Cults of the Eldritch Gods in Ecliptica

Overview:
In the shadowed corners of Ecliptica, ten cults worship the Eldritch Gods—Azagorth, Elysia, Morgrath, Nyrathos, Seraphel, Vortulon, Xulthar, Xyraxis, Zaladria, and Zephyrus—whose influence seeps through the weakening Aetherian seal beneath Ravensgate. United loosely under the Ebon Star, these secretive factions perform harrowing rituals to summon their patrons, spreading chaos and plague that threaten a second Calamity of the Void. Each cult’s beliefs and practices, rooted in their god’s cosmic essence, demand devastating acts of devotion, from self-mutilation to reality-warping sacrifices. Their lairs, hidden in Ravensgate’s ruins or Ecliptica’s wilds, pulse with steampunk horror—brass altars, rune-etched gears, and eldritch miasma—challenging Plague Doctors to disrupt their rites to save the city.

Description:
The cults operate in fog-choked crypts and Aetherian ruins, where the air stings with ozone and decay. Rune-scarred obelisks hum with void-energy, and brass mechanisms grind under eldritch strain. Cultists, their eyes gleaming with madness, chant in languages that twist the mind, their rituals tearing at the Veil. The Ebon Star orchestrates their efforts, exploiting the seal’s cracks to unleash plagues like Xyraxis’s Witherplague and Nyrathos’s Whisperplague. The Order of the Saffron Veil and City Watch hunt these fanatics, but their devotion, fueled by cosmic dread, makes them elusive, risking Ravensgate’s collapse.

Cults and Their Practices:

  1. Cult of the Devoured (Azagorth, the Devourer of Realms)

    • Beliefs: Devourites see Azagorth as the ultimate consumer, whose maw devours worlds to birth new realities. They believe ingesting his essence grants transcendence, merging them with his infinite hunger.

    • Rituals: In “Mawfeast,” acolytes consume Aetherian relics tainted with Azagorth’s void, their stomachs writhing as maw-runes are carved into flesh (Constitution save DC 15 or lose 1d6 HP daily from internal decay). The “Great Swallow” sees high priests leap into Veil rifts in the Blighted Mausoleum, offering their bodies as vessels, becoming void-wraiths that spread desolation. Devotees wear jawbone talismans, their chants echoing like gnashing teeth, risking annihilation to summon Azagorth’s maw.

    • Impact: Their rituals destabilize anchor points like the Veilcrypt, amplifying plague outbreaks in the District of Desolation, forcing Plague Doctors to destroy relic caches (Investigation DC 16).

  2. Veil Cabal (Elysia, the Mistress of Veils)

    • Beliefs: Veilwalkers view Elysia as the weaver of perception, her veils hiding truths that mortals cannot bear. They seek to dissolve reality’s boundaries, becoming one with her illusory sanctuary.

    • Rituals: In “Veilweave,” acolytes don layered silk veils and inhale mist from Veil rifts, inducing visions of Elysia’s realm (Wisdom save DC 14 or confused for 1 hour). The “Veilmerge” ritual, performed in the Shadowveil Sanctum, involves dissolving into illusions, transforming into ethereal spies who manipulate perceptions (Stealth +5 while ethereal). High priests blindfold themselves for weeks, chanting Elysia’s hymns, risking permanent disorientation to glimpse her truths.

    • Impact: Their illusions cloak Ebon Star operations, confounding City Watch patrols. Plague Doctors must counter these deceptions in the Mistveil Rift to secure cure components (Arcana DC 15).

  3. Broken Mirror Order (Morgrath, the Lord of Madness)

    • Beliefs: Mirrorbreakers believe Morgrath’s fractured realities hold divine chaos, shattering the mind to reveal cosmic truths. They see madness as liberation from mortal constraints.

    • Rituals: In “Mirrorbreak,” devotees shatter enchanted mirrors in the Ashen Sanctum, inhaling shard-dust to channel Morgrath’s visions (Intelligence save DC 16 or frightened for 1 minute). The “Mindshatter” rite involves staring into a cursed mirror until madness consumes them, becoming prophets who scream fractured prophecies (Insight DC 15 to decipher). Acolytes wear mirror-shard necklaces, their chants a cacophony of distorted echoes, risking sanity to invoke Morgrath’s chaos.

    • Impact: Their rituals sow madness in the District of Order, weakening Iron Quill scribes. Plague Doctors must destroy cursed mirrors to halt psychic outbreaks (Religion DC 14).

  4. Veiled Disciples (Nyrathos, the Shrouded One)

    • Beliefs: Disciples revere Nyrathos as the keeper of forbidden knowledge, his whispers unlocking secrets beyond mortal ken. They believe enlightenment comes through sensory deprivation.

    • Rituals: In “Darkveil,” acolytes meditate in pitch-black crypts, wearing shadow-cloaks to hear Nyrathos’s whispers, risking sensory overload (Perception DC 15 or disadvantage on sight-based checks for 1 day). The “Truthunveil” ritual, held in the Blighted Mausoleum, involves removing cloaks under starlight, revealing cosmic secrets but risking permanent blindness (Constitution save DC 16). Devotees etch Nyrathos’s sigils on eyelids, their chants a low hum, seeking forbidden truths.

