The Book of Martyrs

[Ancelas]

Secrets of Saltmarsh: The Lucky Hand uncovered a smuggling operation in the oceanside town of Saltmarsh operated by the Cult of the Dead Three, who seemed to be moving goods across the Sea of Storms to Wachovia in the north. The operation was overseen by a cultist named Skerrin, posing as the household steward of Lord Anders Solmar. After the Lucky Hand disrupted the cult's operations, Skerrin sought to burn all evidence of his treachery but was forced to flee Saltmarsh through the efforts of local authorities, heading in the direction of Wachovia.


The Haunting of Trollskull Manor: After their initial arrival in Wachovia, the Lucky Hand captured some young would-be pickpockets who then led them to their leader, a young deaf girl by the name of Nat. The Hand quickly made friends with the band of orphans, which included Jenks, Squiddy, Mouse, and Ren, residents of Trollskull Alley, loosely looked after by a resident doctor by the name of Viktor Mordenheim.

The orphans introduced the Hand to Trollskull Manor, an abandoned inn haunted by the poltergeist of its former owner, Lif. The Hand confirmed that Lif was very real and unfriendly toward outsiders for unknown reasons, and in their investigation of the manor, inadvertently set free an older spirit, the shadow of a Hag that Lif seemed to have been keeping contained in the cellar of the manor.

After a harrowing night chasing down the Hag Shadow and securing the safety of children both living and dead, the Lucky Hand were able to banish the shadow permanently, allowing the spirit of Lif and the Hag's victims to pass on peacefully.

[Ancelas]

The Wachovian Nightmare: After surviving a harrowing encounter with the Nighthaunt on the way to Wachovia, the Lucky Hand arrived to find the city barring entrance to outsiders on behalf of both a refugee crisis and mysterious series of plagues. Elturel had fallen, and the survivors sought refuge against the roaming Nighthaunt and other dangers in the Gilnean countryside, while a series of undead outbreaks in the midst of the city alluded to stranger goings-on within the sanctuary city.

After gaining access to the city, the Lucky Hand was approached by Captain Zodge of the Basilisk Gate, one of the Wachovian guards charged with unearthing the truth behind the occurrences in the city. Unable to leave his post to meet with a contact by the name of Tarina due to a recent outbreak in the neighborhood of Brampton, Zodge offerred to pay the Lucky Hand for what they could uncover in the city.

Over the course of their investigations, the Lucky Hand were able to make the following discoveries:

• Elturel had fallen to unknown catastrophe, and its refugees are desperate for safety.
• Sickness was running rampant throughout the city, due to degrading living conditions brought about by the refugee crisis and a plague dubbed The Scourge, which was transforming people into zombies. The most recent outbreak of the Scourge had occurred in Brampton, prompting a quarantine. The Scourge was suspected to be supernatural in nature by a pair of dockside herbalists, who believed it had been created and released by someone.
• Elturans were being murdered in the streets of Wachovia by strangers in dark cloaks and red gauntlets, and the remnants of the Hellriders - Elturel's city guards - were causing problems for the Wachovian Guard, who could not investigate the murders. A note left behind by a deceased Hellrider in the Elfsong Tavern identified a well-funded smuggling ring for bringing Elturans into the city that had somehow already been set up before the Elturans had arrived, as though it had anticipated the crisis. The Hellrider believed there was a link between one of the nobles of the Upper City, someone on the docks, and the Elturan catastrophe.
• The Hellriders themselves had gone to ground after the recent zombie outbreak in Brampton, leading many Wachovians to believe they had something to do with it.
• The bodies of the deceased Elturans were being dumped in Insight Park. While investigating the park, traces of tanning chemicals had been found near discarded papers authorizing entry into the city for an Elturan refugee. A tannery called the Poisoned Poseidon was of particular interest due to a strange increase in observed business during a time of scarcity.
• While the papers found near the body of Live Diomedis indicated he had entered Wachovia through the Basilisk Gate, a fisherman named Zendreya Vereni told the Lucky Hand that he had been smuggled into the city through the docks by Zendreya himself, who had been hired by a man named Botros to retrieve Diomedis and bring the Elturan to the Low Lantern, where many Elturans had begun gathering.
• The Low Lantern, a gambling hall used by Amrik Vanthampur, son of Grand Duchess Thalamra Vanthampur, seemed to be involved in the aforementioned Mobian smuggling ring, particularly as the Lucky Hand witnessed him signing papers with an Elturan refugee first hand.
• Amrik claimed that Fagin, the dragonborn leader of the Thousand Hands, might be behind the zombie outbreak in Brampton. Amrik provided the Lucky Hand with the location of the Thousand Hands' hideout, offering to investigate the Hellriders and their leader Reya Mantlemorn if the Lucky Hand could bring back proof that Fagin had been disposed of.

