Pyantyadha Eltyr

Type: Religious Cult Founded By: Unknown Nation(s): Othaala (primarily); itinerant across the continent

Overview

A secretive and deeply taboo cult devoted to the worship of The Low, the Unholy God of death and evil who resides in Cytana at the heart of Prylkya, the Lowworld. Widely considered dangerous, heretical, and essentially illegal in the nations of Alatrya's surface. Their existence was long thought to be myth, a story used by elders to frighten children into the Polaenian Church, until physical evidence of their activity and places of worship began to surface.

Goals

To serve The Low, carry out his will on the surface of Alatrya, and act as one of the mechanisms by which the Lowworld exerts influence on the living world. In practice, this has meant organized violence, assassinations, and ambushes targeting the Gemwielders and their allies.

Key Members

• Members unknown by name. They are identified by their distinctive dress: weatherworn red and charcoal robes with bone-white embroidery stitched into the edges, faces veiled in dark cloth, eyes gleaming beneath.
• Senior leadership and chain of command are unknown at this time.

History

The Pyantyadha Eltyr's operations have migrated across Othaala over the course of the books. Their base shifted from Daegrakce Forest and Umerr Forest to Kkallestiae Forest and Asslvave Woods before Queen Namerethe dispatched Lovante Defense Companies to clear them out, killing roughly half their number.

Despite these losses, they remain active and organized. During Book II, they launch multiple coordinated assaults on the Gemwielders' party, including an ambush on the road and an attack on a bridge crossing in Qauta, where they are repelled with significant casualties on their side. Each failure is noted as another instance where the Pyantyadha Eltyr have "failed once more."

There is political concern over a possible alliance between the cult and the Huozhese forces, which would allow The Low's interests to piggyback on Huolong's military campaign. Queen Namerethe downplays the threat given recent losses to their numbers, though Laythrya is less certain.

Notes

• The name "Pyantyadha Eltyr" has no confirmed translation yet in the notes.
• Robes and equipment of fallen cultists are confiscated and catalogued by Qautan military.
• They are connected directly to The Low's three sons: Attyrmis, Hrstattymm, and Vyrmyr, who represent the Lowworld's chain of command above the cult's surface operations.
• The cult's activity is both a religious movement and a military instrument.