attention of the Tridentate Fleet.
Goals & Motivations:
* Long-Term Ambition: To shatter Keto's prison in the Trident Trench and unleash her, the mother of sea monsters, upon the world.
* Short-Term Objective: To perform rituals at the Twin Throats to "feed" and "empower" Scylla and Charybdis, believing this will weaken their mother's bonds.
* Driving Force: Apocalyptic Zealotry. They are fanatically devoted to the "primal truth" of monsters.
Methods & Tactics:
* Operational Style: Utterly clandestine. They operate from hidden sea caves, remote islands in the Sea of Monsters, and have infiltrators in port cities.
* Preferred Strategies:
* Ritual Sacrifice: Drowning victims at sea as "offerings" to the deep.
* Sabotage: Secretly damaging the ships of the Tridentate Fleet or rival merchants.
* Monster-Tending: Actively nurturing and protecting sea monsters, especially the "Scyllid Brood" (daughters/echoes of Scylla) in their sea caves.
Internal Structure & Culture:
* Hierarchy: Led by a single "Abyssal Voice" who claims to speak for the chained goddess.
* Atmosphere: Fanatical, secretive, and morbid. They are "drowned" zealots who see the crushing, cold deep as a holy place.
* Recruitment: They prey on the shipwrecked, the outcast, and those who have a deep-seated fear or "love" of the sea's monstrous nature.
Key Members:
* Leader: Abyssal Voice Thyone (Fathomless Warlock). A fanatic who hears Keto's whispers from the Eye of Thalassa.
* Prominent Member 1: The Handmaiden of Scylla (Monster Tamer / Druid). A reclusive cultist who lives in the sea caves of the Whispering Coast, tending to the "Scyllid Brood".
* Prominent Member 2: Captain Phorkys (Swashbuckler Rogue). A seemingly normal merchant captain who is actually a cult infiltrator. He sabotages naval patrols and ferries cultists to ritual sites in the Sea of Monsters.
* Common Archetypes: The "drowned" zealot, the sea-monster tamer, the "deep" oracle, the port-city infiltrator.
Relationships:
* Allies: (Potential) The Broodsworn (Echidna). Keto and Echidna are kin (both mothers of monsters). Their goals of unleashing primal monsters are perfectly aligned.
* Enemies: The Tridentate Fleet (Poseidon's faction, their direct jailers and the enforcers of the "Olympian" sea). The Argent Banner (who are hired to hunt their "sacred" sea monsters).
Public Perception & Reputation:
* A dark, terrifying myth. They are the "drowners" who sailors blame for ships vanishing in calm seas. The Tridentate Fleet knows they are real and hunts them relentlessly as abyssal terrorists.
Resources & Assets:
* Key Assets:
* Hidden Sea Caves & Secret Charts of the Sea of Monsters.
* A Pact with the "Scyllid Brood".
* Strengths: Absolute secrecy, fanatical devotion, and a "home field" (the deep sea) that no one else can master.
* Weaknesses: No navy of their own, no political power, and hunted by the Tridentate Fleet.
Notable Deeds & Current Status:
* Deeds: Tending to and "worshipping" Scylla and Charybdis at the Twin Throats.
* Status: Actively performing rituals to "stir" Keto in her prison. Their actions are causing the Eye of Thalassa to manifest more frequently within the Trident Trench, creating a divine and navigational hazard.