File: The Church of Cyric

V-Rage

I knew most of it yes.

Florent announced Kold as a Necromancer a week or so back which along with Marchettis banditry was the cause for the bounty request.

I presume she had already penned that long report and chose not to send it to us until now to claim she was performing her service. That she worked with them and allowed them to use undead under the guise of chronicling their deeds is quite disturbing to me as she claims to be an aspiring hero and undead are vile

When I arrested Marchetti was the first time I'd seen him in the city in a while so I acted.

Dominic

V-Rage

Marchetti came into the Faceless and made demands over Fiendsbane again after threatening a member of Florents family.

I charged him with blackmail as I took the meaning of hand over a sword or the plane of death will be locked and dead will roam the earth as a threat, As Kold and Enlil are both known to use undead and have been leaving them on the road

I wanted to take his cloak and demand that the Knight who paid for his release last time answer as to why he continues with this thuggery

A Militiaman came in and intervened and said it wasn't blackmail and let him go but warned him making threats would lead to misunderstandings like this

No doubt Marchetti will stamp and whine and demand I am fired.

Dominic

Voss_

@V-Rage

And you will be, if you do not remedy this situation. I am already recieving word that the mortuary has stopped operating and the dead are being refused funeral rites.

What makes you think you can assault a member of the clergy without evidence or valid justification? We uphold the law Dominic. We are not the Greywatch, we are not vigilantees. The man is a thug and a criminal no doubt, but we do not act until the time is right to do so.

You will go to this Marchetti, apologize for your conduct and pay them an appropraite fine within reason.

-Count Beliard Immerdusk

V-Rage

Count Immerdusk

Marchetti sent this to blueblood Ilesore

@greenlung said in Ilselore Montfaucon:

The Craven Dominic Swift is in possession of a sword which has the power, one way or another, to lay waste to potentially thousands.

Such an weapon of massive destruction, with the ability to drastically alter the Realm of the Dead, belongs in the hands of the Church of Cyric.

It will be handed over to us within three days.

Every day this fails to happen after this date will result in doors to the Plane of Death locking shut, the dead will roam the earth and the populace will be unable to see their loved ones achieve eternal rest.

Those who have shown respect and offered tithe to the church, and who continue to do so, will be exempt from the Cravens punishment.

An announcement will be made to the city once the deadline has lapsed.

You shall make preparations to receive me at your barracks shortly.

-Lord Inquisitor Marchetti, Herald of the Dawndeath

I assumed the part about the Plane of Death was a threat about further using undead as they known to do, I apologise for breaking the law and will apologise to the Church of Cyric, I didn't intend to break the law and did what I did with the aim of protecting the people from the Cyricists attempts to cower them into submission with their constant threats

Dominic

V-Rage

The demands the Church has made are ludicrous, They wish to beat Miss Florent over a punch to the face, when she is a noble. The sums of gold demanded are ludicrous too and they dare call a common bandit Lord Inquisitor and impersonate nobility

@gloomy_sunday said in Announcements from the Church of Cyric:
People of Arabel,

for the flagrant crimes committed against the faith of Cyric and continued abuses against Official Clergy of the Church the following punishments will be in effect immediately:

All Death Priests in the city will no longer provide any services to the citizens of Arabel.

The deceased will no longer be gathered by the church to be brought to the mortuaries for preparation.

The mortuaries of the city shall remain closed.

Funeral processions and services will be discontinued.

The Graveyards of the city and beyond are hereby Off Limits to all citizens of the city of Arabel, under pain of death. All unfilled graves will remain so, and no new graves will be dug to receive new remains.

Additionally all graveyards will no longer be maintained. If a tree falls on your grandmothers gravestone, it is your job to fix it.

All graveyards and graves will also no longer be guarded against scavengers, the hungry dead and grave robbers alike.

If one wishes for the church to guard a grave, or allow access to a deceased love one, a fee of 5,000 per night will be demanded.

These and other announcements will follow until the following has been done.

