Temple of Existential Evil, The

For many years, a bizarre cult flourished somewhere on the shores of the Nyr Dyv. Originally, the cult was little more than an existentialist society, teaching that life is a futile struggle against outside forces (gawds, other persons, nature, and so on) aligned in opposition to the individual, and that the individual is only at his best when he struggles against these forces. This "cult of despair," as many referred to it, gathered few followers, until one day a mysterious and charismatic woman arrived. Only when the whole world is in despair, said their new leader, can its people truly feel the need to struggle and rise above their current state.