Whispered Choir
The Whispered Choir is a secretive occult society, active in Elluenuueq, accused of indulging in obscene and criminal acts in their worship of the Sovereign of the Dawn.
Core beliefs and practices
Within the verdant labyrinth of Elluenuueq's ancient woods, where sunlight struggles to pierce the verdant shroud, exists the Whispered Choir – a clandestine society shrouded in secrecy and bound by their enigmatic devotion to the Sovereign of the Dawn. Unlike the sun-kissed deities venerated by most, the Sovereign dances on the fringes of documented history and credible belief, her existence a tantalising whisper amidst the tapestry of myth and folklore. For some, she is a figment of embellished lore, a mirage shimmering in the desert of truth. Yet, for the Choir, she is a multifaceted embodiment of power and knowledge, woven from moonlight and whispers.
Legends paint the Sovereign with an ethereal beauty, her form crowned by spun gold, and her captivating eyes shimmering with untold mysteries. The Choir reveres her not as a capricious deity, but as a sovereign of arcane knowledge, a repository of cosmic secrets locked away from mortal minds. In the hushed murmurs of their rituals, they speak of her ability to bestow upon her chosen followers access to these forbidden truths, a siren song of cosmic wisdom that fuels their unwavering devotion.
The celestial tapestry of the night sky is not merely a canvas of twinkling stars to the Choir, but a cryptic cipher, a reflection of the Sovereign's will etched across the cosmic expanse. By meticulously deciphering the movements of planets and constellations, they believe they can glean insight into the goddess's grand design, unlocking the hidden fate of the world and their own place within it. Visions and divine whispers echoing in their dreams are considered testaments to her favor, fleeting glimpses into the veiled grandeur of her existence.
Within the echoing halls of their twilight-shrouded tombs, macabre dances unfold under the bleeding moon. Grotesque idols contorted by eldritch influence bear witness to arcane pronouncements sung in a distorted tongue. Sacrificial pyres cast grotesque shadows as limbs burn, their pungent aroma mingling with the musky perfume of eldritch incense. Each offering fuels the Choir's macabre communion, tearing at the veil between worlds and drawing forth whispers from the abyss.
Yet, blood alone cannot sate the thirst for arcane knowledge amongst the devotees. The Choir delves into forbidden practices, weaving blood magic into intricate sigils carved onto flesh and bone. These pulsating markings act as conduits, anchoring the Sovereign's influence in the mortal realm and granting cryptic glimpses into the cosmic maelstrom. The price of such insights is steep, however. Sanity frays at the edges of these rituals, whispers of eldritch truths gnawing at minds unprepared for such revelations. Madness blossoms like a parasitic vine, twisting limbs and warping perceptions, a grim testament to the perilous cost of communion with the enigmatic goddess.
Beyond the confines of their hidden sanctuaries, the Choir's influence bleeds into the wider world. They infiltrate remote bailiwicks under the veil of night, snatching infants from their cradles and offering them to the Sovereign's insatiable hunger. Whispers of these "Dawn Tributes" echo through the shadows, leaving fear and sorrow in their wake. Rumours also swirl of forbidden pacts forged with bandit warlords, eldritch power bartered for dominion or the strength to strike back against the Union-State. The tendrils of their sinister machinations stretch far and wide, leaving a trail of blood, madness, and whispers of impending darkness wherever they tread.
The Whispered Choir's macabre dance on the precipice of cosmic revelation casts an indelible mark on Elwynn's soul. In their wake, madness blooms like a poisonous flower, a chilling testament to the price paid for courting the veiled divinity of the Sovereign of the Dawn. Whether their dance culminates in the unleashing of unimaginable horrors upon Elluenuueq, or their arcane communion meets a bloody end, remains to be seen. However, one thing is certain: the echoes of their profane pronouncements will reverberate through the ages, a chilling reminder of the potent allure and veiled divinity of the Sovereign of the Dawn, a goddess whispered about in shadows, her true nature as elusive as the first rays of dawn itself.
Yet, whispers abound within Elluenuueq, carried on the wings of moonlight and dissent. Some claim the Sovereign is not an ancient entity, but a nascent one, born from the collective yearning of the Choir, a gestalt consciousness birthed from their obsession with the veiled and forbidden. Others believe she is an avatar of a darker entity, a malevolent force cloaked in an alluring, manipulating the Choir for its own nefarious purposes. Regardless of her true nature, one thing is undeniable: the Sovereign of the Dawn is a potent force, drawing both the devout and the curious into her enigmatic web, and the consequences of her existence for Elluenuueq and beyond remain unknown.
Persecution
Since their discovery in 1716 AN, the devotees of the Sovereign of the Dawn have faced escalating efforts by the authorities of the Realm of Elluenuueq and the Benacian Union to thoroughly eradicate them. Foremost in opposing the Choir have been the Magisters-Carnifex, the Union-State's foremost agency for combating heresy and sedition, which has been obliged to wage an unwavering campaign to end the spread of the Choir through Araxion and the Governorate of Nordland.
The Choir's allegiance to the Sovereign of the Dawn, as suspected Daemon, is anathema to the Magisters. They perceive the Choir as a festering wound upon the fabric of reality, a conduit threatening to spill eldritch nightmares into the waking world. The Choir, cloaked in secrecy and operating beneath a verdant shroud, utilises intricate illusionary wards and arcane communication protocols to evade detection. Their sanctuaries, carved from gnarled roots and hidden within enchanted groves, defy easy discovery. Rituals unfold under the bleeding moon, macabre pronouncements swallowed by the hungry earth and obscured by dancing shadows.
But the Magisters are in no way primitive witch-hunters. Their ranks, forged in the crucible of countless eldritch campaigns, boast seasoned veterans with minds like analytical engines and hearts hardened by the horrors they've witnessed. They wield enchanted augury devices that project holographic glimpses of hidden rituals, train cybernetic bloodhounds attuned to the subtle thrum of forbidden magic, and employ interrogation techniques as precise as scalpels and as chilling as whispered threats. When the shadows encroach, the Carnifices meet them head-on, their holy incantations resonating like sonic cannons against the whispers of the abyss.
However, brute force is a perilous tactic against an enemy adept in the unseen. Both sides wield potent magicks, a dark and arcane arithmetic played out in eldritch algorithms and forbidden sigils. The Choir unleashes horrors from the fringes of reality, projections flickering on augmented displays, limbs sprouting from unexpected orifices, and minds dissolving into gibbering madness – a chilling testament to their unorthodox arsenal.
The conflict extends beyond the clash of steel and the gurgle of eldritch incantations. The Choir burrows into the heart of Elluenuueq, weaving webs of misinformation and manipulating investigations through infiltrated officials and planted code-cracking viruses. The Magisters, in turn, cultivate networks of informants, whispers of suspected cultists traded for protection from the creeping shadows. This clandestine chess match, played with pawns of flesh and information, casts a long shadow over Elluenuueq, a constant reminder of the unseen war playing out in the hushed corners of the world.
Whether the Magisters' campaign will finally sever the Choir's unholy communion with the Sovereign of the Dawn, or the cultists will succeed in rending open the gates to unimaginable horrors, remains an open question. One thing is certain: the struggle between these two forces casts a long and ominous shadow over Elluenuueq, a chilling reminder of the price paid for playing host to the secrets of the unseen.