    • Impact: Their Whisperplague rituals amplify paranoia in Ravensgate, hindering Saffron Veil healers. Plague Doctors must infiltrate crypts to silence their chants (Stealth DC 15).

  5. Radiant Dawn (Seraphel, the Ender of Worlds)

    • Beliefs: Dawnbringers worship Seraphel as the purifier, her radiant light burning away impurity to forge a perfect world. They see self-destruction as a path to divine clarity.

    • Rituals: In “Lightbind,” acolytes burn out their eyes with holy fire in the Ashen Sanctum, proving devotion (Constitution save DC 16 or permanently blinded). The “Lightblinded” rite sees high priests glimpse Seraphel’s glory, their eyes incinerating instantly, becoming oracles who radiate searing light (radiant damage 1d8 aura, 10 ft.). Devotees wear scorched veils, their chants a hymn of agony, embracing Seraphel’s purifying wrath.

    • Impact: Their purges ignite riots in the District of Desolation, weakening City Watch defenses. Plague Doctors must extinguish their altars to halt radiant outbreaks (Religion DC 16).

  6. Famine Cabal (Vortulon, the Everhungry)

    • Beliefs: Faminekin see Vortulon as the embodiment of insatiable need, believing starvation purifies the soul for his consumption. They view hunger as divine communion.

    • Rituals: In “Hungerascend,” acolytes starve for weeks in Ironreach’s ruins, trembling as Vortulon’s curse disrupts eating (Dexterity save DC 14 or drop held items). The “Starvebind” rite involves sacrificing kin to Vortulon’s altars, merging with his hunger to become gaunt liches (immune to starvation, +2 AC). Devotees wear bone talismans, their chants a guttural wail, risking death to sate Vortulon.

    • Impact: Their rituals spread famine in the District of Desolation, starving quarantined denizens. Plague Doctors must disrupt their altars to restore food supplies (Survival DC 15).

  7. Voidweavers (Xulthar, the Voidweaver)

    • Beliefs: Weavers believe Xulthar’s voids are the ultimate truth, dissolving reality to birth a formless cosmos. They seek to merge with the void’s nothingness.

    • Rituals: In “Voidcarve,” acolytes etch void-runes into skin in the Veilcrypt, enduring abyssal pain (Constitution save DC 15 or 1d6 necrotic damage). The “Voidmerge” rite involves submerging in shadow-pools, emerging ethereal but risking dissolution (Dexterity save DC 16 or vanish for 1 hour). Devotees wear void-black cloaks, their chants a hollow drone, embracing Xulthar’s abyss.

    • Impact: Their rituals weaken the Aetherian seal, spawning rifts in the Crownspire Nexus. Plague Doctors must seal shadow-pools to halt void incursions (Arcana DC 16).

  8. Desolation Harbingers (Xyraxis, the Herald of Desolation)

    • Beliefs: Harbingers worship Xyraxis as decay’s architect, believing ruin cleanses the world for rebirth. They embrace decay as a sacred transformation.

    • Rituals: In “Ashbreath,” acolytes inhale ash from ruined altars in the Withered Vault, withering flesh (Constitution save DC 14 or poisoned for 1 hour). The “Ruinwalk” rite involves wandering wastelands, spreading Xyraxis’s decay, culminating in self-dissolution into spectral ruin-bringers (immune to poison, +10 ft. speed). Devotees wear ash-dusted robes, their chants a dry rasp, risking decay to summon Xyraxis.

    • Impact: Their Witherplague ravages the District of Desolation, hindering Saffron Veil cures. Plague Doctors must purify their altars to halt decay (Nature DC 15).

  9. Shadow Veil Cabal (Zaladria, the Shadow Queen)

    • Beliefs: Veilmasters see Zaladria as the queen of deception, her shadows weaving lies that control reality. They believe manipulation is divine power.

    • Rituals: In “Deceitweave,” acolytes blindfold in the Shadowveil Sanctum, invoking Zaladria’s illusions to ensnare minds (Wisdom save DC 15 or charmed for 1 hour). The “Shadowpact” rite merges them with shadows, granting intangibility but light vulnerability (disadvantage on saves vs. radiant damage). Devotees wear inky veils, their chants a sibilant hiss, risking identity loss to wield Zaladria’s lies.

    • Impact: Their illusions cloak Ebon Star lairs, confounding City Watch. Plague Doctors must dispel illusions in the Mistveil Rift to expose cultists (Investigation DC 15).

  10. Breathseekers (Zephyrus, the Whispering Wind)

    • Beliefs: Breathseekers revere Zephyrus as the voice of omens, his winds carrying truths across the Veil. They believe dispersal into air grants divine insight.

    • Rituals: In “Whisperbind,” acolytes inhale rift-winds near Mistveil Pier, attuning to Zephyrus’s secrets (Wisdom save DC 14 or confused for 1 hour). The “Airmeld” rite disperses their form into mist, granting flight (30 ft.) but risking eternal dispersal (Dexterity save DC 16 or vanish). Devotees wear feather talismans, their chants a whistling dirge, embracing Zephyrus’s storms.

    • Impact: Their omens guide Ebon Star smuggling, destabilizing lockdown routes. Plague Doctors must disrupt wind-rites to secure Skyrunner’s Guild paths (Survival DC 14).