April A to Z: C is for Cults of Ugarit

In my Ugarit setting, clerics are not restricted to blunt weapons as some of the cults very much wish to shed blood for their gods. My clerics are restricted based on which cult they belong to. The city of Ugarit is considered the city of the Gods as all major cults have a base there (and make war for control of the under-city and it’s precious resources in artifacts).

There are many more cults than what I have described here but I provide a sample of some of the cults vying for control of Ugarit and the under-city.

Cult of Yamm – As mentioned in my “B” entry, the cult of Yamm is a very active (and aggressive) cult in the under-city. Yamm is the god of primordial chaos and represents the power of the sea, untamed and raging. His cult thrives on violence and are the most feared cult in the city. They have no presence in the above ground city of Ugarit as the other cults banded together to abolish their temple years ago, but they thrive in the under-city where it is much harder to root out secret temples. The priests of Yamm are not restricted to any melee weapons, however they cannot use missile weapons as they are seen as weak and unworthy of use.

Cult of the Ebon Wyrm – This cult reveres an ancient black dragon rumored to lair deep within the under-city. Some cult members make pilgrimages to the lower levels once a year in hopes of receiving special blessings from the fabled drake. Most cult members wear dark hooded cloaks and carry wicked curved daggers as a symbol of the wyrm’s fangs. Priests of the Ebon Wyrm cult can make use of short swords, daggers, and short bows in addition to clubs and maces.

Cult of the Virgin Spear - This cult reveres Anat the War Goddess. The followers of Anat are all females and must remain virgins until they have killed their first man in combat. So the cult of the Virgin Spear is composed of all the virgin followers of Anat that have yet to kill in battle. The priests of the Virgin Spear are able to use both spears and short swords in combat.