Windwalker Cult Those who worship Ithaqua the Windwalker know that their ultimate fate is likely to become a wendigo—a cannibalistic monster that moves with the wind The Windwalker attracts mostly wild folk, trappers, or other explorers who dwell in the polar regions and form unsophisticated but brutal and murderous cults In a very real sense, worship of the Windwalker is not a choice, but a logical consequence of his followers’ increasing blood lust and ferocity Typically, such a cult cannot coexist with an agrarian civilization, though raiders or nomads sworn to the Windwalker often maintain a high standard of living parasitically by preying on others They pillage and loot more stable cities or lands, taking what they will and destroying the rest When the Windwalker’s cult reaches a certain critical mass, it begins to spread as a plague, and waves Eventually, enough would-be wendigos and their allies create an organization of criminals to prey on others At first, they may only strike at outlying homes or small groups of wanderers, then eventually escalate their campaign to attacking small settlements They may participate in piracy At this point, Windwalker cultists often come in contact with a gnoph-keh, and some of their number are well on the path toward becoming wendigos All are inspired by Ithaqua’s personality and look forward to his increasingly common visits to the mortal realm By this time, they can present as organized opponents to a whole band of adventurers They may even have a home base from which to operate The Ice Crusades of frantic cultists hurl themselves against entire nation- As multiple rapacious bands join together and Ithaqua’s states, destroying them, and moving on as their thirst influence spreads, eventually whole tribes may fall for plunder and destruction requires under his sway, and in the end, Ithaqua’s awful army The Windwalker cult starts out small and grows goes on the march The winter winds howl and the through three stages until it reaches a bloody crescendo snow blasts as the Great Old One and his minions of cannibalistic carnage descend upon the rest of the world in the fury of total The Loneliest Cultist In the beginning, Ithaqua is merely a horrendous monster He preys on individuals, driving them mad until they begin to eat the flesh of their own kind and one day turn into wendigos Over time these cannibalistic criminals may grow to sufficient numbers to reach the next level of the Windwalker cult During this period, the Windwalker primarily acts as the source of some particularly dangerous wilderness predators He is not determined to craft a cult but 184 The Robber Band war Heedless of the outcome, they throw themselves with unholy abandon at the forces of rationality, civilization, and learning, desiring only to rend and devour flesh Windwalker Cult Gifts ‘‘ The Lesser Transformation: The cultist begins the process of becoming a wendigo (page 396) Killing and eating more victims allows for the completion of the transformation ‘‘ The Greater Transformation: Rare and difficult, merely to give rise to as many wendigos as possible, this gift begins the process of turning a wendigo sowing the seeds of madness and destruction into a windwalker wendigo (page 398) This