Seriously into getting that ready for the alpha and beta readers.
So, let’s talk about cultists.
Technically, we’re not supposed to call them ‘cultists.’ The official term is ‘Ritual Nihilist,’ because I guess calling them that supposed to give them less power, somehow? And don’t ask how naming, or not-naming gives them power. Again, some questions have answers you neither want or need to hear.
We call them cultists anyway. They’re the insidious kind of crazy, worming their way into things for as long as they can before somebody catches them with a knife, a makeshift altar, and a bound sacrificial victim. That’s almost always how they’re caught, too: cultists just can’t resist ritual sacrifices. It’s like they’re following a script that they’re not really supposed to deviate from, and don’t want to, anyway.
They’re different from the space-happy in that they can last a hell of a lot longer before getting caught, and they can work together for a while to get what they want. But what do they want? Mostly sacrifices, although if there’s a nasty way to get power, money, or status, they’ll happily explore it. I guess ritual knives cost money.