Cult of the Nox’zh’r

The Nox’zh’r mass which come to be known as Xzruth’isht’rcey begins to exert its insidious influence on the nascent Kataal from below the depths of Ghimeron’s oceans. More than just an unfathomable presence to the young Kataal civilisation, Xzruth’isht’rcey was unto a god made corporeal and would be at the centre of Kataal spiritual beliefs for thousands of years.

A large Erelen settlement near Ell Caelora is especially targeted by the Vassu, due to the presence of the Nox’zh’r mass Ress’jh below the surface of the lake. The settlement is also quite large for such a primitive species, thanks in part to Ethamil’s influence. A number of the Erelen fled their annihilation and made their way underground, into a series of cave systems near the lake. Ress’jh’s influence grew stronger the deeper they went.

During their time in the caverns below Ell Caelora, the Aeyen had been influenced by the presence of the Nox’zh’r mass Ress’jh. While no longer underground, many Aeyen continue to be influenced by Ress’jh, with a non-insignificant number of Aeyen part of a small cell of the Cult of the Nox’zh’r. Because of their history with the Nox’zh’r and incurable Aeyan curiosity, the Ruling Houses of A’aena Edhil are much more tolerant of the Cult of the Nox’zh’r, insofar as to allowing them to operate as a clandestine, secret society behind closed doors in A’aena Edhil.

Erelen and Aeyen explorers falls upon a group of Kataal on Hosgun during a deep space exploration mission to Unôd. Only a few members of the expedition survive the encounter. Upon their return to Erelon, the survivors omit many details of their encounter, in the hopes that no one will venture out to Unôd again. The falsified report is entered into the archives of both the Erelan Empire and the Ruling Houses of A’aena Edhil, and the solar system is promptly regulated to history.

Small Nox’zh’r cults begin forming through Terran Republic space as Terrans are increasingly infected with Nox’zh’r lluw. The Nox’zh’r cultists primarily congregate in Speon’s network of underground caverns and Plumeth City’s Underground. Both locations would remain hotspots for Nox’zh’r cultist activity for the next thousand years. While majorly Terran, the Nox’zh’r cults also accept Aeyen, Erelen, T’av, and K’ohma infected with Nox’zh’r lluw.

Megor and Zao astronauts begin experiencing the symptoms of a Nox’zh’r infection—especially those who spend their time in orbit around Oglaer. Nox’zh’r cultists congregate in starships in orbit around Oglaer, or on the surface of one its 6 moons. The Nox’zh’r cultists operate out in the open, making liberal use of the power granted to them by the Nox’zh’r to dominate other Megor and Zao.

Megor recondites aboard the Worldbreaker activate the space station’s primary systems in the hopes of harnessing its power. The Worldbreaker’s primary weapons fire a series of powerful magical blasts, targeting all the planets, moons and large starships in the Zran solar system. The Worldbreaker suffers catastrophic damage, killing many of the Megor and Zao aboard. Countless Megor and Zao throughout the solar system are killed, as well as all Tovians. Zxamon—who was on Tov at the time—is critically wounded and dangerously unstable.

Surviving Megor clans parlay with each other to determine what to do next. After much deliberation, Megor recondites suggest that the Megor migrate to a nearby solar system, known to the residents of Coalition of Planets space as the Huk’Va solar system. Over the course of months, the surviving Megor build a fleet to travel to the Huk’Va solar system, with what little they have left. They arrive to find that the Huk’Va solar system is inhabited by alien species. Once again, the Megor deliberate and decide to conquer these new worlds as their own.

Megor and Zao Nox’zh’r cultists who had survived the destruction of Zran follow the Megorian fleet to Huk’Va. Some stay among the invading Megor, lending their power to the First Megor Invasion, while others wait in the shadows for their chance to build a new Cult of the Nox’zh’r and join up with like-minded Nox’zh’r cultists in the Huk’Va, Xaia, and Tyrir solar systems.

Megorian and Zaon Nox’zh’r cultists join up with Terran, Aeyan, Erelan, K’ohman and T’av Nox’zh’r cultists throughout Coalition of Planets space. Megor and Zao Nox’zh’r cultists are met with little by no hostility by their fellow Nox’zh’r cultists. The influx of Megor and Zao Nox’zh’r cultists allows the Cult of the Nox’zh’r in Coalition of Planets space to grow at an unprecedented rate.

Henrik Stefanson finds a precursor artifact which holds a Nox’zh’r crystal—a crystal significantly corrupted with Nox’zh’r shadow magic—during an archaeological excavation on Leonis. The mental health of Henrik and his crew rapidly deteriorates following the expedition, as they had all been infected with Nox’zh’r lluw while on Leonis and experiencing the full effects of K’lth’s destructive influence. The artifact is stored away from the public eye, as anything associated with the expedition is deemed cursed.

Katrina Stefanson continues the research her father, Henrik Stefanson, had begun 19 years prior on the precursor artifact with a Nox’zh’r crystal inside. She conducts her research aboard the research satellite Prometheus, in orbit around Zascoeth. She hopes to unlock the latent magical power inside the artifact and help the Terran Republic deal with the Megor and any future threats it may face. Katrina also hopes she can give meaning to her father’s suffering, by finishing what he had started.

