Fiction:Exosubstratal

This is part of the Fantasy Universe.

The Cult of Zazane, otherwise known as the Zazanite Cult, are a large, theocratic nation located somewhere on. The Cult is both ancient and advanced to some degree, their origins dating back eons into the past. The faction consists of many nations that have either allied with one another through their shared religious beliefs or have been conquered after the Cult's initial forming, simply adding to the Cult's numbers. The Cult of Zazane is led by a mysterious being known only as, a supposed god-like avatar or descendant of the deities that the Cult worship.

While not the absolute strongest faction on Koldenwelt, they possess an impressive and terrifying arsenal of weaponry and species at their disposal and are known for their habit of enslaving species that they have fought and won against in their past. The Cult relies strongly on their twisted faith and constantly search for scriptures and artefacts left behind by their gods, the Zazane, who are the center of their entire system of belief.

Origins
During an unknown age many eons ago, the Zazane were locked in a state of global war across their homeworld, which resides elsewhere in Farsola System alongside the planet of. This war had drove the Zazane race to near-extinction and had absolutely ruined the planet's ecological and societal state, with the planet becoming little more than an inhospitable place that was completely swallowed in several forms of unknown, Eldritch energies and making it unsuitable for most, if not all, forms of life. The exact cause of the war is unknown, although it is thought that ideological clashes had occured and the entire race was forced to fight one another to ensure that their ideals were correct in value, although it is only theoretical as nobody knows much of what really happened during this age anyway since there are only hints at this war in Cult scriptures.

The state of the planet killed off a large majority of its natives, forcing whatever survivors there were to escape the planet's field of destruction as it slowly suffocated itself in energies. Hundreds of survivors from several nations managed to design and construct some form of advanced transport to assist them in migrating from the poisoned world and finding home someplace else where they could hope to survive. This transport managed to locate the nearest hospitable planet and travelled into the void to reach it, leaving their former homeworld behind and venturing into the unknown beyond, clinging onto hope.

Arrival
When the Zazane's transport arrived within Koldenwelt's field, it did not last long against against its natives; the mighty Colossi who had been ravaged the planet's surface almost entirely. In fact, at the current state, Koldenwelt did not look so different to the Zazane's homeworld before its own destruction. The transport that the Zazane used to get here remained in the skies above the surface, with occasional visits onto the surface to investigate the life-forms that were native to the planet. Using what technology they managed to take with them, they built settlements on the surface and underwent experimentations on several primitive, evolving species that they discovered in the short while of their arrival, all the while attempting to reproduce to increase their numbers and expand across the planet as a rebuilt nation.

At the same time, the Zazane kept a close eye on a relatively young species at the time; the Sohet, one of the more intelligent species of the era that were technologically curious and had been constructing their own technologies in ignorance of the Zazane's presence. After confirming that the Sohet were no threat to them, the Zazane continued their efforts of expansion, eventually succeeding in spreading across Koldenwelt aside from where the Sohet constructed their own civilizations. Not long after the first cities and settlements were built on the surface of this neighbouring world, there was a particular Zazane of high-standing who sought to take advantage of the planet's natives. Expressing the idea of uplifting and enslaving some of the native species to become their work force, the Zazane was ridiculed for his ideas by his superiors publicly and was forced into hiding. His mind corrupted by the immense energies of the world he originated, the Zazane soon reappeared a century or so later and murdered his superiors, using a piece of technology he created himself to absorb the energies they also possessed, further corrupting and mistreating his mind and taking control over the Zazane settlements on Koldenwelt. His first action of authority was to capture as many indigenous species as possible and forcefully transform them into forms more adapted to combat.

With the Zazane under his command now and utilizing new weaponry and instruments of war, he turned his attention towards the Sohet Dominion and commenced an act of war against them once he discovered that the advanced nation was nurturing primitive species that would possibly make valuable assets to him and his military.

Sohet-Zazane War
With the Colossi beginning to cease their conflicts and the birth of nearing, the Zazane siezed an opportunity to commence war on the Sohet Dominion of the Eastern Plains, who had become an equally as advanced civilization by this point although they had not attempted to expand out of the Eastern Plains as they had no need to, capable of producing their own energies independantely. The Zazane had devoted their research into military usage and created new guns and melee weapons dedicated to slaughter and bloodshed, as well as evolving several species into warmongering creatures that were designed to fight and battle. The Sohet became a prime target in the eyes of the Zazane and were oblivious at first to hordes of Zazane who approached from all around.

