The Nathali
Cults have long been a part of Lithrydel's history- some serving as vehicles to the worship of the self, like the cult of pleasure, while others reserve their devotion for less fathomable powers, whether celestial, infernal, or eldritch.
The Cult Of Natha
The Nathali are one such group, which outwardly presents itself as an organization which fervently worships Vakmatharas. This worship takes a rather dangerous form, however, as it's celebrants enthusiastically pursue the ideology that imparting death upon the uninitiated elevates themselves in the gods eyes. Whilst this practice has rightfully led to the Nathali being referred to as a murder cult, the unhinged zeal in which it's initiates willfully plunge themselves headlong into danger does give credence to the fact that many among their ranks truly believe that peace and serenity are found in annihilation.
It's thus no wonder that the group has declared that those entities which defy Vakmatharas' embrace are to be declared Apostates- a credo that has led to a rather vicious attempt by the group to bring ruin and devastation to the undead and vampiric denizens of Lithrydel as a whole, but especially to those affiliated with the city of the dead, Vailkrin.
And yet, that isn't the whole story when it comes to the Nathali. Whilst at a glance, they could be considered interloping upstarts; which have managed to find a place amongst the nihilistic and disillusioned in the seedy underbelly of the city, there is more to this story and their fixations.
The particular ease in which this organization managed to infiltrate Cenril and Vailkrin is no coincidence- given that the roots of the organization are rotten, and built on Hypocrisy. One of the most closely kept secrets of the organization is that it's much whispered but oft-unseen founders are not merely humans, but rather vampires themselves- former Nobles of Vailkrin who had found themselves outcast. The Nathali are not truly a vehicle of worship for Vakmatharas- though they may offer countless lives up in his name. Rather, it exists as a tool for revenge- a spiteful engine of destruction whose ultimate goal is to raze the dark city, and provide it's founders with the power and wealth they had once possessed.
Unfortunately, the zealousness they managed to instill in their believers has led to a number of fractures within the organization, as factions have begun to dabble in increasingly subversive and destructive means of giving praise to Vakmatharas. It's not uncommon for Chapters of the Nathali to be wiped out due to the repercussions of their 'devotion', and in recent years, the heads have had greater difficulty in managing the oblivion seeking tendencies of their followers.
[OOC NOTE: Over time this problem became increasingly difficult to manage, and the continual chaotic growth of the cult -did- eventually lead in the execution of the elders by their own followers. Rather than take the succumbing of their former leaders as a sign that things were amiss, the followers who were privy to this event instead interpreted it as a trial. A trial which they ‘overcame’ by demonstrating their loyalty and willingness to root out the curse of undeath wherever it might take hold.]
Goals
Being a cult devout to Vakmatharas, The Nathali are primarily concerned with machinations that will result in death on a large scale, as they seek to both ‘deliver’ people into the arms of their dark deity, and o gain his favor/attention through these acts. That said, they have a rather specific hatred of the undead, and especially for the city of Vailkrin, given what it symbolizes- so a large portion of their schemes are targeted around that area, and specifically about the vampiric/undead population at large.
Methodology
The Nathali is an active murder cult, and they do seek to do their utmost to satiate their Dark deity through acts of elaborate bloodshed. Whilst this can manifest in acts of murder, both ritualized or more …direct- this group is more often focused on precipitating events or disasters which would result in deaths on a massive scale. Thus, while they are certainly well equipped to send in squads of cultists to suppress issues, they are by and large concerned with the acquisition of arcane rituals that can be used to herald in creatures capable of achieving the mayhem they crave, or by orchestrating conspiracies. The Nathali have been known to work with vampire houses to stoke up in-fighting in the hopes that the undead city will consume itself, and have also in past had a hand in further stoking up tensions between Cenril and Vailkrin. That said, should the opportunity for a large enough calamity present itself, they’d happily align themselves to try and ensure the situation escalates as much as possible in severity.
Cultist Traits
The Nathali are zealots through and through, which given their specific object of worship, manifests itself as a complete lack of fear in death. While they’re not actively -suicidal- the fear of death or suffering has been snuffed out of the members of this dwindling group.
Dwindling, given the protracted conflicts with Vailkrin, the actions of rival groups, and the cell-based nature of this group have not boded well for it consolidating a place of power for itself in recent years, especially with the annihilation of those individuals who once led this group.
