Foulness Underfoot for VIllage Cult Hideouts

Cults are pretty common in my setting and most villages have one or had one in memory.

In Chagrinspire this might include older villages outside the waste or some of the increasing settlements on the borderlands. I might make a list of d12 New Settlements for the wastes.

I've done lots of cults and I'm happy for every sect to be a bit different but I will provide a few sets of quick cult tables. Most of this is to generate what kind of secret chapel and meeting place they have.

Each cult has a d4 local locations one is a shrine
Any that can be in the village should be with entrances to some or all the cultist's homes, Special expert witch hunters are best to be deployed in these trap and cursed-filled passages.

Roll a d4 times on each of these tables

d12 Cult Lair Locations
1 Ancient caves
2 Abandoned old mine
3 Catacombs
4 Prehistoric monument
5 House possibly basement or attic
6 Abandoned building
7 Graveyard
8 Cistern
8 Industrial site
9 Barn or shed
10 Private club or tavern
11 Creature burrows
12 Prehistoric tunnels
 
d12 Defences
1 Crawlspaces for most adults
2 Underwater entrance
3 Secret doors
4 Poison spikes 
5 Cursed figurines require a password
6 Cult pets, familiars or monsters
7 Wasp nest trap
8 Pendulum trap with a scythe blade
9 Poison dart or crossbow trap
10 Locked doors or bars 1in4 wizard locked requires a password
11 Deadfall trap with tripwire
12 Alarm and defensive spells

d12 Secret Entrance
1 Under a workplace
2 In an old tree or woods
3 In a stone crypt or tomb
4 Underwater or behind waterfall or in sewer
5 In a civic official or common house
6 In a granary or mill
7 In a mine or cave
8 In an ancient dolmen

9 In a field or under a bridge

10 In a bathhouse or brothel

11 Under the chapel or shrine

12 In local manor or house

d12 Cult Shrine Chambers
roll a d12 and take that room and all the lower number rooms also
or roll d4 times as per other tables, good for secondary sites
1 Shrine room

2 Priest's private room

3 Antechamber
4 Barracks
5 Library
6 Pet room
7 Dormitory
8 Council room
9 Prison
10 Common room
12 Laboratory

d12 Does anyone know anything?
1 Village idiot wants quality time and friendship
2 Town drunk but needs a drink first
3 Town gossip but she is afraid
4 Shunned old person on edge of town hates everyone
5 Bartender heard wild stories some might be true
6 Bard or a scholar  or storyteller has heard old tales
7 Children play strange games or sing odd songs
8 Village storekeeper or scribe is afraid but likes bribes or 1in4 is in cultist
9 Secret agents investigate town for a faction d4 1=crown seek treasonous plots 2=inquisition seek heretics 3=bandits seek victims or allies 4=another cult potential friend or foe 
10 Former residents in a nearby town left because of cult
11 Sherrif or mayor or clerk has heard stories or 1in4 is a cultist 
12 Priest is suspicious of any new people or wickedness or 1in4 is a cultist 

d12 Cult Clues
1 Someone finds an old mass grave explaining old mysteries and making new ones
2 Vanishing people just happens here, paths are tricky you see
3 Evidence of a fake monster or spells used like illusions to cover murder
4 People all look afraid if questions asked about cults and strange happenings
5 Trail of blood or personal items found of missing person
6 Goblins turn up asking if locals have any more delicious unwanted corpses for them
7 Find a secret door or trail and items of the cult
8 Paintings and signs in public have occult clues for cult members
9 Unusual animal behaviour 
10 Graves were tampered with in burial grounds   
11 Robed figures scurry about at night to secret meetings
12 Witch hunter vanished in the area

d12 Local Opinions: Local cult for local people

1 Many locals see as harmless folk customs best left alone
2 Most don't take it seriously or believe is still around
3 Insulted at anyone criticising local integrity and digging up dirt
4 People have heard of it but don't really know much
5 Witness tells wild tale of d8 1=kidnapped by flying witches 2=supernatural orgies 3=nightly visits from a sex demon  4=turned me into frog 5=demon walks streets at night and shits down my chimney 6=someone put a curse on them to make them a loser 7=charmed me into loving them 8=has a map of village and notes about each neighbor 

