Editing Kulmorost Divided (section)

==== Unorthodox Cults ====

*'''Of Pirate Lords''': There's a pretty simple reason that you rarely see the Pirate Lords in the northern segments of the wastes. They fear not simply for their lives but also for their souls. You see a common suspicion among the Pirate Lords is that Large bodies of water (including lakes rivers and the ocean) are the eyes of the Valkery into the mortal world. If one dies reasonably close to these places you are fine, but if you die too far from water then the Valkery will never know you died and won't come to collect your soul, leaving your soul trapped inside your rotting body until it is brought close enough to a body of water for the Valkery to see it and recover the soul. Not exactly an experience that most are in favour of. As such they rarely venture inland and if they do it is mostly via the water ways.
**'''Heresy among pirates''': It's become a somewhat custom among Human Pirate Lords to keep captured Elven women as concubines, to symbolize Mankind's supposed superiority over the Magical races. The fact that most Elves are quite attractive by Human standards and remain youthful for many decades is also a reason for this practice. Elves of noble blood and/or arcane talent are considered more valuable, because "humbling" them is much more satisfying. Those who follow the custom are a sizable minority among the Human Pirate Kings and Warlords of the Val Sea but as time goes on, it's becoming more acceptable. <br />Being captured by a Human pirate is the worst nightmare of many Elven noblewomen. Most Humans of the South believe that breeding with other races is permissible, (if somewhat distasteful) so long as the Human doesn't become attached or form a lasting relationship with a member of an "Inferior" race or begin to lust after other races over Humans. A few Human deviants believe that interspecies breeding should be encouraged but they are an incredibly small minority. <br />Many Humans view this custom as degenerate and blasphemous in the eyes of the Valkery, but they tolerate it because most of the Men who adhere to the custom are important to Human society. Though not everyone accepts this behavior of those pirates. More orthodox followers of Valkery refuse such pirates entry into ports or villages, while zealot warriors or greedy for spoils can even launch "crusade" against "hedonistic scum who left light of the Goddess and were seduced by elven sorceress"
*'''Northern Cult of City of Bones''': Deep on the north, surrounded by traps and hidden from plain view, lies most sacred place for all northern tribes - City of Bones, where all souls come to rest. It's not really cities, but a very several burial mounds and bone pits placed near each other, surrounding a temple made of Winged Goddes, made entirely from bones. Around that temple rised bone pits, burial mounds, tombs and shrines of many clans and tribes. It's a sacred ground, where spilling blood and killing a humans are strictly forbidden. <br />Once in year, this place is full of pyres and feasting humans - they all honoring their ancestors and the Winged Goddess. It's a tradition to add a bone of Hero or prominent chieftain into a Temple, expanding it power. Their Southern brothers view this cult a little heretical and rather impractical and so won't indulge such silliness, going to the Cathedral instead.
*'''The Grave lords''': Graves Lords were several very close to each other clans on the East coast of Wastes who were followers of City of Bones until one day they refused to follow laws of Valkery. <br />This rebellion against goddess they followed with plundering of the graves for the bones and donning them on over their armor. For this act they got their name but they were quickly squashed by union of angered clans and driven out of Northern Wastes to live on frozen islands in Ocean of Tahalaca. <br />These outcasts proclaim they worship a '''God of Death,''' unknown god by anyone outside of their clans and to this day not one captured clansmen has told anything about their god beside the fact that ''he gave them power no human ever had''. What is known though that they practice eating in moderation Trolls or Dwarven flesh captured in their raids. Dark powers and insanity they gain from it are even scarier since everything about them after rebellion is just frightening rumors.
*'''Cult of Mother Toren''': Completely heretical, Defenders of Toren volcano venerate her as the Mother of all Life instead of mother Valkery, who they completely ignore.
*'''Cult of the River of Death''': Few primitive human tribes worship the north-flowing River of Death, saying that it carries the souls of the dead. Their relationship with the City of Bones is not known.