improvking | Sub-Cult (Reply)

Sub-Cult: the Fritvælge Tågesandt

The "Fritvælge Tågesandt" (or "Freely-Choosing True-Fog") are a human sect of Fog-worshippers who believe they ought not to be humans but instead become monsters. They emulate the monster they wish to become via dress and body mods, and currently live under the protection/mentorship of an actual monster known alternately as "the Ring-Spirit" and "Richard". The group stresses freedom of choice in matters of lifestyle and spiritual practice - a fact which leads to their numbers staying very low. Cannibalism and extensive body mods don't tend to appeal naturally to a great many.

HistoryOver the course of 2021 (local Ryslig-year 162), a cult known as the Tågevalgten (the "Fog-Chosen") rose to prominence among outcasts in the local human population. Led by a woman calling herself "Tåge" (aka "Fog"), they claimed allegience to the Fog god (who they called "Mor Tåge", or "Mother Fog"). Their exact beliefs were a closely-kept secret, but the gist of things was that: they believed humanity (and the Fourth god, and technology) were inherently sinful and would soon be rightfully destroyed - BUT that by emulating Ryslig's montrous populace, cult members would be chosen by the Fog to become monsters themselves in some coming event they called "the Emergence". Members were essentially cannibalistic otherkin, with each trying to emulate the monster they felt they were destined to become, and all regularly partaking of human flesh.

During a point of turmoil within the cult, a monster known as the Ring-Spirit spoke out against the Tåge, claiming that while they were fine kinning monsters, their current leader was otherwise teaching them blasphemous falsehoods. A few members of the Tågevalgten agreed to split from the Tåge and follow the Fog god under the Ring-Spirit's direction instead. Within a mere few months of this, however, the Tåge managed to tick off the Fog god Herself and was transformed into a living seal for a dimensional rift. Sans leader, the Tågevalgten fell apart; now only the splinter group remains.

Symbol(s)The official symbol of the Fritvælge Tågesandt is a puff of gauzy gray fabric (to represent the Fog) with one of the Ring-Spirit's blue-green iridescent feathers (to mark themselves as under his protection).

A secondary symbol is a length of chain, pinned in place at two points with some extra hanging loose. It's meant to represent two lengths of chain with one broken: half-undone shackles, symbolizing the members' quest to free themselves of their humanity. It also, curiously enough, just so happens to closely resemble part of the cult-attire of Marik's previous cult/gang hybrid. This one's only "officially" a symbol because the Ring-Spirit's cult-adviser, Marik Ishtar, insisted and wouldn't let it be, so NOW THEY HAVE YOUR CHAIN THING, ARE YOU HAPPY YET ISHTAR.

PamphletsThe Fritvaelge produce certain pro-Fog pamphlets for distribution. Among these are:

Real Dyster

This pamphlet tells the story of the cursed abandoned town of Dyster: that they worshipped the Fog, but when they decided to sacrifice their children to her she punished them, turning them into spirits that now haunt the ruins of their former home. That Dyster isn't safe to visit for long for those unaligned with the Fog. The sacrificed children, however, she saved after a fashion; bringing them into an otherworldly-Dyster open only to them and her followers, they now live as eternally-respawning adults who are perfectly happy to be eaten. (Yes, this is weird for some monsters, we know.)

Membership
Any human can join the Fritvaelge, so long as they "willingly follow the true Fog" and "want to live as a monster". Both are left fairly vague, but there is an emphasis on "knowing the true Fog", "shedding your humanity" and "living as you wish to be" - with this last point meaning living as if one is already their chosen monster type, often involving body mods or tattoos and definitely involving changes in behavior. It's pointedly never stated whether or not cannibalism is necessity, but it is clearly stated that "cannibalism is not to be viewed as 'sacramental' in any way" - a marked difference from the beliefs of the Tagevalgten.

