Bride of Ahlat Concept Test

THE CULT OF AHLAT Where the Lesser Drums represent a new vision of Harborhead, the Cult of Ahlat, centuries old and en- trenched in its power and dignity, represents the nation’s most ancient traditions. Despite the relatively recent establishment of the priesthood in its present form by Blood on the Horn, the theology of this Hundred Gods Heresy has been fixed in the hearts and minds of the people for almost 1,000 years. Few aspects of Harborhead culture give the Satrap and the officials of the Realm so many nightmares as the constant smoke from the sacrificial altars at the Fane of the Upturned Horns and the celebra- tion of war as form of spiritual communion. At the core of Harborhead’s worship of Ahlat is the concept of the hecatomb, the offering of 100 head of cattle as a sacrifice. Surrounded by wailing mourners who drown out the screams of the animals, a priest cuts each animal’s throat with a stone knife and catches the blood in a basin. This blood is then sprinkled ritually upon the worshipers. The bones, gristle, entrails and fat are then offered upon the altar. The remainder of the meat is offered to the worshipers to consume in carnivorous savagery, some- times without cooking. The hecatomb is often followed by the tauroboleum, a ritual bath for the priests and select initiates in the collected blood of the 100 cattle. The offering of the sacrifice by a tribe or a town has enormous consequences. The fertility of the tribe’s sur- viving cattle is guaranteed for an indefinite length of time, usually a few months but, sometimes, as long as a year. The fertility of the tribe’s women is also assured. There are a significant number of healthy multiple births among the Peoples of Harborhead, and these often follow hecatomb sacrifices by nine months or so. Twins and triplets are most common, but sometimes, there are even more children. The warriors of a tribe who participate in the tauroboleum gain an extra health level for three months (this is figured as an extra -1 health level). In addition to all of this, which is enough to give the average imperial advisor or visitors the shivers, numerous women from the many tribes dedicate themselves to be the daughters or brides of Ahlat, the bull-headed god of cattle and warfare. Refusing to marry any mortal being, they devote their virginity to the Southern God of War until the age of at least 27 and dedicate their lives to studying the martial arts. A tribe that has at least nine such brides is seemingly blessed by the War God, so successful are they in raiding and cattle-taking. Indeed, therein lies the rub. While the benefits of sacrificing to Ahlat are quite impressive, they are ephem- eral. None of the benefits of sacrificing to Ahlat last a reliable length of time, and none of them can be counted upon. This one god has so dominated the culture of Harborhead that all relationships between the mortal and the divine are twisted as a result. To a monk of the Immaculate Order, the results are as plain as the sun crossing the sky. The need to sacrifice large numbers of cattle leads to cattle-raiding because it is better to kill other people’s cattle than to starve later for lack of milk or cheese. The need to raid for cattle makes women dedicate themselves to Ahlat. The dedicated brides im- prove the chances of successful cattle raiding, and so, villages perform the sacrifices to Ahlat more often. The large numbers of dead cattle force other villages to raid to get enough cattle to live on, and the cycle continues perpetually, without escape. What is obvious to the monk, however, is either not obvious to the average citizen of Harborhead or not something she is willing to acknowledge. Though the worship of Ahlat contributes to a grave degree of instabil- ity in the country, it enlivens and invigorates the lives of many, and it provides a proving ground for the young. Many a tribal chieftain began life as a cattle-raider or a bride of Ahlat, and they won their status and dignity on the battlefield. This culture is also one that takes great pride in its martial bearing and its right to carry weaponry, likely also at the connivance of Ahlat.