sinister secrets of the city of adventure

Design: Steve Darlington, Jody Macgregor,

Robert J. Schwalb, Dan White, and Chris Williams
Editing: Scott Haring Development: Robert J. Schwalb Proofreading: Tim Emerick
Art Direction and Graphic Design: Hal Mangold
Cover Art: Tyshan Carey Cartography: Andy Law, Sean MacDonald
Interior Art: Toren “Macbin” Atkinson, Nick Greenwood,
David Griffith, Danila Guida, Britt Martin, Michael Phillippi, Mike Vilardi
Publisher and Freeport Creator: Chris Pramas
Green Ronin Staff: Bill Bodden, Steve Kenson, Nicole Lindroos, Hal Mangold,
Chris Pramas, Evan Sass, Marc Schmalz, Robert J. Schwalb, and Bill Bodden

Cults of Freeport is © 2007 Green Ronin Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Reference
to other copyrighted material in no way constitutes a challenge to the respective copyright
holders of that material. Cults of Freeport, Pirates Guide to Freeport, Green Ronin, Freeport,
and their associated logos are trademarks of Green Ronin Publishing, LLC.

Printed in the USA

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Permission granted to print one copy for personal use only.

Cults of Freeport 1
 Table of Contents

- Table of Contents -
Introduction............................................................... 3 Chapter V: Scions of the Destroyer........................... 75
Chapter I: The Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign............ 5 Abaddon the Destroyer.......................................... 75
The Unspeakable One............................................... 5 Cult History........................................................... 77
Cult History.............................................................7 Organization.......................................................... 77
Organization........................................................... 11 Father Cadiccen, Cult Leader of the Scions..................81
Regina Meyer, High Priestess............................... 14 Hannibal, Chief Reaper........................................ 82
Andwad Foustaff, Deacon.......................................16 Lamarak Blacktusk............................................... 83
Semphi T iersten, Deacon..........................................17 Turk Silverskin.................................................... 84
U'Rahn, Deacon...................................................18 "Matches"......................................................... 85
The Saffron House..................................................19 Reapers' Hall.........................................................86
Using the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign.................23 Using the Scions of the Destroyer...........................89
Chapter II: The Priesthood of Yig............................. 27 Chapter VI : The Charnel Children............................91
Yig. . ...................................................................... 27 The Charnel God....................................................91
Cult History........................................................... 28 Cult History........................................................... 93
Organization.......................................................... 30 Organization......................................................... 94
K'Stallo, Hierophant of Yig...................................... 34 Euglenus Cleaves..................................................97
T'lother, High Priest of Yig..................................... 34 "Slim" William the Pleaser.....................................99
K'San, Seneschal of the Temple................................. 36 "Sly" Simon Midwich, First Eater........................ 100
Nyssal, Keeper of the Archives............................... 37 "Horrible" Lucinda Penmark, Second Eater............. 100
K't'Kah, T he First Reborn..................................... 38 "Gross" Billy Eggbert........................................... 101
J'ness, Faithful Servant of the Priesthood.................. 39 The Cleaves Home................................................102
New Temple of Yig............................................... 40 Using the Charnel Children.................................. 104
Using the Priesthood of Yig....................................42 Chapter VII: The Society of the Velvet Whip.......... 106
Chapter III: The Lost Souls of Yarash........................45 Lowyatar: The Bringer of Painful Delights........... 106
Yarash....................................................................45 Cult History......................................................... 108
Cult History...........................................................47 Organization........................................................ 109
Organization......................................................... 49 Leanna St-Martin...............................................113
Lexington Fillory...................................................51 Gulimar Do'ana, Dark Elf....................................115
Gummer Ghurtz.................................................. 52 Brother Remigio . ................................................ 116
Captain Silas Gantry...............................................53 Lady Elise Grossette............................................. 117
T he Dragon..........................................................54 Typical Cultist...................................................... 118
Felder Michaelmas...............................................55 The Crimson Weal............................................... 118
The Temple of Yarash.............................................56 Using the Society of the Velvet Whip......................121
Using the Lost Souls............................................... 58 Chapter VIII : The Obsidian Brotherhood............... 123
Chapter IV: The Esoteric order of Starry Wisdom....60 The Wanderer...................................................... 123
The Crawling Chaos..............................................60 Cult History.......................................................... 125
Cult History........................................................... 62 Organization.........................................................126
Organization ......................................................... 63 Xyrades, Leader of the Obsidian Brotherhood.............129
High Wizard Tarmon and Lord Defender T horgrim...66 Gallus Vickers......................................................130
Lord Entertainer Upjohn Drowne............................66 Torvey the Flea.....................................................131
Lord Recorder Kenneth Regrant...............................68 Hobson, the Silver Shrike....................................... 132
Lord Wanderer Enochia Bowstring............................68 Joseph "Blackjack" Simonen...................................133
Orrin Feeney, Lord Teacher....................................70 Base of Operations.................................................133
Edwina Lilybridge, Lord Researcher..........................71 Using the Obsidian Brotherhood............................ 136
The Wizards' Guildhouse.......................................71 Maps....................................................................... 138
Using the Esoteric Order....................................... 73 Index.......................................................................141

2 Cults of Freeport
 Introduction

Introduction
F
reeport is a literal crossroads of the known world, this material into your game. Following this foundation
and as such it sees people drawn from all corners, is a look at the cult itself, the cult leader, his or her
bringing with them a dizzying array of beliefs, lieutenants and important servants, their descriptions,
cultures, and myths. Add to this Freeport’s storied history histories, personalities, and so on. Following these
and its foundation on top of the lost and sundered Valossan entries, the chapter provides a snapshot of the cult’s base
Empire, and it becomes a veritable hotbed of occult of operations, offering a room-by-room breakdown of
activity. While the city makes a great effort to contain the place, likely inhabitants, and broad descriptions of
and eradicate subversive their contents. Finally, each
religions within its walls, its section includes a campaign
greatest threat is the flippant In that city effulgent outline that gives you a
cosmopolitan nature of No mortal I saw; detailed breakdown of a
its people, for Freeporters But my fancy, indulgent campaign featuring the
don’t judge, don’t question, To memory’s law, cult. You can use this
and are content to go about Linger’d long on the forms in the plazas, and information to construct
their lives in ignorance of your own campaigns, derive
the sinister activities of
eyed their stone features with awe inspiration for building
their neighbors. So long I fann’d the faint ember adventures, or to give you an
as no one’s hurt, who cares That glow’d in my mind, idea of the cult in action.
what or whom a person And strove to remember Like The Pirate’s Guide
worships? But as shown The aeons behind; to Freeport, Cults dispenses
by the scandalous events To rove thro’ infinity freely, and visit the past with statistics and game rules
of Milton Drac and the unconfin’d to make this sourcebook a
Brotherhood of the Yellow perfect accessory for any game
Sign a few years back, this
Then the horrible warning system you like. Characters,
unwillingness to investigate Upon my soul sped where mentioned, include
subversive cults and sects Like the ominous morning a brief summary of their
can—and often does—have That rises in red, relative power, noting them
disastrous consequences. And in panic I fled from the knowledge of as apprentices, journeymen,
And unless the authorities terrors forgotten and dead or masters, and offers a
act with force, the events of suitable racial choice if
the past may very well return —“T he City,” by H.P. Lovecraft indeed you use such things
with a vengeance. And so it in your games. Be sure to
falls to a brave few to seek check out www.greenronin.
out the corruption, expose the wickedness, and bring com for information on character statistics for every game
these foul villains to justice, a task best suited to the likes system for which Freeport is adapted.
of heroes, adventurers, and the occasional band of fools The cults described in this sourcebook include all of the
that find themselves in the middle of a sticky situation. following.

Using this Book The Brotherhood

of the Yellow Sign
Eight malevolent organizations receive unprecedented
and lavish detail in this sourcebook. Each entry provides One of the most infamous cults to plague the City of
an exhaustive look at the god, force, or entity around Adventure, the Brotherhood has long worked against
which the cult forms, as well as the cult’s history, symbols, the leaders of the city, sowing chaos and destruction in
and all the other pertinent details you need to introduce their mad plan to conjure forth the dread King in Yellow

Cults of Freeport 3
 Introduction

Canine Graverobber? Lost Dog Returns With Human Arm!

— T he Shipping News

and unravel all of Yig’s works. Believed extinct, or nearly

so, this chapter shows that the Brotherhood and their
The Scions of the Destroyer
ceaseless plotting are not yet done and that dreadful deeds
Working within the temple of the War God, this cult of
are in the works once more.
demon-worshippers readies the world for the imminent
arrival of the Lord of Locusts, whose appearance heralds
The Priesthood of Yig an unrivaled apocalypse of fire and death. In the vain hopes
of being spared, these villains pave the way of their master
Since the time of Milton Drac—and perhaps even
with cobbles of blood and bone, despair and chaos.
before that—the serpent people have been drawn to
Freeport, lured by the promise of ancient relics from their
destroyed civilization, their lost kin rumored to lurk in the
The Charnel Children
tunnels beneath the city, and the promise of Yig’s return.
Haunting Freeport’s streets are a band of ravenous
Slowly, the serpent people have grown in number and
children who, at their leader’s insistence, sample the
confidence as the ancient temple and key artifacts have
forbidden morsels of human flesh to transform themselves
been restored to them. Now, they stand at the precipice of
into horrible abominations that hunger for the hot blood
a new age and with it a return of their people to an older
of the living. Serving a despicable god of destruction
time, when the serpent people ruled the known world.
and appetite, these diminutive servants represent one of
Freeport’s most awful threats.
The Lost Souls of Yarash
Many cults have simple goals, but few match the
The Society of the Velvet Whip
simplicity of those pursued by the bloodthirsty Lost
A disturbing cult works their wickedness in Freeport,
Souls of Yarash. Sworn to bloodlust, they prowl the seas
gathering to engage in horrific acts of cruelty and
in search of fresh victims to send screaming to their
disturbing excess. Devoted to an alien god drawn to this
wicked master. Equally drawn to wiping out the cult of
world during the cataclysm that shattered the Valossan
Harrimast, the Lost Souls infiltrate Freeport and work to
Empire, its servants are obsessed with spreading their
bring down their enemy priests and thus usher Freeport
goddess’s message throughout the world, whether people
into a newer and bloodier age.
wish to hear of it or not.
The Esoteric Order The Obsidian Brotherhood
of Starry Wisdom
This nefarious and disturbing group works to unlock
The city of Freeport’s Guild of Wizards conceals much the secrets of an ancient primordial being known only as
from the city and suspicions seem to be all anyone can the Wanderer. Through an analysis of the shards of its
ever dredge up about this powerful organization. Secrecy slumbering form, the cultists unlock the mysteries of the
is key, for behind the Guildhouse’s eldritch walls lurks multiverse, learning of other realities as well as the means
a sinister cult dedicated to an ancient and unknowable to reach them. Aside from the unsavory practices required
god dubbed the Crawling Chaos. To what end these elite for attaining this lore, what few of the cultists realize is
wizards work in their ancient service to this maddening that their deranged master yearns to awaken this thing
entity, none can say, but any who would serve such an and when he does, Freeport, the world, and possibly all of
abomination must be driven by madness and depravity. reality may die.

4 Cults of Freeport
the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign Chapter i

- Chapter I -
The Brotherhood of the
Yellow Sign
O
ne of the oldest cults to harass Freeport, and predating heavens, but those who live in Freeport and walk the line
the city’s founding by over a thousand years, is the between madness and sanity recall when the lighthouse
Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign. Spawned from the was ignited and the Yellow Sign shone terribly in the sky,
whims and dark purpose of the Unspeakable One, an elder for the yellow star blossomed with horrid light, igniting
god of such power and wickedness that to speak his name the firmament with its awful splendor.
invites disaster, its members are uniformly committed to The Unspeakable One has many names: the King in
mad goals that always end in utter annihilation. Subversive Yellow, He Who is Not to be Named, Assatur, but none
and with members drawn inspire the same sort of
from nearly every level terror as Hastur, for even
of Freeport society, the “They think they have destroyed us, driven us its merest whisper can
Brotherhood works in out of their wretched city, but they’re wrong. summon his attention.
secret, holding clandestine The history of Brotherhood is marked with many Ancient beyond belief,
meetings in cellars, hidden setbacks, but each time, it emerges stronger and older even than the gods
rooms, or deep beneath closer to the King in Yellow than before. Take heart commonly worshipped by
the city in the fetid tunnels friends, our time is at hand.” honest men, he—if such
of Underside. They are a a gender could ever be
force to be feared and no —Regina Meyer, High Cultist of the Unspeakable One applied to such a being—
one treats the shattered is a Primal God, much like
remnants of this ancient Yig and the other beings
and manipulative cult lightly. that unconsciously formed the world. Where Yig sought
The Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign suffered a terrible to create, the Unspeakable One craved destruction. As
setback in recent years, leaving those servants of the these idiot gods spawned new worlds, the Unspeakable
Unspeakable One scattered and confused. Most cultists One destroyed them in a never-ending cycle of birth,
have tried, with mixed success, to escape their vows of death, and rebirth.
service and embark on new lives free from the madness Perhaps this would have been the fate of uncountable
of their past. However, a few have refused to set aside races and worlds had Yig not tricked his ancient enemy.
their old loyalties and strive to rebuild that which was He distracted his foe by offering him creations of lesser
lost. Considering the scattered and loose structure of this gods. While the Unspeakable One gorged itself on lesser
cult, much of the information in these pages paint this fare, Yig snatched pieces of worlds from other realities that
organization in broad strokes, alluding to some of the interested him, infusing these lands and seas into himself,
new forces in Freeport that work to rebuild what they lost knitting them together in a queer and unsettling patchwork
with the fall of Milton Drac. creation that eventually became the primordial world from
which the current World of Freeport evolved. But when
The Unspeakable One the Unspeakable One realized what Yig had wrought, he
was enraged, for the chaos of pre-creation was ruined by
Many occultists believe the Unspeakable One Yig’s imposed will. Worse, the feeble mortal creations that
manifests in the night sky as a sickly yellow star, shining inhabited this place bowed and scraped before the snake-
at its brightest in the first hours of dusk and just before god’s might, offering up sacrifices and prayers to what they
dawn. Detractors explain this is just another lamp in the believed was their maker. This gave Yig incredible strength

Cults of Freeport 5
 Chapter I The Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign

and in one titanic battle, Yig cast down his foe, thrusting form. It is only when the Unspeakable One’s servants gather
him from reality seemingly for all time. and perform their disturbing rituals that the Unspeakable
He Who is Not to be Named would not go quietly, for One can come forth more fully, when the barriers between
even though defeated, his hunger for destruction would not his city that is himself and the mortal world become thin,
abate.To prevent his being swallowed up by the void between allowing the Unspeakable One’s creations to slip free and
worlds, the Unspeakable One turned his considerable spread horror throughout the lands of men, and conversely
might toward a task wholly unsuited to his nature: He allow the Unspeakable One’s most dedicated servants to
created. From his random diseased thoughts, he spawned an set forth on the final journey into the great dissolver.
incomprehensible city whose size and scope dwarfed entire To the lucid and sane, the Unspeakable One offers
worlds. Anchoring this realm to one of Yig’s many scales, no reward, no justification for such service. Indeed,
Assatur ensured that his will would remain in his enemy’s the very thought of the fate awaiting those who serve
endless multiverse and through this city, the Unspeakable the Unspeakable One is enough to unhinge the most
One could spread destruction and devour the creations of courageous of men. Cultists of the Unspeakable One are
his ancient nemesis until he could finally unravel all reality drawn to this service for a variety of reasons—boredom,
and restore the original balance once more. madness, ambition—but all are united in a common
purpose: They seek to free their master and cast down the
Dogma monolithic structures of civilization and restore the world
and all reality to its most primal state. Whether this is
Although the Unspeakable One impossibly retains a achieved by performing some terrifying incantation or by
place in the reality spawned by Yig’s stirring, it is a tenuous a personal journey to find the city of the King in Yellow,
one, one that keeps this ancient malevolent force weak the motive is always the same.
and in agony from the contradiction of its existence. The
Unspeakable One has the power to influence minds, to Rites and Rituals
manifest in small ways on his own, but relies on mortal
servants to do his bidding and spread the yellow sickness A cult of the Unspeakable One gathers for many of the
throughout the many worlds that touch Yig’s slumbering same reasons that those of legitimate religions congregate:

6 Cults of Freeport
the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign Chapter i

education, guidance, encouragement, and to share in the

experience (and horrors) of serving the Unspeakable One. Cult History
Such meetings do not occur at a set time or date, but
There has always been a cult of the Unspeakable One.
erratically, usually in response to a new threat, so that they
When the Primal God Yig awakened the serpent people
may exchange ideas on how to deal with their enemy. In
on the island-continent of Valossa, the King in Yellow
most cases, these meetings serve as vehicles for conspiracy,
began work at once to corrupt these creatures and make
to formulate the next stage of the cult’s plans to infect
them his own with promises of power, of riches, of
their community with madness.
forbidden knowledge. It was no quick victory, however,
A gathering always begins with an invocation to the
for in those earliest of days, the serpent people loved and
master. The cultists don yellow hooded robes and stand
honored Yig, giving their lives to their creator. But some
beneath the Yellow Sign, intoning strange phrases in an
succumbed, and like a cancer, they poisoned the world.
otherworldly tongue, repeating the words with escalating
As the oldest histories record, the cult grew and thrived
speed and intensity. As the words run together, the
among the ignorant serpent people, for they were blinded
glyph shines with unholy light, suffusing the chamber
by their achievements. They had attained much, spreading
with the pestilential ochre glow and causing the cultists
their empire throughout the world. They had nothing to
to hallucinate, experiencing phantom sensations of
fear of an upstart cult of misanthropes and the deluded:
the flesh and hearing the booming sounds of weird
They were harmless. Their inaction and arrogance gave
laughter. Those truly blessed by the Unspeakable One
the meager cult the foothold it needed and in time, its
actually see the world through their master’s saffron
influence grew, rivaling the great church of Yig. When
lens, witnessing crawling yellow maggots, flesh rotting
priests of the serpent-god realized the threat, it was too
and sloughing from the frames of their companions,
late, for the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign, as they had
and blood and filthy excretions oozing from the walls
come to be called, gathered to perform a terrifying ritual,
to drip and puddle onto the floor. To hasten the visions,
tearing a hole in reality to welcome the Unspeakable
most cultists use chemicals such as abyss dust, opium,
One himself into the mortal world. The results of this
and toxic mushrooms.
catastrophe are well documented elsewhere, but suffice it
On evenings of the new moon, Yig’s hated eye closes
to say, the Valossan Empire died and plummeted to the
and allows the yellow star to shine in all its malevolent
murky depths of the seas.
glow. While the effects of this intense star are not
Such a calamity did much to diminish the influence
universal throughout the World of Freeport, each month
of Yig, but those who survived thought the threat of
on this day the Unspeakable One grows stronger and
the Unspeakable One was past. Yig’s hold on the mortal
sends his influence across the lands and seas. Animals
world had weakened, allowing new gods to rise from the
grow frightened, panicked, while humans and humanoids
ashes of the old and new peoples to dwell upon the new
experience a nagging sense of dread, as if some doom
lands risen from the seas. The Unspeakable One wanted
hung over their heads and hearts. These nights are sacred
more and set upon the feeble minds of the new races,
to the Unspeakable One’s cultists and they are most likely
polluting their souls and bending them to his will. The
to hold their despicable ceremonies in the fell glow of
Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign was reborn.
that unruly star.
If the nights of the new moon were not bad enough, the
most sacred nights to the King in Yellow are those of the
A New Dawn
lunar eclipse, which many believe is when the Unspeakable
The Brotherhood would re-emerge from time to time
One exerts his will over Yig and spreads his presence
over the centuries, revealing its hand in countless plots
throughout the world.Truly, these are strange nights, for an
and intrigues the world over. Each time though, their
unusually high number of murders, thefts, and assaults, as
efforts were thwarted, their damage contained. Yet this
well as even stranger, supernatural phenomena may occur.
cult infested civilization, and no amount of culling could
Even when the cultists have nothing planned in particular,
stanch the flow of corruption that welled from the hidden
they still gather in a secluded place where the heavens are
cultists. Thus the Brotherhood grew, thrived, and hatched
visible. There, they participate in a disgusting orgy that
even more daring attempts to release their master from
culminates with the murder of one of their members. The
his prison.
corpse is then violated, while the head cultist infuses the
Freeport’s founding offered the Brotherhood a more
remains with unholy energy. The members then cut apart
stable base of power, for it had a reputation for welcoming
the animated flesh and devour the twitching chunks as a
the cast-offs, the exiles, and dispossessed. People from
sort of sacrament.

Cults of Freeport 7
 Chapter I The Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign

all over the Continent sought refuge in this fledgling

community, and because the city founders were pirates
The Drac Era
by trade and uncaring of whom they allowed into their
While the Brotherhood had grandiose plans of releasing
community so long as they followed the code, all manner
their master from his prison and remaking the world in
of unsavory sorts could begin new lives there. Among
its own image, they were largely disorganized and prone
these early immigrants were a few loyal cultists of the
to in-fighting. As the years marched on, they struggled
Unspeakable One. Fleeing persecution, they insinuated
but could not make any real progress since the city, for all
themselves among the other refugees and found the tiny
its decadence, would never bow to such a god. The only
outpost very much to their liking. It didn’t take them
way to loose their master was to bind humanity with the
long to realize that beneath their feet lay vast stores of
shackles of insanity. Such an act would surely be sufficient
treasures, ancient relics harkening to the time when their
to allow the Unspeakable One to remake the world in his
fell master first slipped his bonds. For centuries, the small
own image. However, as worship of the Unspeakable One
but persistent Brotherhood worked to learn, expand, and
was not something any nation endorsed, the cult needed
survive.
some significant catalyst, some way to convert the most
The character of Freeport gradually changed as the
influential people to their faith.
Brotherhood found ways to infiltrate the city’s leaders
The solution, in the minds of the cultists, was to take over
and society. Cultists set sail as pirates, working alongside
Freeport and make it their city, from which they would
others to sack and plunder ships, to capture victims to
launch their unholy crusade. They knew Freeport would
sacrifice in secret to their awful god. The Brotherhood
never willingly submit to their rule, even if they managed
commandeered entire vessels, exploring the seas in search
to destroy the Sea Lord and Captains’ Council and
of more treasures to aid them in their larger goals, and
somehow come up with enough soldiers to enforce their
while they worked, Freeport grew in size, stature, and
rule. No, what they needed was to seize the government
notoriety, until nearly 700 years later, the Brotherhood
from within and luckily, the person they thought they
was ready to act.
needed was already in power: Marten Drac.
The Brotherhood had mapped the tunnels beneath the
The Sea Lord at this time was a despicable wretch, a
city, but they lacked the manpower to reach the farthest
ruthless cutthroat who rose to power through bribery. He
depths. The degenerate serpent people were aggressive,
seemed the obvious choice to be their pawn: He had the
and while they could be controlled, they were unreliable at
proper mix of wickedness, greed, and corruption to serve
best since these bestial creatures could turn against their
their purposes. Strangely though, he proved resistant to
masters with no warning. The trouble with the degenerates
their overtures. Whether he was too arrogant, stupid, or
was not their human masters, but the inhuman imposters
self-confident, he would not become their pawn. Oh, he
that seeded their ranks.
took their money, their drugs, and their courtesans; he
For many years, the old servants of the Unspeakable
just never followed through on his promises.
One—serpent people—came to Freeport when rumor of
As frustrating as Marten proved, the Brotherhood
ruins and lost civilizations filtered out of the Serpent’s
was utterly unprepared for his replacement Anton
Teeth and across the Continent. They assumed human
Drac. When the Brotherhood sent representatives to
form and infiltrated the city, and eventually the active
make the same offer they made to Marten, Anton had
Brotherhood, worming their way to the highest ranking
them executed on the spot. This was more than the cult
positions in the organization and weeding out the weak
could stand. To make matters worse, only a Drac could
and ineffectual. The degenerates sensed their presence and
become Sea Lord thanks to Marten’s greed, meaning
were disturbed by the incongruities between sight and
unless the Brotherhood could find a more pliable Drac
smell, which caused the frequent outbreaks of violence.
to replace the virtuous Anton, their planning would be
Eventually, the serpent person cultists revealed their true
for naught.
forms to their human counterparts, sending some over
the brink into inescapable insanity. But for most, the Enter Milton Drac
serpent people appeared as divine servants of their dark
The Unspeakable One rewards patience. The needed
master, confirming their beliefs and assuring them of the
servant was revealed to another cult operating in the city
rightness of their path. Freed to walk the Underside in
of Newtown on the Continent. The cult thrived after
their natural forms, they set out to recruit the degenerates
the city was sacked by the Azhar, allowing the cultists
in earnest, building a small army of monstrous beings to
to move into high ranking positions as the city rebuilt.
use against the decadent city above and bring it crashing
There, in the battle-scarred metropolis, was a distant
to its knees.

8 Cults of Freeport
the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign Chapter i

cousin of the Drac family, a man named Milton. This

Drac had already dabbled in the writings of the Yellow
Sign, supposing himself an amateur occultist. While
young and a bit naïve, he was just what the Brotherhood
needed and when word reached the cult in Freeport, they
sent for the young man with promises of great power
and prestige, offering him the seat of the Sea Lord if he
wanted it.
Want it he did. Milton Drac slipped into the city
unseen a month later. At first, he was a dutiful minion,
listening in rapt attention to the cult’s plans. He agreed
to anything they asked and without complaint. It seemed
the cult had its Drac and so they made arrangements to
eliminate the Sea Lord. The Brotherhood could not use
an outside agent, lest their secrecy become compromised.
So they used one of their own, equipping the assassin
with a potent bow and an enchanted arrow certain to slay
whomever it struck.
The situation in Freeport was difficult. War on the
Continent involved the City of Adventure, with the
city’s fleet selling its service to Continental Kingdoms in
exchange for vast sums of gold. Anton Drac thought to
profit from the turmoil, and committed the entire city to
the war effort. Anton’s plans were accepted, but approval
was not universal. Many felt Freeport had no business in
involving itself in the affairs of the Continent, but those god would give his followers incredible power as a reward
who had recently left their homelands believed a change for their service. Milton did not, however, want to share
could come out of the conflict and give them the chance that power. He wasn’t satisfied with just ruling Freeport;
to return to the lands of their birth. The conflicting views he wanted to spread madness to the world. To this end,
made the city ripe for a change. he would build a grand lighthouse, a veritable wonder of
The moment came when Anton was inspecting Freeport’s the world, and with its beacon, he would shine the Yellow
fleet. He made his rounds on the wharfs, talking to ship Sign into the heavens and drive mad all who beheld it.
captains and their crews, when a yellow-fletched arrow There were flaws in his plan, of course. He hadn’t a
flew out from a nearby building, striking the Sea Lord and penny to invest in the construction, for all of Freeport’s
killing him instantly. The assassin, a cultist, was rounded up monies were earmarked for the war effort. He also
by his fellows and promptly killed. As they had conspired, lacked the support of the Council, whose members were
Milton came forward and with the Brotherhood’s pressure all pursuing their own agendas. Milton was not one to
on the Captains’ Council, they authenticated his lineage give up easily, though, and he immediately cancelled all
and named him the new Sea Lord. military aid to Continental nations, declaring the city
Things, however, didn’t work out exactly as planned. would no remain neutral in the war. He then announced
Once Milton Drac became the Sea Lord, his relationship the construction of the Lighthouse, declaring it would
with the Brotherhood underwent a profound change. force the world to take notice of Freeport and make the
Instead of the puppet they thought they had installed, he city-state the preeminent center of trade in the known
revealed himself to be clever, dangerous, and independent. world. What Drac really promised was money, lots of it,
Threatening to expose the Brotherhood to the Sea Lord’s and any reservations the Freeporters had about the sudden
Guard, he cowed them into following his orders, and withdrawal of the warships fell quiet when they thought
with his conspirators in hand, Drac began his short and of the promised gold falling into their hands.
disastrous regime.
To deal with the Council, Drac first used his popularity
Milton's Folly with the people. Those councilors who refused to cooperate
Milton Drac agreed that the Unspeakable One must be were quietly murdered and replaced with serpent people
freed from his prison, and he also believed that the dark imposters. With heavy bribes, blackmail, and threats, he

Cults of Freeport 9
 Chapter I The Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign

pulled the rest in line and construction on the Lighthouse

began right away.

The Brotherhood's Fall

Construction of the Lighthouse did not proceed as
quickly or as cheaply as many people in Freeport had
hoped. It seemed like a great waste of money, and as the
project languished, Drac’s support faltered. Freeporters
called the Lighthouse “Milton’s Folly,” and the Council
grumbled about the expenditures, complaining that the
city was on the brink of economic collapse. On top of
that, the nations of the Continent who hired Freeport
warships and lost them practically in mid-battle decried
Freeport as a city of traitors, leading to reprisals in the
form of sabotage, smear campaigns, and rising tariffs
on Freeport’s exports, all of which slowed progress even
more. Even with all the problems looming over Milton’s
Folly, it steadily marched closer and closer to completion
and Drac’s plan might have succeeded had it not been for
the worry of a priest for his friend.
As described in Green Ronin’s Freeport Trilogy, Drac’s
plan ultimately failed and was exposed by a band of
courageous adventures. Drac met his end within his
Lighthouse, slain by the just swords and spells of a small
group of heroes. And with his fall, Freeport learned the
extent of the cult’s infiltration and set out to purge the
city of anyone connected to Milton Drac. The Sea Lord’s
Guard, under the command of Commissioner Xander
Williams swept through the city’s underworld, rooted out
nearly every cultist, and put them to the sword. Those who
survived did so by fleeing or by burying themselves deep
inside the tunnels beneath the city. It seemed Freeport
had overcome the machinations of the vile cult, and could
look toward the future confident that old evils lay buried
for good.

The Brotherhood Today

Scattered, dead, and nearly broken, the Brotherhood
is thought extinct, but as history has proven, this cult is
tenacious and the will of the Unspeakable One cannot
be refused for long. The Sea Lord’s Guard did its best to
destroy the relics and temples left by the Brotherhood,
but they couldn’t get them all, and many of their artifacts
await discovery still. Some have been found, and work
their corruption on the minds of those incautious fools
with the misfortune to stumble across them. Not all of
the cult members perished in the purging and some now
live double lives, doing their best to forget their past
allegiances or awaiting the emergence of the Yellow Sign
to call them to service once more.

