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Here's a vague article on the Blood God: http://clok.contrarium.net/index.php?title=Blood_God

Forgive me in advance, but what makes this god's worshippers so much worse than the Huec, since they are known for human sacrifices as well? Is it simply because of where these sacrifices take place and who is being sacrificed?

Creepy. Thanks or this.

Fayne wrote:Forgive me in advance, but what makes this god's worshippers so much worse than the Huec, since they are known for human sacrifices as well? Is it simply because of where these sacrifices take place and who is being sacrificed?

That's an interesting question, particularly because it seems to imply an expectation that the Blood Cult's practices are considered "so much worse". It actually reminds me of another situation where a small group of people is frequently decried for a certain practice, and yet the large-scale civilization that practices the same thing doesn't seem to get much guff for it. But I'm wandering into tangent territory again.

Anyway, I present the following information so that you, the kids at home, can compare and contrast and arrive at your own conclusions.

Blood Cult Sacrificial Rituals (based on eyewitness testimonies, interrogations of cultists, investigations of ritual sites, and so on)
- Often involve prolonged torture, even going so far as to leave a person alive and treat them afterward so they can participate in future sacrifices multiple times.
- Allegedly utilize kidnapped, captured, coerced, or misled individuals - virtually all are ultimately unwilling.
- Are done to bring power to their God, who may in turn grant blessings and boons to his people.

Huec Sacrificial Rituals (confirmed by lorekeepers and Huecs themselves):
- The death is quick and relatively painless - usually a clean beheading is the preferred method, although in cases of grievous criminals and other offenders, the ceremony can be more drawn out. (There are various preparations before the actual killing, but these aren't especially unpleasant)
- Are mostly voluntary. The majority of sacrifical rituals are seen as an opportunity for an individual (the sacrificee) to transcend to a higher state of being, becoming a spiritual entity that can take part in enacting miraculous things (changing the weather, altering fate/destiny, etc.) and coming closer to unity with Toteoh.
- Some are indeed unwilling sacrifices, usually when there is some desparate, urgent need, or there aren't enough volunteers. It's believed that unwilling sacrifices are not nearly as potent, so more are needed in these cases. Criminals, war prisoners, and so forth are usually used in these situations.

My personal feelings would be that ritual human sacrifice is always icky, but the Huec version is at least a bit less worrisome than the Blood Cult version.

For me as a player, the horror of human sacrifice -- at least so far as the Huecs are concerned -- is somewhat mitigated by the fact that magic and gods really do exist in the world, so those people who voluntarily submit may actually not be sacrificing their lives in vain.

*whips up a quick human sacrificial ceremony*
Do I have any volunteers for transcendence? I promise to find someone really good with a greataxe.

Blood for the blood god, skulls for the skull throne.

In all seriousness though, I can see how a Huec could easily fall into worshipping the Blood God, since they already have a view of human sacrifice being perfectly acceptable, and even good for everyone involved. I could also see them accepting of the Cultists' actions even if they themselves don't participate in the worshipping.

Fayne wrote:In all seriousness though, I can see how a Huec could easily fall into worshipping the Blood God, since they already gave a view of human sacrifice being perfectly acceptable, and even good for everyone involved. I could also see them accepting of the Cultists' actions even if they themselves don't participate in the worshipping.

Maybe a bit unhappy with the way they do things, but generally accepting I can certainly see. However IRL churches have split apart and warred with each other for less soo. Always a possibility either way.

Kunren wrote:

Fayne wrote:In all seriousness though, I can see how a Huec could easily fall into worshipping the Blood God, since they already gave a view of human sacrifice being perfectly acceptable, and even good for everyone involved. I could also see them accepting of the Cultists' actions even if they themselves don't participate in the worshipping.

Maybe a bit unhappy with the way they do things, but generally accepting I can certainly see. However IRL churches have split apart and warred with each other for less soo. Always a possibility either way.

Meh, the Huec are already split over something much bigger. I doubt they'd make a huge deal over a disagreement in this regard. I think the general consesus would be that the sacrifice is just fine with them, regardless of the methods used prior. I'm sure a lot of Huec would just shrug and say "If they want to weaken their sacrifices by using almost nothing but unwilling individuals and torturing them beforehand, I suppose that's their choice." Or perhaps they'd argue that they must have a fairly urgent need and no volunteers. It certainly does make for some potentially interesting RP considerations. *wanders off to ponder on things*