Cults in T2K

[swaghauler]

@Unkated: Thanks for the suggestions. I like the idea of a Pagan revival across Europe (w/ regional variations).

@Swaghauler: Yeah, I deliberately excluded those organizations because, IMHO, they're fairly straightforward "marauder" groups with much less overt emphasis on religious or spiritual doctrine. To qualify as such, cults, in my mind, need to have more central, more overt religious/spiritual beliefs and practices.

Merriam-Webster's website defines cult as "a small religious group that is not part of a larger and more accepted religion and that has beliefs regarded by many people as extreme or dangerous". That's what I'm going for with this thread.

Don't you know that Politics IS a religion now

[Bullet Magnet]

Don't you know that Politics IS a religion now

I'm glad someone else said it, and saved me the trouble. I would have gotten much more longwinded about it.

[unkated]

Children of Gaia: This cult (under a charismatic leader), believes that the worlds current woes are basically a curse on mankind brought on by our excessive despoliation of the Earth, with the limited nuclear combat being the last straw.

Or perhaps Gaia/God/force of your choice* manipulated human leaders into as a first step of scourging; after all, the targets of strikes were either cities or industrial targets (both heavy densities of humans and their technology).

At any rate, the Cult hides itself in a remote low-tech settlement (mountain valley far from city or main travel routes) (Northern California, Oregon, Washinton, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Wyoming, Alberta, BC, northern (or coastal island) Maine, Vermont, upstate NY, Pennsylvania, WV, Tennessee, Kentucky, western N Carolina, New Hampshire, the Ozarks (Missouri or Arkansas), southern Poland, Romania, Yugoslavia, Norway could be suitable base locations; equally in an isolated plain well-away form a city (Montana, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, North or South Dakota, Nebraska, Ukraine, Russia.

They purposely destroy technology dating later than the early 19th century; anything not built by hand. You can meet the cult as a set of warriors who are bent on destroying vehicles, weapons, machines, factories, power systems, etc. They would armed with primitive weaponry: Bows, crossbows, spears, swords, knives, etc, all hand made by the Blacksmith, of course. (as if in a Primitives encounter).

"Gaia asks us to remove these things that men make and cause her such pain, poisoning the water and the air. If we remove enough of them, she will restore her bounty to those that have helped to heal her."


* Could be extra-dimensional beings if you want this to be a pre-cursor to a Dark Conspiracy game...


Uncle Ted

[ArmySGT.]

The Violent Ends

When you have nothing left to live for, live for nothing.

Nihilists. These are a collection of men and women from every ethnic background, every caste, every economic platform, every walk of life. What is the common thread among them all you ask They are alone. These are the fathers, the mothers that have lost their spouses and children. These are the children who were home or at school when the bomb fell and their parents never came home.

All are sick with grief and loss with more reflected back at them from those they are travelling with. Members have been known to collapse and die of malnutrition or thirst because they just forget to consume what is necessary for life. They move in a herd, share communally food, water, body heat; as they shuffle down the road without a destination. Few if any at all could place a name or remember the faces of their fellow travellers. None make any attachments, except possibly to a companion animal like a dog, a cat, or a horse.

They are worthless for information... They know their name and where they are from, but couldn't tell you where they are now. Yelling, threats, injury, or even rape and they become unresponsive, curled up in a fetal ball. Slavers don't even bother as these typically just curl up a die. They make no effort to protect themselves walking across busy roads, over broken bridges, through even a raging fire fight. Gun fire won't even herd them out of the road when their mass blocks vehicle traffic.

They all die tragically, often by the hand of another; thus their nickname.... The Violent Ends.

[Raellus]

Thanks for the contributions, guys. Good stuff.

@unkated: This reminds me of the bad-guys in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six. IIRC, radical environmentalists were trying to launch a virus or something to wipe out 99.9% of humanity.

A neo-Luddite cult could have a similar M.O., albeit with less emphasis on environmentalism. Their reason for destroying new tech is that they blame it for the war. They embrace a return to hand-made articles, eschewing machinery, and a barter-based economy.

@ArmySGT.: I like this idea- the name is particularly clever- but what makes this a group What brings them together It seems like there's a missing element here. What's the bond that makes this a cult, as opposed to nickname for certain types of hopeless individuals

[ArmySGT.]

@ArmySGT.: I like this idea- the name is particularly clever- but what makes this a group What brings them together It seems like there's a missing element here. What's the bond that makes this a cult, as opposed to nickname for certain types of hopeless individuals

Cults are cohesive. Some are family, some are a religious affiliation; the most common and obvious reason for their communal activities.

