40k Cult Quest

[Dragonofelder]

+++ Thought For The Day: No army is powerful enough to conquer the galaxy. But faith alone can overturn the universe +++

Date: Approx 750.M41

It is the 41st Millennium. For more than a hundred centuries the Emperor of Mankind has sat immobile on the Golden Throne of Earth. He is the master of mankind by the will of the gods and master of a million worlds by the might of His inexhaustible armies.

One such world is Kelt, a fairly standard world in an out of the way system. Upon it is the Hive City of Keltist, home to around ten billion. A sizable city by any standard certainly. But one that is repeated on countless worlds across the width and breadth of the Imperium. Hive Cities hold the teeming mass of humanity, decrepit arcologies often dating back to before the age of humanity. Each city has its own character, its own style version of humanity society, usually formed around the main use or production of the world . And this is true on Kelt, which holds the designation of an -

[*] Administration World
Thousands of clerks, record keepers, and various other pen pushers toil here, working to keep the heaving, labyrinth bureaucracy of the Imperium alive, somehow. There are more halls used to store parchment than there are for living, and most of their contents are long forgotten, the dust of centuries covering them.
- The populace is mostly drones, completing their tasks with little thought
- Information from across the sector and beyond pass through, and are stored in this city
- Glory Rating: Changeable

Spoiler: Unchosen Paths

[ ] Industrial World
Like a living black hole, this city takes in mass amounts of resources, usually from off-world. It then outputs the vast amounts of items the Imperium needs, but are not specialized enough to be built on a Forge World. Las-guns, groundcars, basic spare parts; all are made here, somewhere in the tangled maze of manufactoria.
- Large workforce, often working & living in substandard conditions
- Increased off-world traffic, primarily bulk haulers.
- Glory Rating; Middling

[ ] Pleasure World
Dedicated to art, culture, and the high life. Wealth and wine flows like rivers, as all the luxuries mankind (and beyond) can produce are found in the upper spires of the city. Only for the High-born however. For others, they toil in the dark, working so this wonder can continue. Some have no idea of debauchery occurring above their heads; others look heavenwards with envy.
- Large discrepancy between classes
- Regularly visited by rich off-world
- Glory Rating: Middling

[ ] Agri-World
This planet is home to farming on an industrial scale. Vast fields of crops are harvested and replanted in never-ending cycles. Grox and other cattle live short, pointless lives, destined for the slaughter house. The city is part administration center, part storage center for the mass of foodstuffs, part distribution center, sending its products to hundreds of worlds.
- Population mainly commutes across the world to their work zones.
- Bulk haulers leave daily with their cargo of food
- Glory Rating: Middling

[ ] Fortress World
The Astra Militarum is a galaxy spanning war machine, and this city is but one cog. Its industry is set to the production of weapons & armour, and great regiments are formed annually, sent to distant battle theatres, many never to be seen again. The world is covered in defensive fortifications; any outside enemy would be hard pressed to take it. Any outside enemy…
- Strong martial culture at all levels
- Great stores of equipment
- Glory Rating: Middling

[ ] Shrine/Cardinal World
Perhaps it is the site of a great cathedral, a great miracle? Perhaps a saint was born there, or interred somewhere within its myriad temples? Regardless, this city stands as a bastion of Imperial faith, and a stronghold of Ecclesiarchy power. Yet the brightest light can create the darkest shadows…
- Population largely devout, fanatically so
- Large numbers of priests, temples, and holy orders.
- Glory Rating: High

---

Yet all is not well on Kelt. Dissent, held at bay by the words of the preachers and the shock mauls of the law keepers, is slowly growing, gaining firm anchors. In shadowy corners whispered discussions are held, suspicious glances are traded, and the downfall of Kelt, perhaps the Imperium beyond, takes shape.

Where does the cult form?

[*] Upper Hive
-Cultist Income: 10
- Mostly well off administrators, satisfied with their lot. But some are quite ambitious
- Well funded security with little experience

Spoiler: Unchosen Paths

[ ] Spires
- Cultist Income: 20
- Plenty of opportunity, and access to the most power positions in the city
- But rife with political struggles; hidden knives that are both literal & figurative

[ ] Lower Hive
-Cultist Income: 5
- Downtrodden workers that are integral to the Hive's function
- Trouble is always expected - they're neighbours with the Underhive after all

[ ] Underhive
- Cultist Income: 3
- Less a part of the city, and more a no-man's land of lawlessness
- Mutants, Gangers, runways, oh my!

---

One hundred souls are brought together in some forgotten hall, brought by traded notes, rushed words, some even by guiding dreams. All are gathered for a singular purpose, although perhaps they do not yet know what that is. All are bound, for reasons many and singular, by the strongest force in the universe. One that can turn aside blades, produce miracles, or damn whole worlds.

