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The Church of the One True Way

"Death to traitors. Death to all who oppose Cyric. Bow down before the supreme power of Cyric, and yeild to him the blood of all who do not believe in his supreme power."

"Fear and obey those in authority - but if they are weak or given to pursuing airy goals of vague goodness, slay them in the name of the Dark Sun. Battle against all clergy of other faiths, for they are false prophets and forces who oppose the One True Way."

"Bring death to those who oppose the rightful church of Cyric and those who seek to make or keep peace, order, and laws. All rightful authority comes from Cyric, and all other authority must be subverted."

"Break not into open rebellion, for when hosts march, all faiths and gods awaken. It is better by far to fell one foe at a time and keep all folk afraid, uneasy, in constant strife - and under the spreading tyranny of Cyric."

-The charge given to all priests of Cyric.

The Church

Cyric's faith attracts power, and it remains strong in any area where evil is planned and beings seek to impress thier will on others. Cyric's most devoted followers are young evil men and women seeking to make thier way in an uncertain world and gathering as much power as possible for themselves. He also attracts the worship of almost all who pursue assassination for a living, though most of them are new to that profession, considering the demise of all Faerunian assassins during the Time of Troubles.

The church benefitted from a decade of growth and consolidation before the events that drove its god mad. The church absorbed a great many worshippers of Bane, Bhaal, Myrkul, and even the (still-hushed) revelation of the demise of Leira swelled it's ranks. Now that Cyric has regained his sanity, the church will, undoubtedly, regain much of the prosperity it enjoyed in it's first decade.

The true priests of the Dark Sun Cyric ("the Sworn," as they call themselves) are few in number, but growing. Cyric is still granting spells to certain priests of gods he supplanted during the Time of Troubles in an attempt to maintain thier powers long enough to convert them. This strategy worked well for the Bhaalist and Mykulyte clergy, who had almost all converted before the destruction of Zhentil Keep once more shook the Faerunian pantheon. The Banite priests remained stubborn and the Cyricist church finally solved the problem of Bane in Zhentil Keep with a purge, known as the Banedeath, that led to the death or forced conversion of all Banites in Zhentil Keep (driving any survivors underground).

Dogma

Cyric's faith is one of control by any means necessary. Force and deception are used in equal measure to spread his word. He (or the mask he wears) is highly venerated by those of black hearts and evil deeds, from petty murderers to evil rulers of empires.

The worship of Cyric is very popular in Thay. Loyal to Zsass Tam, Zulkir of Necromancy, is Cyric's Legion, one of his largest military units. Tam's valued elite warriors, the Dread Warriors, make up part of this unit. The Sisters of Cyric, a prominent regiment sworn to serve the Zulkir of Invocation/Evocation and Tharchion of the Priador, Aznar Thrul, consists of evil female priestesses of Cyric mounted on black unicorns.

Cyric's abandonment of the portfolio of death and the dead that he had following the Time of Troubles has freed him to embrace much of where his true heart lies - treachery, deception, and strife. Random violence is never as good as violence that serves some greater, more dangerous purpose. Plans and counterplans can twist and turn on themselves, such that a defeat in one area can bring overall victory for the Dark Sun. Any means, any method, any sacrifice or treachery is allowed if it brings about the desired end.

Affiliated Orders

In the past, the church of Cyric sponsored no knightly orders. Cyric had ordered the establishment of a fighting order, the Company of the Ebon Spur, but the order has yet to find a leader. Now that Cyric has regained his sanity, he has ordered the creation of numerous orders in his name. (More information can be found on the page entitled: Affiliated Orders).

Priestly Vestments

Priests of Cyric dress in black or dark purple robes, with or without hoods, trimmed with silver. Silver bracers or bracelets (usually adorned with the stamped skull-and-starburst symbol of Cyric) are worn on the wrists to symbolize the priesthood's enslavement to Cyric (in a symbolic reprise to Cyric's one-time captivity), and some priests paint the symbol of thier deity on thier cheeks or foreheads on high holy days.

Adventuring Garb

Priests of Cyric are fond of going about in disguise and love using illusions that alter thier appearance when they can obtain them. They dress either to be inconspicuous or to impress, awe, and terrify, depending on what they are assigned to do. Whenever they are in disguise or trying to look inconspicuous, they still attempt to wear as much protective armor or magic as possible wihout it giving them away. When dressing to terrify, they love black armor with ornamentation that looks menacing, such as spiked shoulder and elbow pieces and helms in the shape of snarling monsters.

Specialty Priests (Strifeleaders)

Cyricist Spells

Links

The Shattered Castle
Affiliated Orders