Church of Cyric

The Church of Cyric was the organization of fanatics and zealots dedicated to the worship and increased influence of Cyric, the once-mortal man that ascended as the god of lies, strife, murder, and eventually madness.

The holy symbol of the faith was a jawless skull set before a purple of black sunburst. Individual temples modified the symbol as they saw fit, with additions such as a sword added beneath the skull, or flames within the skull's eyesockets.

"It depends on me, of course. Everything does. Who shall live. Who shall die. What is, what shall be... Let them scorn me if they dare. I am the One, the All, the Face Behind the Mask. I am Everything."

- Cyric to his future chosen Malik el Sami, on the Night of Despair.

Organization
The "church" was a vast and far-reaching organization that comprised individual cell-like cults within many major cities across Faerûn. Each cell kept the location and activities of their group secret to others, often leading to conflicts between individual cells.

Each Cyricist temple was led by the "most powerful" local priest or blackguard, established with a hierarchy that was dictated by this leader. Rivals often vied for power, often leading to regular and disruptive change in leadership and overt feeling of paranoia among church leadership. There was no single head of the Cyricist religion, though several powerful head priests believed themselves destined for such glory.

Titles
Cyric's church had only a select few true priests, individuals that referred to themsleves as "the Sworn". Titles within the clergy included Dark Master, Hand of Cyric, Watchful Skull, and Dread Death.

Activities
"A Dark Sun has risen o'er this court..."

- Faerûnian saying alluding to inner turmoil.

In brief terms, the church of Cyric's collective aim were to destory any groups or individuals that they perceived to exist as a threat or rival, and accumulate more power for themselves and their god. They were directed to enter into political hierarchies and power structures across the Realms, especially those led by tyrants and despots, in order to spread mistrust and internal conflict within. To grow and foster devotion to Cyric's dogma, the priests had to sow this strife without going so far as to plunge each kingdom or empire into outright chaos, lest some other deity reap the benefits of their work.

Realistically however, many priests of Cyric merely spent their time vying for greater power within the church and plotted against the leaders of rival cells. This discord within the church was intentional and not a malfunction of its operations however, as Cyric himself offered conflicting directives and often self-destructive orders to his own followers.

Rituals
A ritual sacrifice including the offering of blood was always required when offering prayers to Cyric. Priests prayed for their spells during the night hours after the moon has risen.

Celebrations
The Church of Cyric celebrated few holy days on the Calendar of Harptos. An eclipse however was always a momentous occasion, celebrated with feasts, prayer, and the ritualistic murder of prominent devotee of Lathander.

For most of the 1360s DR, Marpenoth 30 was held as a full day and night of celebration by Cyricist clergy, celebrating the purge of Banites from cyric's most holy city. After the fall of the city in 1368 DR, the holy celebrations were ceased and any records of the holiday were stricken from church records.

In a spiteful twist of irony, the day of Cyric's ascension to godhood was not revered as a holy day for the church as it was also the day when Cyric's mortal nemesis, "the Harlot", became the new goddess of magic.

A "Day of the Dark Sun" was announced by any local clergy when their cell acquired a worthy subject to sacrifice to their god.

Tactics
To achieve their goals, Cyricist clergy members resorted to nearly any tactic available to them including spying, kidnapping, infiltration of other churches, economic disruption, and of course murder. In some cases, temple leaders brainwashed converts to enlist them for missions that they knew would end with the individual's death.

Individual agents preferred to carry out operations alone or in small groups, as that could more easily act without being noticed. These small groups only acted in coordination with one another when a strong-willed leader arose to take control of their collective aims.

Base of Operations
Zhentil Keep existed as the only true central seat of power for the church of Cyric following his ascension, lasting about a decade until the city's fall in 1368 DR.

Temples
Places of Cyricist worship varied in formation and appearance, springing up in abandoned buildings (particularly disused temples of the Dead Three), isolated caves, dungeons, and even city sewer systems. The one unifying theme was the inclusion of a sacrificial altar within. Notable Cyricist temples included:


 * Circle of Darkness, the original temple of Cyric in Zhentil Keep led by Xeno Mirrormane.
 * Dark God Reformed, the black stone fortress found in Voonlar.
 * Mountain of Skulls, a skull-shaped cavern established within the Cloud Peaks in Amn.
 * Twin Towers of the Eternal Eclipse, the dual-tower fortress-temple whos leaders aligned themselves with the Sothillisian Empire, prior to the founding of the monstrous nation north of the Weldath.

Dress
The Sworn dressed in purple or black robes that were lined with silver, along with silver bracers or bracelets bearing his holy symbol. When out in the field, they wore inconspicous apparel that allowed them to easily act without drawing unwanted attention. If they chose to inspire terror in his foes, Cyric's priests preferred spiked black armor with a helm depicting some monstrous visage.

Magic Items
The Cyrinishad was among the most holy artifacts to the church of Cyric. Created by the Dark Sun himself, the book forcibly converted anyone that read the book to the Cyricist faith by magical means.

According to legend, there were seven black iron keys that were needed to free Cyric from his unjust imprisonment within the Supreme Throne. These keys were considered extremely valuable, each fetching upwards of 50,000 gp to the right individual.

Dogma
Cyric was viewed by his devotees as the only true divine sovereign in all of Faerûnian cosmology, and in had been a god throghout the entierty of existence (despite acknowledging his brief life as a mortal). They believed that his holy word must be spread across all the Realms by any means necssary. Authority figures were only to be obeyed so long as they maintained, otherwise they were to slain in Cyric's name. Anyone that opposed the One True Way, especially the faithful of any other deities, were to be exterminated and strife sown amidst their deaths. Rather than caught outright bedlam, Cyricist clergy were to make examples of the One's enemies, to keep those other awaiting death fearful of his glory.