10 Cults of Freeport
the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign Chapter i

allowing the core of the cult to survive in the aftermath of

Organization the purge that followed his fall. In fact, it is only because
of the persistent efforts of the Captains’ Council and their
The Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign in Freeport lacks
illicit operatives that the cult is as scattered as it is.
much in the way of cohesive organization. The principle
The catastrophic losses that followed on the heels
leaders were all slain or driven out of the city, leaving the
of Drac’s death have left the Brotherhood spread
cultists who escaped Freeport’s wrath to wait and wonder
throughout the city, torn into small islands of isolated
what they should do next. After five years, though, the
cells and individuals. Many have tried to set aside
Brotherhood is beginning to flourish, even if it’s only in
their past loyalties and forge on to live normal lives as
isolated pockets.
productive citizens, but each knows that one day, perhaps
soon, they could be called back to service and bend
Membership their knees and rend their minds to serve their insane
god. Such individuals, while often slightly disturbed,
The Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign is small and
are indistinguishable from other Freeporters, who may
tight-knit. In the past, it was fractured with factions and
themselves be more than a little off after the various
infighting, but the new Brotherhood, or rather the cult
hardships the city has endured. These “former” cultists
that claims the title, has few ambitions aside from seeing
go to great lengths to conceal their histories, killing
the city in which their hideous master dwells. It is this sort
if they must to survive in a city hostile to their kind.
of fanaticism that makes the Brotherhood so dangerous,
Occasionally, they slip or a witness comes forward to
for they are of a single-minded purpose and those who do
identify them, at which point the jig is up – even five
not cleave to their goals are eliminated.
years later, confirmed members of the Brotherhood of
the Yellow Sign are executed, and quickly.
Symbols and Signs Where pockets of cultists still exist, they are rigorous in
maintaining their covers, but still loyal to the same insane
For obvious reasons, the Brotherhood does not worship
principals that attracted them to serve the Unspeakable
the King in Yellow openly; the cultists gather in the
One in the first place. Few groups are survivors from
darkest places, sequestered behind a façade of normalcy,
Milton Drac’s reign, for most were hunted down and killed
where they perform unholy rites to invoke their god and
by Asha Sante (see Pirate’s Guide to Freeport page 182)
behold his magnificence in all his mind-shattering glory.
and her allies under orders from the late Commissioner
Their gatherings always, however, occur under the baleful
Xander Williams. Instead, most of these groups are new,
Yellow Sign, for it is through this image that the cultists
recently drawn to the service of the King in Yellow by
know their master.
means of stumbling across potent signs, foul artifacts, or
The Yellow Sign, as it is known, is a strange device, a
the mad ravings of older or dead members. There is no
disturbing symbol vaguely shaped like a three pointed
telling exactly who or what has come into the Unspeakable
star whose wavy “rays” emanate from a central point.
One’s fold, for his reach is long indeed, attracting even the
It is always inscribed in yellow ink and when infused
likes of the Sea Lord’s cousin and his Rakeshames.
with the blessing of the dark god, it glows with sinister
When the cult was still a cohesive force, it benefited
malevolence. Even the most mundane inscriptions of the
from a rigid hierarchy. At the top of the organization
sign can inspire feelings of uneasiness and disgust, while
stood the high priest who was in turn supported by a
potent imprints can drive people mad with but a glance.
council of at least five deacons. Each deacon controlled
between one and five cells, dubbed congregations, who
Structure were kept ignorant of other active cells in the city to
protect themselves from complete exposure. The various
For a group devoted to madness, decay, and annihilation,
cells could recruit new members, but no cell could have
the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign is highly organized,
more than five members. If a cell exceeded this number,
with each member’s role clear and their purpose
the deacon would divide the cell and transfer control over
meticulously defined. Having had centuries to refine
the new cell to another deacon, promoting a competent
their strategies, the modern Brotherhood has outgrown
cultist to this rank when necessary. Advancement in the
the wanton destruction and reckless caprice of its past to
Brotherhood was bloody and dangerous, with a lesser
better achieve its objectives and evade the constant danger
member murdering a higher member and taking his place.
of self-destruction. This trend toward efficiency enabled
Deacons and cell leaders often watched and eliminated
Milton Drac to achieve as much as he did, while also
overly ambitious cultists out of self-preservation.

Cults of Freeport 11
 Chapter I The Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign

Captains’ Council Blocks Plan to Tear Down Old Slaughterhouse

— T he Shipping News

The Brotherhood also employed a number of other existence and objectives his servants must achieve to
agents who, while serving the cult, were not official earn their master’s favor. What few cultists admit or even
members. The amount of information these agents held recognize is their master is fathomless evil, and entity
about their masters varied, but most times, they were seeking to destroy and consume creation. By serving the
kept ignorant of the Brotherhood’s true allegiance and King in Yellow, these misguided servants actually hasten
goals, often masquerading as a wealthy secret society, their own end.
trade consortium, and so on. Those agents that proved The Brotherhood does well to conceal its purpose from
themselves and their loyalties were eventually offered a its younger and less entrenched minions lest they panic
place in a cell. If they refused, they found a sudden and and flee. The Brotherhood conceals themselves behind a
painful end. façade of intellectual exploration of metaphysics. Only
when the minds of the new recruits have begun to erode,
Goals and Motives twisted by lies and half-truths, are they ushered into the
deeper mysteries of the cult.
The Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign in many ways Truly, the Brotherhood works to bring forth their god
regards itself as an authentic religion, a group devoted to and master. Only then can he reshape the mortal world
the understanding of and service to the divine. For these into a vision of his own making, which would be its utter
servants, the Unspeakable One is akin to any other god consumption and relocation of all life to his maddening
worshipped in the World of Freeport, and within him lays realm beyond the reaches of time and space. What
the answers to all the questions of mortality, giving his prevents them are the barriers that keep the Unspeakable
servants a purpose and place, and explanation for their One sealed away from the mortal world, and so the
Brotherhood steadily works to dissolve these safeguards
and loosen the eldritch bonds that deny their master his
goal. Such efforts may be mundane, such as spreading
confusion and suffering, instilling madness and despair in
ordinary folks, to the more monstrous, including profane
rituals to summon forth twisted entities from their
master’s realm or conjure the King in Yellow’s essence
into a waiting vessel.

Recruitment
Traditionally,the Brotherhood recruited from the middle
and upper class, for the main barrier to understanding the
mysteries of the King in Yellow has been the ability to read.
Only the educated seem susceptible to the allure of the
Unspeakable One, for those with a deeper understanding
of the universe can embrace and comprehend the higher
concepts espoused by the cult. Those with an interest
in the occult or who explore the dangerous fringes of
contemporary philosophical thought are the ones who
might set aside their morality to look upon the Yellow
Sign and behold its wonder.
Of course, the Brotherhood is also attractive to those
who crave power. For some, membership in the cult is not
so much about religion, but rather it is an opportunity,

12 Cults of Freeport
the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign Chapter i

a chance to forge partnerships, gain allies, and be a part

of something bigger. The contacts and resources available
to the Brotherhood are often just the sorts of assets an Mendor Maeorgan
ambitious merchant might wish to utilize in his bid to
Mendor Maeorgan, formerly the leader of the
expand his personal empire. The cult becomes nothing
Joy Boys and current head of the Rakeshames, is
more than an eccentric group of scholars and mystics, an
thoroughly in the thrall of the Unspeakable One.
expedient means to a desired end. This sort of “cultist” is
When he found the Jaundiced Altar, he fell victim
whom the Brotherhood blames for the disastrous failure
to its allure and is now the living embodiment of
of the Lighthouse, and thus the cultists are more selective
the Unspeakable One’s ill-will. For now, Mendor
about whom they allow to join.
seems content to control his servants and test
Instead, the Brotherhood looks for young minds,
the limits of his newfound power, but it’s just a
specifically students from the Freeport Institute. Having
matter of time before the sinister urgings of the
a few cultists on staff as faculty allows the Brotherhood,
vile ichor propels him to take a more direct role
such as it is, to screen for viable candidates and gradually
in the future of the Brotherhood, and through
induct them into their organization. Students, especially
them, the future of Freeport itself. For more
those of a philosophical bent, are the ideal for they have
information on this character, see Pirate’s Guide to
the ability to question the world and understand the
Freeport page 191.
promises the Unspeakable One offers.
Even when presented with a viable candidate, the
Brotherhood is slow to welcome the new member
fully into their ranks. They may spend weeks carefully To gain access to these tools, the Brotherhood knows
corrupting his mind and exposing him to subtle horrors just how to get leverage. Whether it’s bribes, extortion, or
to ensure the proper amount of madness to make the threats to loved ones, these cultists can make a convincing
addition more amenable to the deeper mysteries. There argument to ensure they get what they want and that they
is no specific time table; a candidate may wait for years aren’t double-crossed in the process.
before being welcomed into a cell, and many would-be
cultists collapse under the mental strain imposed on them Enemies
by regular viewings of empowered signs and readings of
insane tracts given to them by their so-called allies. Only Of all the sinister organizations claiming Freeport as
when they have proved their worth and intellect are they their home, none elicit the same degree of vigilance and
allowed into the cell and permitted to participate in the opposition than the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign. Even
rituals. after a few years, most Freeporters recall the efforts of
Milton Drac to sacrifice the city to the Unspeakable One,
Allies and the madness and deviance embraced by followers of
this cult are enough to keep the Watch on the lookout for
The Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign has few allies new pockets of cultists.
left in the city. Freeporters remember well the villainy of It’s a wonder then that the Brotherhood has a foothold
Milton Drac and are quick to spit or make a sign against at all in the city. The truth is that the Brotherhood is
evil whenever they hear his name. Such hostility is yet evasive, cunning, and utterly irrepressible. Through liberal
one more barrier to the Brotherhood regaining a place use of bribes and extortion, most cultists have had success
in the city, and it will take many years and many subtle at deflecting unwanted attention from the authorities,
adjustments of historical texts for these attitudes to ensuring that most efforts against them are token at best.
change. And the most horrible truth of the matter is this: If every
Despite the fear and loathing expressed toward the last member of the Brotherhood in Freeport were slain,
Brotherhood, the cultists employ minions who do their the corrupting influence of the artifacts and sigils left
work from behind a carefully placed mask. Cultists in the vast labyrinth underground the city would start
conceal their motives behind a web of lies and half-truths, working on the minds of those unfortunate to stumble
manipulating the innocent and not-so-innocent into upon them, and a new Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign
unknowingly furthering their cause. The Brotherhood has would soon spring up, just as dangerous as before.
never been choosy about what sorts of agents they use, A few people are not deterred in their fight against
and they recruit equally from beggars to influential nobles the Brotherhood. Shortly after Drac’s fall, the then-
all the way up to the Captains’ Council itself. Commissioner of the Sea Lord’s Guard, with funding

Cults of Freeport 13
 Chapter I The Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign

secured from Elise Grosette, an influential member of In spite of her young age and recent conversion to
the Captains’ Council, formed a secret task force designed the Unspeakable One, Regina Meyer (female human
to sniff out subversive activity and destroy it. Asha Sante journeyman) commands the Brotherhood of the Yellow
headed up the small crew, and had a few early successes. Sign, or at least the largest group claiming the name. There
Unfortunately, the Commissioner was murdered and are others who would contest her claim, but none of them
her ally on the Captains’ Council was kidnapped and have the numbers or the support that this charismatic
effectively removed from power. Without official support, and dangerous young woman enjoys. Many independent
the squad was betrayed and defeated, its members slain groups are coming around, and many believe it’s just a
except for Sante herself. Despite her lack of support, matter of time before the other influential members
Asha is still a vigilant opponent of the Brotherhood of set aside their egos and join forces with this new and
the Yellow Sign and she wages a private war against those reinvigorated cult.
small pockets of cult activity.
The Brotherhood finds few friends in other cults that
Background
flourish in Freeport. The Esoteric Order of Starry Wisdom A native to Freeport, Regina Meyer is the only child of
has little interest in seeing the Brotherhood regain its Saul and Anita Meyer, a pair of middle class chandlers
place in Freeport’s underworld, and the death cult that that managed to avoid the poverty of Drac’s End and
seems to be spreading in Bloodsalt and Scurvytown takes Scurvytown, but have not found a place in the Merchant
special pleasure in hunting down and killing members of District. The Meyers run a small but successful shop just
their rival organizations. Perhaps the biggest opponent off the Field of Honor. The Meyers worked hard and
the Brotherhood faces, though, is in the Syndicate. Finn saved every penny for their daughter’s education because,
detests the Brotherhood and his minions are instructed like many in the city, they believed their child would go
to keep their ear to the ground for any sign of their farther than they went, and that she would find a better
reemergence. The madness the Brotherhood spreads is life and place in this bustling city. Hence, when she came
bad for business. of age, they opted to send her to the Freeport Institute
rather than just marry her off to some lesser merchant
Regina Meyer, High Priestess prince.
Regina took pride in her parents’ sacrifices and vowed
“It pains me that Miss Meyer chose not to continue she would succeed and live up to their high expectations.
her studies here at the Institute. She was my most With zeal, she threw herself into her studies, devouring
old scrolls and ancient manuscripts, particularly ones
promising student and I had planned to invite her to
dealing with ancient cultures and beliefs. Her dedication
join the faculty when she completed her course work. impressed her professors and it wasn’t long before she
An excellent speaker, skilled debater, and possessed received special dispensation to examine the private
of a sharp mind, she would have done well here. But repository in the Temple of the Knowledge God. What
one day, she simply stopped coming to lectures. I Regina found there astounded her, for in those moldy
was quite concerned naturally, and even considered texts she learned the history of the Serpent’s Teeth and
approaching the Watch about her disappearance, but the ancient Valossan Empire. She spent more and more
before I had the opportunity to report my suspicions, time in the Temple to learn all she could of this ancient
civilization and its people, and it wasn’t long before her
I spied her emerging from the Lucky Lady. I knew regular visits drew the attention of one of the temple’s
that she, like so many other students, had fallen in priests, an attractive young man named Trent.
with a poor community and that the damage was The young priest was new to the temple, no more than
done. The Lady’s reputation is well known around an acolyte himself, but he was not all that he seemed to be.
the Institute, and the ravages of whatever mind- Bright and a quick study, he was never satisfied with the
altering substance she was taking was clear in her lore taught to him by his superiors, and he grew terribly
eyes. Why, she didn’t even recognize me. Me! Her bored. To fill the void, he would slip into the High Priest’s
library and examine the forbidden tomes contained
mentor! Well, there’s nothing for it. Many students therein. What he found was the usual sorts of filthy books,
have succumbed to the temptations. She was not the illustrated with lewd pictures and vile diagrams, but one
first and certainly won’t be the last.” volume captured his attention for it had the most curious
—Professor Mandarus Whitmire sigil emblazoned on its cover. It seemed to pick up the
light, sparkling and shining yellow even in the deepest

14 Cults of Freeport
the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign Chapter i

gloom. He stole the book and hid it in his cell, where he

would study the symbol into the deep hours of the night,
but too afraid to undo the thick cord that held the covers
closed.
The only thing that rivaled Trent’s infatuation with
the symbol was this unconsciously pretty young woman
who made regular trips to the temple’s repository. He
found excuses to be in the same room with her, to talk
with her, and help her in her research. He wanted more
from the relationship and indeed he tried to advance their
friendship to something more, but his efforts were always
rebuffed. It struck him Regina might be interested in his
secret book, since he suspected its origin dated back to
the era she was most interested in. Perhaps if he let her
examine it, she would be grateful enough to reciprocate
his advances. His hopes blossomed when her eyes lit up
upon mentioning it and she asked to see it right away.
Since he was not allowed to bring guests into his cell,
nor could he risk walking around the temple with such a
tome, he suggested he meet her at the Lucky Lady, where
he would rent a room so they could explore it together
without unwanted attention. To his shock, she agreed.
A few days later, the two met at the inn. It was clear she
wasn’t interested in his advances, being more concerned
with the strange book. She ignored his wandering hands
and his fumbled kisses as she, with great care, turned the
vellum pages, her eyes sweeping over each page, devouring Her apparent evenness, however, conceals the burgeoning
the words with an unhealthy zeal. Trent gave up on his madness that swells within her. Not content with the
attempts to seduce her, and fell asleep on the straw-filled first manuscript Trent gave her, she’s put a considerable
mattress, while Regina continued her single-minded amount of effort in acquiring other forbidden tomes.
study of his find. Two hours later, he awoke, and she was Each long night spent examining those studied words,
gone as was the book. He could say nothing about the deluded anecdotes, and cribbed ravings, she’s slipped a bit
theft since doing so would land him in all sorts of trouble. further into the well of insanity, until now, she is beset
Frightened, angry, and not a little hurt, he left, disowning with appalling visions of the King in Yellow. Walls bleed
the whole affair. ochre sap clotted with crimson maggots. Things move
While her would-be lover slept, Regina had found her beneath the flesh of those she encounters. The sky writhes
destiny, for within those pages were all the secrets she was with a riot of colors. Hallucinations, all—and she realizes
meant to find. In the light of the gently throbbing sigil this—but she believes these experiences with the strange
that shined from every page, she studied, learned, and her indicate a proximity to unlocking the deeper mysteries of
mind awakened to greater possibilities. When she had the cosmos.
finished with the book, she knew her old life was behind
Appearance
her. She abandoned the Freeport Institute, severed ties
to her family, and fled into Freeport’s seedy underworld, Regina was an attractive, if a bit on the intellectual
where she has spent the last year building the foundation side, woman and many men spent long nights thinking
of what she hopes will be a new era for the Brotherhood of ways to snatch her attention and, with a bit of luck, her
of the Yellow Sign. affection. Her time as a cultist of the Unspeakable One
has left its mark, and though she retains the perfect nose,
Personality dark intelligent eyes, and slightly curving smile, her body
Regina appears lucid in ordinary conversation. She is and face have many scars. Also, those near her sense a
quiet, calm, and speaks in a measured voice. Not prone to wrongness they can’t place or identify. She has long brown
sudden outbursts or unexpected violence, she is the epitome hair that she keeps back with a simple clasp of ornate
of calculation, considering all of her options before acting. design that hides subtle symbols of her vile master. When

Cults of Freeport 15
 Chapter I The Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign

not presiding over the gatherings of her cult, she wears descent into wickedness when he was a boy, when he
simple garb, usually a long dress of a somber hue, with stabbed his sister to death in a failed attempt to conjure
nondescript shoes, and the usual sorts of accoutrements up a demon in his father’s laboratory. He was sent away
one would expect of a Freeport woman. One thing of note to live in a temple of the God of Vengeance in Silverus,
is that the fingertips of her right hand are stained black. but the harsh instruction did little to curb his appetite for
the forbidden. There, in the hallowed halls of this temple,
Andwad Foustaff, Deacon he started a small cult, recruiting other students from the
disaffected, the hated, and the social outcasts. Swearing
“A right bastard that one. If it wouldn’t land me in themselves to the Prince of Passion they explored deviant
the Hulks, I’d cut his smile right from his face.” behavior, abducting local villagers and torturing them in
the bowels of the fortified church. This continued until
—Evan Randolf, Gambler and Cutthroat Foustaff was discovered, and the entire cult was sentenced
to be burned as devil-worshippers. Foustaff escaped this
The right-hand man in Regina’s Brotherhood of the
fate by seducing one of the priests and slipping out while
Yellow Sign is Andwad Foustaff (male human journeyman).
his fellows screamed for mercy, even as the flames licked
A man blessed with a considerable fortune and a great
up from the pyres to cook their young, tender flesh.
many contacts throughout Freeport and beyond, he’s
Freed from the stifling temple, the world and all its
deemed untouchable. It’s not that he cuts an impressive
filthy secrets lay at Foustaff ’s feet. His cunning ensured
figure, but rather that he has enough friends in the right
he would not go hungry for long and soon after his
places to ensure any who dares cross him will find a
exile, he found himself drifting from city to city, rubbing
messy end. His resources make Foustaff an invaluable
elbows with the elite, whether merchants or nobles.
component in Meyer’s cult and one she’s loathe to lose,
Through it all his interest in the occult deepened, and
even if she doesn’t fully trust him.
while he enjoyed some success in a smattering of lesser
Background groups, it wasn’t until he learned of the Brotherhood
of the Yellow Sign in Freeport that he found the true
The Unspeakable One is nothing new to Andwad
power promised by the pantheon of mad and cast-off
Foustaff. A repellent man of no morals, he began his
deities. He abandoned the Continent and made for
Freeport. There, he hoped, he would find the tatters
of the failed cult and torture them to tease out their
secrets. To say he was disappointed by what he found
is an understatement. The Brotherhood was in tatters; if
any of its leadership survived they laid low, buried deep
within the city’s teeming population.
Foustaff was patient, however, and though frustrated by
the setback, he believed it only a minor one. He bided
his time in the Merchant District, finding much success
there as a socialite, particularly among the high-class
young men and women, whom he found were more than
a little malleable when it came to the carnal pleasures.
Even though he was neither rich nor particularly well-
born, he connived and seduced his way to a comfortable
position among Freeport’s elite, while always watching
for signs of the Brotherhood. An ordinary man might be
content with this decadent life, but Foustaff sensed real
power in the Unspeakable One and the King in Yellow
flitted through his dreams, tantalizing him with foul
promises of physical pleasure, earthly riches, and power,
endless power, if he would just serve.
It took several years, but Andwad found the Brotherhood
in the most unlikely and unassuming place—Regina
Meyer. The young woman seemed nothing special at first,
but she commanded great magic and a deep understanding

16 Cults of Freeport
the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign Chapter i

might be enough for her to replace the cult leader, but for
of the Unspeakable One, something Foustaff could sense
now, she seems content in her lesser role.
immediately upon stumbling into her at the Scholar’s
Quill. At that chance meeting, his purpose was revealed Background
in a single exchange and from that day on, he has served
Semphi Tiersten has lived in Freeport for nearly 70
as Regina’s second.
years, and for five decades of that time, she has been
Personality one of the Unspeakable One’s most constant servants.
Having climbed the ranks of the Brotherhood, she served
Andwad Foustaff is corrupt, utterly obsessed with
as one of the inner circle, but her reckless and overeager
fulfilling his desires, no matter the cost. When he sees a
explorations into the deranged writings of mad prophets
woman he wants, he takes her. When he happens upon
and despicable occultists weighed heavily on her, driving
a smart suit, he takes it. Drink, food, people, baubles, it
her mad and afflicting her body with a cornucopia of
doesn’t matter. They are his, even if they don’t quite realize
ailments. By the time Milton Drac came to the city
it yet. He masks this unappealing trait behind his good
and set the Brotherhood on its path to self-destruction,
looks and quick wit. He has impeccable manners and a
Tiersten was so profoundly altered she could not leave
considerable understanding of courtly etiquette learned
her sweaty lair deep in the Underside.
from his wanderings on the Continent. So infectious is
Her inability to escape the confines of her prison likely
Foustaff ’s personality that those who befriend him have
saved her life. While the Sea Lord’s Guard crusaded to
a deep desire to shower the man with gifts and ensure he
cleanse the city of the last pockets of the Brotherhood,
is well off.
Semphi languished alone, nearly forgotten, buried alive
Appearance in the bowels of the city. She subsisted on rats and
other vermin, coupled horrifically with those degenerate
One cannot deny Andwad is an attractive man, but his
serpent people that regarded her bloated and tumescent
good looks do not hold up to scrutiny. His swarthy skin
form as divine. While consumed by her insanity and
is smooth, without a scar, but darkens near his eyes and
surrounded with real and imagined horrors, she somehow
mouth. His broad smile and perfect rows of white teeth
became less than human, mutating into the horror she
may be sufficient to send a flighty noblewoman’s heart a
is today.
fluttering, but in truth, it is the grin of a predator. Even
Semphi’s story should have ended there, but Regina, in
his seemingly fit body, hidden well beneath his clothing, is
her occasional explorations of the Underside, stumbled
false, with loose skin hanging from his arms, waist, and legs,
upon this abomination. When she pushed through the
looking like a smaller man in the flesh of someone much
sticky strands that protected Semphi’s nest, she took in
larger. Foustaff wears whatever is in the current fashion,
this horror in all of its wretchedness. At the same time,
supplied, of course, by his socialite and lover of the hour.
Semphi, who knew someone approached, felt the unholy
Semphi Tiersten, Deacon spirit enter her flesh and used her mouth to speak. The
King in Yellow blurted out a great torrent of slobber,
bestowing his distasteful blessings onto Meyer, naming
“Service to the King in Yellow poses far greater her his chosen vessel. When the awful presence left,
dangers than the enemies you gain. Careless Regina was moved to destroy the thing, but her hand
exploration into the Unspeakable One’s nature can was stayed when she heard the terrible sobs emanating
confuse the mind and befuddle the spirit. Not long from the heap of glistening flesh. Compassion didn’t lead
after the body responds to the strangeness of the Regina to spare this thing’s life, but rather the recognition
affliction and the weight of corruption can manifest that such a creature may prove useful given her strange
in unsightly ways, as we can clearly see in Semphi’s form and easy connection to their joint master.
So it was that Regina and her fledgling cult undertook
awakened form. ” the daunting task of moving the gelatinous bulk of
—Regina Meyer Semphi Tiersten through the tunnels beneath the city to
their hidden redoubt. They extracted her from the tunnels
As the eldest cultist in the most active branch of the and placed her in the cellar of an old house they claimed
Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign, Semphi Tiersten (female in Drac’s End to serve as their temple. There, Semphi,
“human” journeyman) stands as Regina’s closet advisor, grateful to be of use once more, ejaculates unsettling
whispering with fetid breath the will of their master. Her phrases and whispers lewd advice into the ears of those
great experience and long service to the Unspeakable One who listen.

Cults of Freeport 17
 Chapter I The Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign

Personality
Little remains of Semphi’s humanity; her monstrous
U'Rahn, Deacon
appearance reflects the unstable and wicked mind lurking
somewhere within her bulk. She is lascivious, possessed
“T he mistress teaches us that the first mortals to embrace
with an insatiable sexual appetite that only the most the wonders of the Unspeakable One were the serpent
deluded and mad lovers can sate. She is also cruel and people and she reminds us we should take pride in the
cunning, using her odd abilities to manipulate lesser august presence of such creatures among our kind. I may
cultists to do as she wills, usually to their own detriment. have to accept U’Rahn among us, but this does not mean
Regina tolerates this horror’s excesses, for the occasional I have to like it.”
inspiration evoked from her often confusing and
nonsensical words have proved invaluable to the cult’s —Anonymous Cultist
growth and survival in Freeport.
The Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign has long been
Appearance affiliated with the serpent people and Regina’s cult is no
exception. U’Rahn is currently the only serpent person
Words cannot do justice to thing that was once Semphi
allied with Regina. Their size and influence in the city is
Tiersten, and little remains to suggest she was ever
too small to attract more of these mysterious people. The
human. Most of her body looks like a slimy mountain of
cult places a great deal of hope in U’Rahn, for they believe
veined flesh. Sores and corruption bloom in her crevices,
through him, they can swell their ranks with more of his
leaking a rancid slime that washes the pimply skin of her
kind, even if they are degenerates. Even savages have their
bloated form. Like a bubo, her small head peers over the
purposes.
mound of her skin, her mouth wide and drooling, eyes
bloody and wandering. No hair tops her scalp and her Background
nose rotted away long ago, leaving behind a sucking hole
U’Rahn came to Freeport with many of the other
crusted with mucus. Sprouting from her bulk are two
serpent people who aimed to recover their lost kin. A
emaciated arms and legs, useless appendages nearly black
devoted follower of K’Stallo, U’Rahn shared his leader’s
with corruption.
vision and believed the degenerates could be reformed
and taught to abandon their savage ways and embrace
the wisdom of Yig. Tragically, on one expedition, U’Rahn
became separated from the rest of his team and was
abducted by a group of particularly corrupt degenerates
that worshipped an aspect of the Unspeakable One. To
U’Rahn’s horror, he was dragged before a great altar of an
abomination that seemed made equally of flesh and stone.
His slitted eyes widened as the thing spoke in a deep and
shuddering voice, filling his head with visions of ultimate
destruction and the unraveling of all things. It was too
much and his mind broke.
When he came to days or perhaps weeks later, he was
changed. No longer did he look upon Yig with love
and adoration; he saw his former god as a dead thing, a
weakened and ineffectual relic of the past. And of his kin,
K’Stallo was the greatest perpetrator of the lie, spreading
falsehoods among their people. U’Rahn came to suspect
his former mentor had ulterior motives about recovering
their degenerate kin. Since his fellows likely believed him
dead, he vowed he would not return to them until he was
ready to kill them all.
He haunted Drac’s End and the northern edge of the
Eastern District for a time, but he finally heard about
Regina and her small following. Humans, being the weak
creatures they are, would be perfect tools for U’Rahn to

18 Cults of Freeport
the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign Chapter i

exploit, and perhaps could help him build an army to floor and another three guard the upper floor. These
destroy those serpent people that still bent their knee cultists wander through the house irregularly, taking the
to the serpent god. Given the mystique surrounding the time to peer through gaps in the boarded up windows to
Valossans, it took little effort for U’Rahn to join. He watch for suspicious passers-by. In addition to the three
merely had to reveal himself and Regina Meyer welcomed cultists on the ground floor, there’s another one assigned
him into their circle. to the back door and one to the front door. The cultist
guards wear some form of light armor, usually leathers,
Personality and are armed with swords and crossbows.
U’Rahn is arrogant and has a malicious streak that During the day, the cultists douse the lanterns, so all
makes dealing with him difficult. He has little use for locations are lit by whatever light that leaks through the
serpent people and less for humans and other weak races. boards covering the windows. At night, the cultist carry
To him, Regina and her lackeys are a means to an end and lights about as they make their rounds. There’s always
nothing more, even though the cult leader has taught him a lantern burning in Room 12. Otherwise, the place is
much about the secrets of the King in Yellow, revealing dark.
more and more that confirms his own suspicions. U’Rahn The outer walls are made from sturdy wood planking
is content to let the woman lead for now, but there will and, as mentioned, all of the windows are covered with
soon come a time when he can no longer contain his boards fitted so that there are 2-inch gaps at eye level to
hatred for K’Stallo and when that day arrives, he will kill give those inside a view to the outside. External doors are
Regina and claim the cult for himself. all locked with quality locks, and legitimate entrance is
gained by a special knock. Only Regina and her lieutenants
Appearance
have keys. Interior doors are not locked unless otherwise
Like other serpent people, U’Rahn can hide his true mentioned in the text.
appearance by changing his form into a human or some The ceilings are all 11-feet tall.
other race. He prefers to wear the skin of an androgynous
young man, completely hairless and with startling yellow Key Locations
eyes. When walking the city streets, he dons soft red
robes festooned with holy symbols and icons of various All of the following locations can be found in the
benevolent deities. Saffron House.
Ground Floor
The Saffron House Years ago, this house was quite fine and home to a well-
Regina’s Brotherhood operates out of an old, dilapidated to-do family, who eventually abandoned the place when
house that somehow survived the catastrophe of the the neighborhood declined. On the ground floor, there’s
Great Green Fire that swept through much of Drac’s little left to suggest the splendor of the place, with nearly
End. Situated a few blocks east of the Freeport Institute, all the finery scavenged by squatters ages ago. Still, a few
it squats between the ruined shell of another burned relics suggest this place was once exquisite.
out house and an abandoned slaughterhouse built after
1. Stoop
the original owners abandoned the house. The Saffron
House has two stories and might be an impressive piece Three steps lead up to a porch covered by a sagging
of architecture if it was placed in just about anywhere else roof just barely supported by two rotting pillars. A sturdy
in the city. The wooden exterior walls are blackened with wooden door, clearly new and fitted with five sturdy locks,
soot, marred with graffiti, and infested with dark mold. allows access to the house. The boards out front squeak
Wooden shingles cover most of the roof, but gaps and awfully and a bloated wasp nest hangs in the far back
holes appear throughout. A single crooked chimney runs corner away from the door. Anyone who spends time here
up the side of the house, leaning when it rises above the sees the wasps are quite strange, having ochre bodies, red
roof. wings, and unnervingly long black stingers.
2. Hall
Features and Defenses
A crooked staircase with a broken railing dominates
The house occupied by the cultists is unassuming and the center of this hall. Each step is bowed and rusty nails
rundown, but in spite of its innocent appearance, it is well- poke up from the corners. The rotten remains of carpet
protected and fortified. Three cultists cover the ground still cover some of the steps. The ceiling opens up to the

