Kingsport Cult Degrees

“The nethermost caverns,” wrote the mad Arab, “are not for the fathoming of eyes that see; for their marvels are strange and terrific. Cursed the ground where dead thoughts live new and oddly bodied, and evil the mind that is held by no head. Wisely did Ibn Schacabao say, that happy is the tomb where no wizard hath lain, and happy the town at night whose wizards are all ashes. For it is of old rumour that the soul of the devil-bought hastes not from his charnel clay, but fats and instructs the very worm that gnaws; till out of corruption horrid life springs, and the dull scavengers of earth wax crafty to vex it and swell monstrous to plague it. Great holes secretly are digged where earth’s pores ought to suffice, and things have learnt to walk that ought to crawl.”

—H.P. Lovecraft, “The Festival”

Introduction

The history of the Kingsport Cult is provided in “Background 2—The Kingsport Cult.” Their plan to resurrect Dagon is described in “Background 3—The Great Work.” This section focuses on the game mechanics of Covenant membership: the degrees of initiation, what powers are acquired by each rank, and what spells may be learned. Many of these spells are unique to White Leviathan, and are detailed under “New Spells.”

Nomenclature
The Kingsport Cult never refers to itself by that loathsome exonym; they are formally the Bons pêcheurs de la flamme viridienne or the Covenant of the Green Flame. Individual members are referred to as Frater/Sorer or Brother/Sister, and are collectively known as Fishermen; although “brothers” is far more common. Spells are formally known as sorcerots and spellcasters as “sorcerers.” Despite these official terms, many older members still use “coven,” “spell,” “witch,” and the now-risible “wizard,” while younger members prefer Masonic terms like “lodge,” “rite,” and “practitioner.” As long as no one says “cult” or “cultist,” members are allowed to use whatever terminology they’d like!

The Kingsport Cult features six acknowledged degrees of initiation and a seventh “secret” degree. All members in lower degrees must unquestioningly follow the orders of higher ranking initiates. The skills and spells described below are guidelines; not every member has mastered everything they are permitted to learn.

First Degree (Credente)

A neophyte seeking admission into the Bons pêcheurs must be sponsored by a member in good standing who has attained the rank of Second Degree or higher. She must acknowledge that God created the world through a Demiurge, which allowed the Invisible Father to remain unsullied. She must profess the belief that human souls are angels, and that Jesus Christ was also an angel, devoid of material form. The candidate must pledge an oath of secrecy under penalty of “having my throat cut from ear to ear, my tongue torn out by its roots, and my body flung from Kingsport Head.” After passing this catechism, the initiate is accepted into the Covenant during a private ceremony at the Masonic Lodge on Quinn Street.

Rewards
Skill rewards: Credit Rating +5%, Kingsport Cult +10%, Occult +5%

Second Degree (Bon pêcheur/Bonne pêcheuse)

The candidate must have commendably served the Covenant for one year as a First Degree initiate. He must be sponsored by a member in good standing who has attained the rank of Third Degree or higher. A candidate is required to study the history of the Bons pêcheurs de la flamme viridienne. The candidate must formally acknowledge that the Invisible Father represents sterile laws, while the Demiurge represents creativity and freedom. The candidate must accept the Mantle of the Covenant: it is the sacred task of the Covenant to liberate humans from the material world and attain a higher spiritual form. Upon passing an oral examination, usually conducted privately at the Masonic Lodge, the candidate is taken to the Fishermen’s Chapel, where he’s instructed in the Rite of Baptism from the Eucharistia Viridi. There, he renews his oath of secrecy under penalty of “having my left breast torn open, my heart taken thence, and fed by the sharks of the sea.” The Green Flame is summoned from a cask of huile de cachalot noir and the candidate is formally baptized.

Rewards
Touching the Green Flame costs 1D6 Sanity. See Eucharistia Viridi under “New Spells” for details.

Skill rewards: Credit Rating +5%, Kingsport Cult +10%, Occult +5%

Books allowed: Une histoire de la flamme viridienne

Spells allowed: Eucharistia Viridi [Baptism], The Omen Seal (Elder Sign), The Voorish Sign

Third Degree (Célébrant)

The candidate must have commendably served the Covenant for two years as a Second Degree initiate. She must be sponsored by a member in good standing who has attained the rank of Third Degree or higher. In order to qualify for the Third Degree, the candidate must pass through a process called the Ordeal. The Ordeal varies from candidate to candidate, and usually involves some test of courage, intelligence, or willpower.