Faith.

Whom does the cult serve?

[*] Chaos Undivided
The Primordial Truth. The Ruinous Powers. You worship Chaos as a great whole, either as a single entity or all four gods at once.
Pros
- Blessings of the Four - The gifts of chaos are many and multifaceted. Gain access to limited boons of all the gods.
- Path to Glory - at the end; Godhood. Chance for your leader to eventually achieve demonhood.
- The Many - All the Lost and Damned gathered under a single banner. Increased general recruitment
Cons
- Temptations of the Four - The gods do not share easily. You will be driven to choose a single god.
- Fragile Truce - Rivalries of the Divine are echoed in their followers. Separate groups of worshippers that might act against each other.
- Path to Total Damnation - Failure, in the eyes of all four gods, is not tolerated. More severe repercussions, decreased chance of resurgence

Spoiler: Unchosen Paths

[ ] Khorne
The Blood God, Lord of Skulls. His domain is War, Murder, & Rage.
Pros
- Martial Might - Your cultists are strong in body and skilled at warfare. You have a bonus for any military action
- Hardy Recruits - Strength attracts strength. You have a bonus to infiltrating militant organizations, such as the PDF.
- Worship Through Bloodshed - The spilling of blood, no matter it's source, is worship enough for Khorne. Bloody deeds count as worship.
Cons
- Dark Honour - Khorne despises those who use sorcerous might, or skulduggery. You will be unable to recruit psykers, and have a malus to intrigue action.
- Prove Your Worth - Fighting to the top is the natural order of things. Chance each turn your leader will be replaced.
- Blood Must Flow! - Your god demands blood, and he will have it. Going without combat for a turn will cause your cultists to start killing each other, stacks over time.

[ ] Nurgle
The Plague God, Lord of Decay, or more familiarly, Grandfather. His domain is Disease, Despair & Rebirth.
Pros
- Spreading The Word - The worship of the Plague Father spreads like a disease itself. Increased passive recruitment in unsanitary environments.
- Circles of Life & Death - To die is to be reborn anew. Increased chance of cult resurgence
- Friends? Friends! - Grandfather's children are jolly indeed. Less attrition from aligned "allies"
Cons
- Something Rotten - Those that search for plague and disease can find more than they bargained for. Possibility for heavy stealth debuffs
- Death, Death, Death - Not all who fall to Nurgle's gifts rise again. Increased attrition
- Ho Ho No. - The Grandfather's wrath is legendary. Serious failures have serious consequences

[ ] Tzeentch
The Lord of Change, Architect of Fate. His Domain is Change, Knowledge, & Sorcery.
Pros
- Bird Is The Word - Knowledge is power, and power is knowledge - Bonus to intelligence gathering & infiltration
- Brain Power - All wyrds and witches are bound to the God of Magic. More psykers, and easier access to sorcerers
- Fateful Path - The future is always changing. One reroll per turn
Cons
- Bird Up! - The Mark of Change is ever shifting. Increased mutations, giving stealth debuffs
- Did you see this coming? - Treachery is the dawn of change. Chance each turn your leader will be replaced, or even greater betrayals
- LoL So Random XD - Tzeentch is just as likely to give you a boon as he is to curse you. Additional random event each turn, will always be negative

[ ] Slaanesh
The Prince of Pleasure, Lord of Excess. Their domain is Excess, Pain & Pleasure.
Pros
- The "High" Life - Sometimes it is hard to tell the loyal from the heretical. Stealth & recruitment buffs for upper society.
- Children of Decadence - Some fleshy acts have natural results. Increased cult growth
- Tantalizing Temptation - Even the purest have their vices. Buffs to corrupting
Cons
- Pricey Pleasure - The cost of excess is high. Reduced cult funds
- Divine Distractions - Why toil when pleasure is freely available? Every turn, up to 60% of your cult will be unavailable
- Violent Births - Naturally beings born of Pride see themselves as better. Demons are harder to summon, and cause more attrition

---

(Voting Complete!)

Separate votes for each section.

Glory can be seen as a challenge rating, and how high the reward will be.

Hi, this is my first quest! There may be bumps, especially at the start, but I really want to try it! I want to hope this is the first of many varied quests.

This is somewhat based on ScottishMongol's ANT QUEST. I looked at it, looked at the description of Hive Cities as anthills, and decided "well, why not?"

If you have questions feel free to ask! This first voting period should last a while, then the second post will take a while as well, as I need to modify it for the chosen cult.

Before you post, please read this post.