Cults of Freeport 19
 Chapter I The Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign

upper level to a railed balcony encircling three of the 7. Game Room

room’s four sides. To the right of the stairs is an old door,
A billiards table occupies the center of this room. The
blackened with filth and hanging by a single hinge. To the
walls, once painted green, are now covered in profane
left is another door, painted black and peeling. The smell
graffiti, filthy pictures, and pocked with holes. A rack
of decay and mildew hang heavy in the air.
against the wall holds cues and cracked billiard balls
3. Cloak Room lie scattered on the floor. In the far corner, there is an
This is a simple closet once used to hold cloaks, coats, impressive pile of dung.
and boots. While it still serves in this capacity, it also holds 8. Female Servants' Quarters
a fat barrel filled with crossbow bolts. Scratch marks can
Nine beds lay stacked on top of one another against
be found on the door frame as if someone was measuring
the west wall of this foul-smelling room. A pale pink
a child’s height. A thorough search of this dark and musty
carpet lies on the floor, but it’s alive with maggots. The
room reveals, just above the door, an iron key hanging
air is heavy with moisture and decay and the formerly
from a hook. This spare key opens the front and back
white paint on the walls has split and curled, flakes of it
doors.
covering the floor.
4. Sitting Room
9. Wash Room
The walls of this side room are filled with floor to
This is a profoundly disturbing chamber: it contains
ceiling windows, but instead of holding glass, they are
a bench with a hole in the center. The hole has been
covered by the ubiquitous wooden boards. Broken glass
covered up with wooden planks nailed in place. A big
litters the floor and crunches underfoot. A three-legged
bucket sits on the floor in front of the bench. It’s filled to
wooden stool sits near one of the windows. An old
the brim with foul water and solids. Any commotion in
upholstered chair lies on its side. It’s stained with blood
this chamber draws the attention of something horrible
and excrement. Close inspection of the chair reveals
lurking beneath the bench and it soon after pounds on
worn spots on the handles, suggesting someone was tied
the planks imprisoning it.
to the chair at some point. Suspicious stains darken the
old floorboards as well. 10. Dining Room
5. Office A large oak table and matching chairs fills the center
of this room. Piled on the table is a heap of trenchers
What was once a fine office is now a moldering pile
and cutlery, mounds of moldy food, and suspicious lumps
of rubbish. The teak desk still stands in the center of the
of disgusting slime that spill from the table and gather
room and a torn and tattered chair sits in front of it. Piled
on the rumpled gray rug that lies on the floor. A bloated
on top are a couple of fat candles burned halfway down
cultist’s corpse rots on the floor in the southeast corner.
and a jumble of old books and stained papers. Examining
Rats have chewed away his face, the flesh of his hands,
the documents reveals the ravings of a lunatic, containing
and the softer flesh of his body.
mad diatribes about Freeport, its rulers, and the people
living in the city. The books cover a dizzying assortment 11. Male Servants' Quarters
of topics, ranging from botany to astronomy, magical
This chamber houses six filthy beds and is where the
treatises to a catalogue of occult essays regarding lost or
less sane cultists of both genders sleep, play, and rut.
dead gods. Regina Meyer spends a fair amount of time
Chamber pots sit around, some full, some overflowing,
in this room reading by candlelight to learn the deeper
others tipped over on their sides. Clumps of old stained
mysteries of the Unspeakable One.
rags litter the floor and the cast off bones of some meal
6. Living Room sit scattered about on the floor in the center of the room.
The cultists have taken to expressing their thoughts and
This large room is bare. What’s left of the carpet has
artistic talents by drawing on the walls with chalk. Weird
been ripped up and shoved against the far wall, revealing
images, profane and pornographic sketches, and simple
blackened boards covered in glyphs and sigils drawn with
graffiti give the room startling color.
white chalk. A few melted candles stick up in random
places from the floor. The wallpaper hangs in tatters from 12. Kitchen
the walls. The northeast corner of the ceiling is particularly
If the other rooms weren’t appalling, this foul chamber
dark with mold.
certainly is. Bloody chunks of meat, crawling with flies,

20 Cults of Freeport
the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign Chapter i

hang from hook chains set in the ceiling. Two tables, laden crudely butchered meat hanging from hooks. Much of the
with viscera and crowded with cleavers and hammers, are meat still has faces, hides, and viscera, frozen in a single block
the source of this kitchen’s stench. The floor is a morass of of disgusting flesh. Frozen pools of blood spot the floor. The
congealed blood and bits of flesh and bone form islands in cult sometimes places their prisoners in this room.
the muck. Counters, equally filthy, run along the far wall,
but a cabinet holds edible dried and canned fruits and
Upper Floor
vegetables. A well-used hearth fills out the western wall The upper floor contains the sleeping quarters for the
space and inside hangs a metal hook for boiling stew. more lucid cultists. Unlike the ground floor, these rooms
A locked steel door marred with bloody hand prints are in better condition.
opens up into a weed-filled back yard. There’s a door on
15. Grand Hall
the southern wall and another door on the east wall. These
doors are equally stained. The door that leads back to the The staircase opens onto a grand hall lined with doors.
hall has a crude sketch of an upside down and torn book, Most of the doors are cracked if not opened all the way. A
a blasphemous rejection of the God of Knowledge. filthy brown carpet covers the floor here and in places, it is
black with suspicious fluids. Debris and rubbish including
13. Pantry old papers, bones, and a few scraps of maggot infested
The pantry has shelves laden with canned goods, sacks food have been ground into the floor.
of dried meats, fruit, and the usual sorts of foodstuffs one
16-20. Bedrooms
expects to find in such a place. Hidden in the floor is a
well-concealed trapdoor that leads into the cellar. These are all ordinary bedrooms. They contain a single
modest-sized bed, wardrobe, chamber pot, desk, and chair.
14. Store Room Fat candles can illuminate the rooms, but are rarely lit.
A metal door bars entry to this chamber. Once opened, Curtains yellowed from tobacco smoke and general filth
it reveals a cold storage chamber in which hang sides of hang in front of the windows.

Cults of Freeport 21
 Chapter I The Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign

Secret doors offer access to neighboring rooms, which those crushed beneath her. A strange ropy fungus covers
the cultists use to make nocturnal visits on visitors, the walls, glistening with pale slime that drips from its
captives, and even their fellow cultists for dark and often rubbery flesh and gathers in foul stinking pools on the
violent purposes. floor. The seer is rarely alone for her sexual appetites are
quite strong.
21. Yellow Room
Few cultists dare enter this chamber. At a glance, it looks
27. Armory
like the other bedchambers, except its walls are papered The armory serves double duty as a storage chamber
in a peculiar yellow print. The images and figures in the for the cult’s arms as well as standing as a guard post to
walls seem to shift and writhe, moving in the periphery of protect the temple. At any given time, there are as many
one’s vision. The longer a person spends in this chamber as six cultists who pass the time playing Roger the Cabin
the more profound the movements, until startling visions Boy—a popular drinking variant of the card game Walk
of an impossible city begin to coalesce in the very walls. the Plank—drinking, or torturing captured rats. The cult
No one is quite sure what this all means, but the cultists stores a dozen swords, maces, morningstars, a few pistols,
are confident the Unspeakable One’s presence can be crossbows, and a barrel of powder here, but they are
strongly felt here. In fact, Regina occasionally slips inside careless and most of the weapons are rusting or broken.
to consider the visions produced by the walls, but usually A crude wooden door on the east wall opens onto a short
retreats before the sights tax her sanity too greatly. hallway that leads to the antechamber.
22-24. Bedrooms 28. Antechamber
These chambers are identical to the other bedrooms, Two statues flank an archway that leads to the temple
but they do not have secret doors. These rooms are the proper. Carved from supernaturally-treated sulfur, they
most likely to be inhabited. fill this room with a profound stink. Puddles of noxious
slime cover the floor and the walls are thick with yellow
Cellar and Temple veins that pulse with disturbing force. There are always
Beneath the old house is a small cellar. Soon after Regina at least two guards here, but these are raving fanatics.
and her minions took over the place, they excavated a short They wear black leather costumes that cover their
series of tunnels and rooms to serve as their temple. This bodies entirely except for a breathing slit just above
is a queer environment, with scratching sounds coming their mouths. Awfully, the leather coverings bristle with
from the shadows, the occasional glimpse of scuttling sharp barbs designed to catch and tear the flesh of their
movement, and an odd, repellent odor wafting from the opponents in close combat. Armed with cruel scourges,
cloying blackness. they are quick to maim, attacking anyone they do not
recognize.
25. Cellar
The main cellar seems innocent enough except for the
29. Temple
infestation of diseased rats. These rodents have patchy fur The final chamber in this house of horrors is the
and running sores and those who are not part of the cult temple itself. Any of the principal characters that lead the
and who are brought down here tend to sicken and die cult, except for the seer, can be found here, sometimes
soon after they suffer a bite from one of these pervasive prostrate before the idol of the Unspeakable One, others
pests. The walls here hold shelves clogged with dust, leading or participating in vile ceremonies celebrating the
cobwebs, and the occasional dusty jar of some noxious excesses of their dark god. Towering over the room, at
fluid. The floor is earthen as are the walls, and hairy ochre about the center of the north wall is the massive idol of
roots break from the walls to caress those who pass by the King in Yellow. It has a vaguely human shape, but it
too closely. A concealed door on the south wall leads to seems wrapped in gauze. Peering out between the gaps in
a short hallway that opens onto a larger chamber to the the stone bindings are eyes and tongues and fingers, the
south. A wooden door on the east wall offers access to sight of which is altogether unsettling. Inscribed on the
Room 26. floor in gold is the yellow sign itself and it shines with a
malevolent light, casting weird shadows on the ceiling. The
26. The Seer
air is heavy with the stink of rot and dung, barely masked
This chamber of horrors is the lair of Semphi Tiersten. by the pungent incense. Remnants of past sacrifice have
She rests her massive bloated form on a cushion of dead been shoved to the corners, keeping the center of the floor
lovers, her runny fluids mingling with the slick decay of free of debris.

22 Cults of Freeport
the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign Chapter i

expense, no resource, and no cultist toward acquiring the

Using the Brotherhood Jaundiced Altar, even if it means plunging Freeport into
a bloody secret war.
of the Yellow Sign
Regina’s Brotherhood is ambitious, but Regina herself
Beginner Adventure
is far more measured in her approach and tempers her
religious fervor with tactical expertise and caution. Rather The campaign begins, as many do, innocuously enough
than move aggressively, Regina cultivates her organization, with a missing young man in the Merchant District. As
slowly recruiting and training new members to place them this district is fast becoming the battleground between
in positions of power throughout the city. Drawing heavily the Rakeshames and the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign,
from the Freeport Institute, her allies have the benefits all manner of strangeness has been afoot, with weird
of an excellent education as well as useful connections sightings, unexplained phenomena, and bloody murders.
ranging from the lowliest scum in Freeport’s many dives With the power concentrated in this wealthy quarter, it
to the Captains’ Council itself. doesn’t take long for the Watch to step up their patrols
Although she’s enjoyed great success in building to figure out what exactly is going on, but no matter who
her organization, she recognizes she lacks a rallying they rough up, who they question, or where they raid, they
point, a physical thing to unify the other pockets of the cannot find any clues. Things take a turn for the worse
Unspeakable One’s servants and bring them into her fold. when the son of a middle tier merchant prince of House
Many of these lax (and sometimes not-so-lax) servants Terivand goes missing.
have lost hope and faith in the King of Yellow, some of Jonas Terivand, like many of his peers, was an idle
whom have even gone so far as to try to put their shady youth, uninterested in continuing the family business, but
pasts behind them. Regina believes if she could prove to more than happy to spend his father’s coin on debauchery.
these servants their master has not abandoned them, she While in no way the worst of his group, he spent time
could rebuild the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign into in shady circles with disreputable men in even more
something greater than it ever was before and through disreputable taverns. The Terivand patriarch believed his
her strict leadership, she could avoid the perils that have son would grow out of his irresponsibility, for, indeed, he
plagued the organization since its birth. himself eventually did and went on to great success, and
The trouble, though, is that most of the Brotherhood’s so he tolerated his son’s excesses. His mild disgust and
relics were lost or destroyed after Drac’s fall, and disappointment though changed to fear when his son
locating the few surviving pieces is a task made nearly vanished. Paul Terivand, Jonas’s father, waited a few days,
insurmountable by the vigilant forces arrayed against her. but there was no sign of his boy. He made a few discrete
But Regina’s perseverance has paid off, for the Oracle in inquiries and turned up nothing. Panic set in and he
the cellar of her house has spoken of such a device, an item spread around a lot of money, but to no avail. Finally, he
of great power and imbued with the Unspeakable One’s posted a huge a reward for any information about his son,
malignant will. This item is the Jaundiced Altar and— and soon after, an endless series of con-men and scam
against all odds—it remains somewhere in Freeport. artists turned out to sell their “information” creating more
Upon learning of this magnificent relic, Regina confusion than good.
dispatched her minions to track it down, find the One of Terivand’s agents eventually approaches the player
owner, and report back to her. Her minions have spread characters—they have a real or rumored reputation as “fixers.”
throughout the city and after many false leads and dead The man offers to make them wealthy if they can bring back
ends, one name bubbled up to the surface—Mendor the man’s son or his body. He has little information except
Maeorgan, malcontent and leader of the Rakeshames. for a description and a list of names covering the people with
Knowing the man by reputation and confirming her whom Jonas spent the most time.
suspicions with rumors of his strange behavior, Regina Armed with the meager clues, the PCs can hit the
knew he held the item she coveted and now spares no streets and find this young man. After a few encounters

Underside Claims Six Watchmen, Four Fingers Recovered

— T he Shipping News

Cults of Freeport 23
 Chapter I The Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign

interviewing or interrogating Jonas’s friends, the edge of Drac’s End, she answers the characters questions,
characters learn the missing young man had of late been claiming she didn’t see Jonas that night, but admits she was
obsessed with a young woman named Vikki Tarjay, and to meet him. She says he never showed up, so she figured
rumor holds he was to meet her the night he disappeared. he wound up somewhere else. Pushing her achieves little,
Further investigation confirms this fact, and the last person and she ends the interview soon after.
to see him alive claims he mentioned he was heading out Tarjay is clearly hiding something. She did, in fact,
for a tryst with his love. meet up with Jonas that night. He asked for her hand
Vikki Tarjay is not a good girl. The black sheep daughter in marriage and she laughed in his face. She left, but he
of a powerful merchant family, she has long been a source followed after her, tears in his eyes. When she arrived at
of embarrassment and frustration for her parents, going the Maeorgan Manor, where she spends most of her time,
all the way back to her days as a member of the Daughters she passed the hours drinking and mocking Jonas. The
of the Guild. Never content with her status, she turned young man, who was out in front of the window saw and
to thievery and spent nearly all of her time shirking her heard everything and was about to flee when Mendor
responsibilities to spent time with her “friends” in the came upon him, took him for a spy, and snapped his neck.
worst dives Freeport has to offer. Of late, she’s been seen He dragged the corpse into the house and told Vikki to
with a new gang known as the Rakeshames, a fringe clean up the mess. Tarjay was appalled, but did as she was
criminal group led by the Sea Lord’s cousin, Mendor ordered, hiding the body in the Underside until she could
Maeorgan. find a better place.
Securing an interview with Tarjay is tough, since the If the characters follow Tarjay, she heads for the
young woman does and says what she pleases. When word place where she hid the body. Afraid she’ll be caught,
reaches her about some outsiders are asking questions she moves quickly into the waiting trap set by cultists
about her, she sends out a group of Rakeshame thugs to of the Unspeakable One. Unbeknownst to her, Regina
deal with the pesky adventurers. A nasty fight in an alley wants to kidnap this young woman so U’Rahn can
may well take care of the characters or at least put them impersonate her and infiltrate the Rakeshames. So when
off her tail, but if not, Tarjay relents and agrees to meet Vikki gets to the Underside, a dozen cultists set upon
with them—in a place of her choosing of course. her. The characters, who should be nearby, may join the
At the meeting, a filthy little watering hole on the fight if they wish, but Vikki uses their arrival to make a
hasty getaway. If not, U’Rahn succeeds and drags off an
unconscious Tarjay.
Regardless of the battle’s outcome, the cultists have no
issue with the PCs and so once Tarjay escapes or is in
hand they flee. Searching the area turns up the broken
body of the missing young man, as well as a strange
amulet dropped by one of the cultists. The amulet bears a
strange device—the Yellow Sign. Who, exactly, are these
cultists, and what they want with Tarjay, and whether or
not they are involved with Jonas’s death are all hooks for
further inquiries into this strange case.

Experienced Adventure
In the weeks after the Tarjay debacle, the Brotherhood
and the Rakeshames fought an underground war, with
each side ambushing the other. The bodies start to mount,
and there’s no end in sight. Frustrated by her inability
to infiltrate Mendor’s organization, Regina decided to
bide her time finding out more about the Jaundiced Altar.
Unable to access the repository in the Temple of the
Knowledge God, she turned to young Trent, hoping to
seduce the young man and make him her creature.
Trent was suspicious at first, especially given her ragged
appearance and her unusual, almost insane, mannerisms—

24 Cults of Freeport
the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign Chapter i

she had a tendency to scratch the back of her hands and To throw the characters off her trail, she gives Andwad
utter little moans between sentences—but he still found a false copy and instructs him to arrange for the book
her alluring. She promised to be with him if he would to make its way to the Municipal Auction House. The
just do one small task for her. She needed a book: The book travels through a number of innocent hands until it
Golden Manuscript. Trent knew this book well; it had a reaches the Auction House. Lucius learns of the upcoming
sinister reputation and was well-guarded. When he tried sale and with the PCs in tow, they head off to bid on the
to refuse, Regina kissed him, stroked him, teased him, and book. They pay a high price only to find the book is not
whispered graphic promises of the pleasures she would what it seems to be.
heap upon his young flesh. He could do nothing but nod The characters may continue their pursuit of Regina
his assent. if they wish, but she digs in and effectively disappears
Trent returned to the temple and worked quickly to for now, cutting off ties until she can emerge again.
track down the book. His eagerness, however, proved his Alternatively, the player characters can track down
downfall, for he was careless and his desperation to acquire where the book came from, which leads them on a
the tome came to the attention of the high priest himself. merry chase through the city only to find the “original
Egil clapped the young man in chains and interrogated owner,” Andwad, booked passage on a ship bound for a
him for long hours until Trent finally revealed what was destination unknown.
truly going on, including Regina, her promises, and his Lucius and Egil, who should be drawn out into the
past assistance. Egil left the young man locked in his open by now, are certain Regina was on board that ship
cell, while the high priest considered the implications of and even go so far as to say she is a serpent person, given
this development. As he contemplated his fears though, her elusiveness. Egil reveals he has a second copy of the
Andwad and U’Rahn broke into the temple, tortured manuscript and asks the PCs to follow after the vessel
Trent for the location of the manuscript, then killed him, and destroy the cultists before they get whatever it is
stole the book, and fled into the night. they’re after.
A servant discovered the body and informed the high Assuming the PCs agree, they must brave the terrifying
priest, who knew this was much more than an idle interest seas, enter uncharted waters, and find this mysterious
in a forbidden tome, but rather the re-awakening of his island. There, they must attend to the horrors of the place,
oldest enemy—the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign. Egil find Andwad and his cronies, and destroy them.
can’t reveal the severity of the problem, nor reveal the
loss of the Golden Manuscript, however, because it would Advanced Adventure
weaken his position in the temple and give traction to a
rival sect that has caused him endless trouble. Returning While the PCs spend a month or so sailing back to
to his roots, he called upon his old friend Lucius to find Freeport, U’Rahn successfully infiltrates the Rakeshames,
trusted agents to assist. Egil explained the matter to posing as a minor noble with a cruel streak. Inside the gang,
Lucius in full and underscored the need for secrecy. Egil he snoops around looking for any sign of the Jaundiced
reveals the gravest danger is that inside this book is not Altar. He gets close, catching a glimpse of it, but before
only a cipher of the ancient Valossan language, but also he can reach it, Mendor Maeorgan shows up. Interested
the coordinates of a remote island where it is believed the in this overly curious man, he takes his time and tortures
foul will of the Unspeakable One is closest to the world. the serpent person, learning the creature’s true form and
Lucius agrees and sets out to find suitable mercenaries— purpose in the process.
the PCs. Once he finds them, he reveals the facts of the Intrigued by Regina, he decides to free U’Rahn, who’s
case, and gives the characters the name and a description utterly insane by now, and instructs him to carry a
of the book, but conceals, for now, the existence of the message to his mistress. The message arranges a meeting
Brotherhood. The price is right, so the player characters and calls for a peace between the rivals, and perhaps
should agree. even an alliance. They are to meet at Milton’s Folly in
The investigation proceeds at whatever pace the players two weeks.
wish since much of it involves finding out just who U’Rahn struggles to find Regina, but he is too hurt, too
this Regina woman is and what she’s up to. The player tired to make it. Posing as an injured girl, he holes up in a
characters should learn much of Regina’s past and her Docks tavern, where the proprietor takes pity on him and
surprising fall, her predilection for wallowing in Freeport’s tries to nurse him back to health. Ever wicked, U’Rahn
seedy underworld, and the names and faces of the people seduces the man, bending his mind and heart to become
with whom she most often associates. Even with these his creature, not for any real purpose other than to make
successes, the party has little luck in finding the woman. this man suffer for being human, to make him pay for

Cults of Freeport 25
 Chapter I The Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign

Four Charred Corpses Uncovered in Smoking Old City Ruin

— T he Shipping News

his kindness. For the next few days, the innkeeper begins and instead agrees to the alliance. She fears the PCs may be
murdering his guests, one by one, each night. close behind, so Mendor leaves behind a few Rakeshames
It is at this time when the PCs return to Freeport, for the PCs to deal with, as the pair heads back to the city.
empty handed, and probably in search of a warm bed The PCs, likely armed with information about Regina’s
and meal. They happen on this very inn. There, they find whereabouts may head for the Lighthouse or may wait
things a bit strange and the innkeeper stranger. U’Rahn for her return on the Docks. In either case, both are
recognizes the characters, so he makes ready to slip away, well protected and anticipate the PCs next step. While
but before he does, he pushes the innkeeper to do one the characters fight with the cultists at the Docks or the
more act that will drive the man to suicide. He commands Rakeshames at the Lighthouse, Mendor pilots his vessel
his slave to kill his own daughter. The innkeeper tries to to the wharfs at the Merchant District, where he and
resist, but cannot and does the grisly deed while U’Rahn Regina disembark and hurry to his hideout.
slips away into the night. Once freed of the compulsion, Eventually, the PCs should piece together—either
the innkeeper realizes what he has become and tries to when Regina never shows back up at the Docks or from
burn his building down, with the characters still inside. Rakeshames at the Lighthouse—that Regina is with
The PCs likely wake up and find the proprietor cradling Mendor Maeorgan and they head for his place in the
the head of his murdered child, while flames lick at him Merchant District. The characters may have had cause to
from all around. If they put out the fire or otherwise save find this place before, but if not, finding it is easy and they
the man, he reveals the sordid story, including the wicked merely need to get in touch with any of their contacts in
guest who bewitched him. The characters may pursue, the city.
and if they do, they find no sign of the fleeing girl, but While the characters race to catch up with the cult
they do find a series of strange crimes, each committed by leader and the corrupted noble, the pair reaches the house
a different person. Following the random acts of violence, and heads directly for the Jaundiced Altar, where Regina is
they come upon the cult headquarters, just missing taken aback by its raw malevolence. For the first time since
Regina who received the message and made haste to the vowing service to the Unspeakable One, she experiences
Docks to acquire a ship to reach Milton’s Folly. The PCs doubt. It is of no matter, though, since Mendor smashes
are faced with the full strength of the Brotherhood and her face into the altar, painting it with her blood. As
must fight their way through the chambers of horror to she lays dying on the floor, the relic shines with unholy
find the hidden temple within. power, filling Mendor with a flood of the Unspeakable
From the survivors or Regina’s papers where she left the One’s will until it erases his mind and fills him with the
note, the player characters learn she fled to Milton’s Folly. essence of the King in Yellow. So, when the characters
All clues point to the infamous lighthouse, and so the come upon the scene, they find Mendor transformed,
PCs may follow after, report to Egil, or both. Regardless an abomination cloaked in human flesh. They must stop
of what they choose, they are ready for the endgame. him before the awakened god can ravage the world with
its entropic power, if they can stand against him and
Endgame Adventure horrid bursting tumors that spawn new horrors conceived
from the depths of this mad god’s mind. Will the player
Regina arrives at the island, where she meets Mendor. characters succeed? Can they stop Mendor? Is this the
It’s clear he has the power of the Unspeakable One flowing end of Freeport? The Brotherhood? The universe?
through his veins, so Regina sets aside her plans to kill him

,
26 The Pirate s Guide to Freeport
The Priesthood of Yig Chapter II

- Chapter II -
The Priesthood of Yig
T
he Serpent’s Teeth have known pirates for centuries, those who prove themselves faithful servants; likewise, those
but the islands are far older than that. When the elves who turn away from him will never again gain his mercy. Yig
were still learning how to make bows and arrows, is not petty, but he is strict and exact and he knows neither
the great serpent person empire of Valossa stretched for mercy nor clemency. His will must be done, and he tolerates
ten thousand miles in every no distractions, nor false or
direction. Their towers “Yig is an old god. Yig is a great god. Yig is vast. Yig competing gods.
reached the heavens, their Despite his absolute
science and magic knew no
is strong. Yig remembers. Yig never forgets. Yig is strictures, Yig is not a very
bounds, and through it all always with us. And Yig will see us restored.” demanding god. As long as
they were guided by their —K’Stallo, Hierophant of Yig due respect and obedience
deep and fervent faith in is paid, he cares little about
Yig.When the Brotherhood the day-to-day actions
of the Yellow Sign summoned the Unspeakable One in the of mortal creatures. Yig demands worship and deference,
heart of Valossa, the cataclysm destroyed the empire and but he has little preference in how those are provided.
sent Yig into a torpor. But Yig is not gone, and neither are Likewise, he cares little for the fates of mortals or works of
his children. Yig slumbers but may yet wake. His children individuals—he thinks bigger than that. He grants boons
build and plan, and they will not stop until their empire is to those who serve him greatly, and punishes those who act
raised once more. First and foremost, they must raise again against him, but if a few wander from the path and lose his
his great capital back to the surface. This will destroy the blessing, so be it. He is content for his empire and children
city that lies above it, but no matter—it is only a small city, to worship him as a whole, and for his cult to grow ever
and is home to naught but pirates. more powerful and glorious.
Or so it was. Everything changed when the Unspeakable
Yig One was summoned at the very heart of the Lands of
Yig. The Valossan Empire fell and Yig’s physical form was
entombed beneath its ruins. Since that time Yig has not
The Great Serpent, the Eternal Eye spoken directly to his children. The surviving serpent people
Yig is an old god, perhaps one of the oldest, certainly as have interpreted this in many ways. Some say that this silence
ancient as the Unspeakable One, and formed in the same is Yig’s punishment of the serpent people for failing him and
primal chaos that gave that twisted daemon its birth. Yig allowing the Unspeakable One to wreak such destruction
has existed longer than time, and seen a thousand ages rise on his lands. Other serpent people say that it was they who
and fall, on a thousand planes. That he chose this one as turned their back on Yig and if they worship and exalt him
special to him is a great blessing, perhaps the greatest of all. across the Lands of Yig once again the great god will return
Yig is a god of awesome power, his long existence fueled by from beyond and take again his rightful place at the center of
forces beyond the understanding of any mortals. According his realm. There are signs that Yig is stirring and the young
to the ancient lore of the serpent people, he is the world- races of the world must be wary. If his vast and ancient eyes
devourer and the life-giver, maker of the rivers, raiser of the do turn their attention back to his lost empire and if he wills
mountains, and swallower of the seas. He is the snake that it to be raised, there is no force that can stand against him.
encircles creation, his scales shining to make the stars, and
his burning eyes the golden sun and the silvered moon. D ogma
Yig is eternal, the serpent people say, and likewise his will
is unyielding and his justice inescapable. Yig remembers all Yig believes in self-sacrifice, in the subservience of all
that he has seen, and he sees all that is done. He never forgets that is worldly and personal in favor of his will and his word.