Cultists

Astrid

Unlike the majority of Fritvaelge, Astrid was never a Tagevalgten. She was one of the ordinary Bavanites who the Ring-Spirit singled out for catch-and-release hunting: because she was a good runner and made funny noises when spooked. Astrid, however, believes they're having a secret romance YA-novel style. She joined the Fritvaelge in order to spend more time with "Lord Richard". The Ring-Spirit has no idea.

She pretends to kin nymph so that she can get away with carrying a potted plant instead of getting body mods, and now instinctively smacks anything that startles her with her cactus. The only Fritvaelge not afraid of the laptops, she occasionally serves as the group's secretary. During the October Apocalypse of 2023, she was killed when plant life destroyed the Train Station - that the Ring-Spirit joined in the monsters' sacrifice which resulted in her revival has only strengthened her belief that they Have Something.

Bob

Bob is... to be blunt, minion-material. He's clever and dedicated (primarily to a charismatic leader), but a bit of a pushover. He has an underhanded side, but it's very hard to pick up on between all the dad-jokes and terrible puns. He was originally a Tagevalgten, and secretly only joined the splinter-group to spy on them for the Tage. With the Tage now gone, he's at a bit of a loss. While Marik was still in Ryslig, he naturally drifted into the one-time cult-leader's orbit, even accepting the robes Marik had tried to convince the Ring-Spirit to adopt as the group's official uniform. With Marik now also gone, Bob's starting to consider the anti-cult pamphlets Atem drops off a little more seriously. He kins vampire.

Priscilla

Ambitious and devout, Priscilla is another Tagevalgten who "joined" to spy for the Tage in secret. She once believed she kinned shade, though on joining the Fritvaelge she claimed to kin waldgeist (both to shore up her cover story of conversion (the Tage was a waldgeist-kin highlander) and so that she could continue wearing the waldgeist-y outfit the Tage wanted her followers to wear among outsiders). However, Priscilla has always held a certain fascination for simulacrum; she had once fought to resist this interest, as the Tage taught that all technology was evil. Now with the Tage gone, she's finally admitted to herself that what she really kins is simulacrum. She's taken to wearing a ceramic facemask as often as she can. She also tries to speak in a robotic monotone, but her passionate nature often interferes with this. She lost her right forearm during the October Apocalypse in 2023, and now proudly wears a mechanical prosthetic.

Snik

Snik was the Fritvaelge's first convert; he didn't have an entirely free choice in the matter. He'd always been a little out of place among the Tagevalgten, tending to express his monster-kinning in ways that weren't always fully approved (such as stealing small trinkets from other members); but he fit in well enough for a while. He does truly believe he's meant to be a goblin. When he met an actual monster (the Ring-Spirit) who claimed to have seen another Ryslig where Snik actually was a goblin, he grew attached to this monster and ended up spending enough time in the other's company that when the Tagevalgten began closing ranks against the monsters... he was left in a bit of trouble. The Ring-Spirit then pressured him into speaking up for the Fritvaelge cause in exchange for protection. He's since found the Fritvaelge teachings to be more in line with his own inclinations than the Tagevalgten had been, however, and for all that he and the Ring-Spirit bicker they seem to remain close.

Splot

Splot had always been prone to moving slowly and not being very focused or really doing very much, which they were repeatedly told weren't good traits. Then they found out about slimes, monsters who seemed designed to behave the way they already did, so they decided they should be a slime and joined the Tagevalgten. However, among the Tagevalgten they still possessed traits that were discouraged, so when the Ring-Spirit and Snik started preaching about how the Tagevalgten were (among other things) still behaving too humanly, they were quickly convinced to join the Fritvaelge instead. They are now the most enthusiastic (and useless) member, spending much of their time lying on the floor or with "dissolving practice". They also greatly enjoy burbling.

Gerda

The other member to not have started off as a Tagevalgten and most recent addition, Gerda was originally a normal upper middle class girl living with her family in a new subdivision just outside Bavan - when the trees felled to make way for this community sought retribution, the Ring-Spirit and his cultists tried to warn the residents that they ought to leave. The only one to take their warnings to heart, Gerda ran away from home - and when the trees did in fact kill everyone remaining, she permanently joined the cult at the Train Station, claiming to have no surviving family. She now kins manticore.