Orders
For a time, the church of Cyric was wholly intertwined with the enigmatic organization known as the Zhentarim. When Cyric arose to godhood and took over the portfolio of Bane, many Bane-worshipping Zhents immediately turned to their new god, at least for a time. Other Zhentarim agents merely paid lip service to Cyric while secretly continuing to venerate Bane, or his divine son Iyachtu Xvim.

The anarchic nature of Cyric's church led to the formationnumerous splinter organizations and factions. Among these were:

Military Orders

 * Company of the Ebon Spur, a dual-branch order of mounted crusaders that operated out of Amn.
 * Cyric's Paladins, a collection of some six-score Zhent guardsmen that held collection delusions of grandeur.

Assassin Guilds

 * Flames of the Dark Sun, an order of assassins headquartered in the Cloud Peaks.

Classes
Specialfty priests of Cyric were known as strifeleaders.

Relationships
The church of Cyric was detested across the lands and had no true allies. It did at times however partner itself with other malevolent organizations or the more-monstrous races Realms, so long as their goals aligned with its own. Throughout the years, Cyricist clergy members have worked alongside the Cult of the Dragon as well as the Order of the Long Death.

After return of the god Bane to the Faerûnian pantheon, the dynamic between the Cyricist faith and the Zhentarim reversed, and members of the Black Network became counted among the church's most hated enemies.

Birth and Rapid Growth
The church grew with exceptional speed in the decade following Cyric's ascent to godhood at the culmination of the Avatar Crisis in the. This rapid growth was hastened by the deaths of the Dead Three—that is Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul—that very year. Many disaffected faithful of evil intent turned to Cyric after the death of their respective patron deities, and some that did not were still granted divine magic from him. Within no time at all, from the perspective of the Realms' cosmology, Cyric ascended as one of the three great evil gods of the Realms.

Despite the great many converts, some obstinant faithful of Bane clung to their faith within Zhentil Keep. To rout those heretics from Cyric's most holy city, his clergy members initiated the Banedeath in the, purging nearly all Banite worship from the Zhentil Keep and driving any remnants underground. As was their right, the church took wholesale control of the city and claimed it in the name of the One and All. This bloody coup inspired a similar (albeit lesser-known) inquisition in Amn the following year.

Crisis
As Cyric began his descent to madness in the, he began another inquisition against the faithful of Bane known as the Second Banedeath. He transformed the followers of rival deities into massive machines of destruction and laid waste to the Zhent-controlled fortress of Darkhold in the Western Heartlands; the community of Teshwave in the Dalelands; along with the Citadel of the Raven and the Moonsea cities of Yûlash and yet again, Zhentil Keep.

That same year, the converted-Banite head priest Fzoul Chembryl (whose treachery led him to only worship Cyric in name only) read aloud from the blasphemous work of fiction, The True Life of Cyric. This calamitous mistake led to numerous tragedies and ultimately the desctruction of Zhentil Keep itself.

Despite that minor setback, by the, the faithful of Cyric had inserted themselves into or other infiltrated leadership roles in towns and cities all across the Realms, places such as Llorkh, the Host Tower of the Arcane in Luskan,

Langour
After Cyric finally murdered the Harlot Mystra in the, he was somehow imprisoned within the Supreme Throne in Pandemonium for one thousand years. This terrible injustice led to a decline in his influence across the Realm.

As of the late 15 century, all that remained of the once-glorious faith beyond the Lands of Intrigue were scattered and frantic cults, determined to endure throughout the years until his return. Despite this slight setback, Cyric's faithful strifeleaders continued his righteous work wherever possible. Some of these loyal agents returned to the reborn Zhentarim, joining the mercenary group as they did when the glory of the Dark Sun was at its apex.

Members
"Bow down before the supreme power of Cyric, and tielf to him the blood of all who do not believe in his supreme power."

- The charge given to Cyricist priests.

The faith attracted some of the worst and most power-hungry of Faerûnian society: unabashed liars, murderers, spies, and shameless traitors to home and country. They were counted among the least loyal people of the Realms, even among their fellow faithful.

To coincide with intrinsic lack of order, the church welcomed any and all that chose to venerate Cyric. Converts to the faith were suject to horrific rituals and in some cases torture, meant to prove their devotion to the One and All.

Heartlands
While the faith of Cyric was strongest within the Moonsea for over a decade, the resurrection of Bane in 1370 DR led to it being outlaws in some cities, like Zhentil Keep

The dark referred known as the Darkwatch north of the Glaemril river was considered a place of unholy power by Cyric's priests.

Sword Coast
A monument to Cyric's eternal glory was constructed atop one of the Boareskyr Bridge, depicting his triumphant defeat of the madman Bhaal.

Mount Waterdeep was a sacred site to the worshipers of Cyric as this was the location of his apostheosis. As such, many of Cyric's more fanatical followers would make regular pilgrimages to the city of Waterdeep.

Lands of Intrigue
Worship of Cyric became widespread throughout much of the Lands of Intrigue, during the decade that followed Cyric's ascension. Amnian followers of the Dead Three quickly aligned themsleves with the Dark Sun, and the faith gained further prominence as the Shadow Thieves aligned themselves with his tenets. Throughout the corse of a century the faith became intertwined with Amnian values such as determinism and self-sufficiency, as evidenced by its representation with the Pommarch on the Council of Five.

The faith gained popularity in Tethyr during the Tethyrian Interregnum, but became wholly unwelcome after the end of the Reclamation Wars in 1368 DR. It remained strong within the nation of Muranndin throughout the 15 century DR.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * Prince of Lies