PREVIEW

1
 Credits
Developed by: Christopher Falco

Written by: Christopher Falco (Introduction, Heralds of the Void), Alex Fewings (Redford
Hollow)

Edited by: Marx Shepherd (Introduction), Irene D.B. (Heralds of the Void, Redford Hollow)

Layout by: Christopher Falco

Artwork by: Jamie O’Duibhur (Cover), Carly A-F (Redford Hollow)

Additional artwork from Public Domain, depositphotos, and the Far Horizons Co-op Art
Reuse License:
Dyer Rose, for artwork in Heralds of the Void: @BasiliskOnline on Twitter
or https://BasiliskOnline.net

Legal
The text within this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
3.0 Unported License.

All contributors retain full rights to reuse their work as they desire.

I
 Table of Contents
Introduction III

What is a Cult? III

Cult Organization III

The Preview IV

Heralds of the Void 2

People of Interest 3

Cult Resources 4

Story Hooks 5

Redford Hollow 8

People of Interest 9

Cult Resources 10

Story Hooks 11

II
 Introduction
Welcome to the Far Horizons Guide to
Cults! This book is a collection of cults,
conspiracies, strange religions, and other
mysterious organizations that can act as
allies, antagonists, or simply set dressing for
just about any tabletop roleplaying game out
there. It’s been created by a talented group of
writers, editors, designers, and artists to
provide a resource for anyone creating,
modifying, or filling out a setting.
What is a Cult?
Views differ on what exactly a cult is:
definitions vary from the incredibly specific,
to those so broad as to include most if not all
modern religious organizations. For the sake
of this book, we’ve defined a cult as a group
which is small, hidden, ostracized, or some
combination thereof, which revolves around
its members venerating something in a
religious or quasi-religious manner.
We’ve left the definition fairly open for the
sake of providing a diverse array of options
for gamemasters and other players, but this
doesn’t mean that you need to stick to that
definition. If you like some of the groups in
this book but don’t think they fit the model
of a cult in the game you’re playing or the
setting you’ve developed, then treat them as
a faction, a religion, a strange family, or
whatever else might work.
Cult Organization
Definition aside, we’ve used a standardized
format for the cults in this book, as follows:
• Splash Page: The first page of every cult
will include their name, artwork, and a
small bit of fiction or flavor text to get you
into the mindset for the group in question.
III
• General Info: Under the name of the cult,
every section’s main text begins with a
general description of them, organized
appropriately for the group in question.
What does this cult venerate? What do
they do? What are their goals, their rituals,
their methods? How do you join? You’ll
get a basic idea of all of that, and more,
from this section.
• People of Interest: You can’t have a cult
without a face at the top, but they’re far
from the only important person within the
group. This section includes some brief
descriptions for any “head” of the cult,
and a few other individuals who you can
use as interesting interaction points for
players.
• Cult Resources: Why should the
characters care about the cult, either as an
ally or an enemy? What sorts of contacts
or tools—magic or profane—do they have
access to that make them more powerful
than any other random group? That’s
what you’ll find answers for in this
section.
• Story Hooks: This section provides some
sample plot seeds that might involve the
cult, whether as the cause of a particular
problem or twist, or just as an interested
party.
Each group will also have a small array of
sidebars spread throughout the section,
which provide variations for the cults, such
as how they might look in a different setting,
with a different leader, in a different
timeline, or as more or less antagonistic to
the characters. Use these alternative facts to
help tweak the cults to whatever game you
might want to include them in; they’re
designed to be malleable and easy to fit to
different genres and moods.
 The Preview
This document acts as a preview for the crowdfunding campaign we’re undertaking to make
the final book as big and beautiful as possible. It contains two sample cults, one of which
(Redford Hollow) has unique artwork created exclusively for the Far Horizons Guide to Cults.
This will give you an idea of the way that we’ll organize the final book, and to provide a few of
the cults we’ll be offering up front, so you can see what sorts of groups you’ll have to work with
when the supplement goes out.

The final book will contain at least fifteen cults and three essays which will provide additional
information and suggestions on various ways to utilize cults in your tabletop games. Should
our funding go better than expected, we plan to expand this even further.

