Chapter one (the Cult of Asmodeus)
Waterdeep has an established problem with secret worshippers of Asmodeus. Lord and Lady Cassalanter have led one such cult from a hidden temple beneath Cassalanter Villa, where members meet in masks and robes and include both nobles and commoners seeking wealth and status.
Chapter two (Xanathar)
The Xanathar Guild is a criminal organization rather than a cult, but devotion to its beholder leader is sufficiently unhealthy that it remains on the list. Its operations beneath Waterdeep involve criminals, monsters, and extensive use of the city's sewers and less desirable areas of the doc ward.
Chapter Three (Purple)
A cult worshiping purple was prominent in Waterdeep before the incident. During the incident, a powerful cultist the cult believed was a god defeated the threat before it completely destroyed the city. When the city was rebuilt, they named a street after the cultist and built a church for them to show thanks. Unfortunately, their name was spelled wrong on the street, and it pissed them off so much they stepped away from the cult altogether, and the cult retreated back to their homeland, unable to locate their leader and assuming them dead.
Chapter four (identification)
It is important to remember that the definition of a cult, per the great Merriam-Webster, is “a group (such as an organization or religious sect) with tenets and practices regarded as coercive, insular, or dangerous”. Note the presence of the word regarded. This means that a cult is defined by its perception. Any religious practice or organization is a cult if public opinion deems it so. Bearing this in mind before you go shunning cultists, remember you may be shunning the next city savior. Use critical thinking above all else when deciding who to trust, rather than their religious beliefs.
Comments