Eeha Cathur & Fola ShluaEssential Information
Location: Nestled atop Olc Cairn sits a city almost as old as the mountains themselves. Whilst not on a peak of the mountains, the city of Eeha Cathur sits far above the shores of the Encircling Ocean and only nary few treacherous paths exist to reach it.
Purpose: Currently serves as the home of the Fola Shlua.
History: Eeha Cathur has its origins in the very earliest days of Enduwin as a land without gods. When life began to become more self-aware and the various races of Enduwin came into their own, the Olc Cairn, or Black Mountains in the common tongue, were surprisingly one of the first places settled.
So long as there have been humans, elves, orcs, dwarves and every other kind of creature, there have been those with a perverted attraction to power and evil. There is no greater symbol of hatred or malice in all of Enduwin the Olc Cairn, and as such the mist covered crags attracted malcontents and miscreants from all over the land.
Initially the area where Eeha Cathur sits was dotted with habitations little more than villages, outposts from whish raiders struck the plains and shadowing nooks where criminals hid from those pursuing them. Over time, crime began to pay and many tradesmen took notice, realising the potential of wealth being hoarding between the mountains spurs. These factors attracted more people, a wider range of people from all across Enduwin. Within decades what had once been dozens of unconnected bandit camps and smuggler’s dens became a thriving village that in turn developed into a bustling stone built city. No matter how many others have inhabited the area, regardless of how long has passed, Eeha Cathur still retains its dark roots, and to this day is a haven to criminals and death worshippers alike.
The Fola Shlua is a new iteration of an ancient sect that was born in the mountains along with the beginnings of Eeha Cathur. The city and the Shlua are synonymous to most people outside the city, and within its walls only the prudish citizens care to point out the difference. The Shlua occupy almost every key position in the city; councilmen, merchants and soldiers alike. The Fola Shlua is based around the key tenet that death can be circumvented. Many people beyond the mountains derogatorily refer to them as ‘necromancers’, ‘necros’ and ‘deathies’.
For hundreds of years the Shlua were an open active organisation mostly consisting of the bandits and sellswords that lived in early Eeha Cathur. Death was a part of everyday life for these people and they become absorbed with the concept of preventing it. No records remaining that name a propagator or point of origin for what has become a religion, but there are accounts of figures spreading the word through the mountains, these men were known as Crea. Over time as more ‘civilised’ people came to settle the mountains, in search of a piece of its fortunes, the ways of the Fola Shlua faded. Worship of other deities and belief in nothing began to seep in and take over, yet there was always a noticeable percentage of those living in Eeha Cathur who believed in the immortal promises of the Crea.
It was about two centuries ago, although the precise date, like much to do with the Fola Shlua is a little ambiguous, a new Crea arose in Eeha Cathur. An elf, by the name of Sachras began to gain a following, small at first as he whispered word of everlasting life and sowed seeds of belief once more. In the decades the followed, the Fola came to the fore once more, extending its tendril like grasp over many influential figures in the mountain society. Sachras was a proactive thinking man and understood that preaching and promises wouldn’t be enough. He began manipulating the Shlua as he saw fit, and hoarded the gold used as indulgences. This new Fola Shlua was much more organised and posed a far greater danger than any iteration before it.
It has been three decades since Sachras passed. Now the Fola Shlua is led by numerous Crea of varying power and influence. Some continue to preach the assurance of living forever, but others manipulate their followers like the very earliest settlers of the Olc Cairn, employing them as sellswords and bandits.
Optional Information
Key Members: There are currently several dozen Crea throughout the mountains each considering themselves to be a key figure.
Advantages: The Fola Shlua have one of the largest collections of knowledge on the subject of death. The Crea who lead their congregations in a warlike fashion are known to be brutal and intelligent.
Disadvantages: There is incredible stigma surrounding the Shlua and Eeha Cathur throughout the rest of Enduwin.
Ranks: Each Crea tends to organise their followers differently.