Cult of the Lidless Eye (5e Other)

"A Human-dominated cult that worships Beholders" is probably a fairly accurate description of the Cult of the Lidless Eye. The Cult, broken up to cells, is a mainly hierarchical cult that, interestingly, tolerates visitors who must follow a strict set of rules. The Cult ranges in size, from group that assemble in rooms, to entire towns termed Strongholds. While they seem to worship the Beholders, in truth, they worship an interdimensional Great Old One they know as the Lidless Eye, who grants them some blessings, and in some cases, its chosen champions and its most prized artefacts, in exchange for their devotion to take the world and its various planes in its name.

Peculiarities[edit]

The chain of command

The chain of command is fairly loose up until the upper hierarchy, as the proper commanders below it are not exact. Generally, this is the chain observed: Avatars, Cult Lords, Dread Guard, Greater Cultist, Minor Cultist and Lesser Forsaken at the bottom of the chain. Sometimes, a Forsaken does something worthy of the Lidless Eye's attention. This results in an occasional Greater Forsaken which is below Dread Guard and above the Greater Cultist. Occasionally, Cult Lords may be at the top of the chain due to Avatars being less reliable.

Outside of that are the Lidless Eye's champions, The Knights of the Lidless Eye, a set of four weapons that are said to hold the soul of various beings ensnared by the Lidless Eye's promises, and corrupt their users into a perverted form of the beings trapped within. They are usually sent to the various worlds the Lidless Eye wishes to conquer as heralds just before the Cult gains enough strength to open a portal to summon in the Lidless Eye's endless armies or his Inquisitors from his Plane of the Damned. They are considered above the lower hierarchy, and can command Avatars and Cult Lords all the same though they usually follow the Cult leader's commands.

Above the Knights are the dreaded Inquisition of the Lidless Eye, a group of 4 Inquisitors of whom can be considered demon lords in their own right. They are rarely seen and each one's presence often spells inevitable doom. They usually appear after a Cult summons them in through a portal to the Lidless Eye's Plane of the Damned to quell any resistance they face in strengthening the portal or to hasten their strengthening of the portals formed. They have direct lines to the Lidless Eye, able to directly communicate and receive commands from it, and have no superiors aside from the Lidless Eye itself.

The signature spell

All groups have a particular symbol or skill specific to them. The Cult of the Lidless Eye is no different. For them, their signature is a curse known as Sinister Sleepwalking, which ultimately results in complete control over the victim, over a course of about 100 days.

Avatars of the Lidless Eye

Every major and some minor cell of the Cult of the Lidless Eye has an Avatar of the Lidless Eye, which is a Beholder sent by the Lidless Eye, that oversees them. A peculiarity of the Cult is that they are allowed by their religion to kill the Avatar if the Avatar does not succeed in leading the Cult properly, unlike most religions.