Chapter 2: THE STRUGGLE FOR KHITUS all, not that many followers would know such Regardless, they teach that the gods will emerge through the Shadazim to war upon the face of Khitus and establish a new hierarchy for the coming age Only when Khitus is blasted clean of nonbelievers, they insist, will the ancient gods return to build the world anew (through their loyal Shadazim and their followers, of course) Shadazim and their followers are zealots, convinced that all others are inferior and incorrect Violence against nonbelievers is encouraged True Shadazim who worship an actual ancient god can derive priestly powers from them, but that connection is often tenuous and far weaker than the days before the Dragon Kings Sham Shadazim resort solely to trickery and borrowed magic to convince their followers of their legitimacy A Shadazim need only gather followers to qualify for ranking himself as such, and any magical or powerful demonstrations help fill their ranks Each Shadazim expects and preaches that his particular deity shall return soon to take control of Khitus in some capacity Other Shadazim and their supposed gods are considered charlatans unless they have made some massive demonstration of godly power or control (and even then, some claim other gods are demons cloaked as gods and not true gods) People tend to be more skeptical of Shadazim than they are of the Trakeen who preach worship of the departed Dragon Kings; after all, the Dragon Kings are widely accepted as having been real and only recently estranged from the world So, Shadazim have an inherently more difficult time proselytizing, though they are bolstered by the simple fact that they can summon god-granted priestly magic Gathering worshipers, though, is a double-edged sword While they are the fuel that fires the god’s attention, they have needs and must be looked after They must be fed, clothed and sheltered They expect counsel and encouragement, consistent teachings and attention They can be flighty, lose faith, become skeptical and leave Shadazim flocks are rife with schisms; at any time an emergent preacher may part company and take half the flock with him At times they must also be protected As the Shadazim treats the least of his flock, so the others judge his compassion for them Just one careless action can cause an entire congregation to label him a charlatan All Shadazim share a cutthroat hunger for power, their rise to power often helped by assassinating capable officials to install loyal lackeys in their place The Right Minders expect to be welcomed in all courts and lay down curses of blasphemy and doom upon those who not respect them (though the strength of said curses varies with the beliefs of those afflicted, and with the Shadazim’s power) 21