IV
 Heralds of The Void
“You hear it, don’t you?”
“That whisper between words? That silence between each pause? That emptiness that touches upon
everything around us?”
“You feel it, don’t you?”
“The desolate caress behind the air against your skin? The deep cold between heated particles? The secret
hidden just out of your reach?”
“You see it, don’t you?”
“The space in between the invisible? The darkness within the shadows? The Void within all things?”
“Close your eyes and focus on everything beyond your reach, if you want to see it. Draw yourself inward
and for get your pain, if you want to feel it. Empty your mind and tune out the world, if you want to hear it.”
“You hear it, don’t you?”
1
 Heralds of the Void
Human perception focuses on presence. The
eyes notice the presence of light and the
objects it reflects off of. The ears sense the
presence of sound waves and gravity. The
nose picks out minute particles present in the
air. In the minds of the Heralds of the Void,
human perception is thus innately limited.

Think about how much space exists between

each object in a room, or between even the
invisible particles in the air. Or think of how
much room there is even within a single atom,
between its nucleus and the electrons orbiting
it. The universe is defined not by a majority of
presence, but of absence. Of emptiness. Of
the Void.

The Void, they claim, is everywhere. While

solid matter, energy, and any other “positive”
presence within the universe is ultimately cut
off from other instances of it, the Void is
contiguous and touches upon all things. If
you can tune your flawed senses to take in
that vacancy, rather than the pockets of
energy and material, you can follow it across
the entirety of this dimension. But as
creatures of “presence” themselves, humans
can find this difficult.
Most can’t even consider it.
Praxis
In modern times and even the majority of
recent historical eras, humans have been
focused on the physical when advancing
themselves. The religious and spiritual have
waxed and waned in importance, but for the
most part, they’ve been a secondary concern
while our leaders focus on the empirical to
improve mankind. The problem with that,
however, is that the physical and empirical
are the exact limitation that the Heralds wish
to transcend.
The cult, then, turns their attention away
from mundane physics and modern
technology and back towards the spiritual, or
more accurately, the mystical. Even
humanity’s understanding of the divine is
limited, though, relying on holy presences or
spiritual energy, and so the Heralds largely
discard such flawed concepts.
Instead, their power comes from the
connection between their limited presence
and the Void itself. The Void, while more a
concept than a being all its own, is worshiped
like a god by them, and through it, they
believe they can achieve anything. If the
universe is defined by its absences, if you can
tap into that Void, you can manipulate the
basic building blocks of the cosmos.
It’s easier said than done, of course. The
bridge between flesh and oblivion is

2
 predicated around drawing one into the
other. They’ve developed their rites and spells
around this concept, and it’s often horrific to
witness; hunger goes unsated, fatigue grows
with days-long “prayers,” blood is let until
consciousness fades, flesh is carved until the
body can barely function.
But by doing so, they claim, the Heralds can
tap briefly into the Void’s gifts. Visions of the
past, present, and future bless their senses.
Weakness of the flesh twists and warps until
that loss becomes strength, a near
immortality just before it’s too late. With
enough time and effort, they can even direct
the Void, transferring that frailty onto
troublesome aspects of the world (including
its population).
In the end, they say they’ll join with the
Void, lost not to the universe but becoming a
conscious part of it, a paradox of presence
and absence akin to a divine force all its own.
But none can say just how much it might cost
them.
Membership
The Heralds are a fairly small group, hidden
within the most remote parts of the city.
There’s only one common place that’s seen
use for any significant period of time: the
Homestead Community Center (described
below). It’s there that the leadership convenes
and guides the others in the few group rituals
that they perform.
They rarely seek out new members too
aggressively. Most, though, do watch for
those that might be open to their way of
seeing things. Typically, it’s a slow process, as
the true depths of what they undergo can be
somewhat offputting, to say the least. Still,
there are a surprising number willing to try
just about anything to bypass their current
rut — even if that rut is reality itself.
3
Upon induction, recruits rarely start off
learning the group’s rituals. They’re typically
mentored by an older member, who teaches
them basic concepts about how their magic is
performed and what they might accomplish
with it. It’s not until such an inductee truly
seems to understand and accept it that their
tutor will lead them in their first attempt. If
they survive, that’s when they’re truly
initiated into the cult’s secrets.
People of Interest
Seth Renatus: Like its former leader, Seth
Renatus is said to be immortal. The exact
nature of that immortality varies depending
on who you ask; some would claim he’s a
vampire, while others say he’s simply brought
the Void down upon his own mortal
limitations. Either way, it contrasts visibly
with his soft features and friendly demeanor,
and his clean haircut and nice clothes make
him seem just as at home in an office as a cult
headquarters. But he’s not afraid to tap into
forbidden knowledge or make bargains with
strange entities to advance his understanding
of the Void and how properly to tap into it —
and eventually, to join it.
“Hector:” Few actually talk to the guardian
of the Homestead Community Center. A tall,
statuesque man of mixed south Asian
descent, those rare people that do get a
moment with him in his downtime find him to
be surprisingly friendly and eager to help out.
The safety of the cult is his number one
concern, to the point of his own health being
allowed to deteriorate at times, but his
knowledge of the Void’s gifts is great, and he
rarely seems truly impeded by any such
limitations.
 Cult Resources
The Homestead Community Center: The
one true “holding” of the cult, the Homestead
Community Center was once exactly as its
namesake implies, a local community center
running within an impoverished area.
Funding faded, and soon it was condemned,
only to be purchased by a young man less
than two weeks later.

