Abyssal

The Abyssal are a villainous faction serving the Dragon of Water, Akylios. Unlike the other cults, they lack a clear goal, being practically impossible for others to understand and seemingly acting out of pure insanity.

Description:
The Dragon Cult associated with Akylios, the water dragon of secrets and magic. It is mostly composed of evil mages and priests who seek out the dead rituals of sacrifice, summon forth demons, and cast horrific rituals.undefined"Cabals clad in the skins of children, chanting in tide pools by moonlight. Artists locked in seaside shacks, bidden by spirits to summon blubbery monsters or else venture out and carve up village maids. Sages who venture into forbidden archives and read until their eyes shrivel in their heads. These are the wretches who serve Akylios. They will seek any path to power, learn any magic, betray any loved one to rouse their dreaming lord. They whisper their nightmares into bottles set adrift on the tide, and draw his filthy spawn into Telara to feast. Meridian was theirs before the Defiant drove them out, and now the Eth scholars hang Kelari dreamcatchers by their beds, hoping their nightmares never reach the Abyssal’s sleeping lord.undefined"

Excerpts:
A tale about the Abyssal:"When the Blood Storm arrived on Telara, and Akylios's spawn hauled themselves up from the seas, those mortals who were not dragged under the waves ran for their lives. Only one young scholar would not flee, for under the hideous gibbering and piteous screams she heard someone singing a song of infinite knowing.""Stealing a boat, she rowed far out to sea, where miles-long monsters churned the waters with their writhing. She tied a rock to her legs and dove overboard. The weight dragged her into the crushing deeps, closer and closer to the song. In agony she shut her eyes, and when they opened again she looked upon the singer. Akylios gave her but a portion of the dread secrets he kept, and under their weight her mind snapped, her face was worn smooth, and her name vanished from memory.""She became the first leader of the Abyssal. Like her, some inquisitive souls refuse to control their thirst for knowledge, seeking answers to questions best left unasked. Others simply seek arcane power, even if they must drag it from the darkness. Only when they face Akylios himself do they learn that such knowledge and power drove him beyond madness eons ago, and he is only too happy to lead them in the same direction.""All the Dragon Cults are horrific, but the Abyssal are the most... disturbing. Quests for gold, destruction, or even power over the dead make sense in a villainous sort of way, but the students of Akylios defy reason. They chuckle quietly outside your window at night, moving into the shadows when you come to look. They paint hideous symbols in blood upon the walls of locked rooms, or upon the faces of sleeping children.""The Abyssal are not tightly organized like the Endless Court or Golden Maw, but operate in independent cells. Individual Tidelords remain in contact, concentrating cult efforts to free Akylios and share his senseless gifts with the world. Cliques and factions rise and fall within the cult, feuding rarely. When conflict does arrive, it overturns the entire structure of the cult. Such upheavals are carefully planned by the Tidelords, for tumult pleases the lunatic dragon.""A secretive cabal, the Abyssal are impossible to understand. Yet every Telaran knows the Abyssal on sight by their ornate, faceless masks. A former Abyssal himself, the Faceless Man of Meridian still wears his mask, and while the Guardians decry such an abomination working with the Ascended, even the Defiant wonder what their spymaster is thinking beneath that polished silver.""The truth is, the Faceless are indeed faceless, giving up their identities in a ritual to Akylios. Each must confront the black void where the infinity of all knowledge blends into incomprehension. They cast their true names into the darkness, cut their features away, and replace their rational minds with equal parts insanity and genius. It is tempting to underestimate the Abyssal as barking loons, but remember: Akylios keeps his promise of great knowledge and clarity of thought-knowledge best forgotten, and the clarity of madness.undefined"A tale about the Faceless Man, a former Abyssal member:"If yawning chasms could speak, they would have his voice. Deep and dark and empty, it echoed off the cliffs overlooking Meridian. 'I admire your research. Very ambitious for such a young scholar.'""'Thank you, sir.' I stammered, eyes flitting from the jagged, narrow, cliff-side path to the giant who led me. The wind yanked hard at the edges of his white cloak, and he took heedless strides while I had to pick my way by inches. It felt like every loose pebble I kicked down the mountain landed in the pit of my stomach.""'You say you discovered the story of my past?' he said, turning back to regard me, that featureless silver mask swallowing his face.""'I think so. Nothing about your days before you-whoa!'""Stumbling over my words, I tripped over my feet, and the world pitched upside-down. I plunged off the path. He caught my wrist and swung me in front of him, settling me down on my feet. I threw myself against the cliff wall and breathed in long, keening gasps. His hand was deep-see cool. 