The Zazane were backed up by their sheer amount of numbers alongside their physical strength and technology, although the weapons of the Sohet used an energy initially alien to them and was at first effective at putting the Zazane off attacking them, although the Zazane ruler at the time would not tolerate cowardice and demanded his armies to strike from all sides, as well as maintaining professional strategies while effectively initiating a horde attack. With repeated attacks and assaults from the Zazane on their settlements, the Sohet were forced to spread their numbers of troops to different settlements while leaving their main center open to an offensive due to a low number of ready soldiers. This was part of the Zazane's plan and make full advantage of this maneuver, striking deep into the territory of the Sohet Dominion and taking many Sohet lives with them.

With internal conflict becoming apparent within the ranks of the Sohet Dominion as well as the shortage of resources and soldiers, the Zazane carried on their assault with no fear or trouble. While there were suggestions within the Dominion of attempting to ally with the Zazane, there were those who wished to continue fighting and thought that diplomacy would be useless in a situation such as this, which it always would have been as the Zazane leader's mind was so corrupted with arcane energies that he would not see any reason in surrendering the war. By the time that the Sohet gained a new military leader who had began to prove himself, it was effectively too late as the Zazane had grown too numerous for the Dominion to handle effectively. In the end, the Sohet were forced to weaponize the Noth'azar, the Dominion's pyramid-shaped batteries which supplied large amounts of power and magical resource.

The day eventually arrived where the Zazane had stormed the central cities of the Sohet Dominion, slaughtering many and shedding much blood to appease their primal instincts which had grown larger since the beginning of the war. However, the Sohet were prepared and activated the Noth'azar, overwhelming them with power and causing them to burst out in ruinous explosions. The resulting chaos killed off many Zazane and the warriors they had evolved, as well as sacrificing many Sohet in the process. Once all the Noth'azar were destroyed and Eastern Plains had been radiated, the surviving Zazane and Sohet fought in the ruined landscape. At the end of the battle, the Zazane were forced into shameful hiding and the Sohet were unable to continue their existence as a species due to their birth rates plunging into non-existence.

Disappearance of the Zazane
Not long after the end of the Sohet-Zazane War, which ended in the inevitable extinction of the Sohet and a severe decrease in the numbers of Zazane, the Zazane retreated back to their transport, which had come to be known as the Black Nirvana as named by the Zazane leader at the time. Reporting the losses to their leader drove him into a fit of rage and was enough to place him at the far end of the spectrum of sanity, causing him to lash out. Despite all the technology at their disposal, none of it was enough to quell the rage of their commander and many Zazane onboard the Black Nirvana were slaughtered in his wrath, with their commander showing no mercy towards anybody whether they were Zazane or not.

The massacre ended in the Black Nirvana crashing into the ocean, bringing down Zazane survivors and many of the races who had been mutated and transformed by the Zazane. The Black Nirvana's presence from the sky was lost and descended into the furthest depths of the ocean, although cities on the surface of Koldenwelt were barely operational and also possessed many of the evolved warrior races who had worked alongside the Zazane. The sinking of the Black Nirvana resulted in the disappearance of the Zazane altogether, with many thought to have died in their commander's rampage and others thought to have been killed off during the Sohet-Zazane War. These cities would eventually also become lost in time and only artefacts remain of them today, buried under tons of earth as Koldenwelt's geography shifted and changed with the ending battles between the Colossi.

The Crux
30,000 years after the disappearance of the Black Nirvana and the Zazane species, one of the last remaining cities of the Zazane became technologically active. The technology, although ruined and most of it damaged after so long, awoke upon the appearance of a mysterious individual calling itself the Crux. Empowered by the ruins around it, which radiated with Eldritch energies, the Crux made its presence known through mutating the indigenous species in the area and adapting them into combat-worthy forms as the Zazane had done eons ago.