You are no doubt wondering who to thank for the smell of the dead.

The Crown Guard Dominic will be stripped of his position and will also pay the church 10,000 and bow before Lord Inquisitor Josef and lick his boots clean.

Sabriel Florent of House Florent. She or her house must pay the church 10,000. She must also accept a public beating for her striking High Inquisitor Kold while he gave a sermon.

The elf known as Elrinde will be feeling impoverished having spent much of her gold in a campaign against the church. She will submit a vial of her blood, as punishment for bleeding Lord Inquisitor Marchetti in public.

So it has been said, and so it shall be.

High Inquisitor Kold Witness of the Church of the Dark Sun, Lord of the Dead.

They simply attempt to attempt to scare people into submission and we should not stand for it. I will apologise for my improper conduct towards Church Officials and pay a reasonable tithe to the church but we should not let them grossly overreach like this

Dominic

Voss_

Dominic,

You may proceed with the apology, afterwards we wash our hands of this nonsense. There is no need for us to act on this debacle, they will find that they will quickly lose the support of the people if they refuse to perform their duties over the fates of some unknown adventurers.

-Count Beliard Immerdusk

V-Rage

The apology has been made

I hopefully made it clear I do not fear the Cyricists and the apology was to correct my misdeed and for the good of the people so the church returns to serving them

Dominic

Nymeria

Dominic,

Your humbling display has been noted. I suggest following this up with an announcement framing your reconciliation with the Church in the most favourable manner, lest they reduce it to mere grovelling and bootlicking.

On another note, their recent announcements speak of prophecies for which I have no context for, including reference to a 'Great Swarm' and 'Dawndeath'. While my intel refers to the 'Deathsun', there was no elaboration of what this is.

Would you know more of these obscure references?

V-Rage

I expect the dawndeath refers to threats against Eveningstar

It is known undead have been left on the road to Eveningstar by members of the faith.

I'll write to the House of the Morning and see if they have heard of this Dawndeath.

I've also put up the following

https://nodebb.cityofarabel.com/topic/59008/announcements-of-the-crownguard/4 It should prove we care about the people and aren't afraid of these thugs

Dominic

V-Rage

We have recieved the following from the House of the Morning and the Precept showing attempts from the Church to extort things from them

@madsap said in To Crown Guard Swift:

Bright tidings to you, Crown Guard Swift,

Although it is a little late, the Bishopric of Eveningstar is pleased to see serious legal action taking place against the Inquisition.
Also, I would thank you for the pleasant reception.

I enclose here a copy of the letters we have received from the Inquisition. The latest one from Enlil has been received after our conversation, so they still hang their threats above our hamlet.

Sincerest regards,
Dawnbringer Aurora

[A small stack of letters]

@gloomy_sunday said in Letter to the Bishophric of Eveningstar (DM or PC):

Dear Bishop/Bishopess

It has been noted in your lawbooks that worship of Gods other than lathander has been outlawed.

This is a clear slight to the rights of the Dark Sun, and is an attempt to hide from the people of the Bishophric of Eveningstar, the glory of the true path. A great swarm is coming, and only through faith can we see the region protected from what is to come.

We of the Inquisition of the Dark Sun demand the following:

1: The laws regarding worship be removed from your books.
2: A tithe be made as reparations to the faithful of Cyric, to the tune of 100,000 gold coins, this will be used to arm the faithful.

Failure to accept these terms will result in consequences.

I thank you for your consideration

Inquisitor Kold Witness

@greenlung said in Letter to the Bishophric of Eveningstar (DM or PC):

We will be taking the 100,000 gold from you homesteads, your ale houses, your farms, your temples and your churches.

We will take it in coin and blood, with steel and terrible magics.

The Dawndeath is coming, the Dark Sun will rise in the place of the False Dawn and you will all bend the knee.

-The Inquisition of the Four Crowns

@samb12345 said in Letter: Atreon of the Precept:

This is the letter I referred to. Quite a droll notion they suggested.

