Blood God

The Blood God is the God of Blood, Sacrifice, and Feasts. His true name is known to some, but is considered highly sacred, and speaking it aloud is said to attract his attention and bring ill fortune to all but those most faithful of his followers.

History

Little is widely known about the Blood God's history. He seems to have some superficial similarities with Shethsut, an old god of the Nuum whose sphere also included blood, sacrifices, and feasts, though this new Blood God seems more malevolent, while the old Nuumic deity was generally regarded as kindly and generous toward mortals.

There is much speculation on the Blood God's origins and history, as he was seemingly not known or active until recent years. Many rumors speak of the Blood Cult bringing their god into power with countless excessive sacrifices of blood, though the rumors vary on whether the Blood God is an old god brought out of dormancy, or whether this Blood God is an entirely new one, perhaps an ascended lesser being empowered by the copious sacrifices and sorcery.

Worship

The body of worshipers dedicated to the Blood God is often referred to as the "Blood Cult", but members typically refer to themselves and their peers as "the Faithful." As a group they are intensely secretive, and those that have been identified and interrogated all seem to truly have only minimal information regarding the identities of leaders and others followers, save for the few they closely work with or know personally outside the cult. This has led to the belief that members disguise themselves and their true identities even to their peers during normal meetings and rituals.

Little is truly know about their beliefs, rituals, and services, other than that they worship the Blood God and perform frequent sacrifices of both humans and animals, presumably offering the power drawn from the blood to their god. Kidnappings and other disappearances are often attributed to the Blood Cult.

The few whom have openly spoken of their affiliation with the Blood Cult typically seem to view their religion as a highly spiritual and joyful experience. They speak of their God as a benevolent deity who grants generous blessings and boons to those who serve him and his people, with the ultimate gift being that of bodily transcendence and eternal life. Most outsiders seem to find the joy and seemingly sincere belief of Blood Cultists that what they're doing is good and wonderful to be highly unsettling, considering the rumors of ritual torture and blood sacrifice. To a Blood Cultist, it appears that torturing and sacrificing those whom are unfaithful to their God is perfectly acceptable and not worth quibbling over - if the soul will not serve, then at least the blood will, and even that will bring some measure of salvation to the soul.