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  1. #1

    Default Cryx and religious devotion

    The fluff in the IKCG & IKWG make it seem that all of Cryx is fully under the spell of Toruk and that worship of him is practically the state religion.
    Though that works as a blanket statement, to what extent is it actually.
    Does every Cryxian commoner revere the Dragonfather or is it more that Toruk is merely the all-powerful overlord?
    Obviously the Lich Lords are the upper eschelon, but is there an inquisitional body that enforces said "worship"?
    Are there any other religious derivations (pagan cults that only feign Toruk worship, underground Thamarite heretics, etc.)?
    Does religious devotion to Toruk fade in distance away from the capital as does the effect of blight?
    Just kind of curious how all that works out...

  2. #2
    Destroyer of Worlds Psychomancer's Avatar
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    I get the impression that the decrees of Toruk go somewhat like:

    1. Torque ye not the Dragonfather off.
    2. Watch thine own hindquarters above all others.
    3. See Decree the First.

    Toruk doesn't need worshipers per se. But the Dragonfather is almost certainly a player in the war of souls waged eternally in Urcaen. Whether he is a dual-natured beastie of some kind, dwelling in the lands of life and death simultaneously, or just in possession of some powerful knowledge on the affairs of beyond is unknown, but it must be a matter of great importance to him, because almost all the magic and all the necro-tech that comes from the fell Scharde islands is powered by the energy of souls. From the soul-cages that power necrotech weapons, to the furnaces of Iron Liches, the fires of Cryx are fed on soul-fire.
    Many of Toruk's followers have pledged to bring him souls to feed the insatiable hunger of the Dragon's own dark magic, and to provide power for Toruk's chosen followers and priesthood. So while temples and shrines to the great Toruk do exist, they are basically repositories for dark energies rather than places of worship. Most worship of Toruk happens in places where people die, and their souls can be harvested.
    Cryxian common people work day-to-day at their vocations, each a tiny cog in the vast machine of the Empire- failure to meet the standards set is punishable by death- and worse, having your own soul added to the tally. Toruk is not revered so much as he is feared, and people are very superstitious about exactly how prying Toruk's eyes really are. The servants of Toruk enforce his will through their own minions and cronies, and the strong always prey upon the weak.
    I wouldn't be surprised to find Thamarites among the many pirate crews and mercenary gangs in Blackwater particularly, but as agents of Cryx are not tolerated in Five Fingers, I imagine the feeling is mutual.
    You don't find many adherents of Toruk on the mainland. Those that are there are probably his agents already, looking for ways to promote his agendas (see Asenath Scarrow in Five Fingers) but further inland, the authority of the Kingdoms and the Church of Morrow is stronger, and a lot of effort it put into rooting such factions out.
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  3. #3
    Destroyer of Worlds StJason's Avatar
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    Another thing to consider is the power of the priesthood itself. High enough level priests start issuing blight like Toruk's own, so many become undead to continue to serve Him. While Toruk might not care much about His church (and honestly, not much about His followers), His church very much cares and consists of several of the most powerful figures in Cryx. So when a 12-foot tall necrotech horror comes knocking and asks if you have tithed, odds are you are going to pull out anything shiny you might have.

    Back when we were doing the Blackwater Project, one of the neat ideas floated around was the Deathless of some of the Ogroth hanging around Drer Drakkunberg with a bunch of Orgoth-style undead (Dread, Excruciators, etc.) doing quiet guerrilla actions and stirring tensions between factions.

  4. #4
    Destroyer of Worlds The Happy Anarchist's Avatar
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    It has been stated somewhere that dragons have no presence in Urcaen. Toruk may have more knowledge of Urcaen just by dint of his access to occult lore - but he likely has zero direct experience with it.

    The reason Cryx runs on souls is that souls are incredibly potent sources of energy and Toruk has the ability to manipulate them.

    Other than that, I think Psychomancer likely has the jist of it.
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