Vial Master

To get to the rank of Vial Master, one must first be a dedicated member of the Taintshapers and have earned the Tide-Tainted level. A prospective Vial Master must have successfully injected and embraced seven separate taints into their body, each of which alters and reshapes them into something beyond human. Their body must not only survive but thrive through these mutations, becoming a live witness to the Taint's strength and power.

In addition, they must have extensive scholastic understanding, having studied Douglas' teachings as well as the disciplines of biology, alchemy, and Magical theory and practices. This understanding is required not just to comprehend the Taint, but also to help others through their growth and revelations.

Finally, ascension demands recognition. The candidate must be accepted by at least two existing Vial Masters, or, in rare and sacred situations, chosen directly by Douglas himself via a shared vision or heavenly insight. Such a calling is deemed absolute.

Only then can one claim the title and responsibilities of Vial Master And bring more into the taint into Douglas's way.

Douglas's hidden graces provide the Vial Masters with considerably more than just physical resilience. Anything they put into their body, whether a toxin, curse, or parasite, has the ability to adapt and absorb, making them stronger, stranger, and more advanced than the average follower.

They acquire more information than any other rank in the religion, including visions, whispers, formulas, and revelations directly from Douglas. This advice enables them to develop new taints, improve current ones, and comprehend the underlying mechanics of corruption.

Vial Masters also have complete access to the cult's resources, such as laboratories, sacred books, forbidden ingredients, and a dedicated cadre of disciples to carry out their will.

The Vial Master is the highest known rank in the Taintshaper Cult. These people have proven themselves through innumerable trials set by Douglas, thoroughly embracing the Taint until their own bodies become conduits of corruption and change. They have not only survived the injections and rites, but they have fully grasped and embodied Douglas' will his vision for a transformed and evolved world.

A Vial Master's responsibilities are both spiritual and strategic. They direct and polish the development of existing followers, assuring their loyalty and advancement within the Taint. They are also responsible for recruiting new souls, either by deception, revelation, or force whichever the theology requires.

They have no question about Douglas' heavenly mission. To them, the Taint is a benefit rather than a curse a tool for improving the world via development, pain, and obedience. Those that are chosen and persevere are deemed blessed, shaped into something greater. Those who resist or falter are viewed as faulty and should be cleaned or discarded.

Whether seen as prophets or nightmares, Vial Masters have an unwavering goal. They are Douglas' voice and hand, spreading his influence across the land, one willing or broken vessel at a time.

Every Vial Master gets access to a secret sanctuary, a hidden place deep within the cult's fortress. This area serves as both a laboratory and a shrine, designed specifically for the purpose of developing new taints, improving old recipes, and providing blessings for initiates.

Arcane enchantments complement the sanctum's advanced alchemical equipment, which is fully equipped to support volatile experiments. Shelves overflowing with old volumes, journals from previous and current Vial Masters, and Douglas' sacred writings provide essential knowledge for their deadly profession.

Even the most devoted must take a nap from time to time, therefore there is a little sleeping area in one corner. The room also houses their personal vials, tools, and ceremonial robes, all of which are securely stored in a magically locked alcove.

When not disseminating the Taint around the world, Vial Masters frequent these rooms to tend to their mixes, murmur invocations, and bestow twisted blessings on their creations.

The role of a Vial Master is not without immense risk. Daily exposure to volatile substances, magical compounds, and mutagenic taints can lead to chemical burns, spiritual corruption, genetic breakdown, or infection by nearly every form of disease or aberration known to the world and some not known at all.

Bacteria, viruses, cursed ailments, or unstable magical plagues all are potential hazards of their craft. However, so long as a Vial Master remains in Douglas’s good favor, every danger they endure becomes part of their transformation. To them, suffering is evolution. Every sickness is just another step toward perfection.