 

[Dragonofelder]

The Human Ascension
Cult of Chaos Undivided (Aspect of Primordial Truth)​

Stated Goal: To Claim For Humanity The Glory The Aeldari Once Possessed

Members
Cultist Numbers
Spires: 0
Upper Hive: 288
Lower Hive: 0
Underhive: 0
Total: 288

Special Members
Ogryns: 4

Positions
Tetriach - Valsen Stockhouse
Leader of the cult

Sovereign Of The Waves - Coy Hold
Manages the cults' water supply methods and stores, whatever they may be at a given time, as well as improving efficiency.

Director of Public Outreach - Dougle Vile
A somewhat ironic name, the holder of this position will direct all the cult's infiltration activities

Master of Scrawls - Simms Vellum
Manages day to day paperwork and mundane Administratum forms and requests, thereby reducing operation friction with the Adeptus Administratum

The Unseen Hand - Marc Eli
Tasked with keeping the cult concealed from its enemies; their responsibilities include inventing plausible explanations (and providing appropriate documentation) for cult activities, baiting investigators into pursuing the wrong leads, falsifying and destroying evidence, and- should the need arise- silencing those both within and without the cult who are deemed a security risk.

CEO - Boyce Holding
Runs the everyday operations of Brethren Kelt, the cult's front organisation

Head Researcher - Rosten Lowitzhs
Directs the cult's research projects

Cult Mood
8/10 - Bodily threat has caused some doubts, despite good successes

Infiltration
Administratum - Level 1 (0/10)
Clippers - Level 1 (1/10)
Ogryns - Level 1 (0/10)
House Hyarrstor - Level 1(1/5)
PDF -
Logistics Corp - Level 0 (2/5)

Devotion
Undivided: 26
Khorne: -1
Tzeentch: 8
Nurgle: 1
Slaanesh: 2
Total: 30

Assets
Resources
Income:
Cultists - 2090 (4180) (currently halved)
Water Deal - 1000
Upkeep:
Buildings - 525
Total Bank (as of Turn 4): 7256

Unique Resources
Water Supply - On a hot world like Kelt, a clean, cool cup of water can mean a lot (+5 to recruitment)
Produced 5 : Utilised 1 : Total 4
Profane Candles - Made from the rendered down bodies of sacrificed cultists (+ 5 to religious and esoteric actions)(Will only be used on highest voted relevant action)
Stored 2

Artifacts
The Aeldari Files - Data files found by Valsen. Although at first she thought they were just tales of the old Aeldari Empire, she has since discovered the pages are filled with secret meanings and hidden images. (Must be researched to reveal secrets)
The Clipper Files - Stolen from House Forstor, contains details about the Clippers

Completed Research
Xeno-Study: Alderi Enhanced Emotions
Clipper Equipment Standards
Alderi Movement
Paper Knives
Clipper Holdings - Spires

Holdings
Shadowy Abandoned Meeting Hall - out of the way and currently unused (not owned)
Church of the Undivided Fourfold Path (Church of Unification) - Once an abandoned Imperial Church, new turned to glorious purpose (200 upkeep)

• Stealth bonuses; harder to be found or overheard
• Far from transport, harder to get to
• Holy Consecration Trait
  • +5 to all piety actions performed within
  • +2d4 passive recruitment rolls
  • Church stealth improved
• Moisture Collectors - +2 Water Supply (under drought % of unavailable cultists -5%) (25 upkeep)
• Building Slots - 3/5
  • Water Stills - +2 Water Supply (50 upkeep)
  • Public Library - +5 to all research (50 upkeep)
  • Brethren Kelt Office

Pump House - (200 upkeep)

• Basic Assault Course
  • Allowing for basic cultist training (+2 to Martial Actions)
  • Allows for Training Action, producing Trained Cultists (+2 upgraded to +5)
• Building Slots - 0/3

Systems
Enforced Silence - Cultists that share secrets a bit too freely don't last long (-5 chance of discovery)
Waste Collection - Cultists collect their waste to be recycled in the Stills. (+1 Water Supply) (Lasts until drought ends)
Criminal Distancing - Cultists caught performing illegal activates stay away from the Cult of a year, lessening the chance of their crimes being traced back to the group (Cultists imprisoned for criminal activities will be unavailable for next turn)
Seek Snitching Opportunities - When your cultists discover illegal activities (that are not your own, of course), they will debate on alerting the Clippers (Monetary reward based on severity of the crime, diplomacy debuffs)

Active Deals
One Water Supply to Disciples of Nourishment for 1000 Resources

Units
N/A

Hero Units
Krok The Ogryn Prophet
???

