Name: [insert whatever here] of the Tall Man.
Organization: Each location will have a council of three or so, who rule the local cultists in our absence by majority vote. We cannot know the best solution for every area, so each council will decide on their own governance. Should they fail, they'll experience extreme regret over their failings. Should the cult thrive under their governance, they'll largely be left alone, perhaps with the occasional boon from us.
They'll be free to abdicate so long as they don't try to hide from us, and the remaining/new council will have the right to determine whether they need culling.
Looks: Elaborate symbolic body paintings. Paintings should be chosen that express the individual's personality. They should brand their left palms with our symbol once the need for subtlety in the area is gone.
Places of worship: Fire, industry, and domination are themes. From a simple pyre, to a forge, to the ultimate temple being built over an active volcano. The centerpiece is always the main fire, which also acts as the altar equivalent, and it's a requirement that something be made at each place of worship (in this case the dolls). The main architectural theme could be four arm-like horizontal offshoots, each representing one of our symbols.
Laws Murder of cult members (anyone marked with the Symbol) should be punished by death.
Practices: Arson of structures deemed 'useless' to our cause. Crafting and forging things, often pointlessly impractical symbolic weaponry. Primary weapons used by our militant followers should be battle-axes and crossbows.
Symbols: a burning man with 4 hands,fire, industry, domination, rage, the number 4.
Note that details about the cult are not set in stone (
yet), and can be changed easily.
Actually, we could start a nice tradition with the teen. If anyone wants to be in a better position, we make them bring in a bunch of followers. If they dont, then we eat them. Ensures people dont waste our time, while giving us the ability to find the better followers.
I say we are a bit dramatic and mutate the sacrificed animals into some kind of undead fire spirits.
The teen is the son of the village store owner. He's getting old, and his father doesn't really need any help with the store, so he'll probably be leaving the village soon, earn some money down in the big city, maybe get some education, find a wife, then come back and take over the store. So it goes.
His dreams are pleasant. He enjoys playing leader to the kids, likes pretending to call on demonic forces. Ha, if his father knew what he was doing! And imagine all the things he can get those stupid kids to do for him... yes, it is the sweet life for him.
It feels refreshing to corrupt the dreams of a happy dreamer for a change. He dreams now of walking around the big city with his little minions, perhaps attracting the eye of a beautiful girl who looks suspiciously like his cousin, and then, oh no! The big city is on fire! Better run! He commands his minions to carry him out of the city, but they refuse. They laugh at him.
"The Tall Man, the Tall Man, the Tall Man comes for yooou!"
And then he sees you, reflected in a glass window. He spins around, but you aren't there. He begins to run. The children keep up with him effortlessly, still laughing, still taunting.
"He'll burn your arms, he'll burn your legs, and finally he'll burn your head.
The Tall Man, the Tall Man, the Tall Man comes for yooou!"
You torture him thus for a while longer, but stop yourself before he loses his mind entirely. He awakens, drenched in sweat, terrified. You, in the guise of a child, speak to him:
"The Tall Man wants you to bring him a dozen new followers. Otherwise, the Tall Man will eat you!"
The teen does his best- he really does. Unfortunately for him, he is unable to convert even a single new follower. Not even his cousin, with whom he has always shared a close (and that one time, extremely close) relation with, refuses to come with him to the woods, citing 'its just a stupid game'.
At the next meeting, he suggests to the kids that, maybe we shouldn't be doing this, huh? Maybe not light the pyre today. And would you stop singing! Dear gods, stop singing!
The children delight in his fear. They taunt him. The poke him with sticks. He is forced into the center of the clearing. His back to the pyre. Quick as lightning, two of the kids bind his hands. Then they all fall upon him with twine and rope, and tie him up.
"Hey, come on, guys, this isn't funny. Let me down. You aren't really going to light the pyre- hey, what are you doing with that torch- hey- woah, no, put it out put it out, hey, heyheyheyheyaAAAAAAGH- for fucks sake you little punks put out the fucking fire! AAAAAAAGH!"
