They really prefer the phrase “new religious movement,” but trust me, it’s a motherfuckin’ cult. His religion isolates him from his family, tries to get him to rope in his friends, and expects to get a very big chunk of his paycheck. The mandatory week-long retreats are classic brainwashing—sleep deprivation, chants, starchy foods, love bombing. All pretty standard.
So while he’s superficially normal, his primary allegiance is to his guru/cult leader. Who’s leading the cult? Well, whomever the GM finds most interesting. Could be your typical narcissistic sex-maniac. Could be a charger with a handful of tricks to keep useful rubes compliant. Or it could be something altogether inhuman.
This guy has his cult, or its leader, as his Guru relationship. He’s got five Fails in Isolation, thanks to those mind-control vacations. His permanent madness is unthinking loyalty to the guru, as was intended.
I’m in A Cult, of course I can feign normalcy, ignore injury and deprivation in service of holy things, fall into ecstatic glossolalia.
Substitutes for: Lie.
Feature: Protects Unnatural.
Feature: Coerces Isolation.