Organizations
Brethren Kelt
Org Bank: 794
Funders:

• Minor House Senistor - 500 per turn

Type: Charity
Purpose: Alms for the poor, as well as literacy and spirituality programs.
Profit: 25% goes to the cult, the rest goes to the charity to fund various programs like public libraries, soup kitchens, etc.
Membership: Public
HQ: Church of the Undivided Fourfold Path
Those who are inducted into the cult shall have crafted for them a paper badge meant to signify their status as one who understands the deeper mysteries. Outwardly, these individuals will be positioned as clerks and managers throughout the charity.
Programms:

• Schools Without Borders (250 upkeep) - +3 to growing Influence in Lower Hive, Increased reputation within the Lower Hive workforce.

Cult Modifiers
Character Traits

Valsen Stockhouse -​

Easier to grow Administratum infiltration
+5 to Historical Research
-5 to all Piety or Esoteric actions​

Coy Hold - +50% profit on selling water
Dougle Vile - Infiltration actions failing are less likely to expose the cult
Simms Vellum - Actions less likely to draw the eye of the Divisio Vigilat
Marc Eli - Debuff for anyone attempting to infiltrate the cult
Boyce Holding - Decreased chance of money laundering being discovered
Rosten Lowitzhs -​

+2 to a Research action each time it is repeated
Aeldari Language Primer - Gives +5 to studying Aeldari Files​

Positions Modifiers

Sovereign Of The Waves - Increases effectiveness of water production/saving methods (Both Moisture Collectors & Water upgraded - Give +2 & +2 permanently, not just under drought conditions)
Director of Public Outreach - +5 to all infiltration actions
Master of Scrawls - +5 to actions involving the Adeptus Administratum
The Unseen Hand - +5 to actions taken to conceal the cult and its activities, increased chance of advanced warning of events that could reveal the cult
CEO - +5 to Diplomacy actions with other organizations
Head Researcher - +1 Research action per turn​

Abandoned Toll Gates
Can move between Hive Levels secretly

Upper Hive Menial Jobs
+1 to actions within the Upper Hive

Highly Placed Clipper Insider
+10 bonus to Clipper actions including Infiltrating

Krok The Ogryn Prophet
Easier to grow Ogryn infiltration
Easier to recruit Ogryns
1d4 Ogryn recruitment each turn

Brethren Kelt
+2d4 passive recruitment rolls
-5 to protecting against infiltration

Undivided Boons

Through Knowledge Power
Completed research actions give an amount of Undivided Devotion, equal to their difficulty level​

 

[Sinsystems]

On the subject of how a cult should operate here is an interesting video that goes into detail on how a Cult can go about taking over a planet

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA0X4zywxNQ&ab_channel=Arch

 

[Sinsystems]

Also here is another video on the type of logistic stuff we need to think about

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWj46Y3IbOU&ab_channel=Arch

 

[Dragonofelder]

I'd love us all to I have a nice fun time, but I am realistic enough to know my definition of "fun" is not shared by everyone. I know 40K can attract a certain kind of discussion, particularly when you play as "the bad guys," so I want to set the record straight as soon as I can.

There are no true "good guys" in 40k. Not the Imperium, not the Tau, not any minor race or special group. Everyone does terrible things to each other, sometimes in the name of survival, sometimes for the hell of it. There is no moral high ground. There is only perspective from where you stand.

The cult is going to do a lot of terrible things. Might they be able to rationalise it as a necessary evil? Yes. Could they, alternatively, believe what they are doing is wrong on every level and still do it? Also yes. Don't think too much about, these people live in mad times. If you really have to discuss it, keep it brief, short on details, and reference the real world, in any way, as little as possible.

Also; I reserve the right to remove something, anything that I or another user finds distressing/distasteful.

I will allow amounts of grim darkness, because otherwise it's not 40K. You want the cult to do human trafficking, using the "merchandise" as prostitutes and sacrificing the resulting babies by eating them alive? If you can get enough vote support, sure, I'll allow it. You write detailed accounts of that kind of thing, or expect me to write that? No. Gone. I don't want it on my thread, it does not need to be in this quest, we can have a fun time without it.

Press the issue, and I ban you. Break the rules, I ban you. Be intentionally hurtful to users, I ban you.

Consider this a preemptive warning.

Thank you for your time, and please enjoy the quest.

Praise Chaos!

 

[Dragonofelder]

Adhoc vote count started by Dragonofelder on Apr 16, 2022 at 6:17 PM, finished with 72 posts and 34 votes.