,
The Pirate s Guide to Freeport 27
 Chapter II The Priesthood of Yig

Concerns of individual glory and unaided achievement around a huge fire. As thanks to Yig, each priest must
must be removed, for nothing is done without the blessing shed blood into the sacred bowl, which is then emptied
of Yig, and all things are done to glorify his name. Those into the flames. Bloodletting is considered an important
who are most fervent in their worship will even lose a symbol of a priest’s total submission to the will of Yig.
sense of their individuality, becoming in both thought When a new priest joins the church, he must endure the
and deed nothing more than the will of Yig made flesh. Mouth of the Serpent. He extends his hand into the open
What is his will is what must be done, and what is done mouth of a massive iron statue of the snake god; unable to
can only be his will. see what lies within, they are told only that Yig’s judgment
Yig’s will is manifold and often complex, but there are is in there, and they must have faith in it. A hidden blade
key facets that he places highest, and charges his servants then slices their palm taking their first blood pledge.
never to forget. First of all, they must know that they— Records show that originally this was done with snakes
the serpent people—are his chosen children, and that inside the statue, with Yig’s grace being shown if they did
all others are beneath them. Just so, his Empire must be not bite and poison the aspirant. Other rituals also involve
exalted above all others, and his name and his name only snakes as a way of proving faithfulness or innocence. One
may be worshipped. Nothing may be higher than Yig— rarely used ritual to test if a subject is honorable is to place
no god, no value, no ruler, no goal and no society. Those him in a pit of sea-snakes or with one giant anaconda for
that do not have ears to hear or minds to understand this an entire hour. If the subject lived, Yig had given him his
will be made to hear and understand—or they will be blessing, and he may be trusted by the Priesthood.
enslaved or destroyed.
Yig also places a very high value on knowledge and
magic. Although he is the alpha and the omega of the
Cult History
universe, he still charges his faithful to always work to The history of the Priesthood of Yig is also the history
understand and master that universe beyond simple of the Empire of the serpent people, and has five distinct
faith in his nature. Scholars, be they arcane, scientific or ages. The first age was the Golden Age of the Empire,
theological, are especially blessed by Yig. Artisans and when the serpent people ruled all the world and what lesser
architects too are sacred to him, and these will often try races existed were their slaves. Faith in Yig was strong, and
to outdo each other in creating the most beautiful totems his children were blessed as a result. The ancient Temple
and temples to their great God. of Yig lying beneath the island of A’Val was built in this
Yig is also the god of all serpents, not just the serpent period, in a time even the elves call pre-history. Ruins and
people, and all the reptiles of the land and sea are under fragments remain from this age, and the serpent people’s
his protection, unless the life of a serpent person would records of it would provide a treasure-trove to any scholar
be the price of sparing them. Even then, Yig is not always keen to understand the very beginnings of their world.
merciful, for who can know which serpent is special to After this Golden Age came the Age of the Pestilence,
him? Perhaps the cobra is more important to his plans when a terrible famine stalked the Empire, and brought
than are you; perhaps it is his will that he live and you die. it low. Faith in Yig wavered as the Empire suffered loss
The faithful serpent person can never be sure, and so he after loss, and the land was choked with the dead. The
takes care to preserve all of Yig’s children. wisest priests could not see how to regain the favor of Yig,
the leaders lost control over their lands, and the Empire
Rites and Rituals descended into chaos and strife. However, there was one
who remained faithful, a true child of Yig known as Niaggo.
With such a small church, and so much of their lore He went on a quest to prove his faith to Yig, and returned
lost, Yig’s Priesthood has few formal rites and rituals, but with a perfect jade statue of his god. The statue cured the
those they do have are taken very seriously. The serpent plague of any who touched it. Upon this miracle, the faith
people gather every morning at dawn and every evening was built anew and the Empire returned to its glory.
at dusk for a ceremony of worship, during which offerings The Third Age of the Empire, the Age of Beauty, saw a
are made to Yig, such as craftworks, food, and precious return in some ways to the achievements of the Golden
metals. Attendees offer thanks to Yig for giving them Age. However, the darkness of the famine times lurked in
strength for another day or night, and pledge to dedicate the shadows. The dark faiths and heresies that had arisen
the coming period to his works. in that fearful time were not destroyed, and they grew
Once a year, on the anniversary of the release of the despite the renewed prosperity. The greatest works of
temple from its stasis (see below), the worship ceremony magic, art, and poetry of the Empire typically date from
is performed with much greater pomp and circumstance, this era, for many sought to copy the wonder of the Jade

28 Cults of Freeport
The Priesthood of Yig Chapter II

Serpent statue Niaggo had found, or to follow Niaggo in spared the punishment of Yig and the madness of the
quests of faith and knowledge. Yet at the same time, those Unspeakable One. As the centuries wore on, many died
who studied were often corrupted by the knowledge they out, as did most of the lore and history of their great
gained, as the word of the Unspeakable One would not Empire. Those who survived stayed hidden and isolated,
die. In their quest for knowledge, many children of Yig clinging to the vestiges of the old ways, and dreaming
sold their souls to that dark god, and Yig was not slow to of another, a Fifth Age, an Age of Redemption—and
punish them. Return.
The Fourth Age is now known as the Age of Punishment. Then a wandering human named Lucius came upon
Yig’s wrath was known when he abandoned them to their K’Stallo, a wise scholar and faithful priest of Yig, and he
fate: the Unspeakable One was raised and he did his spoke of all the things he had seen—of the primitives
worst to faithful and unfaithful alike. The arrival of the under Freeport, and of the artifacts of their culture in
demon destroyed the Empire, sundered its lands, buried its the surrounding seas, and of other serpent people he had
buildings, and exterminated all but a remnant of a remnant met who had also kept the old ways. Intrigued, K’Stallo
of its people. Most of those who did survive went mad followed Lucius back to Freeport and began to study the
from the destruction and the terrible curse of the Yellow city and what lay beneath it. First, he took the form of an
Sign. Seemingly abandoned by Yig, they de-evolved into attendant at the Temple of Knowledge, then the master,
primitive, animalistic creatures that could not know the so as to gather as much lore as he could. He learned of
true wonder of Yig and lived only to kill and destroy. These the whereabouts of other true serpent people, and sent
primitives survived beneath the ground, under the new word for them to join him. They each took human form
countries and cities that had been born upon the world and moved through the city, seeking echoes of their lost
above. They dwelled under Freeport in particular, for they Empire.
had some deep, all but lost memory of the sacred nature of They soon discovered that although the worship of Yig
what had once existed there, and sought to be close to Yig had all but vanished, worship of their ancient enemy, the
even though they did not know why. Unspeakable One, had not abated. His hideous presence
They were not the only serpent people to survive the had fallen upon degenerate serpent people and true
cataclysm, however. A few scholars and priests survived, serpent people alike, as well as humans and other denizens

Cults of Freeport 29
 Chapter II The Priesthood of Yig

hangs over the Priesthood, one that has placed it on the

The Prophecy of the First Reborn verge of a terrible schism. K’Stallo is a stout follower of the
Yig’s wrath will not eternal lie Hitthkai, a dogma that sees Yig primarily as the father of
We shall rise again unto the sky wisdom and knowledge, the search for truth and personal
enlightenment, and the soaring soul of the culture and art
And the one that will herald our new dawn of the Empire. Those of the Hitthkai believe in spreading
Is the first of our blood to be reborn the truth of Yig, but primarily through education and
He Is The First Reborn example. However, there are many who point to the
So reads the last canto of the Ssythkin Tapestry, dangers of too much knowledge, and to the fact that
an extensive work of poetry composed at the the humans above have already proven vulnerable to the
height of the Third Age. The writer, Ssythka, was Unspeakable One. The only option is to take up the aspect
considered by many to be mad, if not blasphemous, of Yig the Destroyer, use force to subjugate these foolish
but the early parts of the Tapestry are such a lesser races once more, and rule them with an iron fist.
vibrant and accurate account of history that this Followers of this belief—the Sskethvai faction—grow
artifact was not destroyed. After the desolation, the in numbers and in impatience. They bristle at K’Stallo’s
later sections of the Tapestry proved horrifyingly refusal to act against the threat of the Unspeakable One
prophetic, and the last four lines struck a chord the Freeporters so blatantly represent (pointing to Drac’s
with those scholars who have remembered it over lighthouse as evidence that things have come too close
the millennia. When K’Stallo heard of the egg in once already). K’Stallo will soon have no choice but to
the temple, he immediately recalled the ancient appease this desire of his followers—or stand aside as
prophecy, and told T’lother and the other priests their leader.
of his thoughts. T’lother prayed long and hard to
Yig and returned convinced the entity in the egg
is indeed the First Reborn. The only mystery that
Organization
remained was when this messianic figure would In ancient times, the Priesthood was bound by a
lead them to their returned glory—and how he multitude of laws and formalities. Today, many of these
would do so. have been lost and forgotten. Others have simply proved
unnecessary as the membership of the Priesthood is
now less than ten. However, what laws and traditions do
of Freeport. So great was the danger of the humans calling remain are upheld with great ceremony, for to do any less
up the same dark god that led to the destruction of their would be an insult to Yig.
entire Empire, K’Stallo revealed himself to members of
the temple and a group of heroes who aided the temple. Membership
The actions of these folk prevented the summoning and
destroyed the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign once again, In order to be a member of the Priesthood of Yig, one
for which K’Stallo was deeply grateful. must first be a civilized (or “true”) serpent man. The gender
In the process, these heroes discovered the great temple there is specific: only male serpent people may enter the
of Yig deep under the ocean, lost to serpent people and Priesthood, although females are perfectly welcome to
human lore alike. Inside were trapped shades, enduring join the church as secular followers of the faith. It would
two millennia of suffering in stasis, cursed by Yig to live not be impossible for a non-serpent person to join the
on in mind but not body so they might contemplate their Priesthood if he performed an act of devotion to Yig
mistake. When the adventurers reclaimed Niaggo’s Jade that was truly epic. However, his induction would involve
Serpent from that place, the spirits were freed and the attunement to various serpent artifacts, the process of
temple was cleansed of its dark past, yet also preserved which would slowly turn the new priest into a serpent
the magic that prevented the sea above it from flooding person like his brethren.
in. This act restored to the Priesthood countless lost relics Those who ascend to the higher levels of the Priesthood
and books of lore, and many saw this as a sign that the must be dutiful and humble in their worship and intense
Fifth Age had finally begun. This was only strengthened in their dedication to scholarship and wisdom. However,
by the adventurers discovering a single, healthy egg, ready with so few in the Priesthood, these conditions are likely
to hatch. The First Reborn had arrived (see sidebar) and to fall by the wayside, and a desperate situation or a power
the Age of Redemption had arrived. play could easily bring a charismatic leader to the top
But in this time of new beginnings, a great confusion position, regardless of his fitness for the job.

30 Cults of Freeport
The Priesthood of Yig Chapter II

Symbols and Signs

The chief symbol of Yig is, of course, a snake’s head.
Also used is a coiled snake or a crawling snake, but these
are less frequent. The head is usually depicted with an
open mouth, bared fangs, and hungry tongue, ready to
strike at or swallow those with whom Yig is displeased.
His eyes are large and predatory and are usually marked
with jewels. The scales are often also made from semi-
precious materials such as polished bronze, obsidian, or
jade. Jade is both hard to find and hard to carve, but it is
considered the pre-eminent substance for crafting images
of Yig, with emerald being a close second.
Green is the sacred color of Yig, with orange, brown,
or gold usually featured as a contrast or relief color. These
colors are most often associated with Yig’s gleaming eyes,
although occasionally one eye will be silver to represent
the moon (the gleaming golden eye being the sun). Those
of the Priesthood wear ochre robes with a deep emerald
silk trim. Serpent people blood is also green, and is mixed
with seaweed dyes to create a sacred ink. This is used
to write lore and prayers on sacred scrolls or in ancient
tomes, and to decorate robes and sculptures of the faith.
Yellow, the color of the Unspeakable One, is anathema to
the Priesthood and is never used.
When offering greeting or respect to a fellow holy
person or other worthy, the priests will touch their wrists
together in front of their chest, bending their fingers
around to make their claws meet. This oval shape is an
approximation of a snake’s head.

Structure
With so few members, the cult has little internal
structure. At its head is K’Stallo as Hierophant. Below
him are three High Priests. They advise the Hierophant
on the running of the Priesthood, and only one of them
may move up into that exalted position. Beneath them
are the priests. Various other titles have been handed out
to the small collegiate, such as Keeper of the Archives,
Master Lore-Gatherer and Great Seer. K’Stallo believes
very strongly in reminding his underlings of how special
they are, and how important they are in re-establishing
the Empire and the cult.
However, as mentioned, K’Stallo presides over a house
divided. His foremost advisor, High Priest T’lother is an
ardent follower of the Sskethvai faction, and he has many
supporters. Few of the others truly support K’Stallo’s
philosophy; rather they simply stand with him due to his
position and the formalities of their hierarchy. With so
few members, any significantly striking gesture would be

Cults of Freeport 31
 Chapter II The Priesthood of Yig

Where's the Egg?

If you have played through the original Freeport Trilogy, your players may have stumbled upon the egg in
the Hatchery of the lost Temple of Yig. The egg was preserved by the same stasis that held the temple, and is
perfectly healthy. If it is brought near the Jade Serpent statue, it hatches in mere minutes. Otherwise, it hatches
after about a month in a warm, dry place. The eggshell is leathery and soft rather than brittle, and the egg can
incubate perfectly well in an old chest, or an adventurer’s backpack. Note also that serpent people are not born
as mewling babes: Although not fully grown, they have all their physical features (including claws and fangs),
and their minds are mature and hungry for the hunt. Pity the poor adventurer who finds a three-foot-tall
serpent person bursting from his backpack, hungry, angry, and very confused!
If they did not bring the egg out themselves, T’lother eventually finds it and hatches it himself, assuming
no narrative device puts it in the players’ hands before he can accomplish this. If the players reveal to any of
the Priesthood that they have either the egg or the newborn serpent person, the Priesthood asks very nicely
if they can raise the child themselves. If they are turned down, they ask much less nicely, and then resort to
violence. Even the most peace-loving serpent person will not bear the insult of one of their ancient children
being raised by outsiders, and this is doubly true once they realize the child is the First Reborn. Of course, if
the first thing the newborn sees is the PCs, and they treat him well (perhaps like a son?), he might have his
own ideas about where he wants to live.

all it would take for T’lother to win over the traditionalists their race, so he continues to hope there is a peaceful way
and seize control. In the meantime, T’lother is not above to resolve this issue. Given time, the serpent people can
working around K’Stallo’s weaknesses (as he sees them). rebuild their numbers underground and slowly reestablish
Beneath the official priests are the dozen or so remaining their temples. Eventually, the surface world will not be
civilized serpent people in Freeport who are not members able to ignore their presence, and they will be free to
of the Priesthood, but count themselves among the faithful expand and spread their faith without fear of imminent
of the cult. These include females, servants, scribes, spies, destruction. The true wonder of Yig would ensure the
and a few newly arrived scholars who have responded to Empire would soon dominate the world again, winning
K’Stallo’s summons. Technically, the degenerate serpent hearts and minds without the need for bloodshed.
people are also members of the cult, but opinion is divided However, those of the Sskethvai faction see this as
on their theological status. As serpent people, they are both ridiculously optimistic and far too slow a timetable.
the chosen of Yig, but their degenerate nature, many The great temple has been cleansed, the First Reborn is
argue, means they have been abandoned by their god come—clearly the signs point to the time of the serpent
(and consumed by the Unspeakable One) for their sins. people having arrived. The children of Yig were not meant
Some take this logic to the extreme and conclude that the to cower beneath the earth, but to rule over it, and to
degenerates must be annihilated for the Empire to grow continue to hide is an insult to Yig and the great history
strong again. K’Stallo and others believe the degenerates of the serpent people. Of course, the Sskethvai are not
can be redeemed and that doing so may in fact be a key foolish—they are aware of their small numbers and how
element of reviving the empire. easily a concentrated attack by the surface races could
obliterate any perceived threat from below.
Goals and Motives The solution for the Sskethvai is domination through
infiltration. The shape-changing gift of the serpent people
The Priesthood of Yig wants nothing more than to allows them to move completely undetected through the
elevate the name of Yig, and bring his glory to all the city of Freeport, and manipulate its politics. It worked
races of the world. The priests are divided, however, on the very well—almost devastatingly so—for those accursed
best way to do this. renegades who followed the Unspeakable One, so there
Even the peaceful K’Stallo and his fellow Hitthkai is no reason the same approach cannot work for the true
realize humans and their gods represent a major obstacle children of Yig.
to the return of their great Empire. K’Stallo’s time among The current aim of the Sskethvai and Hitthkai alike
the humans has caused him to have great sympathy with is to ascend as many of their agents as possible into the

32 Cults of Freeport
The Priesthood of Yig Chapter II

upper echelons of Freeport politics, and onto the Captains’

Council. Soon enough, one of their priests will be elected
Sea Lord and be able to pass rulings permitting the
serpent people to co-exist in the city, build their temples
in the Temple District, and start negotiating total control
over the city. At the same time, the humans can be bound
to serve the serpent people’s wishes with or without their
knowledge. The pirates of Freeport can easily be convinced
to root out the worshippers of the Unspeakable One,
destroy the dangerous degenerate serpent people, and to
wage war on any other enemies the serpent people (or
at least, the Sskethvai) deem a threat. They are, after all,
amoral pirates, and will do anything for enough gold or if
their tyrannical Sea Lord orders it. Freeport, if properly
used, is not so much an impediment to the return of the
serpent people as the first army of their new Empire.

Recruitment
The serpent people are few, and are desperate to increase
their numbers. However, they are also keen to avoid
the mistakes of the past, and do not wish their sacred
Priesthood and reborn Empire to be sullied by anything
less than the truly faithful. They especially do not want
any worshippers of the Unspeakable One to once again
infiltrate their society. Their solution to this problem is to are perhaps a dozen so far in the tunnels along with
actively seek more believers for their congregation, but to the handful of priests, but they are all passionate and
be extremely strict in who is permitted to ascend to the desperate, with nothing to lose. It would take an army
official Priesthood. to exterminate such a fanatical group, and the invaders
To achieve the first goal, they have sent messages, would lose countless good men in those dark tunnels.
envoys, and magical summons out across the world,
seeking all civilized serpent people and urging them to Allies
return to Freeport and help rebuild. So far, responses have
been very few but each year there are a few more. Nobody The serpent people are secretive and isolationist. It’s
is really sure how many of the race survived the cataclysm, both in their nature and a good survival tactic. What’s
but in the two millennia since that time, even a remnant more, their greater goal is to dominate every other race in
of a remnant can breed exponentially. The trickle may the known world. Therefore, few of their allies know their
very soon become a rush—or even a flood. true plans or who they are really assisting. Instead, the
The new arrivals are usually confused and ignorant serpent people make unwitting allies of the surface races,
regarding their history and culture, and are easily turning them to their purpose without their knowledge.
indoctrinated into the worship of Yig, keen as they are The typical strategy is for a serpent person to assume the
to re-learn the old ways. They are eager to participate in identity of a human (the most common race in Freeport).
rituals and services, and adorn themselves with symbols They usually take the role of a recently deceased, highly
of their God. Whether they absorb the true meaning placed, and influential individual whose death has not
of their faith and what it means to follow it is another become known. If such a person is not readily available,
matter. many serpent people are not shy about finding a suitable
They have all, however, lived a life full of fear, confusion, candidate and helping things along. Alternatively, they
isolation, and the risk of extermination, and until now have can “arrive” in Freeport in a persona created from whole
never known a real home. Regardless of how well they cloth—the serpent people have sufficient riches to create
understand their new world and new faith, new arrivals wealthy merchant identities.
feel an instant kinship with it, act boldly to advance its After a few months of impersonation, they can identify
goals, and fight to the death to protect its survival. There which of their servants can be trusted, and reveal their true

Cults of Freeport 33
 Chapter II The Priesthood of Yig

Justifiable Xenophoia? Foreigners Bring Plague to the Docks

— T he Shipping News

nature to them. With their help, they begin plotting to raise for other hatreds. Over the centuries, pirates have been
their political influence even further, either by ascending chiefly responsible for robbing, defiling, and destroying
the ranks on the island themselves, or by gaining leverage their ancient tombs and temples, stealing or smashing
over higher-placed individuals. Freeport is full of secrets, sacred artifacts simply for the gold or jewels within. As
and blackmail is not hard to arrange, especially since the a result, they have an instant dislike of those of a strong
serpent person’s requests rarely appear objectionable. In piratical nature. They prefer scholars, priests, and warriors,
fact, the serpent people’s goals are so often so inoffensive and have no problem with merchant sailors, but gruff old
no pressure is needed to bring them about. sea-dogs with peg-legs and parrots immediately earn
What is more, some humans sell their services to their scorn. Any worshipper of Harrimast or Yarash (they
the serpent people willingly. Even with only relics and recognize no difference between the two) is strongly
fragments remaining, the knowledge and lore of the distrusted in any dealings. To them, pirates are usually
serpent Empire is vast and unique, and there are many unprincipled, money-grubbing thieves who have no
who gladly trade their allegiance for access to this. Others understanding of the nobleness of their faith, nor of such
are easily convinced the serpent people are the true things as sacrifice, honor, or service to something greater.
masters of the world, and readily betray their own race to Given Freeport’s population, it is not a belief likely to be
ensure a place in the reborn Empire, and these types can dispelled any time soon.
coerce others to follow their example. This has prejudiced them against the inhabitants
Through these methods, many people across the city of Freeport, as has the fact that their great Temple lies
of Freeport have come to give aid and support to the partially beneath the island on which it sits. Although
Priesthood of Yig, and T’lother’s army on the surface is K’Stallo and others have good relationships with various
getting closer and closer to reality. individuals and organizations of Freeport, deep down
almost all of them still share a feeling of disapproval and
Enemies disgust toward the city. There may be some good people,
but the town will always be a pirate town, without honor
The serpent people are unique in that they know exactly or morality or any greater purpose, and even those of the
what the wrath of the Unspeakable One can do, and have Hitthkai will not shed a tear if it is torn down to aid the
lived to tell the tale. They will never make that mistake Empire’s rise.
again. They seek out every hint of worship of this mad
god, every mention of his name, every rumor of his K'Stallo, Hierophant of Yig
supporters, and destroy the source with abject hatred and
almost depraved zeal. K’Stallo is described in full detail in Pirate’s Guide to
In truth, they are perhaps more afraid of their Freeport page 187.
nightmarish memories of the Unspeakable One and its
cult than they are of the reality. It has also become an T'lother, High Priest of Yig
issue of pride and duty—to honor Yig and build the
temple anew, the Unspeakable One can never even be “The eyes of Yig are upon us all. Will you wither in
spoken of. This has created a powerful taboo and a deep his sight?”
paranoia, causing some serpent people to act wildly and
dangerously. Should a serpent person be found to be a —T’lother, High Priest of Yig
cultist, for example, he would just as likely be torn to pieces
Technically, K’Stallo is the leader of the Priesthood of
on the spot as given any sort of trial—and the priest who
Yig, but it is anyone’s guess how long he shall remain so.
invited the creature into the temple might take his own
Both Sskethvai and Hitthkai alike are dissatisfied with
life in penance and shame.
K’Stallo’s laissez faire approach to the rebirth of the
Despite their over-whelming hatred of the Unspeakable
Empire, and are acutely aware K’Stallo is the Hierophant
One’s mortal minions, the serpent people still find time
almost solely because of timing: he arrived in Freeport

34 Cults of Freeport
The Priesthood of Yig Chapter II

first. Meanwhile, all who look upon T’lother (male step must be the total annihilation of the degenerates,
serpent person master) are instantly struck by his powerful for they are part of that past sin. In this regard, T’lother
conviction, his deep faith, and his bold vision for the is supported by most of his fellow priests. What’s more,
future. T’lother burns brightly with the fire of Yig, and he is aware this goal is very much to the benefit of the
all can see that if the Empire is to rise again, it will be surface dwellers of Freeport, who continue to suffer
because of serpent people such as him. The only question attacks from these underground dwellers. Not to mention
is how long before what everyone can see becomes the the threat to serpent people and Freeporters alike should
way things truly are. these degenerates once again come under the sway of the
Unspeakable One or his cult.
Background T’lother is just bursting with ideas to make this happen,
At first, T’lother did not understand his gift. He was and to make the reborn Empire a reality. Every day he has
told what all civilized serpent people were told when more ideas and more dreams of Yig’s will, and this only
they were raised: Yig had abandoned them, their Empire heightens his frustration that he is not in power. But he
was destroyed, and their race was dying out. And yet he waits with all the patience he can muster. He is building
could hear the Word of Yig in his head, and saw visions support among his fellow priests, developing alliances
of the Empire reborn—visions he knew were glimpses of with human agents, and seeking control over the politics
the future, not fancies of the past. With the visions came of Freeport. The moment he has the authority, he will
power, too, and he rose quickly through the Priesthood, work with the humans to exterminate the bestial serpent
always exceeding his teachers, and performing fresh people and use that as the first step to return the Valossan
miracles—but none would believe him that the Age of Empire to the surface. All he needs is the first step. All he
Redemption was close. needs is a sign.
Then there came the night that the great lost temple Personality
was freed from its curse. A thousand miles away, ten miles
under the ground, T’lother dreamed of the events as they T’lother is, for a person of faith, surprisingly practical,
happened, and Yig told him it was the beginning. T’lother and for one of such obvious leadership qualities,
raced to Freeport, praising his lord with every step. That surprisingly humble. Although he has a powerful and
was five years ago now. Five years of waiting. Five years
of listening to K’Stallo talking about “continuing to study
what was lost” and “laying the road for the clutches to come.”
Although T’lother acknowledges K’Stallo has both a
natural gift and years of experience when it comes to
dealing with humans, and has seniority of the position,
he has now lost all respect for his master. To T’lother’s
eyes, K’Stallo sees only what could be, what might be, at
best, what will be. He does not see what is, right now, and
what certainly shall be tomorrow. T’lother does not make
that mistake.
He knows his people are few, but he also knows that they
are powerful, in faith, in magic, and in strength of arms.
He knows Yig is with them, and their actions blessed in
his eyes. He knows with faith, there is nothing they cannot
accomplish, and K’Stallo’s hesitancy is sapping that faith
from his brethren. The First Reborn has come, the temple
has been reclaimed, so the time for rebirth is now. Not a
generation from now, not next year, not tomorrow. Now.
T’lother believes the first step is to eliminate the
degenerate serpent people. He believes their nature is
due to an inescapable taint placed upon them by the
Unspeakable One. If the Empire is to thrive again, it
must never repeat the mistakes of the past, and must
expunge all hints of their terrible transgression. The first

Cults of Freeport 35
 Chapter II The Priesthood of Yig

personal connection with Yig, he never considers himself

realized the serpent people were an ancient race, and they
above anyone else. If anything, he feels the eyes of Yig
and their lair must contain countless secrets of the past.
upon him more than others and must work even harder
He came back with a dozen warriors. They killed most of
as a result. His practicality also means he has no great
them, and brought the survivors—the younglings—back
interest in the letter of his faith’s laws, and is a far weaker
to the wizard’s tower for further study. K’San will not
scholar than K’Stallo. He would rather simply do things
speak of what transpired next, but he learned very soon
than discuss them, and he often circumvents K’Stallo’s
the true depths of human cruelty.
authority by simply not asking permission so he can go
Eventually, he escaped, and in the wizard’s notes
ahead unhindered. His lack of scholarship is perhaps
discovered mention of other sightings of his race in
the last thing—apart from the sacred protocol of the
Freeport. With nowhere else to go, he headed there and
Priesthood itself—that prevents T’lother’s ascension to
discovered many of his kind. They taught him the full
the top position. With each passing day, this frustrates
history of his people, and the one called T’lother told
him more and more, because his god is beating on his
him about the return of the Empire. At this, K’San’s eyes
heart like a drum, and the new Empire cannot wait any
glazed over with desire, for in such a return he saw his
longer.
chance for bloody vengeance.
Appearance K’San immediately devoted himself to the faith with a
fiery passion, studying lore under K’Stallo and hearing the
T’lother is a tall serpent person, with emerald scales and
words of Yig from T’lother. He rose rapidly through the
flashing golden eyes. He often shuns the full robes of the
church and soon became a fervent follower of Sskethvai.
Priesthood, going about with his chest bare and his arms
To K’San, Yig is first and always the Avenger, destroyer
free, all the better to work for his god. When he changes
of all those who sully his name. First to die will be the
into human form, he prefers to appear as Bertralla Duskany,
degenerate serpent people, and he is always willing to
a successful merchant from the mainland. Bertralla is a
egg on T’lother towards that destruction. Next will be
tall and lithe woman with the body of a swordfighter. She
the humans and the other sentient races, for they have
is known across Freeport for her dazzling golden eyes
no respect for their true masters, have long killed their
and her lustrous red hair. She prefers to dress in simple,
betters, and have forgotten their place. K’San means to
well-tailored greens. T’lother is aware of the effect his
teach them their place through extermination, until
appearance has on male humans, but to him, each human
they too know what it is to be reduced to nothing but a
gender is as bizarre as the other so he does not consider
scattered, terrified remnant.
playing upon his looks to be unnatural.
K’San is no fool, of course—he is, in fact, extremely
cunning and manipulative—and he knows a few dozen
K'San, Seneschal of the Temple serpent people have no chance against Freeport, let alone
the entire human world. He seeks this destruction by
“I’d keep your eye on that one with the eye patch. first controlling, then enslaving, the humans. He does not
He has a lean and hungry look—like his bones ‘ave mind waiting—as long as the process has begun, and he
already been done over by the vultures, yet he lived can personally hurt some humans along the way. T’lother’s
to tell the tale.” passion for raising the Empire back to glory immediately
has earned him K’San’s total and complete support, and
—Captain Lydon to K’Stallo whenever T’lother falters, K’San is there, whispering in
Every great man needs a great assistant. K’San (male his ear, supporting his will to power, and urging him onto
serpent person journeyman) has seen the greatness in the greatness he is sure he can achieve. Together, they are
T’lother, and he intends to be his assistant. He plans to a powerhouse of conviction and determination, and there
accompany that most worthy priest on every step of his is perhaps nothing their joint faith cannot endure, and
escalation to greatness, and his revival of the Empire. K’San nothing their joint passion cannot make real.
also intends to do whatever he can to make sure both of Personality
these things happen—partly to satisfy his ambition, and
partly to satisfy his thirst for revenge. K’San is a deeply suspicious individual. The torture he
suffered left him with precious little in his soul besides a
Background desire to hurt others in a similar fashion, and deep down,
When K’San was a youngling, a traveling wizard he believes everyone else feels the same way. It is therefore
discovered his clutch’s hiding place. The wizard quickly vital to him that he is always in a position of strength and

36 Cults of Freeport
The Priesthood of Yig Chapter II

everyone else is on the defensive. That way, he can never

be made a victim again, which is the one thing he truly
fears. If ever captured by humans again, he would become
hysterical with fear and probably try to kill himself. On the
other hand, if he was ever put in a position of power over
human prisoners—his greatest desire—he would inflict
such tortures upon them as to drive men mad just to hear
them. For now, he consoles himself with suggesting plans
to T’lother and K’Stallo involving much more death and
suffering upon humans, and waits for his moment to flex
his coils, and begin his delicious revenge.
Appearance
K’San’s flesh echoes the damage done to his soul. He is
stooped, scarred, and has a patch over the shattered wreck
that was once his left eye. His dark brown scales reflect
little light, and he easily blends in with the stone walls of
the undercity. He walks with a shuffling, sideways motion
due to a permanently fractured pelvis. There is no physical
explanation for him always talking in a whisper; he does
that as a reflex, because he is afraid that others might be
listening.