Since that time, it’s been built up into a

mystical labyrinth. The area itself seems to
dissuade the senses of those not initiated into
the Void’s mysteries from focusing on it, and
the body cringes and weakens upon drawing
too close to it. The entrances are hidden and
sealed, leading into a maze-like set of
corridors filled with hidden bedrooms, ritual
spaces, compartments, and more.

Beyond its main guardian (see Hector

above), the Heralds wove some of the Void’s
magics into it, and strange, spirit-like entities
born of It roam the halls to keep an eye out
for any intrusions. Dangerous as they are to
anyone else, the cultists themselves seem to
have an affinity for them, and their magics
come easier upon the watchful eye of the
Void’s offspring.

The Void’s Gifts: As described above, the

Heralds have access to a unique form of
magic that allows them to blur the gap
between their physical existence and the non-
reality that is the Void itself. These spells and
rituals tend to involve painstaking self-
sacrifice, such as blood loss, fasting,
mutilation, or other harmful ways of denying
a part of the body. But the effects of this
magic can be wide-reaching, as the Void truly
does touch upon all things. Typically, these
gifts involve finding ways to ignore their own
limitations (ceasing to age, altering their
shape), bypass aspects of reality (such as

4
 intangibly moving through walls), or more
harmfully draw that absence down upon
something that relies on its own presence
(like most things).
The Undercity: While their own member-
ship is low, the Heralds have connections to
the hidden aspects of the city, the
supernatural underworld and the strange
occult conspiracies that make it up. A bit of
magic can allow for easy favor trading, and
the Heralds have cultivated a small backlog of
such “favors” they can call upon from other
cults, organizations, and similar strange
groups in the area.
The Collection: The old leader of the group
had a fairly large collection of occult trinkets,
such as charms, amulets, ritual implements,
and otherworldly materials. While there are
few in the way of grand, powerful artifacts
among their holdings, the group often can
access just about any minor magical effect
they might need that might be difficult for
their own magic to perform.
characters) to try and get some to…
study.
• Rumors spread throughout the city that
the Heralds are back to their old tricks,
planning to destroy the world and
everyone within it. But, despite those
rumors spreading, nobody seems to know
where they came from, and the Heralds,
of course, deny any such thing. Do they
really want to just be left alone, or is
something going on?
• The hunt is on! A famed hunter of
supernatural danger is hot on the trail of
a horrifying eldritch abomination that
she claims will bring ruin to the city. Few
would dare get in the way of such a thing,
but a few members of the Heralds have
reached out, claiming that if the hunt is
successful, it’ll bring grave consequences
down upon the city.

Story Hooks
• While often said to be a mere concept, an
anthropomorphism of the emptiness of
the universe, one of the characters has
begun to hear strange whispers claiming
to be directly from an entity called The
Void. Before too long, a representative
has shown up at the door.

• A strange substance has shown up within

occult black markets, claiming to be able
to provide vivid and oddly accurate
hallucinations of the past, including
places and times the user had no
awareness of. However, each use is said
to take a year off of your life. A few low-
ranking members of the Heralds have
tapped into their contact (one of the

5
6
 It was on the third night in Redford Hollow that Mikael first saw the eyes in the wood.

They glinted in the light from his window at the inn, blinking at him with an
expression he somehow felt was curious. One pair at first, then more. A cat, he told
himself. He spoke to the innkeeper, but the well-worn woman gave him only a
frown and mutterings about wildcats.

The seventh night, they came like a furtive stream feeling its way along the ground.
Their steps were liquid, dancing as they gathered about a bowl beneath his window,
partaking of whatever was inside.