• ---

  23 people have voted

  [X] Upper Hive

  • Alectai
  • Rovos
  • ebolasos
  • Tarumath
  • Silor
  • Sinsystems
  • Sir LagsAlot
  • TheMaskedReader
  • Froggo Fantastic
  • iamweirdo
  • Bylba
  • CrabTravelLLC
  • Talon TigerDino
  • Lord Necromancer
  • uri
  • Derpmind
  • Burned_Cookie
  • Negation
  • Klackon
  • UARTman
  • Abyssius
  • Thedarkrider33
  • Valkyrien

  21 people have voted

  [X] Chaos Undivided

  • Alectai
  • Rovos
  • ebolasos
  • Tarumath
  • Silor
  • Sir LagsAlot
  • TheMaskedReader
  • Froggo Fantastic
  • iamweirdo
  • Bylba
  • CrabTravelLLC
  • Talon TigerDino
  • Lord Necromancer
  • uri
  • Derpmind
  • Burned_Cookie
  • tygerbright
  • TerrorCooper
  • mastergamer98007
  • RandomTechPriest
  • Void Stalker

  19 people have voted

  [X] Administration World

  • Sir LagsAlot
  • TheMaskedReader
  • Froggo Fantastic
  • iamweirdo
  • Bylba
  • CrabTravelLLC
  • Talon TigerDino
  • Lord Necromancer
  • uri
  • Derpmind
  • Burned_Cookie
  • tygerbright
  • Negation
  • AltumCurio
  • Jack727
  • Klackon
  • UARTman
  • Abyssius
  • Thedarkrider33

  10 people have voted

  [X] Shrine/Cardinal World

  • Alectai
  • Rovos
  • ebolasos
  • Tarumath
  • Silor
  • TerrorCooper
  • mastergamer98007
  • RandomTechPriest
  • LordEdric
  • Valkyrien

  7 people have voted

  [X] Tzeentch

  • RandomTechPriest
  • Klackon
  • UARTman
  • Abyssius
  • Thedarkrider33
  • AltumCurio
  • Jack727

  6 people have voted

  [X] Spires

  • AltumCurio
  • Jack727
  • TerrorCooper
  • mastergamer98007
  • RandomTechPriest
  • LordEdric

  4 people have voted

  [X] Khorne

  • Hunter531
  • Negation
  • Valkyrien
  • Roaming_Guardian

  2 people have voted

  [X] Agri-World

  • Sinsystems
  • Pillar 0F Atlan2

  2 people have voted

  [X] Nurgle

  • Sinsystems
  • Pillar 0F Atlan2

  2 people have voted

  [X] Lower Hive

  • Hunter531
  • tygerbright

  1 people have voted

  [X] Fortress World

  • Hunter531

  1 people have voted

  [X] Industrial World

  • Void Stalker

  1 people have voted

  [X] Slaanesh

  • LordEdric

  1 people have voted

  [X] Underhive

  • Pillar 0F Atlan2

Aaaand that's the vote! It seems you are a cult of Chaos Undivided, forming within the Upper Hive on a Administration World! Books Books Books?

Of note are the 7 votes for Tzeentch (auspicious), 4 for Khorne (halfway there buddy!) and the fact no-one voted for the Pleasure World. What's wrong with a bit of glitz and glam?

Next post should, should be out on Monday, I hope. It'll deal with; choosing what aspect of Chaos Undivided you worship (I promise it'll make sense) as well as a chance to modify Kelt/Keltist a bit, for better and for worse.

 

[Dragonofelder]

Spoiler: Voting Result

• Administration World
• Upper Hive
• Chaos Undivided

Those gathered are a diverse group - clerks, scribes, porters, maintenance workers and more. In a forgotten hall stacked with long archived weather reports they furtively discuss their beliefs, their understanding of the great truth they have only glimpsed. Slowly, the threads combine, until three groups emerge. A debate begins, until the final form of this new, or perhaps old, belief comes to be.

The Cult worships Chaos Undivided - but what aspect of it?

[ ] [Aspect] Primordial Truth
Peel back the layers of reality, ignore the lies of the weak minded, and you shall see the truth of the universe. All shall come to accept it, or perish in its name.
You accept the supremacy of Chaos, seeking to spread this holy knowledge to others.

• Focus on recruitment and methods of spreading chaotic influence
• Careful not to spread the net too far too fast

[ ] [Aspect] Primordial Annihilator
From the warp comes all life, and so it shall return. The end of all is inevitable; we can only accept it, and hasten the fall.
You shall try to speed up the inevitable fall of reality, perhaps even bringing it about.

• Destruction & death shall be your tools
• Remember; you can be patient. The gods have eternity to win their prize.

[ ] [Aspect] Ruinous Gods
All can be divided into four; war, change, death & passion. Separately they squabble and fight, but when acting together they command all.
You shall call upon the Dark Gods equally, working to their united goals.

• More access to boons, gifts, and other good things.
• Like dealing with jealous cats. Cats that can eat you.

---

The discussion finished, a hush falls over the gathered crowd. A question has become relevant; who shall lead them? What charismatic demagogue shall command them? What wrathful priest shall guide them? Some cannot even conceive of taking such a position, while others have no desire to rule; they are content to act as followers, or to plot in the shadows. Finally, almost simultaneously, four contenders step forwards and plead their case.