Nyssal, Keeper of the Archives

“Ancient ruins aren’t exactly my area, I’m afraid.
wealthy nobles to give him vast amounts of money for
You should try my charming new colleague across doing nothing at all.
the hall—he’s the expert!” When the Temple was cleansed, Nyssal’s curiosity got
—Professor Mandarus Whitmire, Freeport Institute the better of him, and upon his arrival in Freeport, he
saw a chance to put his skills to a greater purpose. He
Nyssal (male serpent person journeyman) is a faithful son immediately copied K’Stallo’s example and took human
of Yig, but his true religion is deceit. To him, deception form to learn more of the lost Valossan Empire. He
is as natural as breathing and more exquisite than the chose the form of Professor Nismann Shrechter, visiting
finest wine. With K’Stallo’s retirement from the Temple expert on archaeology, and K’Stallo’s position in the
of Knowledge, he is the serpent person who spends Temple ensured he would find work at the Institute.
the most time in human form, living on the surface as His knowledge of the snakemen made it easy for him to
Professor Nismann Shrechter, master of ancient history impress his fellows with his revolutionary discoveries, and
at the Freeport Institute. within a few years of his arrival he was considered one
of the Institute’s greatest minds. Professor Whitmire (see
Background
The Pirate’s Guide) in particular both likes and respects
Nyssal was born with a silver tongue, something he Shrechter, and always directs those curious about the
learned to use and love from the moment he could talk. origins of Freeport to his worthy colleague. Shrechter
In another age, he might have been a great actor, or a in turn is always keen to hire adventurers to explore lost
phenomenal confidence trickster. As it was, he became ruins or bring back ancient artifacts, and is known to pay
a scholar, using his shape-changing gift to move beyond handsomely for help, thanks to the fortune he inherited
his clutch-brothers and learn everything he could of the on the mainland.
world around him and the people in it. The more he Shrechter is popular with the students as well, although
knew, after all, the better he could deceive and the more those who get too close often find him uncomfortably
he could manipulate. He ended up in academia partly over-friendly towards the most handsome of his male
because he wished to know more about his people, but undergraduates. Of course, Nyssal has no real taste for
mostly because it was the best position for convincing such things, but created the faux penchant for boys

Cults of Freeport 37
 Chapter II The Priesthood of Yig

because he knows that people rarely keep looking for a Appearance

second secret once they uncover the first. Layers upon
layers, wheels within wheels—such is the way of Nyssal’s Nyssal literally has a silver tongue and silver eyes to
serpentine mind. match. His scales are a shimmering golden brown, and
Nyssal also proclaims great loyalty to K’Stallo, his he moves even more sinuously than most of his race. In
fellow scholar, while whispering the opposite in the human form, he resembles a grey haired man of rather
ear of T’lother. Nyssal does not care which is ruling indeterminate age: lithe, well-dressed, and still handsome.
the Priesthood, and happily take orders from either, so He is soft voiced but very convivial, and extremely
long as he gets to deceive people. He particularly enjoys tactile—he likes to touch every person he meets, if only
T’lother’s plan to trick the humans into slaughtering for a moment.
the degenerates, and has already written an essay on the
subject entitled “The Threat From Below.” He plans to K't'Kah, The First Reborn
present it to the Captains’ Council very soon.
“He is young, so he is often unwise. He is young, so
Personality he is always bold.”
Nyssal literally cannot help but deceive. It is an
unconscious habit. He even lies about trivial matters,
— T’lother
such as what he is drinking in a bar, or the day of the The First Reborn, the Scion of Old and New, the Child
week. When caught out, he smiles and his grey eyes of Ancient Glory: this is K’t’Kah (male serpent person
twinkle, causing many to see him as a wily trickster. In journeyman). The prophecies are very clear; there is no
truth, he is a consummate sensualist, and spends most of doubt of his significance. He is the one spoken of, the
his life indulging wildly in his passions, in both serpent one who will lead the serpent Empire back to glory. But
and human form. That his chief passions are deception, before a boy can be a king, he must first be a man.
betrayal, and manipulation is simply a happy coincidence
for the Priesthood. Background
From the very moment he was hatched, K’t’Kah was told
of his destiny. Serpent people are born highly developed,
the equivalent of a teenaged human child, so he had no
problem understanding what he was taught. Over the last
five years, he has heard little else. However, at the same
time he has been told that his time has not yet come,
and the building will be slow. This has naturally made
him very frustrated, and like T’lother, he is becoming
more and more impatient for the revolution—and the
bloodletting—to begin.
In the meantime, he trains vigorously. A natural athlete,
he has a warrior’s instincts and a godly physique, which he
hones with vigorous martial arts training. He also trains
his mind, although in that regard he is far less gifted,
and he finds his endless lessons in history and theology
a frustrating distraction from more interesting pursuits.
Such pursuits include more than just the martial; like
any youngling, K’t’Kah has an eye for the females of the
species—and indeed, other species if it comes to that. No
suitably attractive female is safe from his advances, and
he is quite prepared to use his epic destiny as courting
material.
When not training or courting, he prefers to be at the
head of any mission. So much so K’Stallo and T’lother
have manufactured quests for him to undertake to keep
him busy, going off in search of lost temples or ancient
artifacts of the Empire. In this capacity, he often finds

38 Cults of Freeport
The Priesthood of Yig Chapter II

himself in league with adventurers, and has learned to

respect those wandering types. However, he will not
hesitate to cut them down if that is the order he is given— About K't'Kah
or if he decides to stop taking orders altogether. This write up assumes the hatchling from
Personality the lost temple was raised by his own people. If
the PCs found the egg, hatched it and found a
K’t’Kah believes in bold gestures and bold deeds. He way to raise the scion without the knowledge or
never does anything by halves, and he is entirely fearless interference of the Priesthood, his personality will
in danger. He is the first to swing into combat whatever be determined by how they choose to raise him.
the odds, assured that he can cut down his enemies—
and frequently, he is right. However, anyone who spends
any time with him off the battlefield, or asks him about
his Empire and his destiny will see that there are cracks Ornaments. This craft store in the Merchant District is
behind the bravado. Deep down, K’t’Kah has no idea new, but rapidly becoming famous for its fine work. Many
what he is doing and is terrified that he is doing it a retired captain brings in a treasured relic from a ship they
wrong. served on to be shaped and shined, while proud merchants
who have hardly ever touched the sea will have her craft
Appearance stylized ship’s wheels and bowsprits for their parlors.
K’t’Kah rarely takes human form, as he considers it She finishes everything with fretwork of her signature, a
demeaning and inappropriate, but when he is forced to stylized snake. Her snakes and other designs also appear
do so he appears as a human some seven feet tall, with in the shop-sign, the counter, the lintel over the door, and
rippling muscles and tanned, hairless skin. Dark brown even the handles of her saws, rasps and planes. Some might
eyes burn in a serious and handsome face under a flow of consider this a terribly foolish display of her true allegiance,
striking silver hair. In serpent form, he is equally muscular but J’ness enjoys hiding in plain sight.
and enormous, towering above his fellow serpent people. What’s more, her shop has such a homey, twee
His scales are a shining silver and his eyes almost pitch atmosphere that nobody is likely to suspect it of anything.
black apart from red motes which flare when he smiles. If anyone asks, she explains she’s loved snakes ever since
she was a little girl. She is so disarmingly unthreatening
J'ness, Faithful that the rich men who come there never fail to tell the
smiling Miss Jessie about their latest successful business
Servant of the Priesthood venture, or when their next ship will come in. And
whenever T’lother gives the word, J’ness will begin adding
As a female, J’ness (female serpent person apprentice)
the slow-acting contact poison to the rubbing alcohol she
has no chance of entering the priesthood, but she has no
recommends all her customers use on their shiny new
great desire to do so. Instead, she finds her own ways to be
woodcrafts.
useful to her god and her Empire, free from the burden
of great responsibility and hard decisions. Like so many Personality
of her brethren, she lies hidden, waiting, watching, seeing
J’ness is a life-long student: She studies everything
everything—and ever ready to strike.
with unblinking eyes and an open mind, seeing all and
Background remembering everything, yet always keen to know more.
She watched her master work wood and stone and
J’ness is a new arrival to the city of adventure, but her
immediately learned how to copy him. When she came to
passion for her new home is very strong. She is a great
Freeport, she immediately devoured the lore of her people
student of the lost lore of the Empire, and devout follower
and devoted herself to their future. When she is not in
of Yig. As soon as she heard of the possibility of the return
her shop, quietly listening to the upper crust of Freeport,
of the Empire and the need to infiltrate the surface-
she is sitting at the knee of T’lother, K’Stallo, or Nyssal,
world, she begged to be a part of it. She turned out to be
quietly listening to the legends of the Empire, and the
an exemplary spy: diligent, dutiful and completely above
sacred word of Yig.
suspicion.
She was raised by an artisan and had a gift for it, so it Appearance
was natural to use this as her cover. Above the sewers, she
In serpent form, J’ness has coppery scales, almost orange
is Spinning Jessie, of Spinning Serpent Woodcrafts and
in parts, to match her wide, amber eyes that seem to burn

Cults of Freeport 39
 Chapter II The Priesthood of Yig

with her fiery passion for knowledge. In human form, greatest defense, so every serpent person is well versed on
she appears as a middle-aged but still attractive woman the fastest way to the undercity from any street corner
with a wide smile and a freckled face. Her brown curls in Freeport. If spotted and pursued, they can slip into
are normally full of sawdust, and she typically has a pencil the darkness and lose all but the most dogged tracker in
behind her ear. the maze-like tunnels. Even then, the serpent people are
ready to deter any attackers that find them; they value
New Temple of Yig their privacy greatly, for they know it may be their only
chance of survival.
Freeport is far from the only civilization that has been Even so, this temple is disconnected and distant from
built on the island of A’val. Beneath the city streets, tunnels the living quarters of the Priesthood and their faithful.
run deeper and further than anyone might imagine. Not They come to the temple morning and night, and an
even the serpent people know them all, for they were only open market operates in the front area between services
the first to build there and new riddles were added by for those who remain. There is also an area for weapons
each new inhabitant. They do know the tunnels better training and sports, a library, a museum, and smaller
than any other race, however, and the underground has churches for those who wish to worship privately. In
always been their home. So it is that, for the moment, the short, it is a recreational area. To be safe, it is kept separate
underneath of Freeport belongs to them. from where the serpent people sleep, and there are other
Their ancient temple has been released from its curse, places too where they can fight, plan, experiment, hold off
and tunnels made from its location out at sea back to the an army, or mete out justice. However, any adventurers
undercity beneath Freeport, but that sacred space has not coming down into the tunnels will most likely be brought
been reclaimed for worship. Historical recovery is still here, to the meeting place, at least at first.
going on, and many believe the building too fresh with Although it is an area of community and entertainment,
horror or too tainted with regret to bring back into the it is far from defenseless. There is only one obvious way
fold. Instead, the Priesthood has built a new temple, for in, and that is barred with heavy gates, while very well
a new age—although it is far from grandiose, and many hidden secret doors lead to emergency exits in case the
wonder when a temple will be created that truly fits the gates do not hold. Privacy may be the serpents’ greatest
blessed children of Yig. Perhaps, if the old temple could weapon, but it is far from their only one, and anyone who
be raised above the sea, it would be reclaimed. Others tries to take them by force will find they have steel and
would rather wait until the surface was once again under tricks aplenty.
their control before building upon it.
Key Locations
Features and Defenses
All of the following locations can be found in the New
The temple currently being used is about 20 feet below Temple of Yig.
the level of the sewers. Journeying from the surface takes 1. Gates
almost half an hour—for a running man who knows all the
shortcuts. Finding the area is difficult without a guide, and These two entranceways are beautifully carved with
impossible without an extremely good map. At this low level, symbols of Yig on all sides. To the faithful, they provide
the tunnels are no longer rough-cut stone or dirt-covered a sense of awe and solemnity. They are not merely
rat-holes; they are made from limestone and granite, and decorative, however: a thin steel portcullis hangs above
are perfectly smooth thanks to the serpent people’s magic. each one. Once dropped, wide trapdoors can be opened
In the sacred places, the stone actually shines, and veins in the front of each of them, dropping attackers 30 feet
of precious metals spark from deep beneath the surface. down onto sharp spikes.
The ceilings are high, more than 12 feet in places, and a 2. The Agora
combination of glowstones and reflective mirrors keep the
large areas surprisingly well lit, and warm. Before and after the morning and evening services, the
The entrances to the tunnels are all over Freeport, even faithful gather here to discuss the events of the day, and
where there are no sewers below. The serpent people the past and future of the Empire. At least, some of them
often need to move quickly and quietly across the city, discuss such things. Others prefer to brag about battle-
and there are several cellars and basements that are scars, seduce females and gossip about the Priesthood, as
abandoned or unlikely to be occupied where they might is the normal discourse of public spaces. A fountain in the
make their appearance. Low in numbers, secrecy is their center provides fresh water for all visitors, and there are

40 Cults of Freeport
The Priesthood of Yig Chapter II

raised areas where individuals may speak from, or display Tapestry) are sequestered away in the Museum where
works of art. The space was designed for the future: it they can be admired without being damaged. Academic
could easily hold a hundred people under its huge frescoed and wizard characters searching this library will be
ceiling, and at the moment often seems empty with only impressed at what K’Stallo has written and at what he
the two dozen at most who can be found here. has gathered—the non-Yigian books come from all over
the world and contain a great deal of powerful magic
3. The Training Area and ancient lore.
In the ancient times of the First Age, it is said every
serpent person was a warrior. Some of the new generation
5. The Temple
take that to heart and love nothing more than a sparring Like all temples to Yig, this is a circular area with a
session or a wrestling match to prove their strength against high marble altar at the far end. The altar is carved with
their brethren. The center of this area is sunken, making a serpents and a black marble bowl sits on top of it. Above
make-shift arena, while the walls are an extensive armory the altar a massive statue of Yig rises, his eyes staring out
of spears, swords, shields, and pikes. Should warning at his children, his jaws open with promise. Pillows and
come of an attack, these weapons can be easily taken up cushions cover the floor for the faithful to sit on, cross-
and used to defend the narrow gates. legged. There is an aura of peace here, and the church has
known little rhetoric and no violence—as yet. Smaller side
4. The Library temples are found around the circle for those who wish
While many serpent people regard Yig as a god of to worship more privately. A small but efficient chimney
destruction, all recognize this elder god’s influence over in the ceiling allows fires to be lit in a central pit without
magic and learning. Thus, his followers are expected to choking the congregation.
revere all intellectual pursuits. This well-adorned library
is the center of such efforts. Most of the Yigian tomes
6. The Museum
here were penned by K’Stallo himself, or are otherwise Even as a new era begins, the past has never been more
modern. The few ancient tomes (including the Ssythkin important. This small room gathers the artifacts of the

Cults of Freeport 41
 Chapter II The Priesthood of Yig

First, Second, and Third Ages that have been recovered other precious stones that are part of the full priestly
or preserved. Small plinths have been set up to hold each regalia, a thief ransacking this room would come away
treasure, and great care is taken to protect them from harm very wealthy indeed.
while also allowing the faithful to see the glory of the
Empire that was. If the Jade Serpent is in the hands of the
9. The High Temple
Priesthood, it has a place of pride here. The Priesthood will There are times when the Priesthood needs to convene
pay highly for anything they can include in this collection. a service for its members alone, rather than their non-
ordained faithful. There are also times when the High
7. Meeting Chamber Priests need to pray together, or when the great seer
This small side room is dominated by a long, low table T’lother needs to go into a deep trance to better hear
crafted from onyx. The table is long enough so all of the the word of Yig. In such cases the High Temple is used.
Priesthood may sit around it on the cushions provided. It It is much smaller than the main temple but follows
is here that the future of the Empire is planned, and the a very similar layout. Here the statue of Yig winds its
decisions of the day, both great and small, are made. It great body around the room three times, and the great
is here and only here K’Stallo retains any true authority head rises up and out of the wall at a sharp angle so that
over his underlings, for he has both wisdom and a flair for it completely dominates the room, its dark eyes staring
commanding the table. with a chill malice at any who would dare approach
without sufficient reverence. None but the extremely
8. The Vestry faithful can withstand the oppressive atmosphere of this
This small chamber is reserved for the High Priests place, but then again, none but the extremely faithful are
and the Hierophant to prepare for the services. Their full permitted to enter.
robes are hung here when they are not presiding over a
ceremony, as are the few paraphernalia the cult uses for
special ceremonies. These include the curved blades for
Using the
bloodletting and the statues used on the annual bonfire
night. Due to the large amount of amber, silver, jade, and
Priesthood of Yig
Most of the cults detailed in this book are openly and
obviously hostile to the goals of the characters and the
human race in general. The Priesthood is not. That makes
them interesting.
Depending on your characters’ previous adventures
in Freeport, they may already have a relationship with
K’Stallo and the Priesthood, and recognize they are not
an insane or entirely destructive group. Even the more
expansionistic of the Priesthood have no great hatred for
humans (apart from K’San), and appreciate they share
common goals. This means there are plenty of reasons
for the characters to become firm allies, and even friends
with the Priesthood, before their intractable goals come
to a head and the characters must choose where their
loyalties lie. Suddenly, the standard cult tales of horror
and adventure become rife with opportunities for personal
drama and difficult choices.
The other aspect that sets the Priesthood apart is they
are alien and inhuman in their practices and beliefs. That
makes them both more interesting and more frightening.
At the same time, their goals are perfectly natural and
one humans easily recognize in themselves: they are wise,
studious, faithful, and humble, and have sworn their lives
to a relatively generous god. The only issue is whom that
god considers his chosen children. Likewise, the serpent
people just want to restore their Empire to its old glory

42 Cults of Freeport
The Priesthood of Yig Chapter II

Shadowmen Strike! A New Menace? Sergeant Tevan Tells All!

— T he Shipping News

and return to their old ways. Such a noble and epic goal and relatives, and they besiege the Sea Lord and demand
rings with the power of history and the tide of the ages, she deliver justice. She remembers the last group she sent
and thus gains a horrible sense of possibility. Everyone is down into the sewers and asks them to go down there
well aware that in nature, new species continually displace again.
old ones. With their god and his prophecies behind them, This time the heroes come bearing the olive branch of
who can argue against their new age returning? Such an peace, seeking the release of the serpent person criminal
implacable, irrevocable doom will drive heroes to risk to suffer surface justice. To do this they will have to enter
everything to stop it—even as they respect those who are the inner sanctum of the serpent people and discover
trying to bring it about. much about their culture, their history, and their beliefs.
Here is one possible way that doom might come to Great diplomacy will be called for as the serpent people do
pass: not trust surface judgment, but if the adventurers watch
their words and make oaths on the prisoner’s safety, the
Beginner Adventure Priesthood will be inclined to acquiesce to their request.
They will send T’lother with them to ensure the oaths are
The word on the street is that the Sewer Guard are kept and the trial is fair.
desperate for numbers. Each patrol has lost half or more However, once the adventurers return to the surface
of its men, and only a madman would sign on to go down they are met by an angry mob ready to hand out street
and find out why. So the Sea Lord offers an enormous cash justice. Making sure their captive lives to stand trial will
prize for any party who will do just that. If this doesn’t be much harder than they thought. More strangely, once
entice the characters, they can probably be arrested and the trial begins, the criminal seems to be unable to recall
sent to the Sewer Guard as punishment. anything he did. This is because the serpent person who
Down in the dark it soon becomes obvious that there carried out the theft and murder was coerced into doing
are tunnels beneath the man-made sewers, and there is so by T’lother as a means of beginning negotiations with
something slithering through them. What’s more, there the surface world, and he has since wiped his memory.
are other things stalking the adventurers, and there may Meanwhile the witnesses can’t really be sure they saw
also be rival humans as well, keen to steal the bounty. the prisoner in the dock or the snake-man who stands
Soon enough, they discover the frothing degenerate near him, because they all seem to look alike. Without
serpent people in their den, where they have taken to a evidence or a confession, the fair case the adventurers
new diet of fresh human flesh. This hunting party alone promised may end in an acquittal—something the dead
will give the adventurers trouble, but on their heels is the man’s allies will never let stand.
rest of their number, for whom the hunting party was
gathering food. The heroes need allies, and it turns out the Advanced Adventure
group stalking them is a party of civilized serpent people
who worship Yig. With the aid of their allies’ magic and Now with an established connection to the adventurers
knowledge of the tunnels, both groups might just get away, and some contact with the Captains’ Council, T’lother
and the beginnings of a warrior-bond may be forged. comes to them with a request: to escort him to deliver
a warning to the Sea Lord himself. He has evidence the
Experienced Adventure degenerate serpent people have once again fallen to the
depravations of the Unspeakable One. What’s more, there
When a member of the Captain’s Council comes home is further evidence that the cult priests who have seduced
one day, he finds a serpent person robbing his house. The them have already made allegiances with other forces
serpent person kills the politician as he flees, but not keen to bring about the destruction of Freeport (you can
before the servants and several people in the street see use whomever that might be in your game). He strongly
him. He disappears into the sewers and is lost. However, suggests an army be gathered to cleanse the tunnels. He
the dead man was very powerful and so are his friends can provide guidance, leadership and magical support, but

Cults of Freeport 43
 Chapter II The Priesthood of Yig

venom in the water-wagons—that could only have come

from one source. The small group of survivors now find
themselves trapped between the regrouping barbarous
serpent people behind them, and the traitorous Yigians
ahead. And to get through the latter, they may have to kill
their friends.

Endgame Adventure
The characters now know they have been betrayed
and the serpent people are their enemies. The danger of
the degenerates turning to the Unspeakable One gave
T’lother the pretext to remove K’Stallo from his pre-
eminent position and he has begun his plan to reinstate
the Empire. Aware that the surface has discovered his
plans, he has taken his congregation and hidden them
elsewhere, far beneath the waves. When the characters
return to the temple they visited previously, they find
no one. But T’lother expected them to die in the battle,
and had to leave in a hurry—going through his research
reveals a valuable clue to his destination.
T’lother has discovered something called the Crown of
Yig, a coronet that enables the wearer to bind all serpent
people in unwavering allegiance. With such a device, the
degenerate serpent people would come under the sway
he has but a dozen faithful sons, not nearly enough to of the Priesthood, and with most of the city’s fighters
complete the task. destroyed in the previous war, this new army would easily
If the Sea Lord declines, T’lother stages a few killings on be able to seize the streets above. T’lother hates to use
the streets by “degenerate” serpent people while the serpent the degenerate serpent people so much, but at least these
people who have replaced members of the Captains’ Council actions will thin down their tainted numbers.
work to change her mind. T’lother also tries to convince The only way to save Freeport is to beat T’lother, K’San,
the characters of the danger: if the Sea Lord will not act, and K’t’Kah in the race to find the artifact—and the
perhaps they can take their own lead and form a private serpent people already have a good start and a complete
army. T’lother offers the temple’s wealth (a vast amount) to map. Being behind does give them a trail to follow,
pay the men who join up very handsomely indeed. Whatever however: a trail that leads far across the ocean and into
it takes, T’lother soon has his army of men. the darkest and deepest caves. If they work hard and fast,
Early battles in the tunnels go well, but then there the heroes might catch up in time to stop the serpent
is a massive counter-attack by the enraged degenerate people from claiming the crown; but to do so they will
serpent people, and the humans are trapped and unable have to defeat the mighty warrior that is the First Reborn
to outflank. At the same time, men start dropping to and the magic of an individual who is bursting with the
the ground before a blade even hits them, poisoned by will of Yig himself—in an ancient temple rippling with
their own water flasks. Sounding a retreat, the characters Yig’s godly power. Can the heroes defeat the will of a god,
discover their serpent people allies launching spells at the and the power of his most chosen servants? The survival
human troops, and, if they survive that, they discover snake of Freeport depends on the answer.

44 Cults of Freeport
The Lost Souls of Yarash Chapter III

- Chapter III -
The Lost Souls of Yarash
T
he Lost Souls of Yarash are the curse of the seas. But there is no shame so terrible as to be a loyal servant
They live only for slaughter, to amass ever higher to a weak captain. Yarash’s loyalty soon became a curse, as
the pile of corpses they have made, to harvest ever Harrimast proved repeatedly that he was too weak to lead
more souls with each foes felled by their blood-soaked a ship of pirates. He was burdened with a far too tender
blades. They know no mercy and give no quarter. They heart, and a fool’s sense of propriety. He wanted pirates to
know no joy but the joy of killing, no sweetness like the be romantic fops, popinjays of the sea. And for his dream,
agonized screams of their prey and have mastered no skill his men were sacrificed, great booty lost, and the pride of
so much as combat, no art so well as torture. They follow the pirate name made a joke.
no code, recognize no power, and fear no god—except Mutiny was the only option.
their own. Harrimast was cunning, however—it was his sole
virtue as a captain—and he foiled Yarash’s mutiny before
Yarash it could truly begin. Still unable to see what had driven
his loyal mate to act against him, and seeking petty
humiliation of his one-time friend, Harrimast locked
The Bloody One, The Great Mutineer Yarash in a cell of barnacles and bones and cast him to
Yarash was once first mate to Harrimast, God of Pirates the bottom of the ocean for a hundred years. Now doubly
(see Pirate’s Guide to Freeport page 42), but he has always betrayed, Yarash knew there was only one thing to do:
been far more than just that. free himself, raise an army of pirates—true pirates—and
Yarash was a terrible undead force long before slaughter Harrimast and all who followed him. Until he
Harrimast the man was could lead them himself,
ever born. Ages ago, in however, he reached out as
times lost, Yarash may “Kill, boys, kill. Kill them all. Slit their best he could, to the dreams
have once been a man, but throats, slice their bellies, spill their blood. of men with souls like his.
the oldest legends describe Kill! Kill! Kill!” There he spoke of his rage
him as nothing more than and his betrayal. There he
darkness and rotting flesh.
—Gummer Ghurtz whispered of blood and
When his own men left the slaughter. There he built
great captain Harrimast for dead, Yarash’s shade called his crew, ready and waiting for the day when he would
him back to life and whispered to him of sweet revenge. finally be free.
And when Harrimast sailed once again upon the tide, Yarash’s form of choice reflects his undead nature and
leaving a bloody swath in his wake, it was Yarash who his terrible imprisonment. He appears as a gigantic skeletal
stood beside him and smiled. figure, with bones as black as pitch and a skull crowned
In the beginning, Yarash was loyal and true, and he with horns. He can have anywhere from a half-dozen to a
cared not for the captain’s chair. He preferred to be score of arms, which seem to extend forever, each ending
Harrimast’s chief bladesman. When the time came for in a lobster-like pincer, slick with fresh blood. His eye
slaughter, he led the troops at the forefront, and killed sockets are filled with two burning red gems, and his feet
with fury and relish for his captain. When the time came are cloven hooves. He is dressed as if fresh from a watery
for punishment, he saved the captain’s arm, whipping grave, his long buccaneer’s coat rotten and half-eaten by
unruly crewmen until their flesh hung in strips. When the things below, and his bones hanging with seaweed
the time came for torture, he let his captain tend to the and barnacles. He reeks of Hell itself and his fleshless lips
maps and compasses while he did his dark work, breaking curl with a hunger for blood—blood his servants are only
bones and crushing wills. too willing to provide.

Cults of Freeport 45
 Chapter III The Lost Souls of Yarash

only exception to this rule is when you need information

Dogma or wish to spread more fear; in the former case (and
whenever else it might prove amusing), it is permitted to
Yarash defines himself as the opposite of Harrimast
torture the subject first, then either kill them or convert
and dedicates himself to the destruction of his nemesis.
them. In the latter, one half-mad survivor sent back to
Likewise, his followers are charged to be everything
civilization to spread panic is permissible.
Harrimast’s faithful are not, and to destroy his church and
As a lesser goal, Yarash considers Freeport to be an
his memory. In particular, Yarash despises Harrimast’s
abomination to the true nature of piracy, and thus it must
legacy: the image of the romantic, even noble pirate, the
be utterly destroyed.
fool who gives quarter and parley, prefers the chase to the
slaughter, and makes sport and repartee instead of slitting
throats. In Yarash’s eyes, such behavior has caused the
Rites and Rituals
world to stop fearing pirates, and that is the worst thing
Yarash is also known as The Bloody One, and the rites
of all.
and rituals of his servants are, unsurprisingly, slick with
Yarash charges his followers to not only destroy
gore. When a pirate prepares to fight his first battle for the
Harrimast’s faithful, but to tear down their image: to
Lost Souls, his forearm is cut open and blood squeezed
make people afraid of pirates through terrible counter-
out down the arm onto his weapon. This is to ensure that
example. They are to never give quarter, to kill without
no matter what, his blade is bloody as Yarash demands.
thought and without let-up, to even cast aside lust for
And if the blood of other men does not quickly take its
gold or women in favor of blood and murder. The kill is
place, then Yarash is more than happy to take that of his
far richer than any chase, blood far better than booty, and
weaker followers.
mercy is only for the weak. Yarash believes in brute force,
Of course, this is only done after a person has proved
fresh blood, and endless killing. No parley entered into,
himself worthy of joining the Lost Souls. On some ships,
no death forestalled, no execution delayed.
being bloodthirsty is enough, but on others, various rituals
If a problem can be solved with murder or sheer brute
are employed to test their mettle. One more common rite
force, it must be, first, second, and always. If it cannot
requires the aspirant to slaughter a living victim in cold
be solved with force, you’re not using enough of it. The

46 Cults of Freeport
The Lost Souls of Yarash Chapter III

blood, and then hold aloft his innards. The priest of Yarash Those who heard and believed were scattered across
or captain of the ship will then ask the killer, “Do you have the seas of the world, not knowing of any others who
the stomach for all the Bloody Ones’ slaughter?” The new initiate heard the call. They formed their own crews in isolation
replies, “Aye, I have the stomach,” while squeezing the warm and began to kill and plunder in their god’s name. Soon
guts until they run through his fingers. Other captains and enough, legends spread across the sea of crews who gave
priests prefer just a simple oath to feed the ocean with blood no quarter and spared no soul, who sailed under the flag
for his thirst, while others will take any man jack who cries of a marred skull and crossbones. They talked of the mad
“aye” when asked if he is for their bloody cause. dwarf captain who made repairs to his ship from the
The servants of Yarash love the night, for it hides their bones of his victims, and of Bloody Kate, who ate the
murderous deeds. They even attack ships at sea at night, heart of every man she killed.
not caring they are as likely to kill their fellows as they are After a hundred years of torment, Harrimast released
their enemies. The Lost Souls often pray or swear an oath Yarash, who crawled back to his captain, begging for
to their god as the sun goes down. They do not ask for his mercy and swearing his allegiance once again. This was
help, for Yarash helps no one, but promise Him they will a deceit, of course, and he began immediately to plot his
make merry with the blood of men tonight, and pledge revenge. The first step in his plan to destroy Harrimast
every drop they spill to his endless thirst. and his followers was the destruction of Freeport.
The strangest of Yarash’s rites is the practice of Yarash clothed himself in the shape of a man, and
automatic writing. When his servants work themselves visited the dreams of five Freeport captains personally. At
into a great frenzy or are particularly vicious in their first, they resisted him, but when Freeport was betrayed
slaughter or defilement, sometimes Yarash takes over by Drac’s sell-out to the other nations after the Great
their waking form. Blank-eyed, they kill without thought Raid, they gave their souls eagerly to Yarash rather than
and then make strange words, signs, and portents, cutting face death or prison. They became his “Full-Fathom Five,”
them into wooden walls, or daubing them in fresh blood. and to each one he gave a powerful artifact, each of which
Sometimes, the messages are sensible to the writer and contained some of his essence. They were a sextant, a
others; other times they appear mindless and insane. ship’s bell, a spyglass, a hook, and a pistol. Armed with
None can say which is the more terrifying. these and Yarash’s necromantic magic, these five powerful
captains and their armies of zombie sailors waged war on
Cult History the mainland nations, knowing this would provoke them
to destroy Freeport once and for all.
The Lost Souls were born from Yarash’s rage. Some The plan nearly succeeded, but the Five were betrayed
twenty-score years ago, he was happy to be Harrimast’s from within and cast beyond Hell’s Triangle, a place no ship
first mate and serve the interests of that god, for piracy can reach. There they prayed to Yarash again, but Harrimast
held enough slaughter for him. But the deeds of the answered. He showed them their god, wrapped in chains,
gods echo across the world of men, and soon enough, the and then he tore his traitorous first mate to pieces. Then he
races of the world worshipped these figures: the noble, cursed the remaining four to remain beyond the Triangle,
romantic pirates worshipped Harrimast, while those who and gave them back their trinkets. Harrimast knew all five
craved blood and brutality worshipped Yarash, his first of them together could be used to raise Yarash from beyond,
mate and swordsman. Harrimast was horrified by this, for but he enjoyed the irony that the four captains would never
in his eyes Yarash was not at all true to the piratical spirit. unite enough to accomplish the task, and would instead
Yarash, on the other hand, knew his followers saw what destroy themselves fighting over them.
He did, that Harrimast had no idea what it was to be a Harrimast’s sense of humor left a dangerous legacy,
true pirate, and had to be destroyed. however, for Yarash was not dead. Soulless and bodiless,
But Yarash was betrayed by his master and condemned he wandered in dark places and strange planes, knowing
to a watery prison. There, He called out to the world only madness and emptiness, and the still-burning need
through the dreams of men. Alone, in their dark bunks, for revenge. And still he could call out, across time and
He whispered to them from inside their heads, calling space, and speak to men of blood and death. Despite the
to them to destroy Harrimast and his false pirates, and efforts of the leaders of Freeport, the legend of Yarash
to teach the world to fear them anew. So it was that would not die. Still men heard the whispers; still men
the worship of Yarash became more than just a casual dreamed of slaughter. And most of all, they heard the
affectation for the vicious and the bloodthirsty. It became promise of his return, of the secret lost beyond the
a promise, a pledge, a dark calling; there became a reason Triangle, and of the glory and untold riches for the one
and a rage behind their violent ways. who set Him free.