The Violent Ends are communal in that a herd is communal. Some are more aware than others and able to gather food and water, then press this into the hands or mouths of those barely above catatonia. There is a bond without bonds, as membership doesn't require joining. There is comfort or atleast the path of least resistantance, for these sick and lost individuals in that no one presses them to act or feel.

You could I suppose give them a dramatic and tragic caregiver that sheperds them along.

I don't think it needs one myself...... Use them as a story telling tool to drive the point home that the world is broken and pitiless.

[Raellus]

Cool. I was just having a little trouble wrapping my head around the concept; your explanation has helped me to do so. Thanks.

[Nowhere Man 1966]

Children of Gaia: This cult (under a charismatic leader), believes that the worlds current woes are basically a curse on mankind brought on by our excessive despoliation of the Earth, with the limited nuclear combat being the last straw.

Or perhaps Gaia/God/force of your choice* manipulated human leaders into as a first step of scourging; after all, the targets of strikes were either cities or industrial targets (both heavy densities of humans and their technology).

At any rate, the Cult hides itself in a remote low-tech settlement (mountain valley far from city or main travel routes) (Northern California, Oregon, Washinton, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Wyoming, Alberta, BC, northern (or coastal island) Maine, Vermont, upstate NY, Pennsylvania, WV, Tennessee, Kentucky, western N Carolina, New Hampshire, the Ozarks (Missouri or Arkansas), southern Poland, Romania, Yugoslavia, Norway could be suitable base locations; equally in an isolated plain well-away form a city (Montana, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, North or South Dakota, Nebraska, Ukraine, Russia.

They purposely destroy technology dating later than the early 19th century; anything not built by hand. You can meet the cult as a set of warriors who are bent on destroying vehicles, weapons, machines, factories, power systems, etc. They would armed with primitive weaponry: Bows, crossbows, spears, swords, knives, etc, all hand made by the Blacksmith, of course. (as if in a Primitives encounter).

"Gaia asks us to remove these things that men make and cause her such pain, poisoning the water and the air. If we remove enough of them, she will restore her bounty to those that have helped to heal her."


* Could be extra-dimensional beings if you want this to be a pre-cursor to a Dark Conspiracy game...


Uncle Ted

Reminds me of a Cryptic Alliance from Gamma World with the same goals. I think they are The Razors. If you want more ideas, do a Google search for Cryptic Alliances although in the case of Gamma World, it might not always fit into Twilight or Morrow Project when they go into the mutant animal or android territories, unless you have those in your game, especially the latter.

[Tombot]

Love this. Well done

Yeah! Crazed cults, grounded in reality.
Thats how i love my T2k-religions,, The origins of your ideas have just the right vibe to it.

[Matt Wiser]

You do recall a RL cult that was around in '97 The Heaven's Gate cult that committed mass suicide in April of that year.....though one might have a few followers/wannabes lingering on after the nuclear exchange, and spreading the view that those who did commit suicide are on the UFO that the cult said was trailing the Hale-Bopp Comet, and will return to bring peace and enlightenment to a war-ravaged Earth.

[Nowhere Man 1966]

You do recall a RL cult that was around in '97 The Heaven's Gate cult that committed mass suicide in April of that year.....though one might have a few followers/wannabes lingering on after the nuclear exchange, and spreading the view that those who did commit suicide are on the UFO that the cult said was trailing the Hale-Bopp Comet, and will return to bring peace and enlightenment to a war-ravaged Earth.

I remember them, I was thinking about it the other day. IIRC, I remember Hale-Bopp and the alleged UFO was a lot of talk on Art Bell's "Coast to Coast AM" at that time.

[Rainbow Six]

I think Rainbow Six put up a good article about a real live female vampires living in T2K Poland some time ago. I think there was a picture of the actress Eva Green to portray the vampire, which was a good fit as she is vampish looking.

Ah, yes. I remember that now. IIRC, his piece was quite good. I didn't think of it when I was whipping up the Circle of Blood blurb. Any similarities between my bit and Rainbow's material were therefore completely unintentional. It'd be great if he'd add his piece to this thread. I'll ask him.

Just came across this thread...the link for the Wampir is here

http://www.twilight2000files.com/page206.html

There was a suggestion at the time that if you don't want to introduce the supernatural into your T2K campaign you could have her be an ordinary woman who thinks she is a vampire, possibly as a result of mental trauma caused by the War.

[Raellus]

Thanks, Rainbow.

Here's some more inspiration,

http://io9.gizmodo.com/the-5-scariest-cults-in-modern-history-1733521100