Who shall lead the cult?

[ ] [Leader] Valsen Stockhouse, the Scheming Clerk

• Has connections inside the lower levels of the Administratum (starting infiltration of the local Administratum & easier time growing it)
• As a Junior Curator, she has led many expeditions into the towering file storage (+5 to Historical Research)
• Is not, perhaps, a true believer; she primarily seeks to improve her own standing (-5 to Piety or esoteric actions)

[ ] [Leader] Newitt Owenun, the Shopkeep Priest

• Could talk a rock into splitting. (+10 to all Recruitment rolls)
• When his shop closed, it was no fault of his own. (Less upkeep on businesses, less likely to fail without outside interference)
• Does not know when to shut up. (-5 Stealth when conducting Recruitment)

[ ] [Leader] Dreyfus Kindly, the Murderous Officer

• Is an officer of the Clippers, local law enforcement. (starting infiltration of the Clippers & easier time growing it)
• Has many tricks and skills used to hide his "activities". (+5 to small-scale Stealth actions)
• Lets loose the dogs, and never calls them back. (-5 to Military actions including commanding forces)

[ ] [Leader] Jimmy "The Slip", the Fast-Talking Criminal

• Made his career smoothing the passage of "questionable" people & items. (+10 to non-violent Stealth actions)
• Has made plenty of friends all over. (+5 to all Diplomacy actions with local-based groups)
• Firmly believes you can't improve on the best; him. (-5 to Learning actions to improve processes)

---

Once this is done, and the losers slink away in defeat, the new master of the cult remains in the center of the room, all eyes upon them. They begin to describe their vision; what the cult shall aim to do, how it shall do it. And the most important piece of all; the name by which the faithful will know themselves.

[ ] [Goal&Name]

---

Voting shall begin in a short while.

This is a bit later then I wanted it to be, but that's fine. I'm scheduling the vote this time, and giving you more time to think about it. If you have questions, feel free to ask!
To explain the way to vote, a post would look like;

[*] [Aspect] Emperor Hate Squad
[*] [Leader] Bonko Bibbly, the Anxious Dentist
[*] [Goal&Name] The Uppers of Nox shall eat all the cheese!

Click to shrink...

(The first two are jokes, and not actual options. No, not even if you ask nicely)

Regarding the leader of the cult;

• The leader is not necessarily your character, they are just a figurehead
• More details about them will be revealed if they are chosen, but they are mostly unimportant.
• The Cult leader may, and in fact likely to, change at some point
• The unchosen characters can be considered dead/non-existent going forward.

I made the characters by rolling a D7 (Martial, Diplomacy, Stewardship, Intrigue, Learning, Piety, Everything) to decide what the trait would affect, worked out what kind of person would be good/bad in those areas, then decided on a useful/interesting trait. I also did a d2 to determine gender. One character is actually an old part of the plan for this quest, but I'm not telling you who in case you cry "favouritism!"

This is technically the last part of cult creation, but there are two more posts before we really start going. One is an option to edit Kelt more to your liking, and second is... a gift.

 

[Phoenix853456!]

Imperium Ascendant gods

chaos gods as drawn by an ai

PA10/11 Malice(god of anarchy, rebellion, hatred, self-loathing &(through kalib) possibly hunting) PA9 Tzeentch(god of change, magic, knowledge, deceit, progress, hope & ambition) PA8 Khorne(god of rage, murder, war, bloodshed, courage & martial prowess) PA7 Nurgle(god of disease, decay, d...

docs.google.com

 

[Klackon]

A routine beating.

Jimmy was not having a good day.

He was just minding his own business in this pub a mate of his owned, just drinking away his troubles, when all of a sudden two clippers came into the pub guns blazing, they where shouting for him, HIM, like they owned the place. He had tried to make a run but they somehow managed to notice him as he was trying to sneak out and managed to grapple him together. He couldn't understand it.

It didn't make any sense, the apes in the Clippers weren't ballsey enough to just raid a place out of the blue, and they never came round these parts, and Jimmy was pretty sure he hadn't done nothing to earn their attention, recently. So, he was honestly at a loss for words wracking his brain to try and find an excuse for himself or a reason for his arrest. He couldn't find any, so he tried using his famous charm. Though he might have lost a little of it on behalf of his drunkenness.

"I got friends you bastards, friends you can't even imagine!" Jimmy shouted as he was manhandled into a medium sized van the clippers often used for in plainclothes operations. Ok maybe he had lost more than a little of his charisma but to be fair he wasn't in the best in situation at the moment both being drunk and manhandled. The men forced his wrists together and placed a pair of handcuffs on him.