If she passes the Ordeal, the candidate is taught the Rite of Communion and taken below Central Hill for immersion in the Green Flame. If she masters her fear, and comes through the experience with her wits intact, she is provided with seven intensive days of instruction. She is informed that the name of the Invisible Father is Jehovah, and the name of the Demiurge is Dagon. The Covenant was founded to worship Dagon, the true creator of life. Jesus Christ was an angel who failed to reconcile the Invisible Father and the Demiurge; while Judas Iscariot is the secret, human Redeemer. Finally, the candidate must swear a Binding Oath: “I renounce God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. I avow that Dagon is the True Creator of the World. My sacred burthen is to restore the Crown of Creation to Rex Mundi. Should I betray this Covenant, I order my body to be severed in twain, my bowels taken thence and fed to sharks, my remains burned to ashes, and those ashes scattered to the four winds, so that there might remain no trace nor remembrance, no more forever, of so vile a wretch as I.” After shedding her blood to seal the Binding Oath, the initiate is welcomed during a private ceremony at the Congregational Church. Third Degree initiates are the backbone of the Covenant, and are required to tithe 10% of their earnings to the Bons pêcheurs.

Rewards
Immersion in the Green Flame costs 1D6 Sanity and rewards the Célébrant with +5 Power percentiles. Unless the candidate goes insane, the experience grants 10 additional years of age. This is not merely an elongated life span, but actually slows the aging process. All aging penalties on physical characteristics are advanced by 10 years. See Eucharistia Viridi under “New Spells” for details.

Skill rewards: Credit Rating +10%, Cthulhu Mythos +5%, Kingsport Cult +10%, Occult +5%

Books allowed: Ponape Scripture

Spells allowed: Doigt de Malheur (Implant Fear), Eucharistia Viridi [Communion], Flesh Ward, Obscurcir la Mémoire (Cloud Memory), Parler Suif

Fourth Degree (Pauvre Chevalier)

The candidate must have commendably served the Covenant for three years as a Third Degree initiate. He must be sponsored by a member in good standing who has attained the rank of Fourth Degree or higher. The candidate must demonstrate that he has read the Ponape Scripture. The candidate is led to a Byakhee, and is required to ride it to the Other Place. If the candidate returns with his wits intact, he is initiated into the mysteries of l’Ancienne Religion. He is immersed in the Green Flame for a second Communion.

Rewards
Immersion in the Green Flame costs no Sanity points, but seeing a Byakhee requires a Sanity roll for a 1/1D6 loss. Visiting the Other Place requires another Sanity roll for a 0/1D8 loss. Unless the candidate goes insane, these collective experiences bestow +5 Power percentiles and 10 additional years of age. All aging penalties on physical characteristics are advanced forward by 10 years.

Skill rewards: Credit Rating +10%, Cthulhu Mythos +15%, Kingsport Cult +10%, Occult +5%

Spells allowed: Chant de Possession (Dominate), Create Mist of R’lyeh, Enchant the Locust Whistle (Enchant Whistle), Pouldre Noire du Diable (Shrivelling), Vincula Sanguinis

Fifth Degree (Quéraude)

The candidate must have commendably served the Covenant for four years as a Fourth Degree initiate. She must be sponsored by a member in good standing who has attained the rank of Fifth Degree or higher. The Candidate is required to read the Coffin Papers, and is informed of the Covenant’s plans to formally resurrect Dagon. The true name of Dagon is revealed as Cthoaanesel. Once the candidate has pledged herself to the Great Work, she undergoes her third Communion with the Green Flame. Upon emerging she is accepted as a Quéraude, an old Channel Island word for “white witch.”

As of October 1844, there are eleven Fifth Degree Quéraudes: Ezra Coffin, Jacob Macy, Addison Sleet, Nathaniel Warnock on the Aldebaran, Jeremiah Joab and William Pynchon on the Quiddity, Tarrant Hussey on the Celaeno, Ichabod Allen on the Tethys, Julian Blood on the Persephone, Peleg Baker on the Spindrift, and Lazarus Sleet on the Dragonspark.

Rewards
Communion with the Green Flame entails no Sanity loss and bestows an additional 10 years of age. All aging penalties on physical characteristics are advanced by 10 years.

Skill rewards: Cthulhu Mythos +5%, Kingsport Cult +10%

Books allowed: Coffin Papers, Necronomicon

Spells allowed: Bend Quarry to Thy Power (Mental Suggestion), Breath of the Deep, Call Into Service Thy Starry Steed (Summon/Bind Byakhee), Music of the Court In Yellow (Song of Hastur)

Sixth Degree (Perfectus/Perfectae, pl. Perfecti)

The candidate must have commendably served the Covenant for ten years as a Fifth Degree initiate. If the existing Perfecti unanimously approve, the candidate is initiated during the annual Yuletide ritual. Sixth Degree initiates are granted unlimited access to the Green Flame—including, if desired, limited immortality through the Rite of Consolamentum. A Perfectus is entitled to all the Covenant’s resources, and devotes his life to the Great Work.

