The Cults of Taal and Rhya are some of the oldest cults in the Old World. Taal rules nature and claims the wild spaces, while Rhya rules agriculture and birth.

The cults attract the hardiest of outdoorsmen, the farmers, the midwives and the rangers,among others. These cultists are sensitive to the ways of the natural world. They feel the need for balance within the environment and respect for all nature.

The cult is ruled by two distinct groups, the Children of Taal and the Children of Rhya. Each group takes turns to be in charge for half the year. This can cause rifts within the community, but these are normally quiet affairs as they know their cult cannot function without the presence of the other.

Positionals

Children of Taal

Initiates of Taal are tested on their strength of character and their ability to survive in the wild. When a young man or woman comes of age, they attend the Quickening ceremony. This is an extremely difficult initiation and not all survive. No one ever speaks of what happens, but the results are cultists who are single minded, tough and able to endure the harshest conditions.

In order to reflect this, they have Stand Firm as a starting skill. As they are able to move quickly through the woods and deep undergrowth, they have the Dodge skill as well.

Children of Rhya

Initiates of Rhya have a far more subtle training compared to their Taal compatriots. The initiation involved being mentored by an older priestess. Again, the initiation is shrouded in mystery, but the rumours of blood sacrifices are abound.

They are not as hardy as the Taalist, but can equally move more quickly through the forests, rivers and trees. The Rhyaists all have Dodge and Sure Feet as starting skills.

Longshank

They are wandering hardy outdoorsmen and act like templars would in the other cults. They roam the thick woods of the Empire protecting the temples and shrines.

These players are combination of both cults and consequently have both Sure Feet and Stand Firm as well as the Dodge skill.

Order of the Antler

The Order of the Antler or the Horned Hunters are the zealots. They reject civilisation and prefer the loneliness of the deep woods. The rest of the cultist are in awe of them. They wear antlers and prefer animal skins and loincloths to the usual armour.

To reflect their zealot nature, they have the Dauntless skill and Jump Up. And as they wear antlers, they have the Horns trait too.

Roster

Design Notes

I wanted to create a team which had a Ying Yang balance to it, in order to reflect the relationship between Taal and Rhya. But I felt a roster which was half agile (GA) and half strength (GS) would be too strong. So I gave the Taal players the skill Stand Firm to represent their endurance and inner strength and kept strength skill access to a double.

The team has two sets of 0-16 players at the same cost. This means that if the coach has less than 11 players, they can choose a mixture of different journeymen. They can also build a more agile balance into the team by hiring more Rhya players or a more robust team by hiring more Taal players.

As the roster is two cults joined as one, there are naturally tensions within the team. Due to this issue, they have the Animosity trait. But as the Longshank position draws from both cults, they lose that trait. As the Order of the Antler are effectively hermits, they suffer from Loner rather than Animosity.