"Look fellas, do you want names? Cause I didn't do nothing, but I might know someone you want!" Jimmy said trying to weasel his way out of this. That apparently wasn't the answer they wanted as one of the men punched him square in the jaw before forcing a gag into his mouth and a bag over his head.

It was a long while in the dark after that. He didn't know where he was going or how long he had been going. It felt like hours in the dark with only the sounds of the van to make him aware of his surroundings.

Then the van stopped, he heard the vans doors open, and he was roughly dragged out of the van by two pairs of hands each holding one of his arms. Once he was pulled out the bag was ripped from over his head, and he was briefly blinded by the light. Before his vision recovered and he began taking in his surroundings. He was in a large, dilapidated warehouse, with two men at his sides holding him down.

He heard a click, and turned his head to look at the van, on the left side a stranger got out of the van, on the other side someone who very distinctly wasn't a stranger got out.

Dreyfus Kindly strolled towards Jimmy like he was the king of the world, he was a tall, muscular, dark haired and blue-eyed man, clean shaven with a perpetual sneer on his face and an air of brutal authority around him as he wore the typical grey and blue uniform of the clippers with a flack armour vest on top of that along with the customary peaked cap on his head. He strolled towards Jimmy uncaring of the glare being sent his way.

"Hello Jim boy how are you doing?" the large man mockingly asked fully aware of how he was doing.

"The hell are you doing Dreyfus thought we had a thing going!" Jimmy shouted at the man in front of him, the hell was going on he thought, he was going to say something else but he was interrupted.

"Indeed, we did Jim, indeed we did, unfortunately the boss wanted you taken in." Dreyfus replied evenly.

"Well so what? Tell that bastard that" he was stopped before he could continue by a punch to the gut from one of the men holding him.

"No Jim, you don't get it, the Boss wanted you taken in." he said with the same even tone he always used.

That threw Jimmy for a loop, and he started to sweat. "The boss? Don't lie to me, she wouldn't touch me. I'm too valuable for her I'm one of her crew!" He shouted as the men around him just stared.

"Don't oversell yourself, you're just a rat I know it you know and she sure as hell know it. First thing you did when my boys caught you started begging for a chance to say names. She can't have that" the man said. That got him worried.

"Look, I'm sorry ok, listen I made a mistake. I'm drunk I'm not in my right mind. Remember I've been good to you and her. If you don't want me that's fine, I'll go you'll never hear from me, and I swear ill never tell a soul." He pleaded trying to convince the man in front of him of his genuineness.

"Sorry Jim afraid I can't do that; you see you'll be spending the rest of your life in this warehouse here." The man said a smile creeping onto his face.

"Hell, you mean?" Jimmy said, his voice etched with confusion and worry.

Dreyfus sneer went wide, and that scared Jimmy more than anything else.

Dreyfus took of his hat and gave it to the man on his left. He then took out a long thick metal baton and began speaking.

"Jimmy, how'd you feel about meeting the Emperor's?"

His eyes widened in terror, and he opened his mouth to say something, but his words caught in his throat. Then he felt something he didn't expect. Anger.

"You son of a bitch, your gonna get what's coming to you, you and that fucking whore. You know she's going to kill you right? Kill your wife, your kids, everyone you love once she's used you up." He shouted at the top of his lungs. The only thing stopping him from attacking him was the handcuffs and the men holding him down.

Dreyfus's sneer stretched wider, but Jimmy could tell he'd gotten to him, before he started speaking again. "Sure Jim, whatever makes you feel better, pissant."

Then the beatings started, and he screamed.

++++++++

It took a while for the little bastard to die, Dreyfus Kindly thought.

It was a fairly typical beating. First there was a lot of screaming, cursing and threats. Once those were beaten out of the man he started begging and sobbing like a woman. Then he couldn't even do that anymore and started mewling and quivering like a leaf. Then he was beaten some more and couldn't even do that. Overall, he took it better than a lot of other people that Dreyfus had seen in his position had done kind of respectable to be honest.

He was still a little rat though.

Dreyfus took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his brow with it. Before placing his now bloodstained steel baton on the ground, gave his neck a quick crack, and turning to the man on his left, gestured for his hat back which he got without much fuss.

"Hey uh Kindly." Igor the man to his right said as he pointed to Jim's body. "I think he's still alive." He said and sure enough when Dreyfus returned his gaze he found the wreck twitching on the floor, bloodied and broken but certainly not dead.

"Oh, he is alive." The older man said, looking disinterestedly at the quivering man at his feet, "When the little rat stopped squirming and mewling, I thought that was it." He uttered like he was discussing a particularly boring sporting event.

Dreyfus paused for a second then deciding what to do next, before finally speaking up.

"Frak it." He said before taking out his autopistol and shooting the quivering wreck in the head. Jimmy never quivered again after that.