It would not matter which species that the Crux forced evolution upon first, for all forms were deadly and especially dangerous in their own aspects in some way. Once it managed to evolve itself a worthy army of mutated monsters, the Crux bestowed its soldiers with traces of its being, granting them the ability to sense and detect Zazane technology and artefacts as well as indoctrinate captives with the Eldritch energies that run furiously through their veins. During the Crux's visit to the surface world, it managed to uncover a valuable piece of technology which would prove a large advantage towards itself and its soldiers; a gateway, powered by the energies within the Crux's body, was still intact and would allow fast and easy travel across Koldenwelt in seconds, including access to the long forgotten Black Nirvana that laid dormant under the ocean, which had began its own mutation over the source of 30,000 years since the Zazane's disappearance and supposed extinction. Once a shell of metal was now something reminescent to a living, breathing creature, growing and moving while still possessing the traits that made it a machines, or at least a minimum amount.

With Zazane technology now starting to become active once more, the Crux began to arrange its armies strategically and use the powers it possessed to locate the other Zazane cities that possessed working technology and artefacts that could be used to its advantage. It was from this point that the Crux told its soldiers stories of the Zazane; masters of war and lords of combat, merciless fighters who were massacred long ago by an ancient and now-dead empire. Telling its soldiers that the Crux itself was a manifestation and impersonification of the many Zazane souls that were lost during the massacre, he became a deity-like figure towards them and was worshipped as many gods within gods rather than a single deity, as its soul was supposedly overflowing with the damned Zazane who had died 30,000 whose rage still burns after all of this time. This would mark the formation of the Zazanite Cult.

Formation of the Cult
The species that the Crux had mutated and forcefully evolved began to worship the being and placed it at the center of their beliefs and religious practices, identifying the being as a godly creature which was built up of the angered, raging souls of long-dead Zazane that were slaughtered by the Sohet Dominion. These species became the Crux's loyal soldiers and warriors and allowed it to arrange them into an enduring, zealous army to spread the word and wrath of the Zazane across Koldenwelt. These races began to call themselves the "Cult of Zazane" to display their loyalty towards the Crux, who in their eyes was a super-being built up of many war gods who still writhed for bloodshed. The Crux had also gained the title of "creator" as it was the one that uplifted the warrior races in the first place. These species had been evolved for the purpose of war and they were not going to deny the sole reason of their very existence.

The Cult's first actions were to travel across Koldenwelt in search of the Zazane cities that still provided artefacts for them to exploit and manipulate. Along the way, the Cult had come across several species worthy of integration into their military and so were corrupted and forcefully evolved by the strongest members of each Cult species who had been considered "gifted" and "blessed" by the other individuals of the Cult for their power. The Cult also encountered several species of early elves, which were captured and forcefully exposed to the Eldritch energies that the Cult possessed over long periods of time, transforming their once-humanoid forms into foul creatures which were forced to wander blindly in search of vital resources such as food, becoming the Cult's equivalent of farm animals.

Eventually, the Cult began to build settlements across Koldenwelt and develope a healthy military size, although the oceans were a challenge for them to cross due to a variety of threats such as the harsh weather conditions and other developing nations which were not fond of religious zealots within their territory. The Cult's territories were widespread although isolated from one another; most settlements required a lot of effort to run and supply accordingly due to the fact that the Cult settlements were so far apart from one another and military forces could not afford to travel across the oceans to provide backup for cultists elsewhere. Alongside these settlements, cultists began to construct more gateways to access the Black Nirvana upon the Crux's instructions and commands. Over time, the powers that the cultists possessed grew stronger with each passing generation and grew dependant on Zazane artefacts to keep themselves in a suitable balance of mind.

There was a plot in the making and the Cult was the center of it, with many millennia of developement and planning placed behind this effort. What this plot was is an entirely different and unknown story.

Species
Edacitas= "They feed as they starve."

- A typical Cultist response when inquired about the Edacitas

The Edacitas are low members of Cult society and are the result of Elves suffering prolonged exposure to the Eldritch energies of the Cult. The Edacitas were once Elves that were captured by the Zazanite Cult generations ago, descending into deformed, bloated and blind creatures that now constantly hunger for any scraps of meat they can locate, which isn't easy due to their lack of smell and eyes. The Edacitas embody the Cult's hatred for Elves as they are also a prime food source for the rest of the Cult, often eaten alive while freshly plucked off from whatever location it was residing in. The Edacitas only possess two forms of self-defense; strong bites and disorientation-causing saliva and vomit, which only works against some non-Cult species.

