Everything

How does she stay so thin? How did he get so pumped? Why do so many people worship the stars and celebutantes of modern media culture? That’s a trade secret you might hear about but not believe. There really is a cult of celebrity, and it’s older than you might think…

The decadenti date back to late medieval Europe, when the conflux of trade and aristocracy bred a class of people rich enough to indulge themselves and callous enough to take whatever they wanted. As their bastardized French/ Italian name suggests, this Nephandic branch flourished in Renaissance-era France and Italy, spawning cults like the Laughing Rose, the Siren Circle, and the Jade Cross of St. Lucifer (who inspired the band called St. Lucifer as well). These groups, and others from that era, still survive today. Their members enjoy access to unearthly pleasures and success.

In a world where few people believe in stupid things like souls, the bargains struck by would-be decadenti seem like harmless games. They’re not, of course, and by the time a new member realizes what she’s playing with, it’s too late to leave the cult. Oh, sure, they might hunt you down, torture you for fun, and then leave your body in a compromising position so that the press and Internet can have field days with your corpse. It’s far more fun, however, to wreck you while you’re still alive – to sic the sect’s flacks and paparazzi on you and then turn your fame into one big scandal. Remember a certain King of Pop, or the trailer-trash teen queen who crashed and burned in the public eye? That’s how the decadenti deal with folks who want to duck out on the Fame Monsters. Meanwhile, the petty Arts and demonic gifts enjoyed by famous decadenti push Sleepers toward impossible ideals… and thus, toward despair when they cannot meet those goals. A particular decadenti sect, the New Youth Foundation, takes advantage of such despair by specializing in plastic surgery and other cosmetic and anti-aging treatments. (It’s amazing how much money people will pay to be tortured and mutilated in the name of beauty!) The decadenti, of course, are always looking for new playmates – and in an age when everyone wants to be a star, they’re never lacking for fresh meat.