"We'll put out the fire, on one condition"
"What is it, hurry, my legs are- AAAAAGH"
"You have to sing the second verse of the pyre song"
"Oh, come on, I could never pronounce that AAAAAAAGH"
"You'll get it this time. I promise"
"NNGGH FINE. FIRE FIRE RISING HIGHER NOW NAME THE TALL MAN KRLNKIR YRLVNT"
And on those words, you come. Those words spoken in absolute terror, in absolute pain, those words begging- begging for release, a pronunciation of your name so sublime that not even you could have spoken it better with human vocal chords. The fire flashes blue. The flames rise up, twisting, and take your form. The teen looks upon you, and his mind is beyond fear. For a brief instant, he sees not the Tall Man, not a disguise, but your true, horrible nature. That one glance has rendered his mind devoid of hope, devoid of pleasure, leaving only absolute suffering so terrible that, were you to leave him now, he would die within the day as his mind sought the only escape left to it.
Fortunately for him, his suffering is only prolonged a few seconds more, so you can really take in that aura of terror.
Then you eat him. His scorched bones you grant to three of the four first, and pronounce that they shall rule as a council when you are away. The ashes of his skin, mixed with his blood and fat, you regurgitate onto the altar, and bid your followers paint themselves with them. They gather other pigments from various sources, and inscribe under your guidance dark and hideous runes upon their bodies. You have them take a poker and burn your symbol into their left hand.
You delight once again in their worship, in their willingness to sacrifice another, and themselves. You share with your loyal followers some of your malevolent pleasure, sending them into seizures of ecstasy.
Now it is time to get serious. Time to make an army. A dozen kids is all fine and well, but you want the entire village.
You bid your cultists gather extra firewood, and make several large pyres. You bid them collect animals- cats, dogs, goats, woodland critters- and bring them before you- living, if possible. They comply without question. They return with a motley collection- a few cats, a dog, three goats, and a dead rabbit. No matter. You couldn't handle much more than this anyway. You bid the cultists tie the creatures to the pyres.
The pyres are lit, the flames immediately turning blue. The animals scream in pain. You see some of the children wince in sympathy- odd, considering the lack of (or, indeed, positive) reaction they had toward their fellow man's suffering. The pyres burn for hours, but the screams never stop. In fact, the children begin to notice a new screamer- a rabbit's shrill cries. The screams do change, however. They become... dried out. Flickery. As the pyres begin to die down, the screams do too- and by this point, they have become distinctly... other.
As the last flames die, the weary eyed children move to sweep away the ashes- but before they can, there arise from the ashes... monsters.
Their old bones mostly retained- a few cracks here, a few scorch marks there, but their bodies have been completely burnt away, replaced by a swirling cloud of red-hot ash. Where once their eyes were, now burn blue flames, and when they roar, fire bursts forth from their non-existent throat.
You should name these creatures. You may be able to teach your followers how to create them without you, if you can find some followers with a smattering of magical knowledge.
Meanwhile, in the village, a few parents are getting concerned about their kids. They suspect that they have been sneaking out at night, and stealing things. And that one boy, the shopkeeper's lad, hasn't been seen in days- probably ran off, it was about time too. Still, he could've had the courtesy to tell people. He was spending so much time playing with those kids. Have you seen my cat?
Oh, and I almost forgot- old henry, who's wife passed away last winter, he's disappeared! Probably killed himself, the poor fellow.
Required: Cult Action, Your Action, Name for the fire beasties
Optional: Servants Action (rampage through the village?)
Name: Krlnkir Yrlvnt
Physical might: 12 (+1 worship/sacrifice)(-4 servant creation)
Mental might: 13 (+1 worship/sacrifice)(-4 servant creation)
Other: First Worship Rush. You are feeling ready to take on the world!
Followers: 6
Slaves: 0
Servants: 8 (unnamed fire/ash ghost/skeleton things)
Cult: The cult of the Tall Man. Low organisation. 6 (12) members in 1 village.
Power level: 5 (Represents how much your cult can do)
Resources: 0 (An abstraction of... resources. Money, weapons, building materials, whatever. Used for... buying stuff, arming soldiers, building temples)