Cult (DTF)

Cults are groups of worshipers who supply the Fallen with Faith.

Among the Earthbound

A loyal cult is the only way one of the Earthbound can gain Faith. They require specific rituals, and too great a deviation from the form ruins the reaping. The longer an Earthbound has been on Earth, the larger and more elaborate the cult and rituals must be, and also the more precise. Thus, these cults often use ancient languages, ornate ritual garb, and other trappings from millenia ago when their patrons were openly worshiped as gods.

This doesn't meant the worshipers actually know what they're worshiping, however. Only the inner circle likely knows the full details of who and what provides them with power, and they are usually the Earthbound's slaves or thralls. The rank-and-file merely exist to perform the rituals in the correct manner in the Earthbound's name; it doesn't matter what they believe the name represents, so long as they believe in something.

Cults may have a variety of public faces, from legitimate businesses to trendy clubs to isolated small towns. They offer worshipers a variety of enticements, such as power, pleasure, wisdom, revenge, or simply a sense of belonging. A cult also requires money. Initially, this may be tithed by (or seized from) members, but many cults also generate revenue through front business or illicit means like prostitution, drug dealing, or gambling. These funds go towards establishing temples and meeting places, bribing officials, and rewarding loyal members.

Among the Fallen

Cults are not necessary for the Fallen as they are for the Earthbound, but they may still be used to developed a reliable and diversified source of Faith. The form these cults and congregations take is highly variable, and they don't rely on formal rituals. A Devil may form a rather literal cult of personality, for instance, while a Scourge may present herself as a faith healer.