I've been doing a bit more work on this and have the volcano cult pretty much written up. Any comments would be welcome.
The Great Volcano Spirit
The Volcano spirit is unlike his brothers in that he exists not as one spirit, manifested into many avatars, but many avatars that are part of one greater spirit. An aspect of it slumbers in each volcano, drifting through sleep and communicating with his followers via dreams. Periodically an aspect will awaken and thrash about wildly as it does so, causing the volcano it inhabits to erupt. The dwarves have long known how to pacify local volcano aspects with worship and sacrifice. They have learnt many secrets of forge craft, magic and fire from communion with the sleeping volcanoes.
Should the PCs ever find an abandoned Dwarf hold, it is likely they find devotional temples to volcano gods. Should they go to a dwarven city, they will see vast open pools of magma, bottomless magma chambers of bubbling lava, ringed with temples, altars and forges.
If they are very crafty, then they can commune with the priests and join the volcano cults. These cults however are all situated in Dwarven cities and the PCs must go there to advance.
Rank 1 - The Proving
This rank is about the initiate proving their devotion and dedication to the teachings of the volcano spirit. Candidates are first expected to work for a season lifting, carrying and working as an assistant to more senior cult members. This work is very menial, dull and physically demanding and does not relent, lasting from dawn til dusk. This work is meant to prove the initiates dedication and submission to the teachings, any candidate too proud or slothful will drop out before the season is done. Assuming the priests are satisfied with the initiates performance, the priests begin a second season of instruction, teaching the initiate the lore to volcano spirit and the traditions of their order. Finally, the initiate goes before the great magma chamber, beseeches the spirits aid and ritually marks his face with a red hot poker, heated in the spirits lava. As the initiate passes out from the pain, the spirit blasts into their mind, giving them a brief touch with a vaster and far mightier soul. The spirit leaves some knowledge behind, the ability to craft items of Quality.
Initiates Items of Quality
Target 15
Script: +8
+1 contribute large offerings of “treasure” to the spirit
+1 initiate spends a season performing the most menial tasks in the forges for other blacksmiths
+3 Mystagogue spends a season training the initiate in cult lore
+3 Minor Ordeal (Gain flaw: Disfigured)
Mystagogue needs pre + cult lore = 7
Rank 2 - The Reconciliation
After humiliating work for other blacksmiths and the pain and trauma of physically branding oneself, many initiates consider this rank a reprieve, where their earlier sacrifice is redeeming in learning very potent enchantment magics.
The initiate spends two seasons, first opening an item and then enchanting an effect into it that tests his skills (i.e. must be of a level close to the PCs max lab total but still able to be invested in a single season). The mystagogue then tutors the initiate for a season in cult lore focused around the process of enchantment, using the recently enchanted item as an example. This powerful item is then brought before the great spirit and the mystagogue commands the initiate to throw it into the magma chamber. If the initiate complies, the magma level swells and bursts forth and once again the initiate touches the mind of the volcano spirit. Learning the mystery of the Verditius elder runes.
Initiates Verditius Elder runes
Target 12 (15, -3 for previous ordeal)
Script: +7
+4 Initiate enchants a greater enchanted item spending 2 seasons, 1 to open it and 1 to enchant an effect in it. This effect must be of as high a level effect as the initiate can enchant. This item is then thrown into the magma chamber.
+3 Mystagogue spends a season training the initiate in cult lore
Mystagogue needs pre + cult lore = 5
Rank 3 - The Strengthening
At this rank the initiate is strengthened, tempered and hardened. His skills as a blacksmith are tested as are his skills as a warrior. The initiate is sent to a remote abandoned volcano temple, to arrive at the first day of the ascension of the planet Mars. Once there they must work in solitude for a season, crafting weapons, armour and metal items of all kinds. During this season, they must take a week to craft a master piece weapon for their own use. This is a 12+ difficulty roll. They must then take this weapon and travel to another volcano temple and clear out the monstrous inhabitants using only the weapon. Once it has been cleaned out, they must clean the temple and repair the damaged altar. At the end of this quest the initiate must have skills (below) at a certain level. Upon repairing the altar, the volcano spirit once again touches their mind and knowledge of smithing is left imprinted.