They were in a hive city nobody cared would care.

The tall man returned his pistol to his pocket and gave his neck a quick crack, before walking forward over the dead man and the pool of his blood. He then turned to his companions and addressed them.

"This never leaves this warehouse, understand?" he waited for them to nod before continuing. "He wasn't arrested by us, he just disappeared. We never saw him, nothing happened we're all on break are we clear?"

They all nodded.

"Good, we'll dump him in one of the lower levels, nobody's going to notice another body, and I doubt any one of his friends will care enough to start looking for him." He spoke.

They all nodded again.

"Now let's get to it lads, we got a rat to dispose of. Thank you, guys, for doing me this favour" Dreyfus said, and he meant it, he then turned to go back into the van.

Stockhouse ought to be happy be happy with this.

"Hey uh Kindly?" Igor said behind him. Dreyfus turned to him then to acknowledge his friend and his question.

"What is it?" he asked quickly.

"You said Emperors, like plural, what'd you mean by that?" Igor asked inquisitively.

Dreyfus paused then, before he answered.

"Eh slip of the tongue on my part, its nothing to worry about." He lied as easily as he breathed. Maybe he'd introduce them at one point. Hopefully they'd accept, if not then. That'd be a real shame.

Igor shrugged his shoulders and prepared to get back into the van.

And that was that.

++++++++++++++++

Just made this what'd you think? Any critique.

 

[Dragonofelder]

Recruitment
Each turn you gain a passive number of cultists. You get 1d6 for every ten cultists you have.
If you perform a recruitment action, you will receive an additional 2d6 per ten cultists applied to the action.
Both of these methods can be improved by research.

Voting
Every turn each person has one vote that they can apply to any action. This can be one of the options I suggest, or one of your own choosing.
Each vote commands a percentage of the general cultist population, calculated each turn. If there are 100 cultists, and 10 people vote, each vote is worth 10 cultists. Those 10 cultists will then take part in the specified action.
The action success rolls will be done CK2 quest style, rolling a d100 with scaling difficulty levels. There are modifiers that are added for specific action types, such as a +5 bonus to Stealth actions. Every 10 cultists, at the start of the quest, gives a +1 modifier. So if 38 cultists are applied to a single action, it receives a +3 bonus, as well as any applicable modifiers.
If you are unsure if voting is active, check the blue bar at the bottom of the page.

Stealth Rolls
Almost every action you take will require a stealth roll. This is the Cult trying to avoid official notice. As the Cult increases in size, or if you devote a great many cultists to a single task, the stealth debuff will be higher. There was ways to lower this debuff, such as debuffs and systems.
Simply being discovered does not end the game. You might be able to hide the truth of the cult, or the one who discovered you might want to cut a deal.

Infiltration
It is possible to gain control over other organisations. With a high enough infiltration, you receive bonuses, can perform certain actions, or even direct it towards the goals of your cult.
Like Recruitment, Infiltration can be done via action rolls, but can also grow passively, as long as you have initial infiltration.
Infiltration is done in scaling levels. Level 0, or starting to infiltrate the organisation, is five points. Level 1 is points, Level 2 is twenty, so on. Each time you increase a level your points reset. Reaching Level 10 means you control the organisation; for all intents and purposes it is part of the Cult's structure.

Devotion
Shows how strong your connection to your God(s) are, or how much attention they are paying towards you.
Using Khrone worship as an example;

• You do something Khorne likes, such as committing a series of murders, you get +1 devotion to him
• You do something he REALLY likes, such as making a pile of 88 skulls and watering them with blood, you get +2 or 5.
• You do something Khorne dislikes such as doing acts that please/in the name of another god, you lose devotion.

At certain benchmarks you get offered Boons or gifts that you can choose to accept. Accepting them will grant bonus devotion from, refusing them will lose some.
Accepting/Refusing the boon of another god will also lose/gain you devotion. For instance, if you accept Khorne's gift you lose devotion with the other three, while refusing it will give you devotion with them.
(This'll be expanded upon after the first turn)

Resources
Can be thought of as a combination of money, skilled physical labour, self-owned equipment; anything a cultist can offer the cult that is not time.
Some actions, units or systems will take up resources, either as a one time "purchase" or as upkeep.
Going into minus income causes debuffs, cultist dissatisfaction and other, worse problems. Completely running out of money will cause cultists to leave.

There are also unique resources, that can confer bonuses, as well as being sold to other groups;
Water Supply - +5 to recruitment

Cult Mood
How happy your basic cultists are. If problems arise, such as failed actions, it will slowly drop. It can be raised by actions such as ceremonies.
Low Cult Mood causes debuffs and other problems, such as leadership challenges.

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This post will be expanded upon as new mechanics become relevant or revealed.