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The parameters of your question are too broad and vague.
What form a Chaos cult can take varies tremendously and will depend on the world. Since worlds on the Imperium vary tremendously, so will the cults. A cult on a feral world is going to be very different from one on an industrialized or hive world for example. They will also vary depending on what god (if any) they are devoted to.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/06/09 04:24:41
It also vastly varies based on who the members of the cult are.
A pleasure-seeking, hedonistic cult of Slaanesh amongst Imperial aristocracy is going to look and act very different than a cult to Nurgle by the mutants and underclass of the very same city.
That said there are some ideas to work with, by major Chaos god:
Any warrior society or underground fight club would work for Khorne, whether this is a feral warrior brotherhood or an illegal blood sport arena in the depths of a hive city. It might masquerade as a seemingly noble knightly order or an officer's club.
A Slaanesh cult can easily be some form of artistic appreciation society or alternatively some gentleman's club for the bored idle rich. These may have a respectable surface and maybe outer layer but as one goes further into the inner circles one would find more extreme activities and experiences.
A Tzeentch cult could be any form of mystical cult promoting use of magic/psychic ability. It could also be a group of political intriguers in merchant or noble houses, or a downtrodden revolutionary group seeking to overthrow the established order.
A Nurgle cult can be like a brotherhood of beggars and mutants in the undercity or like leper colonies on backward worlds.
All cults are not obviously in your face waving Chaos symbols and chanting. The reason they survive for any length of time is because they remain hidden and subtle. They may pretend to be respectable organizations or charities, or they might take the form of criminal organizations. They may have no idea they are a Chaos cult at all, believing they are a variant sect of the Imperial Ecclesiarchy. Alternatively perhaps only the inner core of the group is overtly religious and cult-like with the outer group just a front or as a source of recruits/sacrifices/materials. Some of the loosest members might not be aware they are a member of anything specific. They may only know that if they are asked to do a favor they will get rewarded for doing so.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/06/09 04:45:24
I wanted the question to be vague, the subject interests me I want to learn everything I can. Though I suppose if I had to choose Slaanesh interests me the most but really I'm just hunting down any sources or info I can find
Probably just like the Jonestown or Branch Davidian cults...
Here's to me in my sober mood,
When I ramble, sit, and think.
Here's to me in my drunken mood,
When I gamble, sin, and drink.
And when my days are over,
And from this world I pass,
I hope they bury me upside down,
So the world can kiss my ass!
Pawns of Chaos is an older book about a world whose inhabitants worship chaos. Not cultist mutant fanatic worship, more like Catholic Church worshipping that you only really pay attention to on Sunday. It's a good look at their point of view when the fanatical murderers of the imperial murder empire come crashing down to take away their benevolent gods.
Pretty gak in most cases. The chaos gods don't even care about their powerful pawns too much, so their billions and billions of insect like mortals aren't treated very well either.
my guys: 40k
7000 4000 3000 5000 Daemonkin rar 3500 Daemons grr 5000 Pick 'n mix warband yaay 7000 Hostile environment tank army ooooh 4000 Imp. night :O
Depends on the cult and the members. They probably vary quite a bit.
There's probably a Nurgle cult somewhere made up of old retirees who have morbid conversations while they play bingo.
There's also probably a Nurgle cult somewhere a lot like Fight Club ("It's only after you've lost everything," Tyler says, "that you're free to do anything.") that exults in self destruction and terrorism.
Ok a joke.
Why do Slaanesh worshipers also often worship Nurgle?
"Wot's faster than a warbuggy, more killy than a warbike, and flies through da air like a bird? I got no bleedin' idea, but I'm gonna find out". - Speedfreak
I would guess that for some people it's pretty much like any other religion. Just because you're worshiping the chaos gods doesn't mean they're going to pay attention to you.
The Imperium is very good at information control. I'm guessing that some "cults" are just the equivalent of rebellious teenagers who worship some strange made up chaos like thing that doesn't actually exist (Takila, the chaos god of alcohol, or something equally benign).
I bet that there's some cults who think they're tapping directly into the great powers of chaos, but actually are the pawns of some minor warp entity who is just feeding off their small time antics to get a tentacle up on its competitors, so to speak.
That would be an interesting Roleplying idea, an underhive type scenario, except the districts are divided among different cults who are worshiping small time warp demons.
At any rate, I'm guessing we have a pretty distorted idea of the 'average in universe' chaos cult, since every time we see one in the fluff it has to be huge, important, and directly powered by one of the 4 great gods. Otherwise it wouldn't be worth including.
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BrianDavion wrote: Between the two of us... I think GW is assuming we the players are not complete idiots.
Rapidly on path to becoming the world's youngest bitter old man.
Cadre Coronal Afterglow w1;d0;l0 
3000 
5000 
Daemons grr 5000 
Hostile environment tank army ooooh 4000 
Imp. night :O