The Fritvaelge is supposed to be a humans-only cult, so monsters can't be members - but some monsters end up "affiliated" one way or another.

Affiliated Monsters

the Ring-Spirit

Effectively the founder of the Fritvaelge, the Ring-Spirit is a Fog-follower who, following an AU event, met a Tagevalgten who greatly reminded the Ring-Spirit of one of his AU-dads; in the AU-Ryslig, the fellow had been an actual goblin, and in regular-Ryslig the (seemingly same) fellow believed he was supposed to be a goblin. This was enough to convince the Ring-Spirit to support the Tagevalgten - until their leader the Tage finally spoke publicly to the monster community, and he found her devotion to the Fog suspect at best and very much lacking. When it seemed she'd abandoned some of her followers, he managed to convince a few to split from her permanently and live under his protection and guidance instead.

Marik Ishtar - [no longer in Ryslig]

Marik had led a cult or two back in his home world, and been allies of convenience with the Ring-Spirit a few times as well. After Marik ended up in Ryslig ,the Ring-Spirit called in a favor for help with his cultist adoption efforts. Marik advised the Ring-Spirit on cult-leading and used his position as Noa's roommate to provide a safe haven for the Fritvaelge. Despite never aligning with the Fog himself, he had seemed to be viewing the Fritvaelge as pseudo-minions of his own - but then he vanished from Ryslig, and with him most of the organization's active proselytization efforts.

Noa Kaiba

A Fog-priest with a very secure apartment home; he came back from the dead one day after a Ryslig-wide emergency to find that his roommate had taken in a bunch of human cultists during his brief absence. He took to this development with admirable acceptance. As a former supercomputer and having personally redesigned the laptops to a significant degree, the Ring-Spirit hopes interactions with him will help the former Tagevalgten chill out about technology.

Atem - [no longer in Ryslig]

A friend of the other affiliated monsters, Atem is concerned with the cultists' well-being and will occasionally drop off anti-cult pamphlets in hopes of ensuring that none of them are there against their will.

Chiaki Nanami - [no longer in Ryslig]

After meeting Priscilla and Splot and talking the two through a stressful event, Nanami developed an interest in the group as a whole. Sympathetic to the cultists' desire to change species, they sometimes visit the cultists at the Train Station just to offer a friendly ear.

~~Twilight Town~~ Train Station

[Location's original info page.]

For a time, the Fritvaelge operated out of Noa's secure penthouse apartment; but eventually the Ring-Spirit found an abandoned structure just outside Bavan that was better suited to the group's needs.

First acquired by Roxas and Vanitas, later found and refitted into a training hall by Loki and Blue Link, later still used as a lab by Egon - the Twilight Town Train Station has a long history even within Ryslig itself: one that the Ring-Spirit is largely unaware of, all its past owners and renovators being long gone by the time he came to Ryslig. When he found the structure, it had been abandoned long enough to require some fixing up, but nothing beyond what he and the cultists could do on their own. They are unaware of the building's original name, but despite its many owners and refurbishments, it's still pretty clearly a one-time train station; albeit one in the middle of a small forest, and with no tracks nearby.

The building itself sits in a small wood, with tunnels that run from beneath it to a few exits around the forest edge. The ground floor is primarily an open area suitable for combat practice (and it remains a truly open area, meaning forest animals tend to wander freely in and out), with some office space that had once been reworked into a laboratory and has since been re-reworked into a woodblock printing press operation. In the upper tower there is a living area, as well as access to the inner workings to the distinctive clock. (It’s fully functional, and the bells toll the hour.)

While the building does have electricity and the Ring-Spirit is trying to convince the cultists to take more advantage of the fact, the cultists remain fairly technophobic and have retrofitted the living area to suit a low-to-no electricity lifestyle. They have completed turning the lab/office area into their own printing press, but as they pen new pamphlets they’re forced to update their printing equipment; so that area remains always slightly under construction. The Ring-Spirit himself lives offsite, but he visits frequently.