Additionally, this announcement seems like an obvious threat, not just to the Precept but a scare tactic towards all.

Power guide!

Scion of the Precept Arcanum

The letter and announcement are attached.

@greenlung said in The Precept:

Members of the Precept of Arabel

“Serum HD-5.5 Suppressor”, I am sure you are aware of what this is.

I recommend you cease all and any movement against the Church or every user of magic within the realms will be aware of what this is, and why the use of the Weave has been ripped from their grasp.

You will make a representative available to the Church to discuss immediately.

Well, this isn’t a discussion. It is a demand.

-Lord Inquisitor Marchetti, Herald of the Dawndeath

Clear Blackmail attempts from Marchetti and Kold

Dominic

Nymeria

I have received information that they are seeking a contract on Elrinde, potentially other members of the Order of the Illuminated Blade. It is unclear whether this is for a kill, injury, or intimidation. You are their liaison, can you discuss with Fyeverra how they would like to approach this? Bring your evidence, work with them, do not go after them yourself.

It may be hard to prosecute them or justify taking direct action unless they act on their threats. They will likely also argue they have paid their fines or been forgiven for magical crimes now that they are officiated with the Church.

V-Rage

Who told you this? I don't doubt it but sources are good.

It is likely Fyevarra would want to strike the Cyricists first to make an example of them so they leave the order alone .

I will inform her of the possible threat though.

I've a warrant for Enlil and requested one on Kold and Marchetti.

Dominic

Nymeria

She is aware of this and was informed by a scion of the Precept, you may know of him. Atreon? He in turn has contacts among the mercenary groups and has made financial strides to prevent contracts on his own, but is more limited in influencing decisions on others.

I think it is likely Fyeverra has a plan and does not want us to jeopardise it, unless we can offer a better alternative.

V-Rage

Kold came to the barracks earlier and claimed that he and Marchetti have not animated the dead which is a lie as we have reports from Miss Florent and Hailey that they both have been witnessed doing such.

He is trying to pin this all on Enlil and claims he is not an inquisitor and wants to punish Enlil in Tilverton, Likely to silence him from answering our questions as he is not protected by the Church.

He also says the remaining saints are called Bhurzuun and Muros.

I have written to Enlil to suggest he turns himself in before Marchetti and Kold may attempt to silence him

@v-rage said in Letter: Enlil:

Enlil

I have had Kold stop by the barracks and claim you are not an Inquisitor, They seek to make you a scapegoat for their necromancy and may well kill you as an embarrasment to try and silence you

Should you come to the Crown Guard you will be issued a fine for your own animating and set some restitution to the councils.

Consider that your supposed allies wish to do much worse to cover for themsleves.

Dominic

@Master_Sarevok

Dominic

Nymeria

What is this I hear about "Purple Dragons" and "undead army" in the middle of the kingdom? Seems dangerously close to an act of war.

V-Rage

They seem fond of digging up Purple Dragons corpses and animating them, These undead have been found both close to Eveningstar and today under the city with a threat to Elrinde.

Dominic

V-Rage

It seems Josef confesses to this necromancy and drops others in it as well

@dracos said in Letter to the Crownguard and Bloodhound:

Dear Crownguard/Bloodhounds

Josef admited in front of several persons including Fye, Florent and Elrinde that he and his fellows have been leaving animated corpses on the road. He calls it 'war games', I call it many cases of armed assault and maybe murder charges.

Adelaide

I'll question Kold on it as well

Dominic

Nymeria

Initial questioning of Inquisitors Marchetti and Witness
I called the Inquisitors to question outside the West Gate a few hours ago. I chose this location knowing they were unlikely to enter the Crown itself, to make a point about the continued undead presence on the High Road, and call for any back up from the barracks if our discussions turned sour. They seem to consider me 'reasonable', compared to Dilettante Swift, which I say is an amusing tactic we should continue with.

