CARGO CULTS
A belief system commonly known as "cargo cult" religion focuses on the benefits to be gained from worship and ritual action, often in the form of material wealth and power. Such beliefs often form in times of social conflict and upheaval, such as when two societies of unequal power come into contact. In adapting to the strange and unsettling new order, some in the less powerful society may seek to assimilate the bewildering new world they've found into the traditional beliefs that they've always relied upon. The conflict that they experience is a certain sign that they live in troubled times, they say, and they seek to bring about a golden age through a return to traditional ways. This golden age is often seen as one where the less powerful society, through the righteousness of their actions, becomes powerful and regains control over its own destiny.
The disparity between the conflicting societies is often readily seen through matters of wealth. The material resources of the more powerful society are beyond anything that the less powerful society possesses, and often beyond their understanding. To them, these riches are understood as supernatural in origin, the work of the gods or ancestors. The more powerful society is not necessarily seen as supernatural in and of themselves--while the goods that they bring are, they may have simply stolen them or received them by mistake.
To gain the desired supernatural riches, the members of the less powerful society may copy the actions of the more powerful society. Without knowledge of the reasons behind these actions nor the true origins of the riches, these actions become rituals to summon the attention of the divine.
REAL-WORLD SOURCES
Real-world examples of cargo cults include the Vailala Madness of early 20th century Papua New Guinea and the John Frum cult of post-World War II Vanuatu. The believers of the movement behind the Vailala Madness believed that their ancestors would return to them by a ghost ship, and bring with them food, tools, weapons and other useful resources, perhaps to be used to drive away the colonial occupiers. To summon the ghost ship, the believers were said to imitate the use of radio equipment, as they had seen the colonists do.
Though it started earlier, the John Frum cult grew rapidly during the occupation of Vanuatu by American soldiers fighting in the Pacific War. During the war, the soldiers brought a steady stream of foreign goods with them. After the war, the soldiers left, and took with them the means of acquiring more foreign goods. To lure the soldiers (and their cargo) back, the followers of the cult built runways, control towers, offices, and other relics of the American armed forces. The John Frum cult is still extant, and continues its rituals and military-style parades in faith that John Frum will return again.
USING CARGO CULTS IN GAME
The concept of cargo cults can be incorporated into a For Gold & Glory campaign in a number of ways. While the followers of a cargo cult may not understand the reasons behind the rituals they've adopted, they may still be effective in contacting the divine. The divine beings worshipped by a cargo cult may be benevolent or malevolent, or perhaps act benevolent while pursing a darker purpose. The very obscurity of the rituals used to summon these beings often serves to obscure their motives.
On the other hand, a cargo cult may worship an entity that does not respond. Perhaps the rituals and ceremonies conducted by the cult are not performed correctly, or perhaps the cult believes in a being that does not exist. Such cults may be genuine but misled, or perhaps they were created by the cult leaders to trick and swindle gullible followers. Any supernatural abilities attributed to the beings that these false cults worship are either arcane or supplied by other divine sources.
AN EXAMPLE: THE ELVES OF RA'AKIEN
In ages past, a powerful elven nation sailed across the sea and established a colony in the land of Ra'akien. This colony grew rich from trading Ra'akien's resources--rare and wondrous mithral--back to their parent civilization. But with their riches, the elves of Ra'akien became decadent, and their greed and degeneracy eventually consumed their society. All that remains now are several scattered tribes of elves.
The tribes of Ra'akien possess only a few memories of their past glories, religious rituals included. Both the elves of Ra'akien and their mother culture worshipped eldritch entities, foremost among them a being named Irothex, through complex and arcane rituals. Though these rituals have been mostly forgotten by the tribesfolk, they are still practiced by the elves across the sea. The elves of the mother country still maintain contact with their wayward colony, exploiting the tribesfolk of Ra'akien for cheap labor in the mithral mines. They keep the riches from the ore to themselves, and see it in their best interest to keep their cousins in a primitive state to maintain their power over them.
Impressed by the power and riches of the elves from across the sea, some of the the tribesfolk have taken to imitating the ways of their cousins. Through ceremonies combining bastardized religious rites from across the sea, their own home-grown religion, and the mundane daily activities of their cousins, they seek to summon Arthek, who they believe will drive away the elves from across the sea and lead them back to a golden age of glory and power. And indeed, Arthek answers, granting spells and blessings to his followers. Thus, the cult of Arthek is growing, as more and more of the tribesfolk of Ra'akien see his power with their own eyes. The elves from across the sea rightly see the cult of Arthek as a threat to their dominance, and have begun to take steps to crush the movement before it becomes too large to control.
ARTHEK
Duties of the Priesthood: Arthek's priests see the maintenance of their traditional culture and the expulsion of the foreign invaders as of utmost importance. As worship of Arthek is a recent occurance, his priests have yet to develop official positions within their society, although they are often drawn from the tribal ranks of leadership and already wield significant influence. Rituals calling upon Arthek involve
Requirements: AB as cleric; AL any; WP as cleric; AR all; SP all, astral, charm*, combat*, creation, divination, elemental*, protection*, necromantic*, summoning, ; PW 2) ESP 1/day, 5) spells cast from scrolls have a 20\% chance of not disappearing when used, 8) may use scrolls or other magical items created for wizards as if a wizard; TU turn; HD d8; LL as cleric.
