Cult of Mithras
|
|
Description
It is a cult centered around a heretical deity known as Mithras. Mithras has shown himself to the citizens of Rome a few times, taking on the form of a bunny with, more often than not, red eyes. The deity posed a challenge to the Roman gods, calling them out on their indifference and cold justice towards their followers, in doing so earning quite a few followers. Cultist altars dedicated to Mithras started appearing all over Rome, stirring up the relationship of the city with its gods. An organised cult formed, with Decaeneus the Dacian as its head. The cultists constructed many underground shrines and meeting spots, where they worshipped Mithras in secret, sending the Temple into frenzy, and sparking multiple city-wide heretic hunts.
Story
The cult was started by a man known as Decaeneus the Dacian. Harbouring hostile feelings towards the Roman gods, he set out to make the first mithraeum, an underground shrine for the heretic deity known as Mithras, under the floors of House Aurelion. Members of the family remained unaware, as he made offerings to Mithras right under their noses. On that faithful day, the fragile peace of the celestial plane in Rome was shattered. Forces long forgotten, which remained deeply asleep until now, opened their eyes once more. And they answered the call.
As heretic forces stirred up in Rome, the gods got angry and demanded that priests from the Temple hunt down the cultist shrines. As rain poured down on the citizens, thunder rumbling and lightning tearing through the gray skies, the devout followers were forced to run through the city and desecrate any heretic altars they could find. This resulted in the shrine under House Aurelion being found, marking the family as possible heretics. As the framed family was put on trial, Decaeneus was working hard to gather more people for his cause, forming the first cell. He also testified against a member of House Aurelion, claiming they made the shrine, trying to frame the leader of House Aurelion. As the heretic hunt was unfolding, one group of the priests stumbled upon an altar in a cave, where, upon desecrating it, Mithras showed themselves. They taunted the priests, calling their gods ungrateful and cold, undeserving of such loyalty, before they disappeared again.
As more and more accused heretics were apprehended, the Chief Priests (who held deciding power in the absence of the Pontifex Maximus that day) called for a Holy Trial. Jupiter himself came down from the skies to judge the accused. One heretic met his fate from the godly lightning, but evidence for all the rest of them proved significantly insufficient, which angered the King of Gods. After all, he was righteous and just, so he refused to strike anyone down, scolding the Chief Priests for wasting his time, and disappeared once again. The rest of the accused were hence promptly released.
Fortunately for all of Rome, the heretic hunting parties, which consisted of priests of the Temple and legionares dispatched by the Senate, managed to find and destroy most of the cultist altars, appeasing the gods. This earned the city a bountiful year, minerals, yield, and harvest all sustaining its citizens properly - a blessing from the gods to their faithful followers.
Alas, it was only a battle won - not the war.
The cult was slowly growing in size in the shadows, another cell forming under the leadership of Decaeneus. Heretic attacks ramped up, the Temple of Jupiter getting desecrated multiple times - one at the hands of Decaeneus, for which he was promptly arrested. A whistleblower from the first cell came foward, trying to sell out the members of the cult, but none of them were arrested, while the second cell was left uncompromised. Due to lax security of the prison, Decaeneus managed to escape, and some members of the second cell were assigned to guard him from now on.