It is thought that the first Edacitas are descended from the Sarcophi; a race of Elves that were evolving in the Eastern Plains around the same time as the Sohet-Zazane War. It is possible that mutated Sarcophi became the first Edacitas as a failed evolution experiment. There are hints within the Cult that suggest that several of the Edacitas are millennia old and were around at the same time as the Sohet-Zazane War, although they are very rare and often indistinguishable amongst other Edacitas. Even so, they hold no particular importance to Cult society and are eaten regardless of their heritage, age or gender as they lose it all upon their mutation.

Most often identfied as Elasson-class creatures, it is rare for them to be seen within the Meizon-class of Cult society. This is often reserved for larger Edacitas.

Cide= "So far has come their corruption, inhumanity dominates their mind and body."

- A member of the Koldenwelt humans

The Cides are standard members of Cult society and are the descendants of a tribe of humans who had been mutated by the Crux many millennia ago. The Cides barely even resemble humans anymore, becoming immensely grotesque and filthy creatures with a lust for carnage and inflicting damage. While Koldenwelt humans tend to descend from Elvish races, the Cides are considered exceptions and are allowed to operate within the Fantaros and Polemistis classes of Cult society. Cides are differentiated from the rest of the Elvish races due to their mutations, which has given them piranha-like jaws, their corrupted and mutated flesh and the fact they are physically stronger than most humans and not as frail as some other Elvish species.

While many think that the Cides wear masks, these masks are actually fused into the skin of the Cides and thus can never be removed, as well as becoming flesh-like and becoming their actual faces. Cides are also known for their animalistic nature in battle, using the environment around them to their advantage and going into a frenzy when attacking in a large group. Cides are common within the Cult and are perhaps the most-seen cultist race. Cides, like all Cult species, are incredibly aggressive and intolerant towards Elves despite their own Elvish ancestry.

Kelzharhi= "The steeds of the chariot of war!"

- A Cultist response when inquired about the Kelzharhi

The Kelzharhi are a steed race of the Zazanite Cult and are their equivalent of horses. The Kelzharhi are descended from seahorses that had been mutated eons ago by the Crux to carry its soldiers, weapons and resources into battle. Adapting for travel both on land and in the oceans, the Kelzharhi are good at getting around to different locations and are fast travellers, rivalling some of the fastest breeds of horses on Koldenwelt. The Kelzharhi are renowned for their long, tentacle-like tongues which are covered in microscopic spikes. These tongues contain muscles which allow the Kelzharhi to swing them around like whips with relative ease.

Upon their mutations, Kelzharhi have become an asexual, hermaphroditic species. The Kelzharhi vary in size and the number of troops they can carry, as well as the types of troops they can carry, vary with each individual Kelzharhi.

Pathosses= "To tangle with a Pathosses is to tread the path of the guarantee of death."

- A Cultist response when inquired about the Pathosses, although most responses are similar

Scargiel= "The Giants of Hunger devour the mountains of bones and sinew."

- An Elven response when inquired of the Scargiel

Sohethalar= "Once the mortal enemies of the Fallen Sovereigns, now their loyal servants."

Zazane= "WE SERVE."

- The general Cultist response when inquired about the Zazane

Society
The Cult's society is based upon worship, sacrifice and mutation. Members of the Zazanite Cult are nearly always seen experimenting upon themselves or upon others with the Eldritch energies that flow within them, an inherited gift granted to their ancestors from the Crux. The Cult is initially aggressive and hostile towards outsider races, although there are exceptions who have earned the respect of the Cult. The rules of the Cult's society surround either capturing or killing those who speak against the Crux, the Zazane or religion itself, even though they will openly attack religions that contradict or oppose their own.

Cannibalism is common within Cult society and the weaker members of each species are often preyed upon by others. When a member of the Cult is consumed, its powers and life force enhance those of its consumers to some degree, making them stronger. The Cult are also known to both eat the dead of their enemies and their own dead, as well as eat captured enemies alive. Acts of intimacy are unknown within their society and the only method of reproduction is through sheer force. While the Cult is a religious society, they do not believe in praying to the Crux and instead kill as a way to express their gratitude and loyalty towards it. There are temples and even entire settlements where these bloody battles will rage, often using captured enemies for entertainment in massive arenas against mutated, murderous individuals or animals.

