The Temple of Accuris

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From A DISSERTTION ON THE LORDS OF SHADOW, by Gwynn Asserios, Sage of Pandona (C.E. 5212)

Before I speak of the complexities of the relationships between the Dark Gods of the first Shadow Alliance, I will tell of the One Who Walked Alone. He is called Accuris the Destroyer, Lord of Non-Being. Still-born Master of the Mound, Devourer of Souls, The Face Which Stares from the Grave, Harbinger of the Final Darkness.

In the First Age, when the Gods walked the earth with Man (C.E. 1200-2100), it was only Accuris who took no part in the Chaos Wars, for his purposes were too inimical even for the Gods of Shadow. When the Gods were finally cast out of the world during the Great Banishing, it was Accuris, the most hated, who was exiled first.

The doctrine of Accuris is based upon one dogma: “Life is a Disease, a Cancer in the Heart of the Unknowing, Perfect Universe. Man was Created and given Consciousness so that the Blight called Life may be Forever Eradicated from the Realm of Being. (Excerpt from Accuris’ Holy Text: The Guide Into Oblivion, chapter 3, verse 13).

Thuis, the worshippers of Accuris have a unique mission. Not only are they to destroy all that lives, but, as living beings, they must seek self-destruction in the process. This makes them particularly fanatical and dangerous. The dogma of Accuris has been explained by most scholars as perverse love of hate. Though this is certainly true, it is incomplete. One question comes to mind: Why choose hate over love, destruction over creation, pain over please, death over life? Man is moved by two conflicting instincts. One is the need for love, to preserve one’s life, to create and make union. This drive is called Eros and is reinforced by the societal command to live and work in harmony. Without Eros, civilization would crumble. The other drive is the need to return to an earlier state, to seek security, to destroy. Taken to an extreme, this instinct manifests itself as the desire to kill and die. It is why the old often become their inevitable death. The drive is called Thanatos. Accrus is the spiritual manifestation Thanatos and his followers are those dominated by this instinct.

The bizarre beliefs of the followers of Accuris has made for a colorful temple history. The great temple of Ur for instance was founded on a burial mound of Church members. Upon this mound the first prophet of Accuris, who took the name Thanatos I, led his congregation in the first ritual self-sacrifice. This event is known as the Great Frenzy and is commemorated each year with mass suicides. The complete loyalty that the Temple of Accuris expects from its members is directly responsible for the Second Coming of the Dark, when the influence of the Church took hold in the North under the leadership of one named Coron…