Greetings!

Evil cults and organizations full of depraved degenerates can severely corrupt a society, and over time, overthrow the natural order and install a power structure that is entirely evil and wicked. How do your societies respond to the presence of evil cultists and depraved degenerates?

Throughout my own world of Thandor, Witch Hunters are powerful, and widely respected. Likewise, righteous priests often lead civic groups that work closely with local authorities to expose and destroy groups of cultists and degenerates.

Most such evil and depraved people can look forward to being burned at the stake, often after being ruthlessly tortured. The authorities are always eager to learn about who the companions of the degenerate cultists are, who their helpers are, their allies, and who conspires alongside them to promote and celebrate their wickedness and evil.

It certainly adds a level of excitement, tension, and drama to urban-centered adventures, but also episodes unfolding in rural areas.

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

The fantasy world I've spent the most time developing takes a lot from real European history, although it throws in real gods, elves, dwarves and several varieties of magic, so there are a number of groups that match what we would think of as a "cult". The response to them differs a lot depending on where they are and what they do:

- The Cult of the Black Reaver worships the Warden Aoranis, elder god of hunting, wind, travel, jokes and unmarried men, as a dark and ruthless taker of anything he desires for his own profit; it's popular among thieves and pirates as a basic justification of that way of life, and tends to serve as a centre of organized crime in areas where the law is corrupt, e.g. smuggling ports. Intriguingly, it's also the source of what few ethics such groups have; Reaver-sworn pirates pride themselves on never killing victims who promptly surrender (though they're usually untroubled by selling them into slavery). Knights, justiciars and guardsmen who take the law seriously will seek to stamp them out wherever they can, but like the real-world Mafia, the Cult is very good at buying off the right officials to ensure some survival.

- The Cult of the Red Moon worships Mara, goddess of the moon, night, romance, poetry, music, beauty and dreams, as a lustful Temptress figure who favours all forms of sensual indulgence and orgiastic excess; they are popular among prostitutes and decadent aristocrats, not least because they're one of the few groups willing to deal in alchemical abortifacients and moondraught elixirs (i.e. birth control). As with the Black Reaver, those who take the gods' teachings seriously consider them an abomination and try to encourage the law to disperse them, but their illicit appeal always ensures they have people willing to patronize them or seek them out.

- The Cult of the Silencers claims to worship Annuresh, goddess of death, fate and judgement, and to honour her by ushering those who have earned others' wrath through the Doors of Fate; they are essentially a religiously-motivated guild of assassins. However, they are so roundly loathed by virtually every secular and religious authority known -- especially Annuresh's true temple, the House of Consolation -- that wherever a Silencer priest possesses any real power, it is almost certainly black magery, sorcery or necromancy rather than true theurgy. Even the other Cults prefer to keep this one at arms' length, and will usually gladly give up a Silencer circle to secure some mercy for themselves. Proven Silencer cultists can expect only a quick death if they are lucky. Nonetheless, as with all human civilizations, the supply of those willing to pay for murder will always ensure some demand for the Silencers' "services".

- The Nevaskine Heresy is an offshoot of the Ascensionite Church which teaches that the proper way to Ascend to paradise is to burn sin out of the soul by freely indulging in it, and that no law or oath which restrains this process can be considered binding. This is mitigated by their belief that every person has the right to engage in this process, and thus violence, assault or exploitation openly invite retribution in exactly the same way (and deserve no sympathy if they do); thus, harming others by sinning is, if not forbidden, seen as unwise and counterproductive. Their refusal to swear oaths, however, means that the Nevaskines threaten the feudal order of most of the continent's realms as greatly as the Albigensians did in our world, and they wind up meeting with much the same fate.

I love a good depraved cult 

Depends on the game but mostly, since I use them as antagonists, I've had games like yourselves where they are so insidious and embedded the 'good' guys act more like bad guys to root them out.

Was quite fun to have the players dance around trying to root them out and not falling under the order inquisitorius radar.

Doesn't it depend if they are the nobility / rich or not?
Those with power and authority are copied more often than reprimanded.

Quote from: SHARK on January 16, 2024, 10:58:38 PMEvil cults and organizations full of depraved degenerates can severely corrupt a society, and over time, overthrow the natural order and install a power structure that is entirely evil and wicked. How do your societies respond to the presence of evil cultists and depraved degenerates?

I use the concept of "evil cults" and "depraved degenerates" pretty sparingly. It's not that I don't see their use as antagonists -- they are pretty handy for that -- it's just that I've somewhat attempted to purge from my setting the sorts of elements that would lead to these cropping up. I get that people are people, so they would show up time from time, but I feel there's enough of this trash in the real world that I don't want to involve it in my elfgames all that often. But in the event they do show up, adventurers can lawfully put their asses to the sword provided they can give proof of nasty-enough activities to the authorities when the time comes, if that's necessary; out in the wilds, where authority usually is equated with personal power, if adventurers are badass enough to fuck up a group of degenerates -- who's going to argue with them?