As of October 1844, there are eight Perfecti: Gideon Sleet, Abner Ezekiel Hoag, Isaiah Tuttle, Rowena Tuttle, Barzillai Coffin, Absalom Macy, Isaac Macy, and Return Whicher.

Nomenclature
Perfectus is a title inherited from the Cathars, and was originally bestowed by their Catholic enemies, who considered them “perfect” heretics. Although some Sixth Degree initiates prefer the French Parfait, in reality, the title is rarely used outside of formal ceremonies, and Perfecti are still considered Quéraudes. The Perfecti are commonly called “The Elders.”

Rewards
Communion with the Green Flame entails no Sanity loss, and bestows an additional 10 years of age. After 120 years of age, the Rite of Consolamentum must be enacted, and the process of vermification begins. See Eucharistia Viridi in “New Spells” for details.

Skill rewards: Credit Rating +15%, Cthulhu Mythos +5%, Kingsport Cult +10%

Spells allowed: Binding Oath, Call Forth Thy Minion of Filth (Summon/Bind Spawn of Ubbo-Sathla), Convocandi Viridi Flamma (Summon Green Flame), Eucharistia Viridi [Consolamentum], Nyhargo Dirge, Speak with God-Child (Contact Star-Spawn of Cthulhu), Speak with Sea Children (Contact Deep Ones), Wave of Oblivion

Books allowed: Cthaat Aquadingen, Le livre de la méchanceté, R’lyeh Text

Seventh Degree (Episcopus Viridi)

The Seventh Degree is a secret degree of initiation established by Perotine Cauchés, and its very existence is denied to lower degrees. To be “elevated” to the Seventh Degree, a Perfectus must show great promise, and must be unanimously approved by all existing Episcopis. He is then inducted in a surprise ceremony and welcomed to the ruling elite. The commands of a Seventh Degree initiate must be obeyed, even by other Episcopis!’

Currently, there are four Viridian Bishops, listed in decreasing age: Abner Ezekiel Hoag (147), Isaiah Tuttle (136), Rowena Tuttle (119), and Absalom Macy (84). Barzillai Coffin (80) was invited in 1837, but declined the offer and retired to Nantucket. The next Perfectus likely to be elevated is Return Whicher.

Rewards
Skill rewards: Credit Rating +10%, Cthulhu Mythos +5%, Kingsport Cult +10%

Spells allowed: Awaken the Dreamer (Contact Deity: Cthulhu), Awaken the Filth (Contact Deity: Ubbo-Sathla), Awaken the Sleeper (Contact Deity: Tsathoggua), Eucharistia Viridi [Investiture], Ritual of Ub (Apportion Ka), The Yellow Petition (Call Hastur).

Inducting Player Characters

As discussed in “Managing the Campaign,” William Pynchon may realize that certain player characters can be more useful if welcomed into the Covenant. If this is the case, the Keeper must roleplay such interactions carefully, a gradual seduction to the dark side. Pynchon explains the history of the Bons pêcheurs to a candidate, framing the Covenant as a religious order devoted to ushering in a more libertine Aeon. Like any cult leader, he tailors his presentation to suit the psychology of the candidate, building upon the knowledge she already possesses and offering exclusive access to deeper mysteries. A particular promising candidate may be initiated directly into the Second Degree.

Initiation Ceremony
Being far from Kingsport, Pynchon is forced to improvise an appropriate initiation ceremony. Because there is no copy of Une histoire de la flamme viridienne onboard the Quiddity, he substitutes pages from the Ponape Scripture and the Coffin Papers. If a player character is to be inducted into the Second Degree, he casts Convocandi Viridi Flamma and conducts the Rite of Baptism. He may also teach initiates a few simple sorcerots, especially if they have something to offer in return. While Pynchon avoids sharing anything that might potentially backfire, he recognizes that Obscurcir la Mémoire helps an initiate remain discreet.

The Pledge
An important aspect of initiation is the oath of secrecy, which becomes a Binding Oath at the Third Degree. Although the Covenant forbids anyone from casting this spell without explicit permission, like his captain, Pynchon is willing to bend the rules. Furthermore, the cagey Quéraude decides to administer Binding Oath to any new initiate, no matter the degree. Candidates must consent to the spell and agree to shed their blood. A drinking cup will be used as talisman, which Pynchon will later secure in the secret compartment in his cabin. Unfortunately for Pynchon, while the oath may force characters to keep Covenant secrets and swear to resurrect Dagon, it doesn’t bind them to Pynchon’s personal interpretation of events!

White Leviathan > Auxiliary Materials
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Author: A. Buell Ruch
Last Modified: 9 March 2024
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
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