Cabal

The Cabal is the cult of Tchernobog, its duties are to provide the next incarnations for the dreaming god. It also latter became a religious organization and later an evil cult.

[edit] History

Founding

After entering his second incarnation, Tchernobog realized that he was going to need a constant source of bodies to inhabit. The Cabal was founded purely to supply the next person to become Tchernobog. However, over time the Cabal became Tchernobog's empire.

Religious Indoctrination

Eventually Tchernobog took on the form of a Buddhist Monk. This Tchernobog lead the Cabal into becoming a religious organization. The Cabal began engaging rituals to test and promote self discipline and attentiveness.

Descent into Evil

The 16th incarnation of Tchernobog was an evil man. The religious organization that encouraged self discipline became an evil and dark cult and its rituals became so as well. Creatures like the gargoyles, spiders, and hell hounds became servants of the cult. Four people in the cult where chosen to be Tchernabog's elite: Caleb, Ophelia, Ishmael,and Gabriel. He later cast down these servants in an attempt to get more power. Caleb later returned and destroyed Tchernobog before he could achieve the power he hoped to have obtained through Caleb's death and return. This launched the Cabal into the Post Tchernobog period.

Early Post Tchernobog Era

CabalCo

Main Article: CabalCo

[edit] Leaders

Leadership of the Cabal is hereditary. Failing an heir, a leader is chosen from the highest ranks of the Cabal. There is no gender requirement to be the leader of the Cabal. Primarily, the Cabal Leader acts as the conduit through which Tchernobog speaks.

Cabal members refer to their leader as "The Word", representing the power he/she has to order his members to any action without question. The leader's purpose depends on the inclinations of Tchernobog at the time. Some leaders have been called upon to become the incarnation of Tchernobog, and when Tchernobog has no body, the leader prepares himself/herself for this sacred duty.

Caleb

Main Article: Caleb

Caleb was the leader of the Chosen before they were cast down. As such it is assumed that he was the leader of the Cabal and Tchernobog's mortal representative. Some believe that the cultist who is seen as a communication's conduit for Tchernobog in the first Blood cut scene was the leader. If Caleb was the leader he would have be next in line to become Tchernobog if for some reason the 16th incarnation's body was destroyed. However in a quest for power the 16th incarnation of Tchernobog cast Caleb down knowing that Caleb would return and embark on a trail of bloodshed that would make him the ultimate sacrifice. Caleb later destroyed Tchernobog in revenge and unknowingly absorbed Tchernobog's powers. This story was depicted and explained in Blood and Blood II: The Chosen.

Cerberus

Main Article: Cerberus

Cerberus appears next to Tchernobog in The Hall of the Epiphany, this may hint that he was the god's second in command and thus the Cabal leader. Cerberus was later killed by Caleb to avenge Ishmael. This was depicted in Blood.

The New Chosen

Main Article: Beast

To lead the Cabal to glory the Cabal selected four high cultists to be trained as the new Chosen and to lead the Cabal out of the darkness that Caleb had brought it. Caleb, the former leader of the original Chosen, being a bit irritated with those merry proceedings, embarked upon a new bloodshed trip (that seemingly urged to be performed rather sooner than later), eventually successfully slaying the new chosen and the beasts within them, and thus delaying the Cabal's return to power. This was depicted in the Blood expansion the Plasma Pak.

Gideon

Main Article: Gideon

Gideon was the son of two unnamed cultists and was raised in the post 16th Tchernobog era of the Cabal. He was brought up in constant hatred of the Great Betrayer. He led the Cabal back to prosperity by creating a corporate empire called CabalCo. After this he attempted to become the next incarnation of Tchernobog by taking Tchernobog's powers from Caleb. Caleb, however, proved too powerful and left Gideon inside his cranial prison for all eternity. This story was depicted in Blood II: The Chosen.

[edit] See Also

• Tchernobog: the god of the cult.
• Ranks of the Cabal: for a list of the various known ranks within the Cabal.
• Chosen: the highest rank of the Cabal during various times of their history.
• Gargoyles: some of the Cabal's beast followers.
• Cheogh: loyal Cabal member and stone king of the Gargoyles.
• Spiders: another of the Cabal's beast followers.
• Shial: another loyal servant of Tchernobog and queen of the Spiders.
• Hell Hounds: another of the Cabal's beast followers.
• Cerberus: lord of the hell hounds and the second in command of the Cabal in 1928.
• Phantasms: magical beings that are servants of the Cabal.
• Undead: the undead beings created by the Cabal.
• Sea Beasts: contains Gill Beasts and Bone Eels, sea bound Cabal monsters.