Initiates Reforge enchanted items, Affinity: Craft - Blacksmith, Puissant: Craft - Blacksmith (initiated as a major virtue)
Target 19 (21, -2 for previous ordeal)
Script: +10
+1 forge many different weapons, armours and metal items and then throw them in the magma chamber
+3 Travel to a remote forge hidden in a cave deep within a volcano for the first day of the ascension of Mars and there work in isolation for a season
+2 Craft: Blacksmith at 4, one melee weapon ability at 3, philosophiae at 3
+1 Initiate must create a master piece weapon at the forge (difficulty of 12+) taking at least a week on its construction.
+3 The initiate must find a lost temple of the volcano spirit, clean out the monstrous inhabitants (with the weapon he created) that currently defile it and repair the altar.
Mystagogue needs pre + cult lore = 9
Rank 4 - The Tempering
Building upon the increase in skills learnt during the strengthening, the tempering pushes the abilities of the initiate even further, this time bringing about supernatural changes in him, blessings of the volcano spirit that make him impervious to fire.
First the initiate must meet strict standards in his skills as a warrior, smith and philospher. The initiate then studies with the volcano spirits high priests for three months, learning more lore and deepening his knowledge of the spirit. Then comes the trial. The initiate is given a brazier of lit coals and told to carry the brazier to the next temple along the pilgrimage route. The brazier may not be set down except to sleep at which time it must be placed over the initiates heart while he sleeps on his back. Given the mountainous terrain, frequent monster attacks and so on that the initiate will encounter, this inevitably leads to large, painful and above all, frequent burns as coals and embers drop onto clothes and skin. At the end of the quest, when the initiate enters the temple, he must, with his bare hand pluck out a glowing coal from the ember and plunge it into his eye, burning out his eye in the process. This is unspeakably painful but at the zenith of the pain, the coal ceases to burn, the wounds he has gathered on the quest heal and he feels a cool breeze pass over him. He has internalized some of the fire of the spirits soul and is henceforth immune to flames and fire.
Initiates Greater Immunity: Fire
Target 20 (21, -1 for previous ordeal)
Script: +11
+3 Minor Ordeal (Gain flaw, Missing eye)
+1 Craft: Blacksmith at 5, one melee weapon ability at 4, philosophiae at 4
+3 Mystagogue spends a season training the initiate in cult lore
+3 Initiate must carry a lit brazier from the temple of the volcano spirit to another similar temple. The brazier may not be parted from the initiate or the quest is failed. Although the brazier has handles and is fairly well covered, the travails of the road (especially in the mountains where the temples are located) ensure that the initiate is frequently burned.
+1 appropriate ritual
Mystagogue needs pre + cult lore = 9
Rank 5 - The Summoning
Having absorbed some of the power of the volcano spirit, it only remains for the initiate to learn to bring forth the spirit to smite his foes. At this final rank he learns Major Magical Focus: Lava, allowing him access to the power of the volcano itself. This rank is only available to those who truly excel in the skills the Volcano spirit respects. At this rank the initiate is expected to be acting as almost a priest, and must take at least 1 worthy apprentice, training them and teaching them cult lore for the rank 1 initiation for which they must act as mystagogue. Finally, they must construct a new temple, worthy of the volcano spirit. This does not necessarily have to be actually at a volcano, merely a temple where the spirit is worshipped. This should take a season to consecrate. At some point during this consecration, the weakness to aquam magic is gained, much as cold water turns lava to mere stone, so the initiate becomes weaker to aquam.
Initiates Major Magical Focus: Lava
Target 18 (21, -3 for previous ordeal)
Script: +9
+2 Craft: Blacksmith at 6, one melee weapon ability at 5, philosophiae at 5
+3 Minor Ordeal (Gain flaw, Limited magic resistance - Aquam)
+3 quest: must construct a temple
+1 must take a worthy apprentice and induct them into the cult, spending a season teaching cult lore as mystagogue in the rank 1 initiation.
Mystagogue needs pre + cult lore = 9