Benefactor cult

A Benefactor cult is a group centered around religious or quasi-religious reverence of the Combine.

Overview
Benefactor cults are characterized by their religious worship of the Combine. They are often highly insular and xenophobic, with most being outwardly hostile toward outsiders. Many have vaguely tribal structures centered around a single priest or zealot and the majority utilize scavenged Combine technology.

Benefactor cults are commonly found in outlands outside the reach of Liberation states. As of 50 AL, the UDD has identified as many as thirty cults operating in the Midwest alone.

Synth oil is often consumed by cultists for various purposes.

History
The intense cult of personality surrounding Wallace Breen as well as the immense breadth and capability of the Combine inspired sweeping theological revolutions during the Occupation. Though the fall of the Union led to the disappearance of its official instruments, Loyalists continued to hold deistic views of the Combine well into the post-occupation era. These views often were accompanied by secret forms of worship and pilgrimages to extant Union sites.

As Liberation forces continued hunting and uprooting the vestiges of Loyalism in settled areas, Loyalists were pushed further and further into outland regions. It was in these regions, away from the dangers of Loyalist hunters, that Loyalists would come together to form cults.