The Terran Republic has no explanation for the Hold’s sudden change in strategy. Up until Hold forces retreated back to Zascoeth and Greth, their goal appeared to be the complete domination of all Terrans, and the Terran Republic could do little to oppose them.

The Hold know something that the Terrans do not—while the Hold is a formidable force, its power of its sycophants is finite. At some point, the Hold would lose control over its sycophants. In an effort to prevent the inevitable, the Hold had stopped all hostilities in order to focus on defending its existing territory while it researches ways to improve the Hold.

The Hold works to improve the efficiency of its assimilation process. It also works to produce higher quality sycophants. Some work is being done internally, led by sycophants with scientific knowledge who had been afforded a measure of individuality. At the same time, independent of Hold control, Nox’zh’r cultists throughout the star cluster attempt to integrate Nox’zh’r lluw into the Hold’s assimilation process.

The outer planets of the Xaia solar system—the area beyond the Zoibin Asteroid Belt, including the Zascoeth and Greth planetary systems—becomes known as Hold space. For the next decade, most who enter Hold space are lost forever, presumably killed or destroyed by the Hold.

A group of sycophants breaks apart from the Hold. These newly freed sycophants name themselves the Neoterics, in an attempt to distance themselves from the Hold. They vow to remain free of the Hold while helping to free others from its grip. Almost all Neoterics cleanse themselves on a regular basis to manage their Nox’zh’r infections.

Nox’zh’r cultists on Speon make a breakthrough in the Hold assimilation process, successfully merging Nox’zh’r lluw, Hold nanobots and crystal plasma to create Hold lluw. They sent their discovery to Prometheus—the control centre of the Hold—as well as other Nox’zh’r cultists throughout the star cluster.

The Hold uses its new assimilation process, developed by Nox’zh’r cultists, to raise a new generation of sycophants who are smarter, stronger and more independent than their predecessors. It unleashed this new army of sycophants on the Insurgency—the last remaining bastion of Terran resistance in Hold space. The Insurgency is eradicated, proving the strength and skill of the new sycophants.

Flaws in the Hold’s new assimilation process allows some sycophants to break free of the Hold, thanks to the degree of individuality and independence they had been afforded and with some help from Neoteric agents. These newly freed sycophants either attempt to repatriate to their home nations, or join up with the Neoterics operating out of Hold space. They also warn their respective nations and factions of an impending attack from the Hold, once it has fine-tuned its new assimilation process.

Looking to save face in wake of the disillusion of the Champions of the Divine, the Fellowship of the Divine partners with the Terran Republic’s secret service to quietly hire mercenaries to storm a Cult of the Nox’zh’r stronghold on Speon.

Mercenaries destroy an underground Cult of the Nox’zh’r stronghold on Speon. Though the research done there had already benefited the Hold, the defeat of the Nox’zh’r cultists proved that they could be beaten—and by extension, so could the Hold.

The Champions of the Divine, led by Wilhelm Frenz, launch an all-out assault on the Hold, entrenched in the Zascoeth and Greth planetary systems. With the help of the Terran Republic military, as well as the mercenaries and outlaws they had recruited, the Champions of the Divine win many victories over the Hold. They reclaim most of the worlds conquered by the undead cyborgs.

The Champions of the Divine receive intel that a great number of Hold starships have amassed in the empty space, near Zascoeth. Wilhelm Frenz leads an armada of starships to the location, only to be ambushed by Hold forces. The Champions of the Divine fleet is decimated and Wilhelm is killed in action.

The remaining mercenary groups, in concert with the Terran Republic, engage in one last battle against the Hold’s armada. The Prometheus joins the fight midway, and mercenaries storm the space station to kill Katrina Stefanson, putting an end to the Hold.

The Hold fractures in the wake of its defeat. Many of the Hold’s sycophants attempt to repatriate, now free of the Hold’s control. Others choose to join the Neoterics, afraid they won’t be welcome back home or wanting a fresh start. A few join Hold splinter groups formed under the Katrina Stefanson’s most trusted sycophants, driven by a mixture of loyalty and residual obedience. Nox’zh’r cultists directly working with the Hold scatter, disappearing without a trace.

Nox’zh’r cultists are no longer tolerated anywhere in the star cluster. Their numbers were severely reduced, and they are once again limited to small groups working from the shadows.

Nox’zh’r cultists covertly gather on Mokar, thanks to the Ravager Trade Cartel’s disregard for illicit activities. The residents of Mokar become aware of the Nox’zh’r cultists when they openly attack The Succubus during a celebration open to the public. Tzar Glumee Slickblast tasks mercenaries with exterminating the Nox’zh’r cultists. The mercenaries stop the Nox’zh’r cultists, who had been growing a Nox’zh’r mass in Mokar’s Guts.

Diazena sacrifices herself to send out a wave of cleansing Divine energy throughout the galaxy. Nebaz and Nox’zh’r lluw are completely eradicated by the energy wave, leaving nothing but crystals and the Eternals as evidence that they once existed. The wave of energy takes months to propagate throughout the galaxy.