“We need only be afraid, we need not die, we need only live in the dark and be afraid”

Slaughter Prophet of Renfrano

ORGANISATION

A core teaching of the Cult is the “Path of Fear”. Cultists may only achieve eternal life by following this path and by leading a sufficient number of Ignorants onto the Path. Guiding Ignorants onto the Path is key for each Cultist as they cannot progress to the next step on the Path of Fear without having saved a substantial number of souls. A Cultist will be granted eternal life by the “Over-God” on completion of the Path. While the Cult allows for the worship of multiple God’s or spirits, there is only one Over-God who can grant eternal life.

The hierarchy of the Cult matches the steps on the Path of Fear. The further along the Path that a Cultist progresses, the higher they move up in the societies that are controlled by the Cult.

1. Acceptance. The Ignorant accepts that their personal fears are true and that they present an immediate danger to their life. They commit to never challenge their fears and to live in constant awareness of those fears. They also commit to guide Ignorants onto the Path of Fear. The Cultist is blessed and declared an “Acceptant” by a Prophet.

2. Bondage. The Acceptant is bound to their fears. They are chained metaphorically and physically to their fears in a ceremony performed by a Prophet. Bonding is seen as a commitment of faith within the Cult. The Cultist draws closer to their fear while not throwing off the chains and confronting that fear. After the ceremony, the Acceptant becomes known as a “Bondant”.

3. Seeking Favour. The Bondant may choose to seek favour when they believe that they have proven their commitment to the Cult and when they have brought a large number of Ignorants onto the Path. A Cultist takes this step by performing a personal and secretive ceremony. They cannot retreat along the path after performing the ceremony and must wait for the Over-God to determine their faith. This is a deeply personal step for the Bondant and it remains secret from the other members of the Cult. The Path in front of the Cultist splits after this step. Their progression moves into one of two distinct branches or sub-cults of the Cult of Fear.

The Ascendant Sub-Cult

4. Favoured. The Bondant will become favoured by the Over-God if they have personally led substantial numbers of Ignorants onto the Path and the Bondant’s fear is absolute and without hope. The overwhelming majority of Bondants who seek favour will not achieve this step on the Path. The challenge of desiring eternal life while simultaneously living in fear and despair proves too great for most Cultists. Those lucky enough to become Favoured continue to remain secret within the Cult. It is not forbidden for a Bondant to reveal that they have reached this step on the Path but, due to their total surrender to fear, the Favoured Bondants do not openly celebrate their achievement. A Bondant could not achieve the Favoured step if they were even likely to consider acknowledging their progression. Their commitment to fear must be all consuming.

5. Gifted. The first sign that a Bondant has moved onto the Ascendant Branch on the Path of Fear is usually when their Gifts from the Over-God become visible. As time progresses, the Over-God will grant the Bondant several Gifts. These will take many forms: hideous deformities, crippling mental illnesses, or physical diseases. The purpose of these Gifts is simple. The display of these ailments simultaneously proves that the fears of Ignorants are true, while also demonstrating that the Path of Fear allows Cultists to live alongside these terrible afflictions. Once the first of the Over-God’s Gifts are granted, the Bondant will join a commune with fellow members of the Ascendant sub-cult.

6. Vessel of the Over-God. After the receipt of seven Gifts, the Bondant moves onto the penultimate step on their Path of Fear. They become a Vessel of the Over-God and are revered in their own right as a saintly figure who is close to salvation. The vast majority of Bondants who reach this step are incapable of communication or movement. They are simply a living relic and are treated as such by their fellow Gifted Bondants who carry them aloft on palanquins: a vision of reality and the truth of the Cult of Fear.

7. Ascendant. The final step may arrive shortly after a Bondant becomes a Vessel of the Over-God or it may take several years. The method of ascendancy to eternal life is not consistent. Some Vessels slowly disintegrate and decompose, leaving the Cultists soul escape slowly into the spirit world. Other Vessels suddenly burst asunder and give birth to a physical apparition of the Cultist’s soul. These apparitions take many forms but the new “Ascendants” always embody the fear and despair which the Cultist had submitted to while travelling along the Path. These Ascendants are a physical manifestation of fear itself and are the final demonstration of the Cult’s truth for any Ignorants who stubbornly refuse to believe.