'Th-thank you.'""The man nodded. 'Go on.'""'Nothing about your days before joining the Abyssal Cult. Some accounts about what you did in the cult.'""He loomed over me. He could even loom over most Bahmi, in his ornate robes and ornate mask, with his simple, deep voice that drilled into your chest. 'Some of it was quite terrible.' With one huge hand, he bade me take the lead. I didn't know where we are going, but there is only one path.""'Some of it, yes. I do know that the cult made you Tidelord of Meridian. But you approached Asha and Orphiel, offering them the stronghold in exchange for amnesty and a position of power within the emerging Defiant.'""I lost track of how far we trekked through the mountains. There were times I had to scramble on hands and knees to climb over the rocks, while the Faceless Man simply stepped over them, never breaking a stride. At last, he said 'Well found. You've earned this initiation.'""'Thank you, sir,' I said, not without pride. Here I was, being led by the spymaster of the Defiant to join their network of infiltrators and agents. Now, at last, I would serve my faction, and learn what lay at the end of this mountain path besides the rasping roar of the ever-closer ocean.""'You may have many questions,' he mused. 'How could a sworn Tidelord defy the will of Akylios? And why would Catari and Farwind trust a cultist? By all rights, they should have taken the city and slain me, not put me in a position of such power.'""'If I had to guess,' I said, 'you somehow resisted the confirmation ritual and fooled the other Abyssal. And your position comes from having leverage. The Defiant need you, or you wouldn't be alive.'""The Faceless Man chuckled behind me. 'Spoken like a true spy.'""'Thank you, sir. I know I'll serve you well.' I turned a corner and found myself at the end of the path, a spike overlooking a thousand-foot drop to waves and rocks and froth. 'What sort of leverage is it?'""'What do you think?'""I took a deep breath. 'I've heard of an Abyssal ritual, known only to Tidelords--a series of sigils surrounding a stronghold to keep enemies from getting in. I'm guessing you altered the sigils to keep the riftspawn at bay, and keep their locations hidden. Am I right?'""The Faceless Man stood behind me, and I heard hum cross his arms over his chest. For a spymaster, he carried himself like a Warrior, every gesture swift and cutting. 'Asked like a true spy. Of course, you know I won't tell you, but the effort shows bravado. Also, we're far past the vulgarity of requiring leverage. I have given the Defiant years of loyal service, so I hold trust on my own merits, though I still keep my secrets.'""'Trust, you will find,' he went on. 'is just as important to the Defiant as it is to the Guardians.'""I nodded, looking out at where unsettled sea and stormy sky blended into a long, cobalt cord stretched tight across the horizon. 'I will remember that, sir.'""'Remember also not to swear by the Vigil under your breath, even when you think you're alone. Faith in the gods is a rare thing among the Defiant. More common among the foolish Guardians sneaks.”""Before I could stop myself, my fingertips flew to where I normally wore my symbol of Thontic. I wheeled to find his sword point grazing my chest, having slashed through my robe with only the force of my turn. 'Please...' I said.""'You must have enemies in Sanctum, to send you so inexperienced on such a dangerous mission. Infiltrate the Unseen?' I wondered if he could smirk beneath that mask. 'Unheard-of.'""'Please, I'm not an agent!' I pleaded. 'I chose to do this, to serve the Vigil. I didn't learn anything that wasn't already in your library. Please, I'm not even Ascended. Just let me go, and I promise, you'll never see me again.' I took a step back, heel hovering over the drop.""He stared at me a long time, masked head tilted. A drop of blood welled up on my chest, running over the tip of his sword. At last, he nodded and stepped back, blade at his side. 'Turn around.'""I did, my heart fluttering against my ribs. I heard him walk away. I would go home to Silverwood. I would disappear. I had friends who could hide me, from both my people and the Defiant. How had he known? For now, at least, I was safe. I was-""His massive hand wrapped around my head. He had never left.""KRAK.""...""He squatted like a gargoyle at the end of the long promontory, the wind whipping his cloak back and singing against the silver of his grotesque mask. He watched the boy begin to fall, and then rose and walked back toward Meridian. To his credit, the giant seemed to look back, but without a face, who can say for sure?""Far, far below, the surf cut itself to ribbons on the rocks, and bled frothy white.undefined"