Cult of Shad-Hujem
The Cult of Shad-Hujem is one of the nine empires vying for control over Countermay. During the 2012 national Romance of the Nine Empire championship, second place finisher Louis Weaver was playing an Shad-Hujem deck.
History
Before the God-King appeared, the Hujem were but a loose nation of uncivilized raiders making war on one another. Then He came, and brought truth. Then He came, and brought purpose. The dark God-King Shad-Hujem burst into the world in fire and pain, searing the eyes from the heads of those who witnessed His arrival. He came to conquer, and found the Hujem only too willing to bend the knee. Almost overnight, the Hujem were transformed into what they are today: A religious empire of warrior-priests and anti-paladins bent on converting the world, by the Word or by the Sword. Fueled by an unmatched religious fervor, their empire grew faster than any before it, and a generation ago stood poised to fulfill Shad-Hujem’s commandment to convert all of Countermay. It was only the unlikely arrival of the Displaced—who have since become their bitterest of rivals—that blunted their advance. In the worldwide war that followed, the Hujem and their allies in Esh and the Unseelie seemed destined for victory before the Displaced vaporized the God-King with their final city-killing bomb. Today, the Cult of Shad-Hujem is much weakened, both militarily and spiritually, and is more on par in the balance of power with the other eight empires. However, the truly devout know that the God-King will return, and when He does, He will resume his conquest of conversion and baptize the world in fire.