by FoxWithAKeyboard – NOTE: this is a fictional news site
Written: 14th August 2022
Cults are nasty business, and getting into one is easier than the casual observer may think. They involve drugs, trafficking, exploitation of minors, and suicide pacts.
Many people are aware of cults such as Aum Shinrikyo, People’s Temple and Heaven’s Gate which are run by people who want power and control. People who wish to control a group, and give them a set of beliefs. They have disturbing rituals and practices which the members believe are normal as that is what they’ve become accustomed to.
This story, however, begins on 4chan.
4chan is a place known for toxicity, racism and adult content. The users are mostly lonely people who are terminally online (a phrase referring to someone closely engaged with Internet culture) and therefore easy to manipulate.
On the 7th of March 2020, multiple posts were made on 4chan to various message boards. They have been found on “Video Games”, “Weapons”, “History & Humanities”, “LGBT” and “Very Important Posts”. There are slight variations, however the image below is the message found on /v/.
This was the beginning of a further mystery.
This is how they started recruiting.
Both the poster and the cult owner are unknown, but they call themselves “Hestia” – the Goddess of Domestic Life, Home and Hearth¹. Their identity is still unknown but it is presumed that as of present day they are dead or replaced. The significance of this name is likely the feeling they wanted to give off rather than them actually being a Greek God.
On the server were displays of a madman. Discussions of murders and sacrifices were common, with an entire text channel dedicated to finding targets. All that was needed was a name, date of birth and a reason, the latter of which is never fact checked.
Multiple ex-members have come forward with statements. They claimed to witness the “use of wizardry”, descriptions which could only be either the use of Visual Effects or the powers of a God. Sacrifices are made, displays of severe violence are recorded and meetings between members are held weekly.
I have seen no confirmed murders, however many mentioned in the “hitlist” text channel have missing posters and have not been found.
I’ve seen theories online suggesting that perhaps it is some ARG or online puzzle game but that would be a harmful misconception. There is no puzzle to this group.
As of present, the group is estimated to have 517 members, most recruited from the popular game “VR Chat”, and mainly composed of those aged 12 to 19, with few above that age range. I believe this is because children are the most easily manipulated.
The claims of the cult such as their number of kills and member count are difficult to confirm however what we can confirm is the strange rituals they partake in. Members were given paid tickets to fly to Greece, and stayed in local hotels when invited to participate.
They have been seen patrolling the Vikos National Park, Greece, with shotguns and fire torches. Ex-members have claimed they partook in cannibalism on the 17th day each month which they originally were told was bison, and they would “ascend” members by gathering atop Mount Olympus. They said during ascension the eyes would “glow like the sun was ingrained in their skulls”, and they would “float upwards” as the group sang hymns in latin.
Any updates on this group’s activities will be posted on this site, certain footage isn’t allowed to be posted due to concerns from authorities.
¹ Hearth – the area round a fireplace (used especially with reference to a person’s home or family life).
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