Editing Cultist (section)

==Overview==
All planets and civilizations belonging to the [[Imperium of Man|Imperium]] can harbor Chaos organisations, which themselves are as diverse in practice and membership as is imaginable. From the blood-soaked sacrificial cults of feral worlds to the philosophical secret societies of more advanced worlds, the temptations of Chaos can capture all. Indeed, according to the [[Ordo Hereticus]], Chaos Cults can arise from any class of Imperial society, be it impoverished, noble, hive-gang, [[Abhuman]], soldiers, or [[Mutant]].

At first glance they are indistinguishable from normal men, but under their clothes, the flesh is tattooed and branded with sigils that hurt the eyes of any faithful who look upon them. When the Chaos Space Marines come to a planet, the true colours of the Cultists are revealed. The more grotesquely mutated among them, the so-called "[[Accursed Cultist Mutant]]s", are far more conspicuous, and the [[Accursed Cultist Torment|leaders]] of such squads are often just a few steps away from devolving into an [[Chaos Spawn|Unnameable Beast]].

The objective of the Chaos cult is to survive and eventually dominate the society. Mere survival is particularly important on Imperial worlds, where Chaos worship is the greatest of heresies and [[Inquisitors]] are always vigilant and ready to wipe out any taint of Chaos.

Generally clandestine in nature, as discovery could bring with it attention from local [[Adeptus Arbites|Arbites]] all the way up to the [[Inquisition]], cults often hide behind the front of some form of legitimate organization in their attempt to accumulate local or planetary power, such as trade unions, charitable organizations, accepted religious groups and even local variants of the [[Imperial Cult]]. By extension, any honest folk which try to form said organization for real might end up burned at the stake because an inquisitor has a lot on his plate and would rather be safe than sorry.

Extreme political organizations make good fronts for cults, as they naturally attract power-hungry and mentally unbalanced individuals, which make particularly good material for potential cult members. A very successful organization can gain real political power, even gaining enough power to make it possible for the cult to become the governing body of the planet without having to resort to rebellion.

After taking root, and as it expands in power and influence, eventually the cult may end up effectively ruling anything from a township to an entire planet. Eventually, an uprising breaks out, either on purpose or because the cult has grown too large and/or unruly to remain secret any longer. At this point, the cult can be expected to summon aid from their Chaotic masters, ranging from incurring daemonic possession to summoning the Traitor Legions. Cults may also begin to rebel in concert with an invasion of Chaos Marines. The ultimate aim of the cult's uprising is to overthrow the Imperial government and attain direct control of the world. After the conflict, cultists are often taken back into the [[Eye of Terror]] where they either join the damned population of a [[Daemon World]] or are formed up into a Chaos Warlord's armed forces.

There are many types of Cults, all of which can be [[Chaos Cults|seen here.]]