The Undying Sub-Cult

4. Repentance. The majority of Bondants will fail to gain Favour from the Over-God. For them, the Undying branch awaits them. Having failed to gain Favour from the Over-God, the Bondant strives to make penance for their sins of hope or doubt. A Repentant Bondant cannot advance to the next step on the Path of Fear until a Prophet judges them free from sin. In order to atone for those sins, the Bondant must push themselves into greater and greater danger in order to heighten their fear. They must also prove their commitment to the Cult by guiding even greater numbers of Ignorants onto the Path. Many Bondants do not survive this experience as their zealous drive to save Ignorants, and the dangerous situations that they encounter, pushes them to the edge of their physical limits.

Several paths to Celebration may be laid out by a Prophet for a Repentant Bondant. The majority of Repentant Bondants will not be granted this honour by a Prophet. Only those with particular skills or obvious potential for Celebration will be singled out and given a guiding hand by their Prophet. Some of the most common routes are:

(a) Fear-Bringer. The Bondant is tasked with spreading fear through often blunt and highly dangerous methods. For Cults with access to military equipment, many of the most fearsome weapons will crewed by Fear-Bringers.

(b) Quiet One. The Bondant must hide their religion and infiltrate a large population of Ignorants. Through care and patience, they must slowly guide Ignorants towards the Path in anticipation of the arrival of a Prophet. Once the population of Ignorants has been primed, a Prophet will emerge and confirm vast numbers of Ignorants as Acceptants. It is common for new Prophets to surround themselves with Quiet Ones as they attempt to establish a new brother-cult. If successful, these Quiet Ones are elevated to Celebrants and provide an instant retinue for the Prophet.

(c) Slenderman. The Bondant hides and lives a self-sustaining life on the edge of a population of Ignorants. In order to cultivate widespread fear, the Bondant appears to children occasionally and slowly indoctrinates them. If the Bondant is successful, and children begin to commit atrocities within the population, then a Prophet will emerge and offer salvation from the Slenderman.

(d) Incanter. The Bondant joins a small coven of fellow Incanters. Incanters often exhibit psychic abilities and attempt to use these abilities to heighten the fears of Ignorants. A common tactic of Incantants is to conjure a vision of an Ignorant’s personal fear and then subject them to psychological torture.

5. Celebration. When a Repentant Bondant is deemed to have atoned for their sins by a Prophet, they are inducted into the Prophet’s own retinue and are ordained as a “Celebrant”. The celebration of fear and the atonement of sins is not a joyous occasion for the Cultist. In fact, it is seen merely as a second chance for them to achieve eternal life. The first task of a Celebrant is to support their Prophet in their pursuit of achieving Heraldry. If the Prophet is successful, then the entire Cult will be granted eternal life. Secondly, though, the Celebrant must learn from the Prophet with the aim of taking the step forward into Prophecy themselves.

6. Prophecy. If they are worthy, Celebrant’s will take their sixth step on the Path of Fear and become a Prophet themselves. While in some cases the Celebrant replaces their former Prophet at the head of the Cult, it is more likely that they depart their father-cult in order to prophecise among a new population of Ignorants. In this way, they can raise brother-cults and guide greater numbers of Ignorants onto the Path of Fear. Ultimately, though, the Prophet is attempting to grant eternal life to all of his followers. For this to happen the Prophet needs to take the final step on the Path of Fear.

7. Heraldry. Unlike the Ascendant sub-cult, the Undying branch of the Cult of Fear places more emphasis on enlightening Ignorants and growing the Cult membership. The purpose of this is simple. When the Cult is large enough to attract the attention of the Over-God’s Servant, then the entire Cult will reach salvation and eternal life. For the Prophet who has trodden the full Path of Fear, they are granted a token of the Over-God, blessed with a conscious eternal life, and achieve Heraldry. If they are killed after receiving their blessing, they will rise from the dead: unfallen and ever devoted to the Cult of Fear.