Cults of Freeport 47
 Chapter III The Lost Souls of Yarash

Yarash’s power was almost extinguished when Harrimast

destroyed him, and the rulers of Freeport expunged all
mention of Yarash and the Full-Fathom Five from the
history books to prevent any return. Thus, it took a long
time—150 years—for the will of Yarash to seduce men
anew. But nothing inspires like a quest and a mystery, and
eventually the cult grew again, centered now around this
myth of the Five and fostered by the treasure hunters of
Freeport. Soon enough, the faithful reemerged on the sea,
but for the most part, they kept their colors hidden, for
the faithful of Harrimast hunted them fiercely. Gangs
formed in Freeport, inspired by the mystery of the treasure
and of the tales of these brutal cultists, fed along by the
stories of Gummer Ghurtz (see entry) and battered into
an organization by the sea captain Silas Gantry. Gantry
ensured all servants of Yarash found ships to work their
bloody deeds upon, and that those in port kept their heads
down.
To help keep the cultists in line, he recruited William
“Billy Bones” Crimshavy. Crimshavy was a mad cannibal
pirate and long-time priest of Yarash. At sea, he was
too violent and erratic to rise to captain as he so dearly
desired, so being placed in charge of the cult was a
dream come true. Bones beat and bullied his followers
into blind obedience, and behind him, they were a brutal
and dangerous force. When word came there was a way
to breach Hell’s Triangle and regain the artifacts of the
five, Gantry charged Bones and his men with the task.
They would have succeeded had not Bones and his men
been killed by some treasure-seeking adventurers.
Gantry had a back-up plan, however, and also had the
Lost Souls locate the Horn of the Deep, a magical item
that could summon the mighty kraken known as the Son
of Yarash. As the kraken harvested the souls of hapless
sailors during a sea battle near Freeport, Yaresh came
ever closer to escaping his prison. This plan also almost
succeeded, and an avatar of Yarash did appear in the
chaos, but at the last moment, Freeport’s heroes struck
down this horror.
This event however has had a terrible legacy, for it has
once again reminded the world of this dark and hungry
god and the cult that worships him. And it is belief upon
which Yarash thrives. Now, once again, every pirate who
loves bloodshed over booty, every thug who finds the thrill
of killing growing with each cutlass-thrust, every madman
who wants to lose his pain in an ocean of bloodshed—
now, all these and more have a god to pray to, a cause
to follow, and an oath to pledge. And the more of them
there are the stronger Yarash becomes. He will be back,
and He will make good on all his promises: Freeport will
burn, Harrimast will be destroyed, and the seas will be his
and his alone.

48 Cults of Freeport
The Lost Souls of Yarash Chapter III

and the cult would never interfere with that. However,

Organization a captain’s authority, and that of any other post, is only
respected as long as he can keep it. Yarash smiles on
Powered by mad dreams, the Lost Souls neither have
those who murder their way to the top, not only because
nor need much organization. Any man who swears
it sates his bloodlust, but because it also guarantees that
himself to The Bloody One may wear his colors and kill
the captain will be the meanest and bloodthirstiest of the
in his name, and be assured of a warm welcome from his
lot. It also means that a ship of Lost Souls is constantly
depraved brothers, wherever he may find them.
undergoing shifts in power, and it takes truly terrible (in
the best sense of the word) captains to last more than a
Membership few months at their post, and to keep their crew from
wiping themselves out while at sea.
Almost all of the Lost Souls are pirates to begin with,
Even the captain has to sleep sometime, however, and
or at least a marine on a ship of war. The Bloody One is
ultimately the only way to guarantee his men don’t slit
rarely talked of on dry land, and rare are the landlubbers
his throat is for the captain to ensure they never want for
who have the stomach to serve him well. However, many
other people to kill. So a ship of Lost Souls never passes
souls on land dream of being murderous pirates. The
up a chance to attack, even if their ship is crippled or their
romantic piratical image is everywhere, and there are
men half dead, for every day they don’t shed innocent
many who see behind it a chance not just for freedom and
blood is another day for them to grow listless and turn
adventure, but also for rape, murder, and pillage, without
upon themselves.
the consequences that accompany it on land. Yarash calls
Ships sometimes have priests of the Bloody One on
to these, bringing out their inner pirate. Those who murder
board, but they still rank below the captain, and act only
and rape already will also hear the call of Yarash, knowing
as advisors. A priest who claims he knows better how
the law will rarely follow them over the seas.
to be a pirate than his captain does is not long for this
But there is no man more suited to Yarash’s purpose,
world.
and more passionately called to his cause, then the poor,
On land, things are very different, for there are more laws
drunken, scurvy-ridden pirate. These loyal salts are always
than just the law of the sea. Worship of Yarash must be
close to death and close to the sea; they know blood and
confined to his hidden temples, and most of his slaughter
they know sails, and there is nothing else Yarash needs in
is focused on acts of violence against Harrimast and other
a follower.
gods. In this world, the chief priests hold sway, and the
power of one’s faith and connection to their god has far
Symbols and Signs more currency than it does at sea. Power is also far more
than physical, for even in a relatively lawless place like
There are two chief symbols of Yarash. The first is a
Freeport, wholesale slaughter does not go unnoticed. The
serrated lobster claw, dripping with blood, like the hands of
leaders of the Lost Souls on land need to have sufficient
the god himself. The second is a skull and crossbones, only
political power to protect their members from the prying
made more potent with some addition or mark. Sometimes
eyes and sharpened blades of other powers, be they legal,
this is an aspect of disfigurement, such as a missing eye, lost
religious, or criminal. Said figures also have the power
tooth, a smashed nose or horns on the skull. Others simply
to not protect people, should they prove to be too much
add more bones beneath, to illustrate Yarash’s endless thirst
trouble. This means that Lost Souls on land must show
for death. Still others add five stars above, in honor of his
much more restraint than they would on the open sea, but
fabled lieutenants, the Full-Fathom Five.
this has the happy effect of keeping most of them on ship,
Five is a holy number to the Lost Souls: secret knocks
where they can do the most damage, spread the most fear,
or whistles will be five beats or notes, five scores cut into a
and be the safest from reprisal.
yardarm or a man’s flesh is a secret indication that the cult
lies near. Five fingers make a fist to hold a cutlass, and that
is enough to murder the world.
Goals and Motives
The long-term goals of the Lost Souls are simple and
Structure broad: destroy all followers of Harrimast, and make
people fear pirates again. These are not goals that require
The worship of Yarash is mostly found at sea, and out
a great deal of thought or planning, nor do they have any
there, there is no need for structure to the cult: a ship has
clear end-point. The Lost Souls plan to go on killing for
its own system of rule, from captain down to cabin boy,
all eternity.

Cults of Freeport 49
 Chapter III The Lost Souls of Yarash

Intrepid Found With Slaughtered Crew: Sea Devils to Blame?

— T he Shipping News

There are more specific goals, however. Some are of slaughter and death—acts so massive they cannot be
dreamed up by Yarash himself and sent out to his prevented or punished by the law or soldiers. Sometimes
followers; others are the invention of the more creative these acts form part of a ritual to summon Yarash, while
and cunning Lost Souls. Perhaps the most common of other times it is simply to feed his hunger and show
these is the summoning of the Son of Yarash, the terrible him his Lost Souls remain faithful. These plans may
monster of the deep that owes its loyalty to the Bloody involve magic or political manipulation, but may just as
One. There are many legends told of rituals and rites that often involve nothing more complex than a coordinated
will call forth this immense kraken. Most famous is the massacre.
Horn of The Deep. If the correct invocation is spoken and There is also the goal of destroying Freeport. Currently,
this ancient silvered ship’s horn blown three times over Lexington Fillory is developing a grand plan to this end.
blood-soaked waters, the kraken will rise. This was the The first step in this plan is to have every ship of Lost Souls
method used to bring the kraken into Freeport’s harbor fly the flag of Freeport, focus their attacks on ships from
a few years ago. The Horn was lost that day, but must the Continent (if not in mainland harbors themselves),
still lie beneath the bay, waiting to be found. The kraken and always leave a man alive after the attacks. Soon
itself was also driven back by some mad adventurers, but enough, Fillory figures, the nations of the Continent will
everyone knows the beast is as immortal as its god. conclude that uniting to wipe out Freeport is the only way
Other rituals focus on aiding Yarash in his return to this to stop the slaughter of their citizens. Without Freeport,
plane. Again, such a manifestation was foiled recently, but the romantic pirate has no haven, and Yarash’s power will
Yarash is never far away, and his rage at his imprisonment grow immensely.
does not abate. There are also plans to pursue great acts The great loss of life suffered in the harbor when the
kraken woke means that cult membership is currently
greatly diminished, especially among those who made
regular contact with Freeport. Likewise, the defeat of their
god caused many of those with weak faith to abandon
the religion altogether. Therefore, the cult is now devoted
to increasing its membership as rapidly as possible, and
to increase the cult’s visibility. The world must not forget
that the Lost Souls remain, cutlasses at the ready, always
hungry for blood. The symbol of Yarash is being carved
on the walls of Freeport and onto the sides of ships in the
harbor, and the Bloody One’s name is whispered along
the docks. Many of those who do these things are caught
and harshly punished, but the message still gets through:
Yarash is gone but not forgotten, and his faithful are
beaten but far from vanquished. And their revenge will
come.

Recruitment
Yarash recruits by promise and by horror. The former
is the simplest and the most productive, and is all too
common among pirate crews. When the rum is short,
and the wind pinches, when the bosun is hard as nails
and the captain tighter than a mermaid’s underwear,
when prize is scarce and women scarcer, when death

50 Cults of Freeport
The Lost Souls of Yarash Chapter III

at sea or the hangman’s rope seems all too near, when

whispers of mutiny are heard, there is the greatest
Allies
recruiting ground for Yarash and his Lost Souls. Below
The followers of Yarash barely even trust their own
decks, the glory and freedom of serving the Bloody One
brethren, so have few allies in Freeport and none on the
are championed, and the pirates come to Him in scores.
ocean. Many individual cultists are also affiliated with or
Whenever the foolish Harrimasters or law-abiding
known to Mazin slavers and the criminal empire of Finn.
supers are out of earshot, their goody-two-shoes manner
Finn considers them mostly harmless, since those who
is mocked viciously, their cowardice exposed and their
tend to follow the Bloody One are too violent to make
weaknesses made clear. After a month of bad luck, one
good thieves, and are no risk to him if they get caught.
loud-mouthed Lost Soul can turn an entire ship to his
Since Fillory took over the cult in the city, he has
dark cult.
encouraged his faithful to make new allies, through money
The taverns and docks of Freeport are also fertile places
or blackmail, to ensure that recruiting can be done with a
to recruit fresh killers. When posts on a ship are hard to
minimum of interference. So far, this has been confined
find, and money is short and rents high, and murder and
to a few men in the watch, whom Fillory pays well to look
crime abounds on the streets, who would balk at an offer
the other way. He also has a standing arrangement with
of service for any man strong enough to wield a sword and
the wardens of the Tombs regarding prisoner recruiting.
brave enough to kill when he’s told? Few ask questions
For a small amount of money, they don’t mind at all that
until it is too late, and then even fewer care. When a man
they have fewer mouths to feed than it says in their books,
has ended up in the dregs of Freeport, murder is no great
and don’t ask what Fillory does with those men he leaves
horror to him, and a captain slightly more bloodthirsty
with each month.
than necessary is no great burden. There is freedom in
unrestrained, unquestioning slaughter, and there are vast
numbers who welcome it. To add a tattoo or pray to some
Enemies
distant god beneath the sea is a small price to pay for that,
The Lost Souls have only one particular enemy: the
and though the dangers are many, they are far preferable
servants of that weak and foolish captain, Harrimast. The
to sitting in a tavern, or worse, the Hulks.
only time they will take any preference in their killing
Such recruiting can be dangerous, of course, for the
and destruction is to target his worshippers or their
cult is illegal and extremely taboo. Sometimes, therefore,
works. For the rest, they care only about killing, and care
the men of Yarash simply tell stories of their dread pirate
not if their victim is of any particular race, creed, belief,
god and his happy crews. Ghost stories and legends are
or affiliation.
not a crime—in fact, they are often a sailor’s only solace
In return, the followers of Harrimast are particularly
on a long night’s watch—and those whose eyes glisten
concerned with stamping out this cult to their god’s once-
at the bloody details and the promise of freedom can be
trusted first mate. However, as so much work was done to
whispered to later, in private, of their chance to live the
remove all mention of Yarash and his Full-Fathom Five
tales for real.
from both history and legend (see Black Sails Over Freeport),
Yarash’s men also recruit through horror, when it seems
there are in fact very few Harrimasters who know of the
amusing. Those few they capture alive are sent below
demon, or any details beyond his name and the basics of
to receive “special attention.” Those that survive these
his legend. Although they are aware that his faithful played
terrible tortures typically lose their minds and swear
a part in what happened in the harbor, most Harrimasters
allegiance to anything offered to them. Other captives are
know nothing of the Lost Souls and would be surprised
tied up and forced to watch their crewmen and loved ones
indeed to learn of the strength and power of this cult, and
being butchered in front of them. They are told they have
just how many sailors join its crew each passing year.
a choice: join the killing, or join the screaming victims.
Many true hearts have faltered at such a terrible test,
much to the amusement of the butchers. Little pleases
Lexington Fillory
them more than a man of Harrimast, or of a lawful navy
or a saintly god who trades his measly, pathetic beliefs “My father is an incredible man. A visionary.”
for their life of chaos and carnage. The Souls believe —Julia Fillory
that, deep down, every man lives for blood, battle, and
booty; they just cannot admit it. The Lost Souls help their Master Lexington Fillory (male human master) is
victims to embrace who they truly are, and to celebrate living proof that the insane need be neither irrational
their dark souls. nor foolish. This wealthy merchant is accepted into the

Cults of Freeport 51
 Chapter III The Lost Souls of Yarash

get the message to all his damned servants. When the

Son was vanquished and the avatar of Yarash dispelled,
Fillory knew it was his time to act, that his message would
contain the secret to Yarash’s last and final revenge. He
walked the streets of Freeport, seeking out all those who
had given their souls to the Bloody One, for he somehow
already knew their names and faces. He murdered or
betrayed those who would not listen to him, and with the
vacuum of power left by the death of Billy Bones it was
not long before he was in command of the entire cult.
He built a new temple beneath the docks of Scurvytown,
and with the help of his faithful daughter, Julia, he has
brought real organization to the cult. He holds regular
ceremonies where he preaches his latest visions and many
who listen feel Yarash come upon them. They fall into
fugue states much like Fillory’s, writing out their own
dark imprecations on the wooden pews or the slate boards
provided. In this temple, these murderous pirates can also
hide from the law, and get notice of any posts on ships,
letting them return to the sea and their bloody work as
soon as possible.
Personality
Fillory is a passionate man, held in the terrible, all-
consuming fire of belief. He is also handsome and well
highest echelons of Freeport society, and uses his power spoken. The combined effect makes him incredibly
and connections to improve the cult’s fortunes. He has no persuasive and commanding. Not only can he easily persuade
choice, for Yarash screams in his head every night, and the a room full of lawless scum to swear their lives to a new
demon will not be silenced. god, but he has convinced many legitimate authorities to
come under his control as well. Most disturbing of all is the
Background
sway he has over his beautiful daughter, who is completely
Fillory is the second son of the leader of a large merchant convinced of her father’s divine status and the importance
house on the Continent, and came to Freeport to make of his holy message, and in her ardent devotion has shared
his own fortune. He initially plied the seas, honing his both his murderous rituals, and his bed.
skill with swordplay and shipmanship, and then turned his
share of the booty to establishing his own trade company Appearance
in spices and exotic foods. He would have continued out Fillory is a man of some years, with the first hint of grey
his life as yet another of Freeport’s unscrupulous merchants dusting the dark black hair by his temples, and those in his
had not Yarash chosen him for a very sacred duty. well-trimmed beard. He is still fit and athletic, however,
For the last year, he has walked and talked and written in and remains an excellent duelist. He always dresses
his sleep, waking to discover his bedclothes torn to shreds, handsomely, but without undue affectation; appropriate
his pets and servants murdered and every surface of his for his standing but never ostentatious. The only outward
room covered in dark, blasphemous writings. Confused signs of his corrupted soul are his hands—always ink-
and afraid, he began copying these rantings into his diary; stained, bruised and scabbed from his nighttime efforts—
soon enough the diary was filled each night instead of the and his hollow, empty eyes.
walls. As his madness rose, he covered more and more
pages with words, sketches and diagrams, often drawn in Gummer Ghurtz
his own blood. Fillory has now completed three whole
volumes of what will be, he believes, a five-book cycle that “Oh, Gummer, wot horrible stories are ye tellin’
will form the Black Bible of Yarash. these boys now?”
Fillory knows, however, that it is not enough to simply
be Yarash’s mouthpiece: as his chief prophet, he has to —Fat Alice, Proprietor of the Bugbear’s Head

52 Cults of Freeport
The Lost Souls of Yarash Chapter III

Gummer Ghurtz (male dwarf journeyman) is a storyteller it tucked into his boots. He wears sailor’s garb from 50
extraordinaire. He’s also a recruiter extraordinaire, with a years ago and a tight woolen beanie that make him look
long history of bringing countless blood-hungry bastards like nothing but an old fool, whose stories people assume
into the Lost Souls, and sending them off to do their (or hope) are all tall tales. Every time his tankard arrives,
worst. Although Lexington may have the vision, Gummer he takes an ancient silver flask from his vest and tops up
has kept the cult alive from long before the time of Billy his mug with his own black concoction, and whispers the
Bones and Silas Gantry, and likely will continue to do so same promise to all who are listening: “Everything I say is
for many years to come. true.” The nature of his special brew is oft speculated, but
none have guessed that it is human blood—with a dash
Background of rum to keep it sweet.
Some men acquire madness slowly, some have madness
thrust upon them, but Ghardrun Ghurtz was born mad. Captain Silas Gantry
They say he bit the teats off his own mother when he was
just a few days old, and slit his sister’s throat with a spare “Sometimes it seems like every young tar on the
compass at the age of three. Whatever the truth, Ghurtz docks these days learned the ropes from Captain
cannot remember a time when he didn’t love the taste
Gantry. Freeport warn’t be much of a port without
of blood, and he still drinks it every day, usually stirred
through a warm cup of dark rum. Nor can he remember a
him”
time when he could not hear his god in his head, urging — Pious Pete, Freeport Guide
him on to bloodier and bloodier deeds.
Indeed, Ghurtz was born during Yarash’s original Silas Gantry (male human journeyman) doesn’t look
imprisonment, and is one of his first and oldest followers. like a cultist. He looks exactly like your typical Freeport
For almost two hundred years, Ghurtz plied the sea for captain: gruff, haggard, and missing a leg. Too old for
blood and booty. He is perhaps the very first to teach the great adventure, he makes a living teaching young boys
world to fear the Bloody One’s name. how to sail a ship, and every one of them would die to
Eventually, however, old age took its toll and for the last protect their avuncular first captain, which is exactly how
score of years, Ghurtz has found a home in the taverns of Silas likes it, for it is a perfect disguise for his real, darker
Freeport, telling stories for liquor money to anyone who’ll goals.
listen—hence his nickname. However, these stories have a Background
darker purpose hidden behind them, and in the late hours,
when the tavern is almost empty, Ghurtz takes his most Silas Gantry began as a good, honest sailor in the
devoted listeners into a back room and tells them of his own Hexworth Navy, sailing out from the Continent in search
adventures at sea (when he needed “a bilge pump for the of adventure. What he found was a harsh, brutal life of
blood”), and dares the youths to go out and try to best his indentured servitude, under a captain who grew madder
gruesome achievements. He then directs them to Gantry and more sadistic by the day. Finally, after two hundred
or Fillory, or to the beachside temple to learn more. days on the open sea and with supplies exhausted, a
mutiny occurred. Ever the man of action, Gantry was at
Personality the forefront.
Ghurtz is mad, but quietly so; indeed, when not telling But there is only one penalty for mutiny, and that is the
stories with great bluster and embellishment, he sits noose. Gantry turned to piracy to escape this fate, but a
somber and still, never saying a word. He keeps exactly few years later, found himself once again under a lunatic
the same manner when he kills, which is extremely captain, this one furious in his lust for suffering—the
disturbing for those who witness it. He is also patient and suffering of his own crew, in fact, up to the point that he
methodical, and can time his blows as well as he times preferred to do all flogging with his own hand, and licked
the climaxes of his stories. Ghurtz disapproves of Fillory the bloody fibers afterwards. Again, as the years wore on,
because he is always in such a flap: he hears the voice things only got worse, and Gantry riled to see the captain
of the Bloody One every day, too, but he is not running use the so-called Pirate’s Code as an excuse for cowardice
around screaming about it like Fillory. and self-interest, and the chain of command as an excuse
to beat good men to their death for carnal gratification.
Appearance This time, Gantry led the mutiny himself.
Ghurtz is a seemingly ancient dwarf, his hair long As a pirate captain, he was respected and famed, though
since departed and his gray beard so extensive he keeps he never gathered a great fortune. When a falling mast

Cults of Freeport 53
 Chapter III The Lost Souls of Yarash

of the world, he is a weather-beaten, craggy old ex-pirate,

tough as nails but with a heart of gold. To those he
initiates into his cult, he is a furious butcher of men, who
teaches them to kill without cessation or remorse. Silas is
torn in his thoughts, too: on one hand, he is protective of
his charges, and wants them to excel in their bloody deeds
against toff captains. On the other hand, all blood pleases
Yarash, and no life matters to him over another. One day,
Silas is going to snap, and his avuncular side may vanish
forever.
Appearance
Few denizens of Freeport are as weather-beaten as
Captain Gantry. He has stared into the storm so much
his skin looks like a wind-eroded cliff, with wrinkles and
scars so deep and a jaw so square he could be carved from
stone. His blue eyes burn with defiance, his last whiffs
of gray hair refuse to fall out, and his peg leg has never
slowed him down one bit.

The \
“Beware the Dragon’s claws”
—Graffito in Scurvytown
took his leg, he retired to Freeport, but in his years at sea, This enormous half-orc captain (male half-dragon
he had discovered the legend of Yarash, and seen many half-orc journeyman) has made a name for himself as a
parallels with his own story. As time and tide wore him bloodthirsty, fearsome pirate alone. That he is also a
down, his rage against cruel and useless captains became devout and obsessive worshipper of The Bloody One only
a hatred for all who mastered a ship through anything but adds to his legend, and his ferocity.
the will of their crew. Soon enough, he extended this to
despise all who claimed their title by an order of law, or
Background
station, or birthright, rather than strength, and courage, Even for a half-orc, the creature was ugly—nothing but
and hard work. Slowly, he gave himself over to the Bloody skin and bone, and with horrible protruding ridges down
One, whom he calls the Great Mutineer, and lost his rage his spine that made him seem more lizard than orc. His
in the glory of slaughter. mother abandoned him on the muddy streets of Freeport,
Silas makes a living taking aspirant sailors on their first unable to look upon his misshapen form. He was taken in
few voyages, where he watches for those who most relish by a tannery, where he worked as a forced laborer. He was
the bloodletting of combat. These he brings back for more sold to a press gang when he was too large to crawl under
voyagers, and eventually shares with them dark tales and the drying racks. They worked him on the oars and sails
darker secrets. Half of those who sign on with him leave for another ten years, and then he was strong enough.
his service a devout follower of Yarash, and it was because Strong enough to break his chains and kill every man on
of him that so many of his men were installed on ships at the ship bar his fellow prisoners.
the summoning of the kraken last year. That skeleton crew sailed back to Freeport, where the
A great many of his boys died that day, but the blood half-orc tracked down his old master and every foreman
pleased Yarash anyway. And there are more where they who had ever beaten him, and tore them apart. Last of all,
came from. Oh yes, there are always more. he found his mother and tore out her throat with his own
hands. To escape reparations, he went back to the sea, but
Personality
was at a loss at what to do next. That night he dreamed of
Silas has worn a false face for more than a dozen years the Bloody One, and had a new mission: for every day he
now, and has almost acquired a split personality. To most had been captive—the first 17 years of his life—he would

54 Cults of Freeport
The Lost Souls of Yarash Chapter III

take a life, one per day. That was five years ago, and he
claims to have never missed a day since. Felder Michaelmas
Somewhere along the way, he became fully aware of
Yarash, and realized he had been chosen and trained to be Felder (male human apprentice) likes killing people.
his agent on earth. He made his pledge again, this time Sometimes, it’s the only way he can get them to shut up.
pledging a life ended per day not just for his pain, but to He’s a natural recruit for the Lost Souls, and thrives in his
sate his lord below. He makes the same promise every new-found niche.
morning, to himself and to his crew, for if they do not pull Background
hard to find fresh meat, he will take his toll from them.
Felder learned from a very early age that the best way to
Personality stop the other kids from picking on him was to bash their
The Dragon is obsessive and sometimes crazed, but he skulls in with a handy paving stone. He wasn’t much older
is no fool. He is in fact cunning as a snake, a wise captain, when a similar violent crime gave him the choice of a
and a tactical genius, able to bring down ships and crews prison or a press gang. It wasn’t much longer after that he
far larger than his own. Despite his threats, he is also a took a gaff hook to the skull of a bosun who wouldn’t stop
fairly generous and even jolly captain, happy to take yelling at him on the Freeport docks. He crushed the skulls
pleasure when he finds it and to let his men do the same. of two watchmen before he ended up in the Tombs, due
Most of his crew are fiercely loyal to him and enjoy the to hang for murder. Before his sentence could be meted
challenge of paying the toll. It is a promise that has made out, however, he was visited by Fillory, who arranged for
them and their ship, the Last Breath, legendary; some of his freedom. Fillory took him to the beachside temple
the crew (and those who hear the stories) even believe and told him about this god of killing people, and Felder
the Breath is a ship out of Hell itself, cutting down the was instantly convinced it was the religion for him. He
weak until their master comes to winnow the stalks in far got the tattoo the next day, and is now looking for the first
greater volume. ship that will have him.
The Dragon’s only weakness is his consuming obsession Personality
to take at least one life per day. Again, he is not stupid:
their attacks always end with as many prisoners as possible, Felder is an idiot, but he is still dangerous. He enjoys
so he may fulfill his bargain, and rarely does he have to killing people—they go all funny-looking and fall down,
take his price from his men. However, if the Breath was with bits of them hanging out. The fact that he enjoys this
becalmed or trapped somehow, he would whittle his crew makes him actually very popular on any ship, for every
down to nothing, and then likely take his own life. Until man is keen to stand next to (and slightly behind) the
someone finds a way to trap the Dragon, however, he idiot who leaps into the fray. Leave the killing to Felder
remains a terror of the sea. they say. Of course, his bloodthirstiness can get him into
trouble, for he knows no restraint: he’s just the kind of
Appearance person to ignore any adventurer who is shouting that they
Although he was born nothing but a bag of bones, the need to take the enemy alive.
Dragon grew up. Now he is seven feet tall and bulging Appearance
with muscle. Still his strange bones stand out: his eyebrow
ridges flare outwards, his shoulder blades seem to spike Tall and thin with a big round head Felder resembles
into pins for absent wings, and down his back runs a nothing so much as a giant spoon. That head is split by a
line of hard protruding spines. When he smiles, which wide, idiotic smile and dotted with the shining eyes of a
he does often, his large canines flash like a sparking fuse happy simpleton, staring out from ragged, straw-colored
across the darkness of his face. He has the tattoo of the hair.
bloody claw across his chest, burned in deeply with acid
so the scarred flesh bubbles around it.

Brutal Docks Killing Reveals More Watch Incompetence

— T he Shipping News

Cults of Freeport 55
 Chapter III The Lost Souls of Yarash

typically nothing but a quick prayer at dusk or bloody acts

The Temple of Yarash of torture and depravity, and neither need a sacred space
to occur. Any grand plans they have can be whispered
Fifty years ago, the jetty on Creek Street was opposite
over a mug of ale in the dark corner of a tavern or in the
an old fish store. When the jetty collapsed, the shop
deep bilges of a ship. They do enjoy defiling other sacred
closed; another jetty was built and the store taken apart
spaces, but after one such attack and marking ceremony,
for supplies by the ever-enterprising Scurvytown folk.
they move on.
However, those who know the way can swing off the new
The cellar is the first regular meeting place they have
jetty, wade through the brackish water and up the moldy
had in years, apart from Billy Bones’ private drinking
planks until they find themselves in the old salt cellar that
room at the Heave Ho. It functions primarily as a halfway
sat beneath the store above. It isn’t much of a dark temple,
house for new recruits, fresh from the streets or prisons.
but it is invisible unless you know it’s there. What’s more,
Here, Fillory can perform a brief ceremony, filling his new
it floods at high tide, removing all traces of dark rituals
initiates with the spirit of the Bloody One and showing
and the bloody scrawl of their god’s will, and letting the
them the terrible powers their dark god can grant. He can
sea take back the dead whose blood they used.
also whip attendees up into a blood fury, with sacrifices
performed on the old wooden floor, and death battles in
Features and Defenses the pit outside (see below). Finally, he can instruct his men
in the need for secrecy while in town, and assign them to
The salt cellar is little more than a slick muddy dock and
ships or duties, with Gantry or other captains.
a few rooms but it does not need to be anything else. As
As it sits entirely under a dock, this small, 20-yard square
a cult, the Lost Souls place very little emphasis on ritual
cellar is only illuminated by what slivers of light break
and even less on ceremonies and meetings. They always
through the new jetty and reflect off the lapping ocean.
prefer deeds to words, and want their agents out in the
Fillory uses magic to illuminate the chamber when he
world, on the open sea, where they regularly shed blood
conducts services, or candles. Should anyone try to enter
for their lord. What worship ceremonies they do hold are

56 Cults of Freeport
The Lost Souls of Yarash Chapter III

from the ocean, they are easily heard and the lights can be throws a knotted rope to help his flock up.
instantly extinguished. It is then a simple matter for the
attendees to dive into the sea and swim away. The smell
3. The Temple
of rotting fish, decayed wood, and green slime can also “Temple” is being generous for this space. A box at the
disorient any invaders. Of course, flight is only a course of front forms the pulpit, while old masts and ship’s planks
action if the group is badly outnumbered or outgunned; in scattered on the floor serve as makeshift pews. The smell
most cases, the faithful will grab their swords and butcher of rotting fish and salt pervades this area; kegs of rum are
anyone coming up the beach uninvited. usually tapped to combat this sensation. A center aisle
The site also has plenty of supernatural defenses. The allows people to come and go, and is also the space used
entire cellar exudes a malignant aura, and anyone who for butchering sacrifices so new Souls may make their
steps within feels a terrible chill in their bones, as if pledge. Despite the high tide completely filling this space
consumed by inexplicable terror. Once inside the blood- each day, the bloodstains on the walls and floor are now
stained room, they are much more vulnerable to fear and so deep they can never be erased.
other mental effects. With luck, there will be a few left
4. Storeroom
stunned or incapacitated from Fillory’s magic so that the
Lost Souls can have some fun... The temple slopes upwards, so the barrels at the top
of this stack do not go completely under and are tarred
Key Locations inside to prevent leaks. In them are extra weapons, spare
candles, pewter mugs, tattoo kits, a brass statue of the
All of the locations can be found in and around the Bloody One, and what little other paraphernalia the cult
Temple of Yarash. uses. The other barrels are kegs of old rum. There are
cracks wide enough in the adjoining wall for people in
1. The Old Jetty this room to shoot spells and arrows into the temple.
The old jetty sits just below the surface of the lapping
5. Vestry
water (at low tide, anyway), trapping seaweed, wave
foam, and flotsam from both the sea and the open sewer It is here that Fillory and Gummer prepare themselves
that runs into it nearby. The planks are rotten and few to speak to their converts. Fillory also uses it as a personal
can support weight, forcing those approaching to wade temple, a duplicate of the one he has in his home. It
gingerly around the random scattering. The planks that contains another brass statue of their god and a rickety
have sunk are covered in razor sharp oysters, as are the old table. There is a secret door in the west wall—the
rocks below, but the real danger are the magical defenses. bricks turn to reveal a muddy passage into the “creek” next
Each cross plank is decorated with a dark glyph. Two of door, providing a very quick escape route.
these are magical. The first sprays a trespasser with a foul
6. The Pit
spell that causes the victim to become overwhelmed with
a blinding sickness. The second summons a small pack of A century ago, a ship was beached by the old jetty and
very angry octopi. Their stunning tentacles often provide eventually cracked in half and was mostly swallowed by
the Lost Souls with live subjects for later enjoyments. The the sand. Fillory had his men dig out the sand and line the
password for the glyphs is simply, “Blood.” As nobody un-wooded edges with more planks, and seal the bottom
but Fillory knows which of the symbols are magical, with wood and tar. The result is a jury-rigged, slick-edged
anyone approaching must call out “blood” repeatedly as wooden pit, some five feet across and 15 feet deep—
they approach. This gets them in just the right mood for a although as it fills at high tide, it is becoming shallower
communion with their bloody lord. with each day’s sand deposits, not to mention the growing
piles of bones. Sometimes two of the faithful are thrown
2. The Loading Dock in to settle differences or provide a good show, other times
Laid across the muddy beach is an old wooden docking a new initiate will face a prisoner to prove he has the skill
ramp. The sea has made it slick to climb, and it too is and the stomach to join, but the favorite game is to throw
covered in oysters and seaweed, along with green slime, two prisoners in with heavy weights on their feet, when
violet fungi, and other unnatural growths, ready to latch the tide is about waist high. The deal is simple: stay where
onto any who fall. This gives a natural advantage to those you are and be drowned by the crashing waves, or pick up
waiting at the top with cutlasses, although many of the a sword, kill your friend and the appreciative crowd will
Souls are so bloodthirsty they won’t wait for their fresh toss you the key for your manacles. Those who save their
meat to get that far. When a meeting is called, Fillory own skin are then recruited into the fold.