Cult settlements are often isolated from one another, although most are very well-defended with both infantry and weaponry. The Cult spend a majority of their time either exploring for Zazane artefacts or conquering villages and lesser races. The Cult follow a strict societal hierarchy that was constructed and developed by the Crux itself to keep the Cult as a stable nation;

The Elasson are often the weakest members of Cult society and often end up as nothing more than either cannon fodder or food for the higher ranking cultists. Members of the Elasson class tend to be deformed or disfigured younglings of most of the Cult races, as well as mutated Elves which are treated as malnourished cattle. They are often the first sent into large scale conflicts as an easy way to get rid of them for they serve little to no value within the Cult. The Meizon are the average citizens of the Cult. Deemed not fit for battle, most Meizon deformed or weak-bodied and are untrained in the arts of war. Considered almost as bad at the Elasson, the Meizon are often preyed upon by other species in the Cult as a food source when nothing else is available. The Meizon class is also given to the more fortunate prisoners within the Cult. The Fantaros class is the first military rank a Cult member can gain, although despite their soldier status they are still weak compared to the higher classes. The Fantaros are given basic military equipment such as swords and shields and are expected to perform well in battle to ascend to the higher ranks, with those who fall behind often joining the Elasson and the Meizon as food. The Polemistis class is the highest rank most of the average races can gain within their lifetime and are respected members of Cult society for the Polemistis class is not often featured on the food chain and it is uncommon for them to be cannibalized. The Polemistis are equipped with either high-quality blades or ranged weaponry such as crossbows. They also possess a small amount of battle-worthy essence. The Zilotis class is reserved for berserkers and more strong-bodied races. The Zilotis are often seen as elite members of the Cult and are commonly observed eating the weaker members of their settlements out of either dislike, hunger or boredom. The Zilotis are gifted with blades, spears, hammers and battle-axes while either their bodies or their armour acts as shields, allowing some members to be capable of dual-wielding weaponry. The Zilotis are also seen leading their forces into battle. The Latreia Igemon class is reserved for the champions of each race, not including the races exclusive to the Fantaros class and below. They are often valuable members of battalions and are considered commanders and orchestrators of war, renowned for their impressive combat ability, strategic thinking and their incredible use of their Eldritch powers. Their mere presence is said to be enough to disturb individuals beyond relief. The Latreia Archontas are the strongest individuals of each race, aside from those exclusive to the Fantaros class and below. The Archontas are often in close proximity of the Crux and because of this they are respected almost as much as the Crux itself. The mere sight of an Archontas is enough to change the tide of an entire war, although this is balanced out by the fact they are not seen very often outside of the Black Nirvana. The Kyrios Diokitis is the Crux's chosen commander over all Cult forces and possesses a fraction of the Crux's Eldritch power, making it an incredibly powerful being. No Cult species can rise to the rank of Kyrios Diokitis, as only a Zazane cam assume the title. The Kyrios Diokitis is actually a part of the Crux itself, a single Zazane soul that had managed to gain individuality from the rest of the Zazane souls within the Crux's body. The Kyrios Diokitis is respected to an equal level of the Crux by the rest of the Cult for both its relation with it and for the power it possesses.
 * Elasson
 * Meizon
 * Fantaros
 * Polemistis
 * Zilotis
 * Latreia Igemon
 * Latreia Archontas
 * Kyrios Diokitis

Traitors and cowards are also eaten alive as punishment for their acts against the Cult's efforts, although the former is considered very rare as most members of the Cult are mentally twisted to the point where betrayal is inconceivable to them.

Religion
The Zazanite Cult generally accept and believe that an entity calling itself the Crux is the physical manifestation of all the Zazane souls that were lost many millennia ago and soon combined to become a single entity due to the mass death. While the Crux itself is a single entity, the Cult sees it as a "god which contains gods" and state its birth was the result of a mass of angry, vengeful souls reincarnating into a single body, thus giving the Crux so much power and energy. The Cult also treats the Crux as a "creator" for it was the Crux that mutated and evolved the first species of the Cult in the first place. They treat the Crux as the center of their belief system and religion, praising it in both respect and fear. There are no individual gods in the Cult's religion aside from the Crux as they believe that due to the mass reincarnation into a single being, the souls have lost themselves amongst one another for the time being although they are slowly regaining their individuality, as evidenced by how the Crux operates.

