The Castigian Cabal are a mix of worshippers, devotees, and followers (depending on their level of devotion) of the goddess Shar, though they know not her name nor much about her true nature. To them, she is a revealer of hidden truths and a patron of hidden wisdom, the one who opened their eyes and exposed the flaws and hypocrisies of the world and its existing power structures. It is through her subtle machinations and manipulative words that the Cabal was formed, with its goal of toppling the existing power structure in order to replace it with their envisioned future - one that is fair and just, though also one in which it is necessary for them to hold the most important positions of power in order to keep it fair and just.
They believe that the current system - both their society and the way the world works - is deeply rooted with flaws and injustices, like a corruption that plagues all. Many of the Cabal's members are people who believe they themselves have been subjected to this, having been unfairly and unjustly denied something they justly deserve. This could be a more prominent position which they were denied; it could be a worker who still find themselves struggling after many years of hard work, while their superior “bathes in wealth”; or it could be just about any other scenario where they individual believes the status quo is denying them something which they believe themselves to justly deserve. To them, the current structure perpetuates inequality, injustice, exploitation, and suffering upon all except those who have created it. Only by first completely dismantling the current status quo can the construction of a new - more bright, fair, and just - structure be built. “Those who have created it”, in the Cabal's eyes, refers both to those in society that hold power, but are not members of the Cabal, as well as the deities. Shar, through her machinations, have put great emphasis on convincing the Cabal's members that this corrupt and unjust reality is also the fault of the other deities - this corrupt society is built upon their teachings and guidance after all. The Cabal thus view other deities - such as the Diostri - to be among the architects of the corrupt status quo.
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Shar has convinced the members of the Cabal that the only way for them to reach their envisioned future is through absolute commitment and loyalty to their cause. Half-measures and compromises are destined to fail, and it is precisely because of this that no one else has ever been able to fix the current structure. This is why they believe the current structures must be dismantled completely, no matter the cost. It is the reason why the Cabal believes one must be willing to go to any length - to be willing to pursue all means no matter how gruesome or sinister - to achieve their envisioned future. One must be unyielding and unwavering, with absolute commitment and loyalty to the cause. Their goal, and progression towards this goal, will require great cost and sacrifice - even the sacrifice of their own morality. The Cabal believes they are the only one's capable of shouldering this burden, and that it is necessary to walk the darkest of paths - stained by blood - to reach their ultimate goal: A new dawning of their envisioned fair and just future. They believe that all of their sacrifices - all the terrible deeds and suffering needed to bring about their envisioned future - will be worth it once their fair and just age has been reached - for the suffering they have to inflict is finite, while the current system unchanged will just continue to produce it.
+The Cabal believes that - like their shrouded and enigmatic patron Shar - it is necessary for them to operate from the shadows to reach their ultimate goal. They believe secrecy to be of utmost importance, even among their own members, as to protect themselves and their endeavors from their adversaries. This is why most members have little to no knowledge in regards to who else is a member. This anonymity thus helps protect the rest of the Cabal should one of their members be compromised or go rogue. They similarly believe subterfuge and manipulation to be their best tools - either convince someone to join your Cause, or make it so they are either forced to support it, or so that they support it unknowingly. (Supporting unknowingly could be as simple as resources they provide, unbeknownst to them, ending up in the hands of the Cabal).
+The Cabal has a hand in almost everything that goes on in Marcandria, and boast to themselves that they have planned for every eventuality and every possible outcome. They believe that even if a few of their endeavors goes awry, they have their hands in so much that they view it as not making a difference. “In a web of a thousand threads, plucking one makes no difference”, as they might say. They try to convey their members that as long as they let Shar guide them as they traverse these dark paths, they are destined to reach this new dawn with a fair and just society, where they are all given what they justly deserve. The most devoted members have absolute certainty in their eventual victory.
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To them, even if a few endeavors goes awry, it
Absolute certainty. Plans for everything. Servitude to Shaar.
Shadows, secrecy, manipulation, subterfuge. - Working from the shadows is the only way - to make sure their adversaries are unable to stop them.