6 The witch hunter came through and we are too poor to pay his fees
7 We sent a message to the inquisition and we are on a list for purging
8 Tight-lipped to strangers on this topic and turn hostile and yell abuse
9 Chatty on topic of cults then reports to the cult leaders for action
10 Has a small collection of cult items to show you in their house, come for dinner and meet some other concerned locals
11 Tells curious adventurers about a dungeon then tells cult who warn the dungeon
12 Never heard of a cult, nothing happens here, then goes and tells a cult leader

d12 Cult Influence

1 Nobody ever heard of them, everything is normal here

2 Discussed in hushed tones and whispers, most disbelieve 

3 Told to scare children and adults to go to bed and stay in

4 They burned a witch here once

5 A witch used to live in that old abandoned house

6 People fear familiar spies and spirits are listening and watching

7 Cult well hidden and community witless

8 Locals live in fear of murder and curses, highly suspicious  

9 Locals have seen robed strangers at odd hours and shun them

10 Major business or guild involvement in cult

11 Organised crime and bandits controlled by the cult

12 Mayor, priest, noble or other civic leader is the cult master

d12 Quick Cult Leaders
1 Mara Willowwood - wealthy serial widow looking good for her age restored an old house
2 Dornan Vortagern - well-liked posh noble scholar donates to village causes 
3 Arkan Meldorg - local baker a popular jolly lusty fellow with a large vigorous family
4 Korag Nargent - wise woman on the edge of town offers cheap cures and curses

5 Doctor Vorgan - surgeon and scholar with interest in supernatural and folk lore

6 Corky Bungle - village idiot is touched by other side and desires must be filled

7 Palah Panderlus - mytic prophet, scholar and poet with her mysterious servant

8 Hank Bonebroth - butcher loves hacking bodies, making sausages and feeding pigs

9 Nanna Bolga - oldest woman in the village, seems healthy but harmless and has cats

10 Maphus Than - local wanted bandit who helps locals and keeps away undesirables

11 Sam Pickle - local child curious about adventures, really possessed by an old witch

12 Tammy Thatcher - older goodwife, gossip, snob and a bully, village for local folk

d12 Cult Champion
1 Dorn Kudge - musclebound idiot with horrible lusts who does muscle work for cult who cover up his crimes, seasonal labourer who will doe awful crimes if he thinks nobody looking
2 Blarny Fengul - bardic poet and goatish sleezebag,spreads gossip and annoys strangers away with creepy sleaziness. Has terrible VD
3 Gorb - beast folk abuman who cult hide in lair a seven foot tall hulking brute who cult mistreat
4 Ken Vadder - assassin for the cult who kills to cover up the cult and kill enemies. Cult supply with magic items, poison and even cast spell on Ken for each mission like invisibility 
5 Rabon Kleft - drug dealer sells all the cool city drugs and addictive d4 healing potions, former alchemy apprentice 
6 Ernest Blargnard - older vet cult thug in it for the torture and kidnapping and always wanted to run a prison. Expert fighter with whips and chains and tattooed with gang and prison tatoos 
7 Vamak Tarj - brewer, herbalist, barber and poisoner makes delicious beer and knockout drugs
8 Granny Varja - elderly woman with several brutish sones she bullies into vomiting cult crimes, they are expendable sacrifices in her cult ambitions
9 Lanath Vulpine - an attractive older semi-retired prostitute who meets some rich lovers here monthly so she lives well and spends lots of money locally. She has several shifty servants and a huge footman and a creepy coach driver. Has criminal contacts like assasins 
10 Bora Muldana - large musclebound loud strong woman. Keen to defend the faithful and has had millitary training in imperial guard
11 Negas Gran - thief and serves cult leader in throat sliding, kidnapping and more. Cult have placed apprentices in his hands and he knows local criminals and bandits
12 Ooras Neglam - an underland gnome who the cult keep in a lair to build traps and gadgets for them. Ooras was a prisoner but delights in making nasty traps and torture devices and the cult have come to include Ooras as family. Ooras is also a master of illusion magic and alchemy. He has own secret tunnels and and makes a good spy with invisibility  

d12 Cult Special Secret
1 Have a magic weapon used by the leader or champion
2 Allied to monsters of the wasteland and call on them for help  