Rakshasas, illithids, and similar "kill on sight" creatures that are actively and permanently antagonistic to humanoid civilization is another matter. They can and do engage in all kinds of horrific shit on the regular, but they're not "people" so it probably doesn't hit the same as what you're talking about here.

In my current urban game, my go-to antagonistic organizations are street gangs. They're assholes, sure, and they engage in crime and other antisocial activities, but they're not degenerate about it, as a general rule.

I am outlining a scenario, or mini-campaign, that I wish to publish.  It features two different, opposed, factions.  One is a Christian parents' group, which over-zealously wants to protect their kids, and everyone else's kids, from fantasy role-playing games out of fear they will lure them into the occult.  It also has an after-school fantasy RPG group, who really identifies with the magic in the game and finds an interest in magic.  Depending on your point of view, either, neither, or both can be viewed as cultists.

I have a cult as the main antagonist in my current campaign. I'm trying to make it believable for them to be popular in recruiting people, though, so I'm emphasizing other parts of them.

I know "cult" has a widely negative connotation in modern times, but I like to point out Roman mystery cults, which were more like Freemasons or lodges socially. RuneQuest did well to have "Cults of Prax" as their religion book.

The evil cult in my game are called the Order of the Black Sun, and their central myth is that the Moon was once as bright as the Sun, but the sun god Inti threw ash in the face of the moon goddess Mama Killa. They hold that the creatures of the night are unfairly maligned, and that worship of Inti has thrown off the balance of the world, neglecting other gods - especially Mama Killa as well as local gods such as mountains. They use the line to recruit, and have vampires and other evil undead as their leaders.

Greetings!

My world of Thandor has many different cults. Dark, evil powers provide many quick, temporal benefits that appeal to the base lust and wickedness of people. So, depraved, evil cults are everywhere, with huge ranks of members. Strong economic, political, and cultural influence everywhere as well.

Animal blending, blood, sex, power, they masses love it all. It definitely creates an uphill battle for those that seek righteousness and are determined to preserve the Light.

Villains and opponents are always easy to come up with.

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

Obviously this depends on the world and the context. Is it a typical high fantasy world where good is just and supreme, the kingdom is benevolent, and heroes fight against the darkness? Then the cult is secretive, hiding in sewers or in a secret room of a corrupt nobleman's estate. That's generally my "default" when I'm just running a game without thinking too hard about setting specifics. Obviously if you're doing a darker world where good isn't so powerful or otherwise set somewhere with a dodgy form of governance then maybe the cult has infested the kingdom with various members in high ranking positions of power. You could do a great game with lots political intrigue that way. It's up to you. I normally do that sort of thing if I'm playing CoC. I'd do a Dark Ages CoC or VTM game with that personally. 

My setting has pretty ambiguous divine powers; most religion's priests who wield magic wield the same type of spells as a wizard, having learned it as part of their religious education. It is a part (a barely understood part, but a part nonetheless) of the natural world though the religious generally claim that the knowledge required to wield it was a gift from the gods.

There are though individuals on the fringes whose supernatural abilities defy the usual rules of arcane magic who tend to preach in the name of either a supreme deity above all other gods and who have no explanation for their abilities except that they were an unbiddengift of the supreme deity given for the purpose of fulfilling a divine mission (which is to drive out seemingly demonic forces, heal the sick, comfort the afflicted, and spread the message to "love one another as The Source of All loves you.").

The Powers That Be, including the organized religions, distrust and fear these people (calling them Sorcerers; i.e. Source-users) since they had no say or control over the granting of these supernatural gifts and their service to the poor, sick and afflicted ignores their laws, taboos and restrictions claiming authority from a higher power than their false gods.

Sorcerers and their followers are generally labeled as unsanctioned cults and persecuted for defiance of the state and the gods (i.e. refusing to offer the proper public sacrifices and signs of loyalty... since they claim loyalty only to their Source of All).

More likely to pass muster within society are various mystery cults to obscure gods which still pay the proper tribute to the gods of the state. Sure, there are rumors of rituals to cheat death or allow their gods to "ride" them in the performance of blasphemous acts, and of children and maidens going missing, but what stays behind closed doors is none of the state's business, particularly when many of the state's leaders belong to such cults and membership brings favor and networks of influence in matters of daily life.

* * * *

Yes, that would be the Christian-expy being the one persecuted as counter-cultural cult of depraved degenerates by states and religions so out of step with the divine they resort to arcane tricks to present the appearance of divine authority, while ignoring the demon worshippers in their midst who prey on the gullible and innocent behind closed doors by paying lip service to the state gods and lavishing the authorities with gifts and avenues to indulge their vices.

Now, choose your side. Hunted and persecuted as a cultist for being true to the good, or accepted and rewarded for going along to get along and ignoring the omnipresent evils you can glimpse from the corner of your eye?

I mostly run games set in the modern day, via World of Darkness or Superheroes.

Cults can get away with a whole lot of degeneracy and depravity without ever running afoul of trouble or society caring... Just as they do in the real world.

The difference is, the player characters can bring them to Justice.

Whether that's the Justice of the grave (as in most World of Darkness games) or having their entire network exposed, dragged into the light, and sentenced for crimes against society (as in the Superhero Games.)