Organization Religion The Cult of the Black Order

[Charles]

:|:The Cult of the Black Order:|:

~The Lords of Ren~
During the rein of Ovas'goth Ren, it was said that he had manipulated and corrupted nine major Lords to serve him like puppets.
One by one, they each fell to the Dark Side, corrupting the realms and planets they swayed in the Unknown Regions.
Each was gifted a sliver of Ovas'goth's power, but were doomed to serve him for as long as he lived.
Now the cult searches for their Black Lord- the Master of the Ring -or to become the Lord of Shadow themselves...
​

History
The Cult of the Black Order, previously known as the Lords of Ren, was founded somewhere around 7,000-6,500 ABY in the Unknown Regions by a mysterious Dark Lord by the name of Ovas'goth. Ovas'goth was a near-human race blessed with long life that has been considered extinct and of legend. With this long life, he devoted himself to his previous' master's studies, who's name has been lost to time, of the Dark Side of the Force. He learned quickly and mastered the arts even quicker, following a simple philosophy that would later become the motto of his soon-to-be kingdom. The name of this philosophy was 'the Ren', and it meant becoming the very embodiment of the Dark Side itself.

Though there were many who were appalled by Ovas'goth's morals and conquest, not all were brave enough to go to war with him alone. Nine human leaders banded together in hopes of destroying Ovas'goth before he destroyed them. However, Ovas'goth was cunning, and laid a trap for the nine lords to fall under his sway.

Thus, Ovas'goth gifted the Lords each a relic with marvelous power, as a treaty for peace, congratulating the wise Lords for cornering the Black Lord. Some were pieces of jewelry, while others were enchanted weapons. Each Lord was flooded with pride, deciding to let Ovas'goth live out of pity. With the power of their relics and their united systems, who could challenge them? The nine Lords expanded their reach, invading other worlds in a violent crusade filled with bloodshed like no other. Thus, their greed for more power could never be sated and they found themselves crawling back to the Black Lord, himself.

The trap had been laid, and the Lords of the Nine had fallen to the Dark Side, begging for Ovas'goth to grant them another great boon. With a crooked smile and a hoarse chuckle, Ovas'goth simply asked why these powerful leaders needed his help? They had a growing regime- a growing empire! They did not need Ovas'goth's gifts. But as the Lord of Shadow suspected, they cared only for their own desires, and that desire was to be immortal. The Nine Lords were not gifted with the same lifespan as Ovas'goth, and they believed that they needed no heirs to their thrones, seeing themselves as the only rightful rulers.

So, Ovas'goth asked for each of the Nine Lords' gifts, so that he may bestow such a gift. However, by this time, Ovas'goth had already forged his own relic of power, and through a dark ritual, he bound the nine relics to his own. When gifted back their rings, the Nine Lords left Thaator, Ovas'goth's own planet, and continued their rein of terror. But, Ovas'goth had servants placed within the hold of each Lord, and each servant murdered their Lord the very night they received their new power.

The Nine Lords were summoned back to the land of the living by Ovas'goth, but they were neither living nor dead. They had become shadows of what they once were, bound to the Ring of Ovas'goth- bound to the will of their new Master. In this twisted irony, they had become immortal servants who would only rest if the Ring could be destroyed. The kingdom of the Lords of Ren was formed and became the primary form of worship for those worlds in the unknown.

With the Nine Lords under Ovas'goth's command, he would terrorize the Unknown Regions with his philosophy of becoming the Shadow itself. But, as the Nine Lords fell to pride, so did Ovas'goth. Though his defeat is still heavily debated, every scholar has agreed that Ovas'goth took something small for granted that would end his long life. After Ovas'goth's defeat, the Nine Lords were freed from the Black Lord's grasp, and passed on into the next life. However, without a leader, the Lords of Ren soon became a directionless cult of what was. Without the Ring of Ovas'goth, there could be no Shadow to guide them.

---

In the present day, the Cult has been made up of fanatics who search tirelessly for their Lord of Shadow and hold precious to his philosophies. Most of the Cult soon splintered away and became what would be known as the Knights of Ren, and the two groups have had a heated rivalry between what they believe the be the Ren. However, a few zealots of the Cult still worship their own ‘Ren’ and his Nine Lords of Shadow, pursuing any of the ten relics Ovas'goth created, hoping to find the Master of them all.



Philosophy
The Cult of the Black Order follows the same principles as the Knights of Ren. Respectively, their views on the Dark Side being an unforgiving force of nature that consumes all without remorse. However, what is referred to as the 'Shadow' is believed to be an actual person, or personage, of the Dark Side itself. The Shadow led the followers of Ren, guiding the gruesome chaos to become a refined knife instead of shards of glass. The Shadow took on the name of Ren, as well as the Black Lord or Lord of Shadow. Ovas'goth created a code in a dark language for all the followers of Ren to obey;

'Suffering shall feed the Shadow,
Death shall never sate it's Hunger,
Hunger shall give it Power,
Power shall bring more Suffering,
Suffer until you become Shadow'
​

This code, named the Ren-Logic, accurately represented their idea of what the Dark Side was, and that it was necessary to inflict pain upon others or even to end a life. The strong were meant to survive and rule while the weak were either killed or enslaved for that was the natural order of the Dark Side. But this created opportunity for cultists to rise above their masters by slaying them in any manner they saw fit. While many may think this way of life was chaotic, the Shadow always made sure to keep their bloodlust sated by giving it purpose, directing the Cult to grow and conquer.

As such, cultists do not see themselves as evil, and if they do, the see it as 'Necessary Evil'. They believe that if they do as the Dark Side wishes, the Dark Side will give them more power. They care not for balance, and only for the mighty, and the mightiest of them all is believed to be the Shadow. To become a fully fledged member of the Cult, one must end the life of someone close to them, a tradition that the Knights of Ren still managed to carry on.



Structure
The Cult’s original structure before its fallout was considered more militaristic, but due to the lack of numbers, the ruling structure is as follows...

The Shadow: The Leader of the Lords of Ren.
The Nine: The Council of the Shadow.
The Fel: The devoted foot-soldiers of the Cult.
The Damned: Newer worshipers who have yet to be counted among the devoted.


Intent
This is a site lore article that goes a bit into a Knights of Ren sect I thought up of that I thought would be neat, while also giving a bit of lore behind the future artifacts, planet, races, and weaponry pertaining to this order that I plan on making. It is an organization/sub-faction of the Sith I plan on my own PC ( @Faen Akatosh ) to discover as he finds more about his connection to the Dark Side. It was also made for PC/NPC use and to inspire more extremist Dark Side activity on site. It takes inspiration away from the Sword Logic of the Hive from Destiny, aesthetic from Lord of the Rings Ringwraithes, and The Tale of the Three Brothers from Harry Potter.

 

[Charles]

EDIT LOG: Changed name to Black Order and removed rings for relics for more aesthetic and less LOTR

 

[Logan]

I think overall it is ok even if a little on the nose from its inspirations. The only thing I would ask is you change some of the language that makes this cult the definite origin story for the KoR.

I think it would be better if it was only implied that this is what the Cult believes to be true, not necessarily the concrete truth - if that makes sense. Just to keep things more kosher if we happen to get a real origin for them and this were to be overridden by canon sources.

 

[Charles]

Finished my edits! Added in a rivalry between the Knights of Ren because of what they believe to be the actual ‘Ren’.

 

[Logan]

Looks ok to me then.

Approved.