Cult of the Storm Bull

originally published in Cults of Prax and River of Cradles

This document is Copyright © 1998 Issaries, Inc. It may be freely linked to, and one copy may be printed for personal use, but any other reproduction by photographic, electronic, or other methods of retrieval, is prohibited.

Table of Contents

Mythos and History

The Storm Bull is one of the oldest manifestations of Umath the god. Umath was the primal Aer who tore apart the sky and the earth to make room for himself and his children. When Umath provided the world with his children the Storm Bull contained mostly that which was bestial in nature: violence and raw unthinking strength, guided by instinct and the sensitivities of a god.

In the Golden Age the Storm Bull led his sons down to the fertile lands of Prax where they befriended the peoples and wed the goddesses. The mother of the land was Ernalda, and she gave the Storm Bull her daughter Eiritha as his own wife. This way the two forces worked together to create their world.

During the War of the Gods there was great rivalry between Storm Bull and Lodril, and the mighty god-beast gored and wounded the fire-spirit, thereby aiding the Lesser Darkness, when light left the world.

Following the departure of light came the Greater Dark, when Fear and Death began openly seeking victims among the immortals. Heedless of the results of his aiding the forces he wished to conquer, the Storm Bull was headmost in combat, and introduced Death to his people when he slew vile Ragnaglar with his horns of iron. But even with such victories the god could not stop the devastation of the land caused by the coming of the Devil.

The Devil is the incarnation of Chaos, which presents itself in the form of the raw and devouring maw of entropy. Its existence is an abomination: a trick clause in the Laws of Creation. It is a hole in the cosmic fabric, motivated by destruction and evil.

The Devil had slain many gods before it came upon Prax, where the Storm Bull and all his peoples defended. The fight was desperate and doomed. All who entered knew that survival could be only one of the possible horrors in their future. A clean death seemed impossible. But the Storm Bull stood firm, though all that he loved died about him, and fought the Devil with raw strength and courage.

The Storm Bull should have died there. An ear was torn off and the powerless beast cast to the ground; Eiritha then lent him all of her Power, though the region lay blasted and dead afterwards. The god-beast leapt up anew, and with his instincts and Power drew aid to him. From the edge of the world came hurtling a section of the exploding Spike. It struck once or twice and skidded into the Devil, pinning him beneath immeasurable tons of petrified Law.

The effort nearly slew Storm Bull, and he could not finish off the helpless Devil. Storm Bull dragged himself from the still-raging battle, and hid in the distant Storm Hills. There Chalana Arroy healed him.

He still lives in those distant hills. The sound of his thunder is still heard across the desert. The god himself does not come often to the barren plains, but the works and effects of his Power are always present.

The cult has done little as a single entity since time began. The worship of the Storm Bull extends far outside of Prax, but the lack of any central organization prevents any concerted action. Instead there are many small tales of the Storm Bull's activities in destroying the lingering pockets of Chaos. A couple of heroes note particular mention. One is Harjoon Karsh, a bison-rider, who was a general for the Praxian armies reporting to Jaldon Toothmaker during the destruction of the Empire of the Wyrms Friends.

Valatash Walker lost his steed early and preferred to live in the mountains, where the Trolls still remember him as a friend and broos-killer. He lived around 1300, and returned occasionally to Prax during his life.

Binstarnif Awe was an orange-skinned foreigner from the Pol-Joni tribe who lived during that tribe's foundation around the year 1400.

The Storm Bull cult offers its members great things after death. All lay members are automatically promoted to become Initiates, and all Initiates gain the status of priests in the afterlife. They will be able to join in the Storm Bull's glorious life of struggle in the Eternal Battle, fighting against the encroaching Chaos.

The Storm Bull is also known to pursue personally the souls of his worshippers who have been slain by chaos, even to the pits of entropy beyond the cosmos. This assures the worshippers of a greater chance of survival after death.

Funeral Rites for the cult are simple. They kill the favorite beast of the dead warrior without the Peaceful Cut, so that it will accompany the dead warrior everywhere. The beast is set on its belly, with its legs folded beneath it, and the warrior is set atop it, equipped with his favorite weapons, armor, and jewels. There both are left, to defy passersby and frighten off chaos. Cultists believe that the bodies will be drawn into the Eternal Battle, and their rejoin their souls. The rites conclude with a song of fear, fury, and fighting to summon a violent wind to carry off the departing soul.

The Runes of this cult are Death, Storm/Air, and Beast.

Other Notes

High Priests in Prax

Throughout Prax there are usually between five and eight high priests of the cult wandering across the plains. (There are others among the trolls of Shadows Dance and in Dragon Pass.) Those known to have continued existence were the High Priest of the Storm-impalas (which attracted those worshipers from the pigmy tribe of the plains), the High Priest of the Pavis Temple, the High Priest of the Bullocks, the High Priest of Karkarjan's Sword, and the High Priest of the Paps. Other high priests are mentioned without being named.

Each high priest is the Bull's Head, and serves as a center of information and judgments for his followers. He is assisted by a varying number of priests who have titles such as Heart of the Bull, Horns of the Bull, Liver of the Bull, and so on. Other priests also report to the high priest, even if they operate in a band on their own.


See also:

The Travels of Biturian Varosh: The Storm Bulls of the Block
Gods in Prax: Nomad Gods
Staves from the Storm Priest
Tales of the Wastes
The Birth of the Minotaur


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