Cult of Shared Suffering

The Cult of Shared Suffering was a heretical religious organization dedicated to the worship and service of Ilmater, the Crying God.

Dogma
The cult held the view that all mortal beings should help share part of the burden carried by Ilmater, so that they might understand the sacrifice he made. Thus, suffering should be shared with others, and non-believers in particular. They adopted a neutral alignment. Their beliefs were considered heretical by mainstream Ilmatari.

Activities
The Cultists of Sharing Suffering practiced self-flagellation, conducted kidnappings, and incited riots, while generally sharing and spreading suffering.

Abilities
Priests of the cult received divine spells, though it was unknown from which deity. Their weapon of the deity spell produced the same effect as that of regular clerics of Ilmater.

Relationships
The Church of Ilmater denounced the cult and denied any connection with them. The church insisted that Ilmater did not grant them spells, and suspected rather that Loviatar, Cyric, or Beshaba were behind them. For regular Ilmatari, the cult was another suffering they had to put up with. They certainly lacked the support the Crying God himself.

History
The cult arose during or shortly after the Time of Troubles in the Year of Shadows, 1358 DR. Their crimes damaged the reputation of the church of Ilmater.

The cult was mostly eliminated by 1369 DR, following a hostile reaction from authorities and the nobility. Its numbers were dwindling by 1372 DR.