Cults of Freeport 57
 Chapter III The Lost Souls of Yarash

find the lost Horn of the Deep. The woman suspects a

Using the Lost Souls rival inventor who has always been jealous of her father,
but he is found to have an alibi.
What makes the Lost Souls interesting as a cult is that
There aren’t many places to keep a crate containing a
their beliefs are so simple and powerful. Freeport is full of
large pressurized suit of amour and its attached pumping
killers, and the sea doubly so; it is but a small step for a
mechanism, and it has to be be used at sea, so it won’t be
man to kill for his captain and a share of booty to killing
too hard for the PCs to track down the thieves moving
for the pleasure of his god. Following the edicts of the
their prize around. The thieves respond with great violence;
Bloody One is not at all difficult, and only grows easier
afterwards they are all found to have the same tattoo of
with each kill.
the Bloody Claw, and the crate itself is also decorated with
The goals of the cult are also simple. Although they may
symbols of Yarash. Investigating (perhaps helped by the
have occasional grand plans, their general aims are basic
scholarly daughter, who can be a useful recurring NPC)
and ongoing, and as such, irrevocable. All they want to do
they discover the legend of the Horn, what happened to
is cause fear and kill people and until the very last one of
it, and a bit of the background on the Lost Souls, whom
them is dead, they will continue to do this, with glee and
they will no doubt hear more of in the future.
zeal and fervor. They cannot be defeated; they can only be
If they have access to someone with a good memory of
exterminated. And even death does not frighten them,
the battle with the kraken, they may even be able to hunt
for their god does not care whose blood he drinks, only
for the Horn themselves, with the suit or magic spells.
that he is sated.
What underwater creatures may be guarding it, and what
Their relentlessness and lack of basic human empathy
the other members of the cult will do to get there first,
make them excellent villains, particularly as “mooks.”
could be the subject of further adventures.
They do not need a reason to fight, they only need a place,
so any time your campaign needs some action, the Lost
Souls can turn up. They are also a visceral enemy, for the
E xperienced dventureA
PCs need feel no remorse in meeting force with deadly
On a sea journey, on their own ship or as hired crew, the
force, for this enemy cannot be redeemed and lives only
PCs are surprised to hear a violent brawl break out below
for slaughter. They are everyone’s foe.
decks. Much more surprising is that what would normally
This does not mean they are necessarily mindless
have just been a fist fight has left a sailor cut to pieces—a
cannon-fodder. Indeed, their relentlessness can be very
sailor who was a good friend of the PCs. The captain puts
scary if done right: the idea of killing not for any cause
the PCs in charge with finding and punishing the killer
but the act itself is a frighteningly nihilistic concept. And
before the deed tears the ship apart.
the simplicity of their doctrine is what makes their beliefs
The investigation isn’t easy: nobody seems to have had
spread so quickly and be embraced by so many. Anyone
any grudge against the dead man, and half the crew seems
who enjoys violence—or has seen so much of it he no
too terrified to speak. Of course, the killer was a Lost Soul
longer cares—can be a Lost Soul, and Freeport abounds
and he struck randomly to fulfill his bloodlust. However,
with such types.
once the PCs discover this, he tells them that half the
They might even include your PCs.
crew are sworn members of his cult, and if they try to take
Generally, though, their random nature make the Lost
him down, there will be a mutiny. On the other hand, they
Souls better side-villains than main villains in a campaign,
could slip off in a lifeboat—or join their ranks. The offer
inserted as a complicating factor rather than as a chief
may be slightly tempting if the PCs’ captain has been
adversary. Likewise, they are better suited as recurring
particularly cruel.
villains rather than as masterminds behind a single, epic
If the characters fight, it will be hard going and require
plot with Machiavellian twists.
clever tactics and strong leadership to hold the ship against
the cultists. However, even if they manage to defeat half
B A
eginner dventure a crew’s worth of bloodthirsty killers, they will be left
with a skeleton crew to man their (likely damaged) vessel
A desperate woman contacts the PCs for justice. Her
and get her home. They may even be missing a captain,
father, a somewhat eccentric inventor and estranged
forcing a PC to step into that role. Neither would be a
member of the Society of Lobstermen, was discovered
great problem in calm seas and close to home, but they
murdered in his workshop and his latest invention stolen.
are far distant and the sea is wild and unpredictable; the
The invention is a primitive diving suit, just perfect for a
journey home may prove more deadly than the cultists.
Lost Soul wishing to descend into Freeport harbor and

58 Cults of Freeport
The Lost Souls of Yarash Chapter III

Advanced Adventure
When the Dragon captures a ship whose passengers
include the young relative of a mainland king, both the
king and Freeport put a price on the Dragon’s head so
high nobody can resist it. But through their underworld
contacts, the PCs hear of a trump card: there is a man in
prison who was once a member of the Dragon’s crew, and
knows where he’ll be. Unfortunately, he’ll only trade this
information for his freedom. (He may even have been
among the mutineers from the previous tale.)
Assuming the PCs find a way to spring the rat, they
must go undercover and get on board a ship run by the
Lost Souls. Captain Gantry will help them there, but the
characters’ cover will prevent them from exposing the
captain’s crimes. It is a long, dangerous journey to find the
Dragon, and the PCs’ cover may force them to do dark
deeds, or find more and more ways to hide that they aren’t
doing them.
Of course, the rat can’t be trusted. All he really wants is
to steal a great magical blade that the Dragon possesses,
and he’ll turn traitor on the PCs if it gives him any
leverage. Even if he doesn’t, the PCs will find themselves
alone on a ship surrounded by crazed killers, led by an
extremely dangerous fanatic with a terrible thirst for
blood and an ancient magical blade. It will take more
than force to defeat the Dragon, but if they manage it, there was a mass protest, with almost all the ships
communications in his chamber will reveal that Gantry leaving harbor and creating a blockade to prevent any
reports to Fillory, who, by now, is worming his way into trade reaching the shore.
the Captain’s Council with a very dark purpose. They have With the harbor empty bar a few small ships of the
to rush home not to claim their bounty, but to prevent Admiralty (and the “loyal” ships which are in fact crewed
Fillory’s terrible plans from coming about. solely by Lost Souls), there was nothing to stop Fillory’s
men towing the hulks into dock, and letting loose every
Endgame Adventure crazed criminal within—criminals who are so very willing
to pledge their slaughter to the god who has so kindly
Fillory knows that Freeport will never fall while there provided their freedom. Soon enough, these hundreds of
are pirates to defend it. They are a roguish, unscrupulous brutal, chaotic killers controlled the city, and too late the
breed but nothing unites them like the city they all call pirates discovered they had been tricked. The PCs return
home. It is not enough to raise the anger of the mainland just as the blockade realizes they may have to attack
against Freeport. The way to destroy Freeport is to cause Freeport to get it back. It’s up to the PCs to convince the
the pirates themselves to attack the city. captains to hold their attacks, because a single party of
The prevalence of Lost Soul attacks on mainland men could slip into the city under darkness and cripple its
ships under the flag of Freeport has severely damaged four terrifying siege cannon. That way, the ships can dock
Freeport’s reputation. As such, the Sea Lord has declared safely and every true-hearted son of Freeport can help
that any ship wanting to sail under Freeport’s colors must take back the streets.
now register every detail of their ship, crew and cargo Of course, slipping through a town which is now over-
before setting out, and pay for the privilege, rather than run with mad butchers and blowing up four enormous
being paid. This not only greatly hampers the privateer siege cannon without raising the alarm is not going to be
industry, it deeply violates the free-wheeling, piratical easy—nor are Fillory and his men going to give up the
spirit of Freeport, and the captains were outraged at the streets without a fight, no matter how many are coming
announcement. With the encouragement of Gantry, for them.

Cults of Freeport 59
 Chapter IV Thge Esoteric Order of Starry Wisdom

- Chapter IV -
The Esoteric Order of
Starry Wisdom
W
ithin the Wizards’ Guild of Freeport, itself a to take a physical form and walk the world spreading the
secretive organization, there hides a branch chaos that is his namesake.
of the even more clandestine Esoteric Order The Crawling Chaos is an embodiment of the uncaring
of Starry Wisdom. This inner circle of the guild is the randomness of the universe, and therefore a difficult god
remnant of a cult based on the worship of the Crawling to worship. The rewards he offers, however, counterbalance
Chaos, a dark god of sorcery, the underworld, madness, this difficulty. As a traveler of the black gulfs between
and the night. worlds, his practical knowledge of the universe is limitless.
The cult’s original aim in setting up a branch in At times, he can be convinced to make gifts of this
Freeport was to recover the Azoth Stone, an artifact holy knowledge to those who serve him well. At other times,
to the Crawling Chaos believed to be in the possession he ignores them or punishes them for their devotion.
of the serpent people that was lost when Valossa sank. Capriciousness given form is the nature of the Crawling
Everything changed Chaos. Unlike many of the
when the six most senior darkest gods, of which he
members of the cult
“And on the fifth day the old order will return to is surely one, he appears
vanished on an expedition the unseemly city, bringing fear and panic over the to have a sense of humor.
in search of that artifact. waves with them. The blinded shall not see their This is the only possible
Tarmon became the High demise at the hands of the Six, the arrow unfired explanation for some of
Wizard in the absence of shall be fired, the stone unturned shall be turned, his more bizarre actions.
his masters, and he had and the waters will cover all. Indeed, many things Sometimes, when the
a very different aim in will come to pass.” Crawling Chaos adopts
mind for the Order in a humanoid form, he
Freeport. —T he Fifth Day Prophecy of the Crawling Chaos walks the land spreading
Under his rule, they stories of woe, posing as a
went legit, founded the kind of itinerant prophet
Wizards’ Guild (see Pirate’s Guide to Freeport page 115), or snake-oil salesman. At other times, he travels for the
and kept their cultish affiliation secret even from the simple joy of it, as a means of satisfying his limitless
majority of the wizards who joined the guild. The Esoteric curiosity. He has even been known to take unwitting
Order still worships the Crawling Chaos, though with mortals along with him on these journeys over land and
varying degrees of devoutness, and they still seek the Starry sea and through the black gulfs of chaos itself, always with
Wisdom they believe the Azoth Stone symbolized. horrible consequences for the poor fools who join him.
The Six, the long-thought-lost expedition who went His manner of travel is mind-breakingly strange—he
in search of—and found—the Azoth Stone believe merely walks at a slow pace, yet seems to bend the world
differently. They are possessed of a terrible power that around him, occasionally appearing to break it, to bring
could spell disaster for Freeport…when they return. his destination closer. Those who are brought along on
such journeys are driven mad by the strangeness of it all.
The Crawling Chaos As a lover of knowledge, the Crawling Chaos is a lover of
magic, especially the magic of divination. He uses sorcery to
The Crawling Chaos is a mystery among the gods, at delve into the very nature of things and bend them to his
once distant and uncaring of those he affects, yet oddly capricious will. Those who serve him best may be rewarded
personal in his interactions with mortals, willing at times with such magical gifts as are rarely dreamed of by mortals.

60 Cults of Freeport
Thge Esoteric Order of Starry Wisdom Chapter IV

Making his home in the starry, black gulfs of chaos he gives the strange and unsettling speeches on which the
gives the Crawling Chaos a preference for darkness. He Esoteric Order of Starry Wisdom have based their beliefs.
is a patron of all things related to the underworld as well In these speeches, the Crawling Chaos demands
as the night. Creatures of the dark and underground outrageous gifts of sacrifice from his followers. He
spaces are sometimes associated with him, and dreams, prophesies doom, an end of the world in which he is
those nightly journeys undertaken by all, are holy to him to play an important role, and his preferred sacrifices
as well. Where the Crawling Chaos walks, nightmares resemble the deaths he describes in such prophesies. They
follow, interrupting the sleep of those whom he travels are miniature apocalypses of slaughter.
among with visions of far-off vistas too strange to be Many of the Esoteric Order’s actions are mirrors of
comprehended by the sober or the sane. those of the Crawling Chaos. Uncertain of how best to
please him, over the centuries they have instead sought
Dogma to imitate him. They embody his curiosity, wanderlust,
and mastery of magic in attempts to be more like their
The Crawling Chaos simultaneously knows all there is to unknowable god.
know and yet is contradictorily curious about everything.
He is capable of instantaneous travel, but does so by Rites and Rituals
bending reality while seeming to walk at a leisurely crawl.
He encourages the use of magic to plumb the deepest The main ritual of the Order to survive under Tarmon
secrets of the universe, but rewrites those secrets on a whim. is performed very rarely, due to its horrific nature.
It isn’t easy being a follower of the Crawling Chaos. This, the Ritual of Reward, requires sacrifice on a large
Much of the dogma of the Crawling Chaos is based on scale. Although the human sacrifice practiced by the
the prophecies and utterances spread during the periods original Order has been replaced by animal sacrifice, it
he spent walking the world. He is said to have walked is nevertheless a disturbing enterprise. Wizards may
Hamunaptra in ancient times, and is rumored to be active on be accustomed to slitting the odd goat’s throat, but the
the Continent today. During such times, wherever he goes Crawling Chaos requires entire herds of animals die in

Cults of Freeport 61
 Chapter IV Thge Esoteric Order of Starry Wisdom

his name in orgies of bloodletting set to the tune of his lost Valossa and caches of their artifacts, but never the
mad prophecies. Azoth Stone. A hundred years passed, and some within
For instance, one such prophecy talks of the land sinking the Order grew less devout in their faith. Some left
beneath the waves while the blind do nothing. The ritual Freeport and some left the Order altogether.
requires the recitation of this prophecy while blindfolded The wizards who remained devoted to their search
victims are slowly immersed in water. Others require eventually broadened it to include the oceans. Though
death by flames, strangulation, or the sword. The Crawling they came into conflict with the sea devils and the other
Chaos has never been tied down to one description of the beasts of the sea, they discovered remnants of Valossa in a
end of all things, leading to speculation the world will cave beneath the deep waters. The six wizards of the Order
suffer a multitude of disasters simultaneously, or perhaps who were still convinced the Azoth Stone was worth the
die more than once. risk descended into that cave, and never returned.
As the name suggests, this ritual can attract magical For a few years, the Esoteric Order muddled along,
rewards from the Crawling Chaos, but the nature of leaderless and rudderless, until young Tarmon took over
these rewards is random and sometimes, even if the ritual with a scheme that would change them from a hidden
is performed note-perfectly, non-existent. The Ritual of secret society to a public and major player in the politics
Reward is unpopular with Freeport’s current members of of Freeport. Thirty-odd years ago the Order came out
the Order for these reasons. into the open, forming the Wizards’ Guild after cutting
a series of deals with local officials. As part of these deals,
Cult History the Wizards’ Guild is sworn to defend Freeport when it
comes under attack, and they maintain a number of fire-
A campaign of prohibition across many nations of the warding and cooling enchantments on official buildings
Continent has made the Esoteric Order of Starry Wisdom and businesses in the city.
shroud their history behind a veil of secrecy. It is known that The Esoteric Order is now an inner circle within the
the first members of the cult were wizards of a desert land Wizards’ Guild, a secret delineation that marks those
who were present when the Crawling Chaos walked among with true influence and power. Many of them worship
their people, spreading fear and nightmares. Following his the Crawling Chaos in word but not deed, seeing the
footsteps, they tried to interpret his speeches and prophecies. Order as similar to the collections of meaningless rituals
Many went mad, and the Crawling Chaos seemed to favor many of the craft guilds subscribe to; something for the
them. They were the first of the Esoteric Order. sake of adding a touch of color and ceremony to their
Members of the Esoteric Order traveled far in imitation meetings, and nothing more. Some, including Tarmon,
of their god, spreading his words as they went. Wizards see the search for the Azoth Stone in terms of metaphor:
seeking to gain power—and there are always plenty of a spiritual search for knowledge rather than a physical
those—made eager converts, willing to perform any search for a magic rock.
atrocity in the name of personal gain. In some nations, they As a political entity, the Wizards’ Guild has grown
were the subject of witch hunts, burned out by inquisitors powerful, despite a minor setback after the Great Green
who were horrified by their actions. The Esoteric Order Fire when magic was distrusted for a time, which was
learned secrecy, so when several of their number made mostly countered by the use of magic in summoning
their way to Freeport, even in that den of iniquity they a storm to finally defeat it. High Wizard Tarmon has
kept their nature quiet. become the first wizard to join the Captains’ Council, and
Members of the Order came to Freeport over 150 through the Reclamation Project, the Guild shapes the
years ago, during the reign of Sea Lord Cromey, in search form and future of Freeport.
of the Azoth Stone. Last seen in the possession of the Unbeknownst to the tamed Order within the Wizards’
serpent people of Valossa before it sank, the Azoth Stone Guild, the true and devoted Esoteric Order of Starry
grants followers of the Crawling Chaos the ability to peer Wisdom lives on. The Six, the wizards who traveled to
through all space and time, to scry without limitations, the ocean depths to find the Azoth Stone, survived. They
and to plumb the deepest workings of the universe. They found the Stone and were transformed by it, made into
could watch stars being born and flickering out, see the near-immortal servants of the will of the Crawling Chaos.
hands of the gods at work, even watch their own personal While their counterparts on the surface have focused on
beginnings and endings. gaining political power, the Six have spent decades in study
The search was not easy. Maintaining their secrecy, they of the Azoth Stone, being subjected to the mad visions it
examined the islands of A’val, Windward, Leeward, and bestows. Now, they are ready to return to Freeport.
T’wik minutely. They found ruins of the serpent people’s They are also entirely insane.

62 Cults of Freeport
Thge Esoteric Order of Starry Wisdom Chapter IV

Enochia Bowstring, Lord Teacher Orrin Feeney, and

Organization Lord Recorder Kenneth Regrant.
Lord Defender Thorgrim is second-in-command,
The Esoteric Order now functions as a kind of table
taking charge whenever Tarmon is away. The other Lords
of elders within the Wizards’ Guild who make all of the
of the Board are all equally ranked, and all equally irked
organization’s important decisions. Although the existence
that a barbarian like Thorgrim outranks them. Although
of this Board of Lords is public knowledge, their status as
he is not the most magically skilled of the Lords, Thorgrim
a branch of the Esoteric Order of Starry Wisdom is not.
does have the will, experience and brute strength to put
the others in their place if need be.
Membership Each of the Lords of the Board has their own sphere
of influence within the guild. Lord Defender Thorgrim is
Although the Esoteric Order is composed of powerful
master of security and martial matters. Lord Entertainer
members of Freeport’s Wizards’ Guild, potential members
Upjohn Drowne is master of illusions and entertainments,
have to do more than master magic. There are several
providing fireworks and shows for the people of Freeport
frustrated guild members whose abilities should have
while secretly acting as the guild’s chief spy. Lord
them sitting on the board, but for the fact that they lack
Researcher Edwina Lilybridge is master of the guild’s
the required traits to join the Order. Either they are too
extensive library and cataloguer of their artifacts and spare
devout in their worship of another god or too virtuous in
pocket dimensions. Lord Wanderer Enochia Bowstring
their nature to pledge allegiance to a dark one, even if in
is master of diplomacy and messenger to the wizards of
name only. Any group of wizards is an eclectic mix, but
the Continent. Lord Teacher Orrin Feeney is master of
the Esoteric Order is by its nature a mix of even stranger
apprentices, overseeing their education and housing. Lord
individuals.
Recorder Kenneth Regrant is master of divining and
scrying and acts as a seer and early-warning system. New
Symbols and Signs positions can be invented by the High Wizard if a wizard
is deemed worthy—the position of Lord Entertainer, for
All board members of the Wizards’ Guild incorporate
instance, was created especially for Upjohn Drowne.
a repeating star motif into their robes. The deeper
significance of this symbol is lost on those unaware of the
Esoteric Order’s existence.
Members of the Esoteric Order practice a secret and
complex sign language made of hand gestures. This grew
out of a system used by the early wandering preachers of
the Crawling Chaos to aid in remembering his strange and
lengthy speeches when they spoke in imitation of him. They
would make certain passes and finger-signs associated with
repeated words, and fellow cultists in the audience would
prompt them with these signs if they paused too long. It
has evolved over the centuries so that now members may
know each other and communicate wordlessly by certain
seemingly innocent combinations of gestures. It is not a
complete language, however, and some concepts may be
difficult to communicate, though it has 12 different signs
for subtle variations of the word “doom.”

Structure
At the head of both the Wizards’ Guild and the
Esoteric Order of Starry Wisdom, Freeport branch, is
High Wizard Tarmon. Immediately beneath him and
are the six Lords who make up the guild’s board: Lord
Defender Thorgrim, Lord Entertainer Upjohn Drowne,
Lord Researcher Edwina Lilybridge, Lord Wanderer

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As there is no way to advance in rank once a wizard joins the wizards knew nothing about, something that almost
the board short of disposing of Tarmon or Thorgrim, the destroyed the city and them with it. What good is knowledge
only way they have to gain more prestige is to increase of the foundation of the planes if you don’t have enough
their sphere of influence. The Lord Researcher and Lord knowledge of the world around you to survive in it?
Recorder, for instance, have squabbled over who has control Tarmon turned the Esoteric Order into an engine
over what, as their positions overlap. The Lord Entertainer designed to bring him knowledge of Freeport and then use
sometimes takes charge of entertaining visiting wizards that knowledge for political gain. By becoming a member
from other nations, although technically this is part of the of the Captains’ Council, Tarmon gained influence over
Lord Wanderer’s remit as chief of diplomacy. These mighty the future of the city he hopes to use to prevent anyone
wizards who can bend reality to their will are capable of as monstrous as Milton Drac from ever achieving power
arguing over the pettiest of distinctions if they see a chance or threatening the city again. Tarmon doesn’t do this out
to grab a slightly expanded area of control for themselves. of pure altruism, however. He wants to protect Freeport to
protect himself, and he thinks that the best way to protect
Goals and Motives Freeport is to rule it. If events make it necessary, he has plans
to make himself Sea Lord so he can guide Freeport through
Once, the Esoteric Order of Starry Wisdom existed to the dangerous waters that lie ahead, ensuring his own safety
seek out the Azoth Stone and gain ultimate knowledge and that of the organization he has built at the same time.
of time and space. Though they still seek knowledge, the The Guild’s public aim is to gain legitimacy for wizards
Azoth Stone has been forgotten by many of them in favor in Freeport, so that they may be treated fairly and without
of other ends. prejudice by its citizens. Their civic duties, especially the
High Wizard Tarmon founded the Wizards’ Guild Reclamation Project, are vital tools to this end. By showing
solely as a means of gaining legitimacy and acceptance for how they can help Freeport, the wizards make themselves
his kind, and he thought he had achieved all he needed to valuable to it. The Lord Entertainer is an important part
when he became a trusted advisor of the Captains’ Council. of this project, providing entertainments and distractions
However, he had an epiphany when the danger of Milton to convince people of the harmlessness of magic. At the
Drac and his mad plans were revealed. Here was something same time, he gathers information useful for the city’s
protection.
The Lord Wanderer is the last member of the Order to
truly believe in their original mandate and to worship the
Crawling Chaos in the correct manner. She seeks the Azoth
Stone as her forebears did. Since the location of their final
journey was never told to the other members, she must
seek it as they did, by poring over maps, traveling around
the islands, exploring ruins, and conversing with devils.
The Lord Researcher’s goal is the acquisition of power,
pure and simple. She dreams of running the Esoteric
Order not as a cult of the Crawling Chaos, but as a cult
dedicated to worshipping her.
The Lord Teacher aims to complete his experiments
with control of the weather, hoping to make contact
with the higher order he believes the Crawling Chaos
represents, having seen the patterns within the chaos of
storms during a personal epiphany. He strives to recreate
that moment, whatever it costs.
The Lord Recorder wishes only to be left to his own
devices so that he can watch the world as he scrys it
without interruption or interference.

Recruitment
Apprentices can be sponsored into the Wizards’ Guild
by their parents for a sizeable fee. This is often seen by

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the families as a good way to get rid of bookish younger suggestive of horrible shapes, entire worlds of ice and fire
siblings of little use in running a powerful house. The guild or light and darkness, and stars that flicker and gutter like
also does its civic duty by taking in youngsters who cannot candles in the face of foul winds.
afford the fees if they show the spark of talent. Only after In the early days of the Order, this initiation was
these apprentices serve their terms and become masters intended to give the wizards who underwent it a taste of
can they be considered for a position on the Board of the madness of their god, but under Tarmon’s leadership
Lords, and the Esoteric Order of Starry Wisdom. it has become a test of skill. Wizards who find their way
Recruits are chosen from those who serve the Guild well, back from the black gulf have proven their puissance;
but from among them those with more than a hint of the those who never return are judged to have been unworthy
suitably odd or uncanny about them. One might say that all of membership.
wizards possess something of the odd or the uncanny, but
there are many among the guild who are simple scholars Allies
content to learn and practice without questioning the
mechanics behind their magical abilities, and they would The outer circle of the Wizards’ Guild are loyal to their
make poor recruits for the Esoteric Order. lords and follow their orders within reason. One goat,
Others have the strangeness about them that suggests yes, but 20 goats and five men? That’s plain weird and
a tendency towards the ways of the Crawling Chaos, a questions would be asked. For this reason, the Esoteric
thirst for knowledge that defies morality in its desperate Order prefer not to use members of the Wizards’ Guild to
need to know more and a restlessness that borders on the do their bidding when their requests are strange. Instead,
lunatic. These traits are not only necessary in a worshipper they use magically summoned or created creatures. A
of the Crawling Chaos, but also in one of Tarmon’s board variety of fiends and golems serve this purpose.
members, who must be driven and determined truth- During the years when the Esoteric Order searched
seekers if they are to plumb the secrets of Freeport and constantly for the Azoth Stone, they summoned and
then use them to their advantage. bound into service many fiends who were reputed to have
Chosen recruits are offered a position on the board, such the power to find lost treasures. Although none of these
a position being created for them if there is no vacancy, fiends were able to find the Azoth Stone, or were willing to
and only if they accept are they told of the existence of disclose its location at any rate, some of them remain bound
the Esoteric Order of Starry Wisdom. Some, like Lord and can be called on to serve the Order if necessary.
Defender Thorgrim, already knew of the Order and Scox is a minor devil who excels at theft. He can steal
joined the guild specifically to work their way into it. The almost anything, even the senses of a person. He can take
ability to root out such a secret as the Order’s existence is not only someone’s sight or sense of hearing, but also their
considered a good qualification for joining it. Afterwards, ability to understand sensory input. Despite this, when
the applicant is put through the initiation ritual. summoned to steal the Azoth Stone, he could not, as it
Within the Wizards’ Guildhouse in the Old City are was not in anyone’s possession at the time. He appears as
several extradimensional spaces, often used as storage a birdlike figure with a long, curved beak.
for strange artifacts or even food when the larder is full. Infernal President Valac is reputedly able to give hints
One of these pocket worlds is known only to the Esoteric as to the locations of hidden treasures, but only if you
Order of Starry Wisdom. Those who step into this space can distract him from his favorite subject: snakes. Valac
enter a part of the black gulf of chaos itself. is obsessed with them, and when summoned in Freeport
For their initiation ritual, those wizards who are he ecstatically described the locations of several serpent
invited to join the Esoteric Order are brought into this people ruins, but not the location of the Azoth Stone. Valac
extradimensional space, where they must recite a binding appears as an excitable boy with white-feathered wings.
oath of loyalty to the other members of the Order and Marquis Kimaris is a fiend who is served by 20 legions.
also the audient void. After the oath, they are left alone His true form is disguised by the pitch-black armor he
in that vortex of the unimaginable, filled with roiling fog wears and he rides a steed of the same hue. As well as being

Ex-Wizards’ Guild Apprentice Found Dead In Underside

— T he Shipping News

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a deadly combatant, the Marquis Kimaris can temporarily the ground. They float a few inches over any surface and can
transform those who deal with him into mighty black- rise to more noticeable heights if they wish.
armored warriors like himself. He can also give the ability Another sign of how divorced from the true they have
to travel quickly by sea. become is the haze. This distortion of perception follows
King Curson is a fiend who can see into the future and them wherever they go, a slight blurring of the air that
the past. He has a reputation for knowing hidden things, resembles the shimmering of heat-haze. This blurring
but the secrets he knows must be known by someone stretches out in a half-mile radius from them wherever
living or they aren’t real secrets and he cannot tell them. they go. The haze makes distances hard to judge and makes
King Curson appears as a lion-headed man, carrying a the use of missile weapons over any range difficult.
wand made of writhing vipers. Lesser foes of the Order are the wizards of Freeport
The Esoteric Order’s most powerful ally is also its least who aren’t affiliated with the guild, whether because they
trustworthy: the Crawling Chaos himself. Depending on disagree with its policies or because they failed at the
how he chooses to view the legitimacy of the Wizards’ entrance exams. Although they plot against the Guild,
Guild and the lackadaisical nature of their worship in they are incapable of uniting to take action. This is partly
recent times, he could just as easily be an enemy. because they have been infiltrated by the Lord Entertainer,
who sabotages their plans from within.
Enemies
High Wizard Tarmon and
Though they don’t know it, the Esoteric Order within Lord Defender Thorgrim
the Wizards’ Guild has a dangerous enemy in the true
Esoteric Order, or as they call themselves now, the Six. These characters are described in The Pirate’s Guide to
The Six were the original members of the Order who Freeport. See that book for more details.
remained true to their quest to find the Azoth Stone,
traversed the Typhonian Current, entered the undersea Lord Entertainer Upjohn Drowne
ruins of Valossa, and found it.
When they stared at its shining angles, however, they
were lost. The Six have spent decades trapped within the
“What would you like my next trick to be, eh? I
visions of the Azoth Stone, driven mad and twisted by can make stars fall from the sky, angels dance with
what it showed them. Their bodies have transformed into devils, or lions roar from my throat. Only no
dark and stretched things, as have their minds. dragons. I don’t do dragons.”
Unable to control the visions of infinite vistas depicted
in the Azoth Stone, the Six watched as it showed them
—Upjohn Drowne entertains the children of Freeport
horror heaped upon horror; worlds ending in fire and the Upjohn Drowne (male gnome journeyman) is a master
sword, deaths piled up to the sky. Every apocalypse told of the art of illusion that comes so easily to his people.
of in the prophecies of the Crawling Chaos was shown to As well as his responsibilities as Lord Entertainer—
their transfixed eyes until now it is all they know. The Six organizing parties, fundraisers, fireworks displays, and so
have become harbingers of the end of the world who can on—he has a secret duty as Tarmon’s chief spy. The shape-
conceive only of destruction, who seek to put the doomed shifting gnome maintains a variety of secret identities
world out of its misery before it drowns in sorrow. with access to some of Freeport’s various power blocs.
One by one, five of the Six have wrenched themselves He guards a deeper secret, as well. A loss of control in
free of the stone’s influence, and now they are coming to an illusionist’s duel ended in murder, and this motivates
Freeport. They aim to destroy the unbelievers who have him to seek redemption. Only Tarmon knows this secret
tainted their Order’s name, and to destroy their city, then and uses it to manipulate him.
their world, with the merciful swiftness no other world
was shown. Background
The Six, though once they were members of varied races In Upjohn’s homeland on the Continent, he was famous
and sexes, have all been transformed into identical forms. as a magical duelist, participating in challenges between
They are mottled, wrinkled, and ancient-looking, hairless and wizards in which they would set their illusions as well as
shriveled beyond the point of distinguishing characteristics. their own shape-shifted forms against each other. These
They are elongated, as if stretched, and their thin bones duels were strictly codified to prevent fatalities, but in a
would probably be unable to support them. However, they battle with a romantic rival, Upjohn lost his cool and, taking
are so far gone from the natural their feet no longer touch the form of a dragon, swallowed his opponent whole.

