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The Sect of Akhalee - Temple of Blood [For IEE]

IMMORTAL EMPIRES EXPANDED REQUIRED




The Sect of Akhalee
In far flung Ind, in the Land of a Thousand Gods where mysticism and superstition run rampant amongst the locals, a sinister cult stalks and prowls from deep within the jungle. Called the Sect of Akhalee, this particularly sadistic band of murderers and fanatics worship the Vermillion Lord, the chalk-skinned prince of murder himself, Akhalee. In His stead, they are shepherded by an entity known as Mahaduvha, whom they also worshipped as the Sightless Mother or the Deva of Blood. The fanatical Indans saw the latter as Akhalee's divine consort and harbinger of his will upon the earth, and have since shed the blood of multitudes in her name.

As of recent, the Sect's base of operations is seated in the great fortress of Agarabad, hidden somewhere near the town of Rayjapuram. Having gained the allegiance of local marauding Rajput war clans, the Sect has also been winning an alarming amount of influence and strategic power against the neighboring Rajas of Ind; a festering cancer that needs to be dealt with sooner or later along with the threat of dark elf pirates and chaos incursions in the south.

Only time will tell if the Indan faith will be enough to persevere through the wanton violence tearing apart this sacred land.

Start Location



The Sect of Akhalee starts in the settlement of Rajyapuram, in the province of the Land of a Thousand Gods. This area is only available when using Immortal Empires Expanded.

Legendary Lord



The entity known as Mahaduvha, a deity of dubious existence even in Ind itself, was believed by Imperial folklorist Peter Hans Gemünd to have had origins that can be traced back into the far-flung deserts of Araby. There, the locals had dreaded a particularly dangerous Djinn called 'Bashabet of the Hills'. The first instance of this Bashabet was mentioned in 904 IC by Alchemist Zakaria ibn Al-Fatir in a poem describing the dune folk and their customs. There he spoke of a 'Mother of the Hill People', whose children would raid and perform acts of banditry against the men of the cities. Although Bashabet wasn't described or even alluded as a real person in this poem, later Arabyan tales would later associate Bashabet of the Hills to a terrifying Djinn who would drive travelling vagrants and merchants into a murderous frenzy and wild fits of hysteria.

Such tales, according to Peter, would creep itself eastward where the entity would go on to be called many names, such as 'Bhatadha, the Provider' amongst the men of the Kurgan or 'Ashaeratu, the Veiled Mother' to the Dwarfs of Hashut. The creature since then had left a legacy of bloodshed and indescribable madness; all obvious tells of a Khornite manifestation, that is until the folklorist noticed a particularly consistent theme of sadomasochism and obsessive idolatry detailed in the stories. This agent of Slaanesh, he surmised, had a lust for blood it seemed.

If the above assumptions are true, then this Mahaduvha of Ind, revered by Indan zealots and manic Rajputs as the sacred godwife of the equally venerated Akhalee, a proclaimed Prince of murder and blood, spells a foreboding fate for the Land of a Thousand Gods should this entity's thirst for blood be allowed to continue unabated.

Army

The Sect of Akhalee uses a conventional Slaanesh army roster, but their foot soldiers sport unique Indan attire and appearance as opposed from their kin in the Old World. They also have access to special faction-only units like Devoted Rajput Warriors, which come in two variants; Rajputs armed with armor piercing swords and a shield, and Rajputs armed with deadly katars that can inflict bleeding on enemy units.

The Sect can also command the infamous Tigermen, twisted into becoming beastly Rakshasa monsters, in battle. With the construction of a special landmark structure*, other factions may also command these warrior beasts in battle.

*To be explained further in the buildings section

The Parvatadari

The Sect of Akhalee can recruit the services of elite Paravatadar units, which are powerful but limited units that can only be unlocked through Rituals. These units are very expensive but can be called into an army immediately when the needed arises.



Faction Features

Reformed through Fire and Blood
The Sect of Akhalee can gain Devotees in battle. Mahaduvha herself can gain more Devotees when personally winning battles.

Ceremony of Blood
This faction has a unique stance replacing the normal channeling stance. Instead, they gain the Ceremony of Blood, where an army will engage in ritualistic bloodletting, suffering bleeding in battle and additional attrition, to hype themselves up into a frenzied bloodlust; a powerful passive buff that intensifies in power when engaged in melee combat.

Rites
Being a religious people, even the Indan cultists of Slaanesh will call to their gods for favor and guidance.



Buildings

Cults *NEW*
The faction has 2 new cult buildings that can be constructed

The 2nd building can be upgraded up to tier 3, further reducing the amount of global recruitment turns for armies in the province.

Landmarks
The Sect of Akhalee can access a number of unique landmarks all found dotting the lands of Ind.



Note:

The War Altar of Kavatekha, which can be found in the Village of the Tigermen, can be constructed by a number of Destruction and Evil factions, which includes Daemons of Chaos, Warriors of Chaos, Dark Elves, and Beastmen. This allows them to recruit the Rakshasa Tigermen.

Likewise, the Sublime Indan Embassy, is available to the Empire, Cathay, Kislev, High Elves, and the Dwarfs. This building unlocks recruitment for Sepoy Arquibusers, which are roughly a cross between Streltsi and Nuln Ironsides.

Other Features


The faction Guests of the Raja now have unique looking State Troops, drawing from the local Indan warrior castes to bolster their ranks and fill the bulk of the Imperial army's foreign military presence in Ind.


With that said, this is NOT supposed to be an Ind faction. I have done this merely for some extra diversity and adding some flavor to some of the minor factions. This will serve as a placeholder until proper Ind mods or an official Ind race is added.

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I hope everyone enjoys this mod just as much I did making it!
Thank you again.

Credits

Sarvente - For rigging and making the female model used by the Devata unit