The Lucky Hand had spread word among the Elturan refugees that the Hellriders could find allies at the Elfsong Tavern, where they had secured a room for themselves after dealing with cultists who had come looking for Tarina. These cultists had turned out to be members of the Dead Three, linking the cult activity in Wachovia with that observed in Saltmarsh.

[opius]

Liev Diomedis - Elturian found dead at Insight Park. Tanning fluid left near the corpse. Letter of writ granting him asylum signed by members of the Basilisk Gate- likely forged. Carved symbol of one of the dreamer cults on the body, not sure which of the three.

Botros: Smuggling Elturans. Why?

Puddleblossoms: Kindly elderly gnomish herbalists. Dished on the plague, speculated the quarantine was a bad move. Panic and close quarters seem to be proliferating the disease.

The Poisoned Poseidon: Something sketchy happening here, tanning fluid found near Liev's body. Though they claim no knowledge of the killings, rumor mentions a strange uptick in business after dark.
(Speculation: It'd be a pretty convenient place for followers of the Flayed God to set up shop there.)

Rider Frances Novak: Hellrider victim found in Elfsong Tavern. Suffered a bite from a Scourge infected, eventually lost the fight and turned. Left a letter about his quest to find out what happened to Elturel.
Turn in his report to High Rider Reya Mantlemorn-

Report details an escape from Brampton, alone, by Frances Novak. Bitten, did not turn immediately, he holed himself up at Elfsong and tried to avoid afflicting others. Does not know where other members of his team are- fled during the scourge outbreak.
Could not find information about what swallowed Elturel. Discovered a smuggling ring near Brampton's docks, which has been in business since before the displaced Hellriders arrived in Wachovia- as if in preparation of the flood of refugees. Substantial money behind the operation- someone in the upper city involved.
Identifies agents of the Seducer, Dess Mortelle, active in Brampton. Novak suspected a grand conspiracy.

Suggests the docks and upper city be investigated.

---

Grand Duke Ravenguard: One of the rulers of the province and overseer of the town guard. Lead a diplomatic procession to Elturel. Went missing when Elturel disappeared.
*The town guard currently has no leader.
*Refugees flood into town, cultists getting bolder.

Grand Duke Portyr: One of the rulers of the province, elects his neice, Liara Portyr, to aid the town guard. Already justifying the move as "for the good of the city" and has formed a council to organize the situation in preparation for her. Making moves quickly,
*set to gain significant power and influence through these moves.

Liara Portyr: Strong martial leader, ranked member of the Ordo Inquisitorius (a martial council with power invested in them by the Crown). She can claim control of the city guard upon arrival without contest.

Grand Duchess Vanthampur: Ambitious, owns a huge portion of trade-business in the city. Former enemy of Ravenguard, suddenly face-turned to support his diplomatic mission (where he disappeared). Justified the move to strengthen the merchant relationship between elturel and wachovia despite no former interest in the matter- she's set on money.

Extremely suspicious motives. Very convenient that her political opponent disappeared after leaving on a mission she endorsed.

Grand Duke Stelemane: Just a greedy old bastard. Maybe uninvolved- avoids politics.
Elturel Falls, a Duke goes missing, the Guard is barely holding it together, the city is flooded by Refugees.

Someone is smuggling Elturians into town. It's not the Thousand Hands, who would want to make money off of this.
The smuggling began before the Hellriders arrived in Wachovia- as if it had been set up beforehand. How deep does this go?

The Dreamer Cults are acting now, as if someone fed them information on what to expect. Insider info is allowing them to create the most chaos possible.

Speculation: Duchess Vanthalpur and/or Duke Portyer seemed to know Ravenguard would go missing. Way too convenient. Either might know even more.

Hellriders stirring up trouble trying to find information about their missing home. They attempted to get help from the Thousand Hands, but had to escape when the Scourge outbreak began.

We need to know what they know. Both the Hellriders and the Thousand Hand.

The Thousand Hands Guild is the likeliest force to successfully oppose the Dreamer Cults. Currently trapped in Brampton, overwhelmed by the Scourge.

Speculation: This was targeted.

Elturians being slaughtered in the streets. To what end?

Speculation: The Elturians survived the attack by Dormanus years ago, and the Companion was their ally before the fall of Elturel. Could there be some kind of magic in their blood? Culty shit being culty?

---

A saying from the cultitsts of Abbadon:

"Wherever one stands above another, whenever one seeks to dominate those weaker than them, the god of tyrants watches with pleasure. Blood for the blood god."