The Zazanite Cult also believe in a supposed fusion of organic material and technology - the Black Nirvana, a pseudo-creature with the capability to travel into the void, although according to Cult tales the Black Nirvana is trapped under the oceans of Koldenwelt and must be freed in order to spread the Zazane's influence into the Heavens. The Black Nirvana itself has been corrupted and mutated into a living, breathing, colossal monster from constant exposure to the Crux's Eldritch energies that radiate from its body. Supposedly the size of an entire continent at this stage due to a large mass of oceanic debris combining with its flesh and expanding outward, the Black Nirvana remains dormant for now although both the Cult and the Crux itself wish to awaken the beast in order to expand their influence.

Alongside the Crux, a being known as the Kyrios Diokitis is also worshipped and respected as part of the Crux itself. The Kyrios Diokitis is a single Zazane soul that had been freed from the Crux's body by its eons-long efforts of seperating souls within itself, although the Kyrios Diokitis is not completely seperate from the Crux as the latter controls the former to some degree and relies on the Crux's existence to exist itself. The Kyrios Diokitis also possesses a fraction of the Crux's Eldritch power, making the former incredibly powerful but nowhere near as strong as the latter. Nonetheless, the Kyrios Diokitis is a prominent figure in Zazanite mythology.

Military
The military of the Zazanite Cult is both large and powerful, making use of both ranged and melee weapons designed for war usage. Their ranged arsenal consists of spears and crossbows constructed from materials such as iron, with the same material being used for their melee weaponry. These weapons are used in the hands of races that have been mutated to suit most combat situations and provide strategic and physical advantages in the Cult's favour, such as the large, strong and fast Pathosses. However, the lack of guns bring the Cult to a disadvantage compared to more advanced militaries. One of the main strengths of the Cult's military is their usage in their own form of "magic", which does not rely on Source resources or potential. Instead, the magic used by the Cult is the Eldritch energies which transformed and mutated them, with each individual having at least a small amount of potential to use this energy within them. This potential is increased when in the vicinity of or exposed to a Zazane artefact or the Crux.

The Cult's military settlements are isolated from one another and reinforcements from other areas are not common when engaging the Cult. Instead, Cult settlements tend to raise their own individual warbands for protection and assault rather than rely on other settlements. Larger settlements often possess stronger warbands, although this isn't the defined rule for all settlements. The Cult uses weaker races within itself as cannon fodder a lot of the time while stronger creatures bring up the rear of their assaults, alongside large corrupted warbeasts. As of the current age, the Zazanite Cult possesses a military number of 75,000 soldiers divided between many settlements and locations. The strength of their military is not within their numbers, but within the individual powers and abilities of their soldiers and units.

Allies
"The Fallen Sovereigns see use in your existence."

Neutral
"The Crux requires your sacrifice."


 * - "Our goals are similar, our gods are not."


 * - "While you are not true Elves, you are to be inspected further."

Enemies
"The Fallen Sovereigns spit upon your being!"


 * - "Children of the Sohet, you shall be devoured!"


 * - "Siblings of the Khep, we shall steal your lives!"


 * - "Your technology would please the Crux greatly."


 * - "Stay dead!"


 * - "Know true madness!"


 * - "You taste good."

Quotes
"To place your faith in gods is to lie to one's self. You give up your individuality as a person and become little more than the filthy, primitive ants beneath my feet."

"Your gods are dead. You shall soon follow."

- Lich Lord Praetannath

"There is only the Maw of Madness. Surrender to it."

"You people are no fun at all."

"Their god is a fusion of dead beings? That it is too weird for me... But their made interesting objects..."

"You will pay for what you did to me! All of you! I'LL DECAPITATE YOU ALL!"

=Notes=

Trivia

 * The nature of the Cult of Zazane was inspired by a mix of Tzeentchian and Khornate culture from the Warhammer 40K universe.
 * The title of "The Crux" refers to the word "crux", which, when defined, is the most important part of something. This is appropriate for the Crux entity as it is the central part of the Zazanite Cult.
 * The Zazane of the Zazanite Cult is somewhat different and totally seperated as a whole from the of the Sporewiki Fictionverse, as well as completely unrelated.