The Devourers of God, or simply The Cult, is a group of supernatural zealots armed with a singular mission: to bring a demon into the physical plane, no matter the cost.
The cult possesses a tremendous deal of influence in the community of Nockfell, having men and women in the local Police Department, Schools, and Churches serving as their spies and replacing anyone who crosses them.
Their pool of followers and loyalists is likely massive, having lookalike replacements for Journalist Clare Nettles, Dr. Enon, and Charley Mansfield.
Story
The cult’s origins lie in the beliefs of the Grey Tribe. In 1663, a prophecy spoken by the seer Citlali Grey brought a faction of the Grey Tribe together, forming the Devourers of God. When colonists later arrived in Nockfell, a ceremonial marriage between Citlali, by then one of the cult’s Council members, and Wesley Rosenberg united the groups. By 1681, the cult’s underground temple was completed. The Phelps Ministry was later built in 1703 to conceal the temple’s entrance. Soon after, a ceremonial marriage between the Grey and Phelps families took place.
In the mid-1700s, the prophecy regarding the Child of the Abomination was spoken, becoming part of the cult’s doctrine and prompting preparations for his execution.
On an unknown date, a young Alyson Rosenberg sought a place amongst the Council and as part of an initiation trial, traversed the labyrinthine temple to retrieve the Book of Forgotten Truths. When Rosenberg presented the book to the Council, they granted her request to join their ranks.
The Addison family moved to Nockfell from overseas in 1887, purchasing land from Rosenberg. Addison Apartments was constructed as a means to gain more followers while an expansion to the cult’s temple was built directly below. By this point in time, the cult’s numbers were growing exponentially.
When Terrence Addison was born in 1905, his parents made a deal with the Council, resulting in Terrence being chosen as the entry point of The Endless One. The Council fed him human flesh from an early age; this knowledge was kept from Terrence, as well as general members.
In 1906, a new prophecy spoke of the "man from the sky", who would aid the Devourers' efforts.
In 1917 Terrence’s soul was destroyed by The Endless One and his parents were subsequently murdered. In the years that followed, Terrence's body began to transform, slowly becoming the entity that had claimed him. By 1932, the Council had locked Terrence in his room to hide their secret, all the while drawing power from the entity.
In 1938, the cult successfully summoned a shadow for the first time, bringing them another step closer to their ultimate goal.
At an unspecified point in time, Luke Holmes was inducted into the cult and rose through the ranks, becoming a Council member.
A contingent of the Plague of Shadows successfully consumed an alien world with inhabitants similar to those of Earth. However, two siblings had escaped; Jim Johnson and Evelyn. When the two escapees found earth, Evelyn vanished and found herself trapped in a world in between the Spectral and Physical planes. The shadows took over Evelyn and consumed her.
Jim, distraught by the loss of his sister Evelyn, found a home unknowingly above the cult's temple. The cultists compelled Jim to join them due to their belief that he was the prophesied "man from the sky". After excessive prodding from Rosenberg, the stillbirth of his second child, and nightmares depicting the death of his family, Jim finally relented. In 1983, he was initiated into the cult and was promptly made a member of the Council. During his time as a member, Jim sought to learn more about the cult’s plans while also sabotaging their efforts whenever the opportunity arose.
A young female cultist ventured into the bowels of the Cult's Temple to retrieve five relics needed to complete the ritual to summon a shadow to the physical plane. Upon succeeding, the Council sacrificed their eager member where she served as a vessel for the shadow.
A year after his induction, Jim discovered the Devourers' plan to stop the Child of the Abomination: by killing children across the globe. Intent on stopping them, Jim left his family behind, however, his efforts were futile, as it is implied he was killed during this endeavor. On August 16, 1984, the cult enacted their plan, killing a total of 255 children and 32 adults across North America. Among the casualties was Diane Fisher, who was killed by the cult’s leader, Kenneth Phelps, when she sacrificed herself to protect her son, Sal Fisher, inadvertently thwarting the cult’s plan. While Sal survived, the incident left his face permanently scarred. The event was not reported by any major news outlets, indicating that the cult’s influence had potentially spread nationwide.