It was on the ninth night in Redford Hollow that Mikael returned from the wood.

7
 Redford Hollow
The Outsider
There is a place in the forest, a quiet little
village, called Redford Hollow. A river runs
down from the mountain, and the place
gets its name from the place where the
road crosses it to enter the middle of town -
insofar as there is a middle, with so few
buildings. A few houses, an inn and a couple
of small stores huddle around a little
square, no less pleasant for its size. At the
center, a well reaches down into the earth,
though that’s not where people draw their
water from anymore - how could they, with
that great, old tree growing up out of it?
In short, ‘quaint’ hardly suffices to describe
the place. They get by with what they grow in
their little plots of land, snaking irregularly
around the boles of old, twisted trees, with
the mushrooms they gather from under the
eaves of the woods, and the furs they hunt
on the mountain slopes. They make some
trade with outsiders, to stock the general
store and bring a little more money in, but
most of what they use, they make.
Only, they shouldn’t be able to.
The plots they cultivate are far too small
to provide for so many. Whole generations
are here, untouched by conscription, or
even the ordinary depredations of
disease. The village itself can never seem
to be found by taxmen - or the taxmen
never come back, and it is the soldiers
sent to exact reprisals that find
themselves lost in the forests and
mountains.
Look around at the houses. See the
Other Roots
By default, Redford Hollow assumes a
somewhat fantastical setting. However,
it can quite easily be adapted for a more
modern setting by situating it as an
isolated town in some modern country.
horseshoes above the door, the bowls left
out by the step. Listen closely by some of
those old and twisted trees, and hear the
voices they almost form. See the fires lit on
the mountain at the moment of the winter
sunset. Now, you see the beginning of things.
Just don’t look too obviously. The people
here like their privacy.
The Insider
Redford Hollow is a place apart from the
world. Physically, yes, but almost more so in
other ways. People don’t leave unless they
can be trusted not to betray the community.
There are a thousand little rituals outsiders
don’t know and would blunder through,
given half the chance. And then of course,
there are the Others.
A child is a year old when their hair is first
cut, and the strands offered to the roots of
their elders. A child is five when they are
given a kitten, and told in no uncertain terms
to take care of it for a year, so the Velvet
Princes will return the favor if the child is
lost in their woods. A child is twelve when
they are taken up the mountain to pour out
8
 a cup of goats’ blood for the Halfslain bargains with the Others. He will not
Sun. All of these reaffirm the old bargains hesitate to use his knowledge and power
made with the Others, the strange powers to keep his community safe - and under
which haunt this place. It’s thanks to them control - until it comes time for him to take
that Redford Hollow is untouched by the root as well.
outside world, and need not trouble itself
with many of the ordinary ills which plague Avad Tallant: Avad has grown up in the
people in similar situations. In a way, it is a Hollow, but chafes under its strict social
little utopia. order. He wishes to leave and see the wider
world - but has been unsubtle enough that
The difficulty, of course, is that the Others no-one is willing to let him go. He spends
give nothing without a reason. Some, like much of his time out in the forests
the Old Man of the Root, are benevolent in surrounding the village, and is a prodigal
their way, and give blessings to the land woodsman for his age - helped by a few
through those who choose to take root, illicit bargains of his own with the Velvet
becoming the guardian trees which grow Princes.
here and there throughout the village and
its surroundings. Others know nothing of Dorea Auberg: An Auberg has run the
love or affection, and for those there are inn for as long as anyone can remember,
bargains. and the stories say that it was an Auberg
who first spoke to the Old Man of the Root.
The Hollow has little in the way of formal From her place at the center of the Hollow’s
organization. People keep their own houses,
make their own little deals and know their
neighbors well - too well, in some cases.
That said, the importance of the old
bargains, the ones which bind the whole
community, is always on peoples’
minds. To ensure those are kept, and
the Hollow stays whole, there are the
elders. These are usually, though not
always, older people, and always have a
great deal of experience in dealing with
the Others. They are entrusted with a
great responsibility - not least, vetting
anyone new who hopes to settle in the
town, and teaching them the ways of
Redford Hollow.

