Usij

Usij

(Organization)

Type

Religious

Leader

None

Alignment

Neutral evil

Goals

Spreading ruin
and corruption

Scope

International

Structure

Cult

Members

Worshipers of Ahriman, clerics, sorcerers

Images of Usij

Source: House of the Beast, pg(s). 85

The Usij are cults of fiend worshipers dedicated to the foul div and their fearsome lord, the living destruction known as Ahriman.

Members

The Usij are not one organization, but the name given to a variety of small, scattered cabals that worship Ahriman, the divs as a whole, or a specific, individual div. People join the Usij for a variety of reasons: some are outcasts, looking for revenge against society; some are maniacs who seek the destruction of all things; and some are just amoral, power-hungry people with no scruples as to where they get their power from. The Usij were once more widespread than they are now, even serving as the Pharaoh of Forgotten Plagues's necromancers during Osirion's First Age—defeating the Jistka Imperium by transforming an ifrit commander into an undead ghul ladened with the Night Plague, a magically engineered disease.

But, many centuries ago, Sarenrae's faithful launched a holy crusade that wiped out many of the Usij cabals. Now only a few of these secretive groups are rumoured to remain. Usij cabals tend to favour lands where life is only just holding out against destruction—normally desert regions—and, as such, are most common in Qadira, Katapesh, and the distant empire of Kelesh.

Goals

The Usij's goals are always destructive. The most dedicated seek to corrupt and destroy everything using the worst parts of human nature as their assistant. A common Usij trick is to disguise themselves as wisemen or councilors, slowly earning the trust of local leaders. Once they have the leader's ear, they begin feeding them lies, bad advice, and foolish ideas that lead to death, misery, and destruction. They particularly enjoy causing irreparable damage to limited, local natural resources. On a smaller level, many Usij try to spread their doctrine of nihilism and atheism, perverting people from their righteous faith and damning their immortal souls after death.

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.