Three years later, Stacy Holmes, Luke’s wife, sought to stop the cult, seeking help from Rosenberg (who by then had turned away from the Devourers). Together, they formulated a plan to stop the Council’s ritual, which involved Rosenberg burning one of the cult’s books and Stacy cutting the power on each floor. While they successfully carried out the steps of their plan, it ultimately ended in disaster when Luke, while possessed by a shadow, killed both Stacy and his daughter, Megan. The cult covered up the incident by dumping the bodies into Lake Wendigo, making it appear as though the family had drowned.
They had to once again emerge to cover up their tracks due to the actions of a curious wife of one of their council members: Sandy Sanderson. Sandy snatched one of the cult's tomes and locked herself within her room, determined to learn what her husband was involved in. Her efforts and life were cut short at the hands of a possessed Charley Mansfield. Two of their members were dispatched under the guise of an officer and detective to retrieve both Sanderson's corpse and Charley; replacing the latter with an imposter.
A year and a half after Sal's arrival to Nockfell, Mrs. Packerton, a math teacher at Nockfell High School, was revealed to be a member of the Devourers of God. For an undetermined amount of time, Packerton abducted several students and other residents of Nockfell and used their flesh to make bologna. The bologna was served to the students, likely as part of the cult’s plan. Following her death in a drunk car accident, the cult remained quiet, waiting for the right time to emerge.
Five years later, the Devourers returned to the Addison Temple and performed a ritual, successfully infecting all of the inhabitants of Addison Apartments with the dark. While Sal was able to stop The Endless One and temporarily free everyone's souls, he was forced to kill all who had been infected to prevent the darkness from spreading. While Sal was distracted with these tasks, the cult abducted Todd Morrison and forcibly made him a host to a shadow. Following Sal's arrest, Clare Nettles and Dr. Enon were both replaced to ensure that Sal Fisher was given the death penalty.
The Cult enjoyed great success following Sal's execution, with the Void opened and the Dark spread across the globe and consuming 33% of the population, their goals were close to being realized, and after reacquiring Todd Morrison and four other sacrifices they intended to feed the Void until its strength surpassed that of God.
Unknown to the cult there was a defector in their ranks. Travis Phelps, the son of their leader, was leaking information about their inner workings and plans to Ashley Campbell and Neil, who were intent on destroying their temple and getting revenge for the loss of their loved ones.
As the Cult was on the cusp of realizing its ambitions, the Ghosts of Sal Fisher and Larry Johnson and an empowered Ashley Campbell killed its members and Travis dragged its leader into the Void. With the sealing of the Void and the waning strength of the Dark, the Devourers of God finally fell apart.
Members
- Kenneth Phelps (Leader/Ritualist, deceased)
- Citlali Grey (Council Member, deceased)
- Luke Holmes (Council Member, deceased)
- Jim Johnson (Council Member and Bouncer, deceased)
- Herman Sanderson (Council Member, Ghost, deceased)
- Replacement Enon (Member)
- Replacement Clare Nettles (Member)
- Alyson Rosenberg (former Council Member, deceased)
- Mrs. Packerton (Member, deceased)
- Charley Mansfield (Possible member, unknown)
- Unnamed Officer and Detective (Members or loyalists)
- Unnamed Female Cultist (Member, likely deceased/consumed by the Plague of Shadows)
- Unnamed Male Cultist (Ghost, deceased)
- Travis Phelps (former Member, deceased)
- The Prosecutor (unconfirmed Member)
Trivia
- Four of their members, a female cultist, Alyson Rosenberg, Luke Holmes, and Jim Johnson are playable in the game In Seeking Providence.
- The cult's title; The Devourers of God, has two connotations:
- They want to devour God himself and all that they believe him to have created in service to the Plague of Shadows.
- They devour on God's behalf and wish to revert the world back to its original state of shadows.
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