To clarify: tier three requires either direct involvement against Elias and his followers, or direct involvement towards the Fog's aims.
Sacrifice alone, regardless of numbers, is not sufficient to meet this criteria. As you mentioned, Madoka tiered up with a sacrifice - but it was a sacrifice of a Fourth follower, which tied it directly into the war. Also, this was a long time ago, and took place under a different mod team: there is no defined rubric for god tier-ups, which are decided on a case-by-case basis, and the understanding of what is required has shifted along with the mod teams. We would caution players against leaning too heavily on older examples for this reason, and advise referencing more recent plots where possible.
The action does not have to be against Elias, but it does have to be in service of the Fog's aims. Despite what she may say to her followers, the Fog's priorities have always been less with the comfort and wellbeing of monsters, and more with their use as a weapon against the humans of Ryslig.
This kind of action in the Fog's favour might mean providing her with power, or increasing the overall fear of monsters among the human population. (Since in your plot, the main danger is the human cultists, this does not apply - it would rather increase the fear of other humans!) At Tier 3, we will not accept conversion from neutrality alone as an argument for the Fog's benefit.
We would also like to remind you of how the Tagevalgten plot ended. The Fog has made her position clear on human cults - she doesn't much care for them. She will not accept friendship with humans, no matter how murderous, as an act in service of the Fog. Humans are the enemy, perhaps even more than Elias, in her eyes.
TL;DR - no, not all Tier 3 plots have to be direct confrontations with Elias and his followers, but they do have to be in direct service of the Fog's greater aims, which include the terrorising of humans, garnering of power for the Fog, and defeating Elias.
no subject
To clarify: tier three requires either direct involvement against Elias and his followers, or direct involvement towards the Fog's aims.
Sacrifice alone, regardless of numbers, is not sufficient to meet this criteria. As you mentioned, Madoka tiered up with a sacrifice - but it was a sacrifice of a Fourth follower, which tied it directly into the war. Also, this was a long time ago, and took place under a different mod team: there is no defined rubric for god tier-ups, which are decided on a case-by-case basis, and the understanding of what is required has shifted along with the mod teams. We would caution players against leaning too heavily on older examples for this reason, and advise referencing more recent plots where possible.
The action does not have to be against Elias, but it does have to be in service of the Fog's aims. Despite what she may say to her followers, the Fog's priorities have always been less with the comfort and wellbeing of monsters, and more with their use as a weapon against the humans of Ryslig.
This kind of action in the Fog's favour might mean providing her with power, or increasing the overall fear of monsters among the human population. (Since in your plot, the main danger is the human cultists, this does not apply - it would rather increase the fear of other humans!) At Tier 3, we will not accept conversion from neutrality alone as an argument for the Fog's benefit.
We would also like to remind you of how the Tagevalgten plot ended. The Fog has made her position clear on human cults - she doesn't much care for them. She will not accept friendship with humans, no matter how murderous, as an act in service of the Fog. Humans are the enemy, perhaps even more than Elias, in her eyes.
TL;DR - no, not all Tier 3 plots have to be direct confrontations with Elias and his followers, but they do have to be in direct service of the Fog's greater aims, which include the terrorising of humans, garnering of power for the Fog, and defeating Elias.
We hope this helps!