The Cult of Shad-Hujem

Before the God-King appeared, the Hujem were but a loose nation of uncivilized raiders making war on one another. Then He came, and brought truth. Then He came, and brought purpose. The dark God-King Shad-Hujem burst into the world in fire and pain, searing the eyes from the heads of those who witnessed His arrival. He came to conquer, and found the Hujem only too willing to bend the knee.

Almost overnight, the Hujem were transformed into what they are today: a religious empire of warrior-priests and anti-paladins bent on converting the world, by the Word or by the Sword. Fueled by an unmatched religious fervor, their empire grew faster than any before it, and a generation ago stood poised to fulfill Shad-Hujem’s commandment to convert all of Countermay.

It was only the unlikely arrival of the Displaced—who have since become their bitterest of rivals—that blunted their advance. In the worldwide war that followed, the Hujem and their allies in Esh and the Unseelie seemed destined for victory before the Displaced vaporized the God-King with their final city-killing bomb.

Today, the Cult of Shad-Hujem is much weakened, both militarily and spiritually, and is more on par in the balance of power with the other eight empires. However, the truly devout know that the God-King will return, and when He does, He will resume his conquest of conversion and baptize the world in fire.

Colors
BLACK and VIOLET

Faction Composition
The Hujem are religious fanatics who worship their (now dead) immortal god-king. They wear big black armor, very goth and spiky. They also all wear ritual makeup around their eyes to mimic burn patterns, for the first Hujem who looked upon the god-king had their eyes burned from their heads. The burn patterns became a holy mark that they all wear now, and there is a variety of stylized patterns to them. These look less like actual burns, and have become more ceremonial and artistic.

Rebirth of the God-King
During the events of "The Final Conspiracy" in the early days of the nine empires, a shocking and unexpected victory by the long overlooked Cult of Shad-Hujem occurred over the seemingly superior armies of The Displaced and The Dread Army of Ixhasa. Out of the ashes of this conquest the God-King was reborn in Fire and Blood, just as the prophets foretold.

Upsetting the balance of power upon Countermay, the renewed fervor of the cultists and their swelling ranks led to a time known as "The Century of Shadows" (or "The God-King's Century"). During this time many of the other empires entered into uncharacteristic alliances in an attempt to stem the tide of fanaticism brought on by Shad-Hujem's miraculous return.

The saying, "Dark eyes bring dark days." began during this period, referring to the ritualistic black markings that ring the eyes of many devout cultists.

Redeath of the God-King
Near the end of "The Century of Shadows" almost all of Countermay had united against the, some would say, unbalanced power of the Cult of Shad-Hujem. It was then, in an event which would later be referred to as "Jim's Folly", that it was revealed the God-King was in fact an imposter. Rather than serving the will of their resurrected deity, the Hujem had been duped by the machinations of a dimension-hopping warrior-trickster with a sick sense of humor. This led to "The War with the Silentmen", in which the ruling class of the Hujem were wiped out and the False God-King [See; Hopjockey] was driven from Countermay by the orthodox cultists.

In the wake of this event, many cult members lost their will to fight and the Hujem entered yet another period of low morale. The Cult has been reduced to its former dwindling numbers but the faithful still sing the Hymn of Blood and Bone, awaiting the true return of their God-King. The rest of Countermay prays this never happens.

Council of the Nine Empires
The Hujem believe the recent food and water shortage in Countermay is due to the rejection and death of the God-King. They point to the Wastes of the God, a poisonous broken area near the God Seat where Shad-Hujem was killed by the Displaced, as proof of the folly of rejecting the one true god. Where the bomb was dropped no man can enter without sickness and eventual death. The water that flows from the spring is foul and toxic. All of these are signs of the God-King’s displeasure.

This makes the participation of the Hujem in the quest to travel the multiverse a mystery. Do they believe their dark god will be found in another world? Do they plan to use the Fruit of Life to restore him to life?

Notable Players
During the 2012 national Romance of the Nine Empire championship, second place finisher Louis Weaver was playing an Shad-Hujem deck.

Fictions

 * The Mark