---

Citations from Tarina:
"The Thousand keep their distance from fanatics of any kind. Zealots are bad for business. If the Thousand caught their kind slinking through the city, there might be problems. Might lead to discussions that aren't very friendly. I've never known a cult to take 'no' for an answer, but not all of them have the power to oppose a group like the Thousand."

"Even the Thousand are capable of underestimating their enemies. You'd think a bunch of cut-throats would expect the knife in the stomach, but they didn't expect to be hit on their home turf. They didn't expect for the dead to do the hitting, either."

"They (the thousand) work out of Brampton,"

"It wasn't just a trap - it was a trial run. The Three aren't holed up in Brampton - they just made an example out of it. Cut off the Thousand Hands to keep them from interfering with their real mission, whatever it is, and keep the city guard occupied at the same time. Interesting timing, that."

"See, about two weeks or so ago, old Duke Ravengard - one of the four Grand Dukes who rule over the province - led a diplomatic procession to Elturel. One of Ravengard's chief responsibilities in the city was to oversee the guard. Then, Elturel all but vanishes, along with the Grand Duke and his company, leaving Wachovia without it's martial leader, just as all these refugees start pouring in and these cultists start getting bolder. The Guard is now struggling to hold the city together without any strong leadership - not yet, at any rate.

"Grand Duke Portyer's been promising the arrival of his niece, Liara Portyr, since the crisis began. She's a ranking member of the Ordo Inquisitorius - an organization with power that comes straight from the crown. She's supposedly on her way to the city, and her authority means she can take control of the city guard when she gets here. Portyr promises it's for the good of the city, and he's organized a committee, the 'Confraternity of Refugee Relief,' to start organizing the situation in the city to prepare for her. He seems to be making moves, quickly, in Ravengard's absence, and he stands to gain a significant amount of power if everything goes his way.

"Then there's the Vanthampurs. They've got their hands in most of the major industries of the city. Grand Duchess Thalamra Vanthampur is ambitious, and supported Ravengard's trip to Elturel - surprising, since she's been one of Ravengard's political enemies for ages. She supposedly wanted to mend the troubled relationship between Wachovia and Elturel for trade reasons, but trade's never been a big concern for her, considering the grip she has on the city. The only person greedier than her is Grand Duke Stelmane, but he's too old and miserly to care much about politics these days."

"Many of those refugees are being smuggled into the city, something the Thousand Hands would be keen on keeping control of - money to be made, and all that - except there's a cult that somehow knows too much, has too large of a presence, and seems to be up to something that's capitalizing on the chaos in the city - a cult that timed its moves right when that chaos is at its height."

"In the middle of the chaos, you've got Hellriders of Elturel stirring up trouble. You've got it backwards, though. They weren't trying to get into Brampton - they were trying to get out. They realized two things that no one else has so far. The first is that if you really want to know what's going on in the city, you make friends in low places - especially when you want to find out who's moving your people in and out of town. The second has to do with all those murders that have been happening recently. Wachovia is no stranger to violence, and people getting killed in the streets is unfortunately common. But lately, it seems like all the bodies belong to Elturians."

"Wachovian leadership is crippled and two dukes are vying for power. Refugees are being smuggled into the city and killed in the streets. And now you've got the undead, rising in ways no one has experienced before."

"Hard to believe so many things are going wrong at the same time, isn't it? Stretches the limits of coincidence, yeah?"

"The Poseidon? The tannery by the wharf? Mm... they do keep odd hours - I think they run a second shift at night. The place changed management about a year ago... heard all the old staff was let go at the time too. And by 'Insight,' you mean the park? Sure - rumor is a handful of bodies have been dumped there in the past week."
"Torimesh, He hates nicknames."

"A forged writ... that has to have something to do with the smuggling ring. You know... anyone willing to go through the trouble of forging documents probably has records of those documents, too - blackmail material, if for nothing else. And the tannery... it's a good venue to work out of, if you want people to keep their distance. No one in their right mind gets close to one willingly."

[opius]

Follow up note:

I vaguely remember some smuggling shit back at Salt marsh, and the Nobles thinking the pirates were bound for Wachovia.

There was a gauntlet of Urizen presence on that ship- I remember red armored dudes, a culty spellcaster, and the guy who said "blood for the blood god."

That bald guy, Sanbalet, had some spooky magic too. It seems like there's some connection between smugglers and cultists.

Are these the same smugglers who are bringing Eltruan's into town? Are the smugglers themselves cultists, or have they been infiltrated by the cultists?

Furthermore - if the smugglers are cultists, does Amrik or is he being played?

Lots of leaps- someone with better notes, fill me in!