Overall, the Nathali display a fair degree of Martial prowess (to the point of favoring weapon masters and monks). Priests of Vakmatharas and arcane researchers do exist among their rank, but are far less common, and can often be found in support roles, or positions of leadership - though unlike it’s original hierarchy, there’s no vampires to be found among them.
Garb wise- The Nathali are rather difficult to miss, as their penchant for wearing grey scarves and elaborate sleeves of ink devoted to Vakmatharas are alive and well, to this day. A confidence which is only matched by their competence.
The Old Chapter Of Natha (Before The Purge)
At a glance, they are not exactly the most difficult individuals to pick out of a crowd, given they tend to wear gray scarves, may or may not have weapons cached upon their person, and most importantly, will be sporting a number of Tattoos relating to Vakmatharas and death related symbology, though some might also chose to adorn themselves with Vakarash Symbols (to accompany the icons of their primary patron). The latter note is extremely important, as those symbols are in effect runic magic- the likes of which serves to immolate the cultist in a fairly brief but intense fire should he die and hit a relatively stable surface (Hitting the ground, pinned to a wall, et cetera). In a pinch, it can also be used to immolate cultists should they still be alive, which makes both insubordination, and defection -extremely- unlikely.
Individuals higher up in the ranks will also be sporting grey robes- likely to be seen on the clergy (who have a penchant for umbramancy), and the Cull-men (Highly trained monks who seem to be able to have some form of pre-cognitive ability, making them -extremely- dangerous to engage in combat. There are, in fact, some anti-mages amongst their ranks).
Commonly referred to as the Nathali, the Cult of Natha is a recent addition to the host of cults which infest Vailkrin, having only appeared within the confine of the city during the last few years. Unlike the others, however, whose roots can generally be traced to one of the many founding families of the dark city, this particular cult is foreign in nature- having originated from an island somewhere off of Cenril's coast.
Ideologically, however, they do share some common ground with certain native cults- as a devout (read: Extreme) worship of Vakmatharas rests central to their cause. Specifically, their worship manifests itself as a balancing act between religious rituals, and a life-long pursuit of the art of death-dealing, in tandem with embracing the very idea of dying - traits which have allowed the group to evolve into a highly competent organization of assassins (and monks) at their core. Even the neophytes can be considered dangerous due to this, if only due to the single-minded manner in which they pursue the act of bestowing death onto recipients.
In fact, it's this same ideology that also puts them (officially) at odds with the Undead and Vampires, with their publicly espoused doctrines dictating that they are aberrations which have -denied- the gift of death, and need to be eliminated. Ironically, the group is also at odds with most races that aren't human or elven as nature, although that simply seems to be a matter of racism which only affects who is able to enlist in their ranks.
Whilst such an ideology in and of itself should have put this group entirely at odds with Vailkrin, and ensured its rapid annihilation, the truth of the matter is far grimmer. In effect, the individuals heading the church (The clergy and higher) -are- mostly vampires, which makes a great deal of what they teach hypocritical. Doubly so if one were to know that some of those higher ranked individuals had been given the means to 'retire' with the wealth and power they had acquired through the organization, as opposed to simply dying. In essence, the lower ranks serve as shock troops for the designs of those who are the head of the cult, with only the best and brightest amongst them being chosen to ascend to the roll of a 'cleric'.
Still this hypocrisy has served the cult well, as it's allowed them to form ties to certain Noble Vampire Houses within Vailkrin, whilst simultaneously allowing them to spread their influence discreetly to Cenril through mostly human agents. Indeed, they may even count ties to both the Cenril church and/or the Cult of Pleasure amongst their areas of influence - though such things are hearsay or circumstantial at best. There may also be rumours of individuals similar to these out in the deserts.
As it currently stands, the last known goals of the Nathali (as told by Kyperion), had been that the Cult had been seeking out vampires so that they could vampirize their standing forces, and engage in a massacre. And yet, if their higher ranks are already vampires, why would they need outsiders to enact such a plan, especially when it could potentially divide a large amount of their forces' loyalties to other individuals? In the end, it only seems likely that this was a piece of hard earned misinformation. Just what is this groups goals?
Related/Useful Links