3 Have magical means of concealment like invisibility or illusions

4 Have a summoned being under command like an imp

5 Cult have a cursed loot pile and there are stories about treasure

6 Cult blackmail local officials of the crown and nobility and keep a ledger

7 Idol is actually magic with blessings for allies

8 Infiltrated criminals and use them fr unwitting allies

9 A lesser entity or living statue guards the shrine

10 Can extract potions from murder victims with a relic

11 Means to create monsters with machine or lab or surgery

12 Communion devices like mirror or globe to speak to other cults

d12 Local Welcome Wagon for Strangers
1 Kidnap and murder visitors as enter or leave town
2 Drug or poison strangers with food and drink
3 Flirty fishing from the hottest youths in the village, lure people away
4 Warn of a fictional creature they blame murders on
5 Kidnap victims asleep
6 Offer dinner in a cultist home
7 Invite to a village celebration with ceremonial roles for folk ritual
8 Use divination to study guests to see if they require murder and robbing or recruiting
9 Have friendly drinks with strangers and goad them into boasting 
10 Get bandits or monsters to attack the party in return for cut of wealth

11 Tell adventurers about a dangerous local dungeon and warn monsters
12 Tell adventurers about the local abandoned hunted murder house they would like to use

Auldwood is east of Chagrinspire so cults from there often cross over

d12 Auldwood Cult
1 The Green Man - sacrifices blood to restore the green, aid and consort with the wild folk

2 The Black Goat - fornicate with demons, murder innocents, plunder the loot of victims

3 Black Annis - appease her to avoid her wrath, keep away monsters, help revenge at a cost

4 Wood Knights - secretly aid druids and faeries and demihumans and protect the forest

5 The hanged man - murder to appease old gods, strangulation and incite angry mobs

6 The Demon Boar - the cult of ancient berserks, cannibals, eat outsiders

7 Dark Druids - use the power of nature to drive away outsiders and kill enemies

8 Frog Cult - spread frog grog and swamp weed, ready a vast frog army for war

9 The Owl Scions - vigilante murderers who cleanse non-neutral troublemakers

10 The Ancient One - an old witch cult who seek knowledge and power over communities

11 The Grey Mystics - an order who commune with strange beings from the stars

12 Elder Magi - worship a formless outer god incomprehensible to even most wizards

d12 Chagrinspire Cults
1 Orcus Cult - prince of darkness and undead, make undead and study thanotology. Also make chaotic orcs

2 Scarlet Assassins - who operate as a secret training camp for recruits in other lands, they kill for hire but also for their own reasons if you start trouble with them, worship a blood demon

3 Fish Cult - usually near water, help breed with fish folk and to keep water pure, worship fish demon ancestors

4 Infernal Order - serve hell, teach magic and tempt people with sell soul contracts  

5 Unseelie Ones - aid dark elves and faerie beings, avoid being tormented by evil

6 Iron Brethren - love guns and ancient weapons, steal what they can't take

7 Bat Cult - aid the bat goddess, her lycanthrope children and vampires who serve her

8 Xor Cult - calling some being from beyond to the world to save it, help plant seeds of the new world of flesh, pro-cannibalism and shun vegetables

9 Fungus God - plant and spread giant and magical fungus and befriend goblins

10 The Chaos Goat - a monstrous menace spreading mutations, disease and foul miasmas

11 Alchemists - secret agents of the guild seeking forbidden lore and power of Chagrinspire

12 The Black Sphere Cult - secret agents who communicate with the secret masters in Chagrinspire

d12 Exilon Cults
1 Fish cult - hybridize with wetlands peoples and in docks and harbours of civilisation to help restore the ancient fish folk land empire, Their ruins are common near waterways
2 Snake cult - various snake cults exist but this specifically is a cult of voluntary thralldom to snake folk who resent and even eat humans or hide among them with sorcery
3 Asag - a great stone giant who united spirits and beings of rocks against the gods and lost, hates the gods
4 Anzu - great bird who stole tablets of destiny and was defeated by Ninurta, help hidden winged folk and bird monsters and cause the gods trouble
5 Hydra - cult of the hydra enemy of the gods and heroes
6 Tiamat - the dragon of chaos her cult seek to avenge her and kill people
7 Scorpion cult - cult of torture and poison, scorpion demons of venom serving Tiamat

8 Lamashtu - demon goddess cult crave infanticide, cannibalism, sickness and death

9 Vulture god - craves carrion and death and food for vultures and bloody sacrifice

10 Bronze Bull cult - the punishment of the gods, worship berserk minotaurs and the underworld, cult build mazes and provide victims for monsters

11 Death Templars - a corrupt order of death cults who dominated the world with undead once

12 Dragon Templars - order worshipping Tiamat, of dragon thralls who aid and worship dragon rulers, the chosen even become dragon folk and get to see the dragon spawning pits of Hell