The Inquisitors Marchetti arrived first, joined quickly by Witness, then a third unknown middle-aged woman with white hair, dressed in black, claiming to be a Prophet of "Saint Muros", whose name I have since learned is Sari Vennis. I initially discarded her presence, as the Inquisitors are the ones known to us.

I asked them three questions, which I had previously outlined in a letter that apparently Inquisitor Marchetti did not receive.

What is their continued interest in Fiendsbane?
Marchetti reconfirmed his interest in the sword until he understands the threat it poses. I explained (again) that it is a threat to fiends, no more, but the Inquisitors persisted in their disbelief of the Precept's assessment. Witness then interjected with a claim that the Precept wanted to kill him, which, to be fair, is probably not far from the truth, but he did not enjoy me pointing out that he had made similar gestures towards them. "I have tried to kill NO ONE", he cried.

What are the Great Swarm, the Dawndeath, the Deathsun, etc.?
They clarified that this is an explicit reference to the end of Lathander, who they consider false. I cannot recall all the words of their recanted preaching, but they did mention their four saints cutting the sky, the sun bleeding, a dark sun rising. The dark sun refers to their god.

What are they doing about the undead on the High Road?
They connect this to their prophecies, that the dead will return to plague the lands of Lathander before their god rises. I pointed out that so far, two members of the Precept had dealt with the undead on the High Road. What I had hoped to draw from them was confirmation of the information you shared earlier. UNFORTUNATELY, the fool woman interrupted at this point before I was able to wrangle further information out of them. This was a tense interaction which I explain in the notes further below.

Note on Ms. Vennis
Ms. Vennis interjected that she would like to investigate the undead with our permission, as she has much knowledge about them. Did she actually share her knowledge, or what she wanted to learn? No, because then the FOOL Inquisitors interrupted and claimed she was a heretical preacher who followed one of their Four Saints, but was not sanctioned by the Church. At which point, threats were made, Marchetti loomed, and I had to step in to stop them from fighting like alley cats on our doorstep. The Inquisitors left in a huff (down the High Road), while I was left to escort Ms. Vennis back to the city, who commented that the Inquisitors likely know more than they let on. I gave her a firm warning about preaching heresies (note that Official Clergy have every right to be upset, no matter how horrible they are).

Analysis and advice
While my questioning was incomplete, I am building a better picture of what the Inquisitors' plans are and how they operate.

Despite their attempts at misdirection, it does seem their primary target is Eveningstar, specifically the Church of Lathander. While they have attempted to play off the undead presence as mere coincidence, it appears based on your information that they have been deliberately placing them there as an act of intimidation, foreshadowing to a more direct attack on the Bishopric. We do not want to involve ourselves in a religious war, however, as noted in this file, their emboldened actions endanger much more.

I also note that it appears followers of Cyric are not a harmonious unit... yet it is unclear whether this is by design to mislead us, or whether they are actually prone to backstabbing each other. Perhaps both, when it comes down to it. Either way, keep an eye on this Ms. Vennis, and do not assume Enlil is a mere pawn for the other Inquisitors.

In terms of next steps, our options are:

Questioning the Inquisitors for further confirmation of their plans regarding the undead (unlikely to get us much further, unless we can trick them into revealing what we want)
Publishing our response to the undead threat and reminding the Church of their duties (unlikely to have the desired effect on the Church, but could reassure the populace)
Acting on the information we currently have to apprehend them, noting this is not so simple as walking up and simply demanding they turn themselves in.

The last option is recommended but requires a plan and concerted effort, likely working with the Bishopric and Illuminated Blade to draw them to our preferred location. Will you make contact, Dilettante Swift?

I can attempt to find out more and make public statements in the coming days, but I recommend our focus is on building that plan.

V-Rage

I will speak with Fye, Auora of the Lathanderites has already agreed to punish the Cyricists under their laws if they are delivered to Eveningstar.

Vennis and Enlil may be weak links who can give us more information on the Inquisitors especially if they feel they are mistreating and threatening them

Dominic

Nymeria

[A short note, the pen sharp on the page]

They killed Elrinde?