People of Interest
Brula Durest: Brula was born in the
Hollow and expects to die here. He is the
unofficial head of the town’s elders, old
but with body and mind fortified by many
9
 life, Dorea keeps a close eye on
everyone around, as well as those who
pass through, and passes on most of
what she sees to the elders.
Fletcher Court: Fletcher is a newcomer to
the Hollow, a former merchant and
tradesman who married into one of the
older families. Though he has decided this
peaceful place is what he wants from his
life, he is still a little unsure about some of
its customs, and has a few friends on the
outside.
Cult Resources
Concealment: Redford Hollow is hard to
find from the outside, especially if the village
has reason to think that people with ill
intentions are looking for them. This can be
tricked with disguises, but finding the place
once doesn’t mean it can be done twice.
Contractors: Those who have made deals
with the Others have strange powers of
their own. What follows are a few
examples of gifts the residents might make
use of.
• Sunsblood: This livid red liquid burns
and freezes as it passes down the throat.
The drinker’s voice is taken until the
next sundown, though it may be heard
on the mountains singing praise, but
until then she can chill others to the
bone with a silent word, and shatter
things she touches like a winter frost.
• Velvet Shadow: One who exchanges their
shadow with that of a Velvet Prince
cannot be heard if they do not wish it,
and are hard to see in low light.
However, the Prince can take on their
face and shape, and their shadow is
quite clearly that of a cat. The wise only
make the trade for a certain period.
Briars or Roses
The Hollow can be treated either as an
antagonistic group, or a community to be
protected. Perhaps the Others demand
human blood and living prey, or the
villagers’ own customs could be especially
restrictive or dark. On the other hand,
the Hollow could be seen as a sanctuary
in a changing or dangerous world.
• Rootwand: Carved from the branch of a
family member who has offered
themselves to the Old Man of the Root,
this stave can stir the earth with ease,
plowing fields or knocking foes from
their feet.
The Others: Redford Hollow is founded
upon its bargains with the Others. Boons and
power can be won from them, but they
always demand a price. Here follow a few of
those that might be called upon, but many
more might be found nearby, with their own
gifts to give and costs to take.
• The Old Man of the Root: He has been
here a long time. His face is as much
stone as wood, and none can agree
whether his power is over the roots of
the trees, or the roots of the mountains.
He speaks to no person who walks upon
the earth, but if one sits long enough to
sprout, he may adopt and transform
them, and teach them his secrets.
• The Velvet Princes: You will not hear
them unless they wish you to, though
you might catch a glimpse of sleek fur
through the undergrowth. They walk
with dancing strides, on two legs or
four, and hold revels in back-gardens
and the deeps of the woods. They are
10
 not cats, but are cat-like, and love to
make deals. The Princes will give many
gifts for small observances and
New Neighbors
promises to care for their mundane kin,
Although three Others have been
but are dangerous to cross.
described here, your version of the
• The Halfslain Sun: She was a queen, Hollow might have very different
once. The queen of all the world, queen entities. If you want to use the Hollow
of summer, queen of joy. Then her in an established setting, you could also
crown was shattered and her body say that some or all of the Others fall
broken. Her light ran, and she was
into existing categories; perhaps they’re
banished to the moment of a winter
sunset. For steaming blood, roaring fae beings, ghosts, nature spirits or
fires and faithful worship to warm her something else.
frozen heart she will offer boons to her
supplicants. If given enough, perhaps • A splinter group within the Hollow have
one day she will ignite once more. devoted themselves fully to the
Perhaps she will simply melt. resurrection of the Halfslain Sun, and
believe that something (or someone)
Story Hooks the player characters are involved with
is essential - but that thing may not
• One of the player characters gets a survive the rites they require.
message from the Hollow; someone
they know there wants to get out, but is • The Velvet Princes have turned against
not being allowed to leave - or is calling the Hollow, and are allowing no-one to
them back for something vital, though leave. How can their wrath be placated,
the player character does not want to and what caused it in the first place?
go. Is this plea genuine, or is it a trap? The Hollow is growing more paranoid
Can the players afford to not listen? and perilous, as the inhabitants begin to
wonder who has offended the Princes.
• A new Other has arrived in the area
around the Hollow, a great bird whose
wings bring rain and storms. It is
prideful, however, and will not
negotiate with those it sees as already
sworn to others - and so, in place of the
elders, the player characters must try to
make amicable contact with the
Rainbringer, or try to drive it away
without inviting its wrath.

• Mysterious earthquakes are rocking the

area, and the things destroyed by them
seem to become overgrown quicker
than they should. The player characters
eventually trace their cause back to
Redford Hollow - but what has roused
the Root?
11
 Support the

in their latest crowdfunding effort

on Kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/falconianproductions/far-horizons-guide-to-cults

1212