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He fled the Continent in disgrace for a place where he

would not be recognized in his true form, which he still
feels most comfortable in despite his shame. In Freeport
he could begin again, and the first step was to register
with the Wizards’ Guild. They found work for him giving
performances,putting on shows for children and illusionary
displays in the theater—all part of Tarmon’s plan to make
people more trusting of magic and magicians.
Tarmon saw something else in Upjohn though, an inner
darkness and a drive to improve the world as a compensation
for his actions, even at a great cost. This is why he created
the position of Lord Entertainer and invited Upjohn to join
the Esoteric Order of Starry Wisdom as their spymaster.
Upjohn has both the drive and the dissociation from others
necessary to make a perfect spy.
Upjohn sees the cult as a necessary bit of ritual nonsense
overlaying their most important purpose; protecting the
people of Freeport. To that end he has created a set of
identities that he wears like changes of clothes, each
one designed to gather a certain kind of information or
infiltrate a particular organization. These identities are:
Black Elise, a burlesque dancer who performs in the bars
of Scurvytown. Elise has many admirers, counting several
influential men of the city among their number.
Devin Skaggs, a hobo who haunts the docks. As Skaggs,
Upjohn overhears a lot of talk from the beggars, although Upjohn learns from his time among the gangs to see who
to keep up this disguise he has to survive on “gutter turkey” acts on it and how far the corruption of the Watch spreads.
and “alleyway nuts” and other euphemisms for food found So far the answer seems to be “distressingly far.”
in piles of rubbish.
Personality
Kornelius Jenks, a freelance wizard. As Kornelius,
the Lord Entertainer has infiltrated the network of Upjohn is very good at compartmentalizing his life, a
independent magicians in Freeport who secretly work kind of creative self-delusion that is an important trait in a
against the Wizards’ Guild. Denied membership or spy. Some of the things he has had to do, both as a member
unwilling to accept its authority, they plot to discredit the of the Esoteric Order and participant in its rituals, and in
Guild. his roles within the gangs of Freeport, are of questionable
Jamie Mckee, a halfling junior member of the Syndicate. morality. Upjohn sees the bigger picture, however, and
Upjohn’s progress into the Syndicate has been slow. puts these breaches of ethics into the carefully separated
Although the Esoteric Order would clearly like to keep strongboxes of his individual personas where they won’t
tabs on an organization as powerful as Finn’s Syndicate in bother the real him, hidden underneath.
the Eastern District, Finn is not an easy halfling to fool. He can move from persona to persona with frightening
A master of disguise himself, he is wary of spies and slow ease, playing the part of a likeable children’s entertainer one
to trust new recruits. moment and a manipulative scam artist or a brutal thug
Numbers Farrzu, a confidence trickster and member the next. His own personality has long been subsumed and
in good standing of the Canting Crew. Unlike the hidden, since the day he let two elements of his life—the
Syndicate, Upjohn has found the Crew easily infiltrated. romantic strongbox and the duelist strongbox—overlap
Mister Wednesday is a little too trusting of outsiders, with disastrous results.
especially those who claim to be from beyond Freeport Appearance
and therefore uncaring of its local politics.
Theron Dukes, informant to the Freeport Watch. Like most gnomes, Upjohn barely scrapes over three
Sometimes the best way to learn about an organization feet in height. He plays up the aspects of his appearance
is to see what happens when you teach them something. that Freeporters find comical, wearing baggy clothes that
As a grass for the Watch, Theron passes on information make him look shrunken and lining his large eyes with

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kohl to make them appear even bigger, giving him the Tarmon uses Regrant as a kind of antenna; the trivial
appearance of a harmless, clownish figure. Although this impressions he and his apprentices collect are rarely
is the form he is most comfortable in, he can magically useful, providing a mosaic of ordinary life in and around
assume the form of any race. Freeport (the closest thing to focus Regrant can muster
As Black Elise he is a raven-haired beauty; as Devin is this loose geographical restriction). However, whenever
Skaggs he is a filthy, bearded mutterer; as Kornelius Jenks supernatural trouble of a large enough scale brews,
he is a pale, bald-headed, extravagant old man; as Jamie Regrant cannot help but be drawn to it. The rare times
Mckee he is a round, but muscular, halfling; as Numbers when his chorus of impressions synchronizes are always
Farrzu he is a dark-skinned, smiling con man; and as warnings of dire trouble ahead.
Theron Dukes he is a sniveling, scrawny weasel of a figure. Currently, Regrant’s impressions are beginning to line
up as he sees something emerging from the deep sea. His
Lord Recorder Kenneth Regrant apprentices’ notes are filled with the one repeated phrase:
“The Six. The Six are coming.”
“I see children dining on human flesh. Beasts rising Personality
from the depths of the sea. The six are coming,
Curiosity drives Regrant, but it is unfocused curiosity.
the Six! Oh, that Mr. Lender on Pike Street is late
He has difficulty focusing on any one thing or person.
home from work again. His wife will be cross!” His attention span is short and he is easily bored. Having
—T he Lord Recorder has difficulty distinguishing his talent come to him so naturally has made him easily
frustrated by hard work, and if something does not go his
between the important and the mundane
way immediately he grows angry.
No one embodies the new focus of the Esoteric Order Edwina Lilybridge, the Lord Researcher and a skilled
like Kenneth Regrant (male human master). A young diviner diviner in her own right, has recently been the target of his
with few equals, he spends much of his time in a trance state anger for her attempts to encroach on his position and her
in a darkened room, his inner eyes wandering over Freeport disruption of his visions. His solitary lifestyle and inwardness
and its future to catch glimpses of important information. has resulted in a distinct lack of the social graces.
At these times, his apprentices surround him, taking notes Appearance
by candlelight, trying to divine meaning from the cryptic
utterances he makes while his ethereal eyes wander. The Lord Recorder is pale from his time spent in the
dark, as befits a follower of the Crawling Chaos, and is
Background prematurely bald. He wears robes in varying shades of
Regrant was one of the apprentices taken in by the blue, decorated with the starry design of the Esoteric
Wizards’ Guild as part of their obligations to the city, one Order. He is never seen without a scarf covering his eyes,
of the few talented children taken from a life on the docks despite which he sees perfectly.
and given a chance at something greater than he would Underneath that scarf his eyes have grown strange, a
otherwise have known. gift from the Crawling Chaos. They have refracted and
Regrant showed an aptitude for divination and was split until they resemble an insect’s segmented eyes,
able to see further in both distance and time than were allowing him to watch multiple strands of time and place
any of his fellow students. An obsessive collector of trivia, simultaneously. Only his apprentices ever catch a glimpse
he filled notebooks with his observations of lands he had of his true eyes when he removes the scarf in the dark and
never physically been to, people he had never met, and enters his receptive trance state.
times he did not exist in.
Tarmon was so impressed when the Lord Teacher Lord Wanderer Enochia Bowstring
brought Regrant to his attention he had the boy specially
groomed for his position as Lord Recorder, tutored “Oh, look, the moon is covering up the sun. How
separately from his fellows, and allowed to indulge in his monumentally dull. Someone get me another drink.”
interests. As a result, Regrant is an unfocussed diviner
who receives scattershot impressions from far and wide —T he Lord Wanderer witnesses
that he has difficulty controlling. To improve Regrant’s a once-in-a-lifetime celestial event
abilities, Tarmon had him perform a Ritual of Reward.
He found the favor of the Crawling Chaos on his first try, Enochia Bowstring (female elf master) is as well traveled
and was granted his unique eyes. as it’s possible to get, and as world-weary as well. As

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the Lord Wanderer of the Wizards’ Guild, she is their

diplomat, a representative to the guilds and other magical
organizations of the Continent. She remains carefully
neutral in these dealings, not because of her skills at
diplomacy, but because she does not care. Living for
centuries and seeing too much has filled her with a terrible
ennui only the Crawling Chaos has the means to fix.
Background
Enochia was born in the elven lands, but now she’s a
citizen of the world. Possessed by the curse of wanderlust
that sometimes takes hold of her people, she spent most
of her exceptionally long life traveling and learning about
the diverse magical traditions of the nations she visited.
In the Biandier Islands, she met a tribe who had the
dubious honor of being visited by the Crawling Chaos in
their distant past. His teachings influenced their entire
culture, and they believed the further a thing had traveled
the more power it had. It was their tradition to pass
worthless trinkets from island to island as gifts, believing
this would imbue them with more magic as they went.
Enochia learned a lot about the Crawling Chaos from
the tribe, and took their teachings to heart. She went from
country to country, seeing the world until eventually she
had seen so much, there wasn’t room in her for anything
new. Everywhere she went started to remind her of no success so far. The cults she deals with argue about the
somewhere else until the joy went out of her wandering, correct way of performing the ritual, and often fragment
yet she was never able to stay in one place. In all that and schism or are discovered and arrested. It would take a
journeying she never found somewhere she fit. dire situation to drive her to perform the ritual in Freeport,
Even trips taken beyond this world dissatisfied her; the such as the apparent arrival of the apocalypse, say.
Burning Plain of Never-Kesh is just like the Desert of Izlis
only without the pretty sunsets; Floating Hubspine and Personality
its bustling streets full of inter-dimensional tourists is just Everywhere Enochia traveled, she left a little piece of
like two Freeports stuck one on top of the other only with herself behind until there wasn’t enough left of her to
clumsier pickpockets and nowhere you can get a decent even call a person. She has no empathy left at all, and
drink. Black gulfs of chaos? More like black gulfs of yawn. people, like places, only remind her of others. Now, she is
In Freeport, which she had visited numerous times, bored by everything and everyone.
Enochia sought out the cultists of the Crawling Chaos. A thick layer of cynicism and the occasional bitter insult
She believes he is the only one who can cure her. By taking reveals her disconnectedness, and she is only happy when
her on one of his maddening journeys, he can give her escaping from the tawdry reality she is trapped in. Often
the never-ending parade of novelty and the release from she does this with the aid of alcohol; Freeport Sunrises
sanity she seeks. She considers herself a true servant of the are her preferred drink.
god and the others merely contemptible dabblers, but her
position among them gives her contact with other cultists Appearance
on the Continent and funds her continuing search for the The robes Enochia wears are a mish-mash of styles and
Crawling Chaos. One day, she knows, he will return as a colors, something that has caught her eye from every culture
prophet and take her with him. she’s seen. Around her neck is a primitive amulet, a small
In the meantime, she hopes to attract his attention by doll made of dried banana leaves from her time among the
performing the Ritual of Reward on its largest scale, though Biandier Islanders, a very well-traveled object indeed.
she knows Tarmon and the others would frown on it. She Years of journeying and sun show on her face; it is
has attempted it with the aid of other cults, away from tanned and weather-beaten. That face is usually twisted
Freeport and the Lord Recorder’s scrying gaze, but with in a scowl, and her eyes are bored and distant.

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of which he’d never seen. Attempting to calm it with

Orrin Feeney, Lord Teacher magic, he encountered a resistance he’d never before felt.
There was something almost alive at the eye of the storm.
“Now, class, who can explain to me Ostranker’s seven Sacrificing safety for the sake of curiosity, he allowed
ways to differentiate between air elementals of the the storm to wash over them, at the cost of several of
nimbus pattern and the stratus pattern? Anyone?” his crewmate’s lives, guiding them into the center of the
storm. Gazing upwards into the dark and swirling clouds,
—T he Lord Teacher despairs of teaching them Feeney saw something that changed his life.
anything important, he really does He won’t speak about whatever it was he encountered,
but it changed the way he viewed the world. He realized
Orrin Feeney (male human journeyman) is a master of
that fate doesn’t control our destinies, but rather the
weather magic as well as the master of apprentices at the
random stirrings of chaos personified, a mad string-puller
Wizards’ Guild. The wizards are allowed to instruct their
with his own plan in mind for us.
own apprentices in most things, but the apprentices are
Relieved of his position as a weather wizard for gross
also required to attend classes with the Lord Teacher to
incompetence, Feeney joined the Wizards’ Guild for
ensure they do not miss any of the vital basics of magic.
employment. His natural aptitude was for teaching, and he
Ethics classes are also compulsory.
became a tutor in the arts of weather wizardry to the Guild’s
After the weekly ethics class, Feeney plots to summon
apprentices. When the former master of apprentices died
freakish weather conditions that could destroy all of
in a summoning accident, Feeney was offered his position,
Freeport. And they say that teachers aren’t doers.
not because he was the best qualified for it but because he
Background had the spark of madness about him that made him perfect
for the Esoteric Order of Starry Wisdom.
Orrin Feeney was a weather wizard who worked for
Feeney was instrumental in summoning the storm that
his passage onboard ships inbound and outbound from
put out the Great Green Fire. He came close to recreating
Freeport. With his mastery of the winds, he was in high
the primal storm of madness he saw at sea, but not quite.
demand. While on such a trip, traveling on the ship
Someday, soon, he hopes to look once more into that
Bustluscious Beauty, Feeney came across a storm the likes
maddening eye.
Personality
Feeney is driven and curious. His curiosity makes him
a good teacher, as his depth of knowledge is impressive.
He can ramble for hours about any topic that catches his
attention, and will if given the chance. Natural phenomena
in particular fascinate him and he has traveled far and
wide just to visit eclipses, violent storms and other unusual
natural events.
His love of such things overshadows any other matters
and he will happily risk lives to get closer to phenomena
he wants to study. He tends to leave a trail of dead native
guides wherever he travels.
Appearance
The Lord Teacher is a figure both wild and woolly. His
beard is thick, though braided to stop it from getting
in his soup all the time, and the apprentices have many
theories about what strange creatures may call its darkest
recesses home.
While outdoors, his eyes are almost always cast upwards,
which would cause problems on Freeport’s busy streets if the
residents had not learned to get out of the way of wizards.
His robes, which are brown, have patches on the elbows,
and also stars. Occasionally, especially when he is in a bad

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mood, small clouds hover above his head, squalling and Appearance
threatening rain.
Edwina dresses as the queen she would have preferred
Edwina Lilybridge, to be. Her robes are layered with fine furs, at least in
winter, and embroidered with the eight-pointed chaos
Lord Researcher star in gold thread.
Her demeanor is pure haughtiness and her face, though
The Lord Researcher’s job is to catalogue and identify attractive, is distant and emotionless.
all of the many artifacts and texts owned by the Wizards’
Guild. This may make Edwina Lilybridge (female human
journeyman) a glorified librarian or museum curator, but
The Wizards' Guildhouse
when the items she curates have the potential to summon Within the walls of the Old City are the walls of the
the Dukes of Hell and the texts contain the secrets of Wizards’ Guild. It is a marble building, blocky and three
creation, you can see the position isn’t without its perks. stories high. The marble of its construction is magically
This is excellent for Edwina Lilybridge, who seeks to protected so it always remains spotless and white. Those
exploit her role for all the power she can. attempting to scrawl political slogans on the building find
Background their words vanishing before they are finished and rubbish
thrown at the walls simply slides off.
They may have unisex titles in the Wizards’ Guild, but Two impressive bronze doors covered in mystical symbols
make no mistake, Edwina Lilybridge is a proper lady. A open into a spacious atrium that is as far into the building as
lady of the Old City Lilybridges, brought up properly, non-members ever get, no matter what their rank. Beyond
brought up in the traditional family way, knowing the this point, the Guildhouse is filled with laboratories, boarding
tea-drinking customs of five cultures and how to properly rooms for the apprentices and apartments for the senior
address an archbishop of the Fish God and thirsting for members, lecture halls, summoning chambers, the large
power as if it were more vital to life than water. That is the arcane library, and entrances to extra-dimensional spaces.
Lilybridge way.
Too strong-headed and willful, even at an early age, to Features and Defenses
be married off for political gain, she was offered a choice
between religion and magic. She chose magic because it The bending of space required to keep extra-dimensional
offered a better ladder to climb. After all, even at the head areas within the walls can confuse and disorient those who
of a church you’re still serving a god. are unfamiliar with the building, resulting in doors that
After being apprenticed to the former Lord Researcher, appeared distant suddenly looming close and a simple walk
she poisoned him, knowing she was the best qualified to across a hallway seeming to take twice as long as it should.
take his place. When she finally ascended to the Board of Magical illumination keeps most of the Wizards’ Guild
Lords, she was disappointed to discover they all bowed to well lit at all times and invisible spirits keep the place
a silly old god. Although she recited the vows, she serves clean. Unlike in some other guilds, the wizards have to
the Crawling Chaos in name only. The only thing she open doors themselves and walk up the stairs instead of
really serves is her own self-interest. using magical transporters. Tarmon considers it important
Personality that members keep up at least some physical activity.
The reputation of the wizards is enough to keep most
Greed and treachery are Edwina Lilybridge’s defining thieves out of the Guildhouse, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t
traits. She is also ruled by an unhealthy quantity of magically protected. Statues of monsters animate when
snobbery and superiority. She’s hard to be around, so they detect intruders, gravity reverses along the hallways,
it’s fortunate that her position keeps her away from the door handles swallow the hands that try to turn them, the
others and the inevitable conflict that would follow. air is sucked out of rooms, burning djinns bearing wailing
The Lord Recorder is the current target of her envy; his scimitars are summoned, and jets of flame that burn only
impressions are catalogued and filed in the library by flesh shoot from the walls.
his apprentices rather than by her. She enjoys reordering
them and distributing them wherever she thinks they Key Locations
should go to create confusion. If ever anyone needs
something looked up, they need her, as her system is The following locations can be found within the
unique and arbitrary. Wizards’ Guildhouse.

Cults of Freeport 71
 Chapter IV Thge Esoteric Order of Starry Wisdom

1. Arcane Library and sumptuously furnished. Each has a window with an

This enormous repository of books and scrolls is the adjustable view that can be set to show the true outside or
haunt of the Lord Researcher, Edwina Lilybridge. The the views from Guildhouses in foreign cities (where they
shelves are arranged in a pattern that, seen from above, have matching windows).
spells out runes to ward against silverfish and bookworms. 3. Atrium Arcanum
The thousands of books from which those shelves groan
are arranged in a literally arcane system that makes no The magically supported ceiling of this huge space has
sense to anyone but the Lord Researcher, which is exactly a rectangular opening to let light in. The atrium reaches
how she likes it. Apprentices are occasionally sent to help to the very top of the building, so the sides of the upper
with the filing—Edwina has no apprentice of her own, floors have windows into the wizards’ apartments and
disliking the idea of competition—but they usually don’t other rooms. The floor is a mosaic of checkered tiles.
last long with this spiteful librarian. Around the atrium is scattered seating, a small garden,
and an ornamental fountain as well as statuary. This
2. Apartments is the only part of the Guildhouse non-members are
These apartments belong to the graduate wizards of the allowed into, so it has been made to appear as elegant and
guild. They are not small, but almost all of the inhabitants impressive as possible. The oddness that those new to the
overfill them with magical paraphernalia and bric-a-brac. building feel manifests here as a sense that a space this
It is unusual to see a desk that isn’t buried under scrolls, large and open could not possibly fit within these walls.
grimoires, and assorted papers, and in some rooms it isn’t 4. Boarding Rooms
possible to see where someone would actually sleep. It
would be a terrible fire hazard if the entire building wasn’t These rooms are given over to the apprentices who live
protected by fire-proofing spells. on-site at the guild. Not all apprentices live here, but those
Each of the Lords of the Board has a special apartment, that do are crammed into tiny, shared rooms regardless of
and of course, these apartments are the most spacious how few of them there are.

72 Cults of Freeport
Thge Esoteric Order of Starry Wisdom Chapter IV

5. Extra-Dimensional Storage Universes with the spooky, silent, and invisible spirits, helping to
clean the Guildhouse and serve the meals.
There are three of these wardrobe dimensions in the
Guildhouse, one in the Arcane Library, which Edwina
Lilybridge uses to keep the more dangerous artifacts, one
Using the Esoteric Order
in the Unseen Servants’ Quarters used when the larders If your party includes wizards, there are two ways
are full, and one in the Lordroom. they can encounter the Esoteric Order. Wizards joining
This final portal leads to the black gulfs of chaos, the the guild will be able to enjoy the benefits membership
home of the Crawling Chaos and the location used in the brings, such as lucrative work contracts and access to
cult’s initiation. No member of the Order has ever been facilities like the laboratories and arcane library, as well
able to find the Crawling Chaos within this space, leading as the prestige and contacts it offers. When they discover
to speculation that he is currently incarnate somewhere, the guild is rotten at its core, perhaps even being offered
possibly on the Continent. membership in the Order, they will have to balance
these personal benefits against the dangers of joining
6. Laboratories
the cult.
In these rooms, potions brew, strange weapons hum To those wizards who aren’t able to become members
with new life, devices that should not be whirr and click of the guild, the Order is a rumor worth investigating.
into place, and things learn to walk that should never Perhaps motivated by jealousy as much as virtue, they
have been stitched together at all. Each lab room is fully can seek to prove the existence of a conspiracy within the
stocked with common magical ingredients, summoning guild to further their own ends, but to do so they will
pentagrams, and tables complete with restraints made of need evidence. Even for the magically skilled, infiltrating
cold iron. the Guildhouse won’t be easy, and will require the services
Any card-carrying member of the Wizards’ Guild can of those of a more larcenous disposition.
make use of the facilities in these six laboratories, but Those who aren’t wizards may be drawn into the intrigues
competition can be fierce and arguments over who booked of the cult while investigating seemingly mundane affairs.
Lab Room A when have degenerated into magical duels When a friend of theirs disappears, they may notice a
in the past. Wizards sometimes bring their apprentices spate of such unexplained disappearances clustered
here for demonstrations, but otherwise they are restricted around certain events of astronomical importance.
to graduate members. Further investigation leads to the conclusion that a cabal
7. The Lordroom of sorcerers is performing forbidden rituals within the city,
but taking on wizards will be difficult for those who lack
This is where the Board of Lords meets to discuss issues magical defenses. Fortunately, such things are available in
affecting both the guild and the cult. The entire room is Freeport for a price, but how reliable such items, especially
magically warded to make scrying impossible, as well cut-rate ones, will prove to be is uncertain.
as damped so no noise made in this room can be heard
outside. It is a simple room, containing a long table with Beginner Adventure
12 chairs, enough for all of the members with room left
over for future expansion. Enochia Bowstring needs some unusual components
8. Unseen Servants' Quarters for a spell she’s working on. At the moment, she’s too busy
entertaining a group of diplomats from the Continent to
These rooms are where the invisible spirits who serve go hunting for them herself, so she hires the PCs. The
the wizards are bound. They can leave these blank and ingredients can be found in the jungle of A’val—the
empty rooms only when on cleaning duties. In addition flowers of a carnivorous plant, the teeth of a certain jungle
to cleaning, they cook meals and serve them in the nearby beast—and they won’t be easy to collect. Since there hasn’t
dining hall. When young apprentices are being punished, been a Great Hunt for three years, all kinds of things have
they are forced to stay in the Unseen Servants’ Quarters grown strong in the jungle.

A Deadly Garden! Man-Eating Plant Found by Partly Eaten Man

— T he Shipping News

Cults of Freeport 73
 Chapter IV Thge Esoteric Order of Starry Wisdom

Conveniently, when danger strikes they have magical knows the location of the Azoth Stone—her Order used to
assistance in the form of Kornelius Jenks, a freelance pester him about it in the old days no end.
wizard. He claims to be collecting ingredients himself,
but really he’s been following them ever since one of the Advanced Adventure
Lord Recorder’s visions showed Enochia preparing for
something suspicious. When the PCs return to Freeport, they discover
The ingredients the PCs have been collecting are only things have gone badly wrong in their absence. The Six
needed for one ritual: a summoning of a fiend. Kornelius are returning to the city one by one, stalking the streets
explains this to the PCs, and then asks for their help. He within their haze, bringing mercifully swift deaths to the
claims to have long suspected Enochia of devil-worship, doomed mortals they cross.
but hasn’t been able to prove it. He needs the PCs to get Kornelius explains to the PCs that the only thing capable
that proof by handing over the components to Enochia, of stopping the Six is the very thing sought by Enochia and
then observing her performing the summoning through the Esoteric Order: the Azoth Stone. He knows this because
a scrying ball he presents them with. The ball allows two- he’s a member of the Order. Revealing his true form, Upjohn
way communication, and allows them to keep in touch begs for the PCs’ help one more time.The current incarnation
with the wizard while they perform this dangerous task. of the Esoteric Order can hold back their forebears for a
while, but not forever. They need the Azoth Stone to defeat
Experienced Adventure them, and only Scox knows where that is.
Scox, meanwhile, beat the PCs back to Freeport and has
The PCs hand over the ingredients, collect their reward, been up to his old tricks, amassing a pile of stolen loot from
and then follow Enochia as they were told. She makes the rich citizens of Freeport. The PCs will need to track
her way to the Docks and onboard a boat, which the PCs him down for questioning; now that the Azoth Stone is
have just enough time to stow away on. The boat, a pirate in the possession of one of the Six, Scox knows where it is.
vessel called the Mermaid’s Delight, heads out to sea to After Scox is forced to give up the location of the Stone,
escape the Lord Recorder’s vision, but the PCs will still and the PCs have a full-fledged quest on their hands.
be in contact with Kornelius through the scrying ball. The cave leading to the ruins where the Stone rests is
After they witness her preparations for the summoning, miles out from Freeport and under the sea. To get there
Kornelius tells them he has enough proof to damn her they will need magical assistance, which the Wizards’
and orders them to disrupt the summoning. That’s easy Guild will provide in the form of water-breathing
enough to do, either by smudging the magic circle or enchantments and such.
knocking over her apparatus, but the ritual goes haywire,
and instead of summoning the fiend to this plane, it takes Endgame Adventure
the Mermaid’s Delight and all aboard her to the depths of
Hell. Enochia will be so enraged that she attacks at once. Getting to the cave is an adventure in itself, as sea
The PCs and the crew find themselves sailing on the devils and the dangerous Typhonian Current have to be
Sea of Damned Souls. The scrying ball still works, and negotiated just to get there. Within the caves, magically
Kornelius instructs them on how to perform the ritual sealed from the water above, lies the Azoth Stone, guarded
that brings them home. However, they may need to go by the last of the Six. After it is defeated, the PCs must be
ashore to collect some ingredients, and performing the careful not to look into the Stone, which could trap them
ritual will be difficult while being raided by cursed Hellish and drive them mad with the visions in its shining angles.
pirates. Back in Freeport, the blindfolded Lord Recorder is the
When they finally complete the ritual and return to the only wizard who can be trusted with the Azoth Stone. At
calmer waters of the real world (a few days’ travel away the cost of one of his multifaceted eyes, he can refract the
from Freeport), they find that they’ve brought someone Azoth Stone so it shows visions other than the apocalyptic
back with them, the fiend known as Scox who was drawn ones it has focused on so far. By making the Stone show
to Enochia’s attempted summoning. Scox has no interest life-affirming images, it can be made into a weapon
in fighting, and flies from the ship to Freeport where he effective against the harbingers of doom that the remaining
can indulge in his taste for theft. Before he leaves, he can be members of the Six have become. It only remains for the
questioned if the PCs don’t attack him on sight. He explains PCs to get the Stone close enough to the immortal, doom-
Enochia must have been summoning him because he now bringing wizards to have an effect on them.

74 Cults of Freeport
Scions of the Destroyer Chapter V

- Chapter V -
Scions of the Destroyer
T
he fortress-palace Gulthrax falls through the great fortress, finally emerges from the Bottomless Pit to
Bottomless Pit in the Abyss, and housed within herald the end of all things. Considered ancient, even by
this appalling and jumbled structure that crawls the standards of his peers, Abaddon’s hand can be felt in
with filthy locust demons is none other than Abaddon famines, wars, natural disasters, and senseless massacres.
the Destroyer, whose titles include Minister of Death Abaddon is an enormous humanoid figure: His feet
and Havoc, the Bringer of Endings, and Lord of Locusts. and paws resemble those of a bear, huge hooked wings
And though consigned to fall forever and ever into the curling from his back, scales like a fish covering his body,
depths of the yawning Pit, it is said that it shall one day and the compound eyes of a plague fly peering from a
emerge on the other side and visit calamity and death to cruel and sadistic visage. When anger or great mirth stirs
the world of mortals the likes of which none have ever him, such as overseeing the wholesale destruction of a
seen. No right-thinking mortal would hasten this end, or once great city or seeing his Locust Demons consume
so many hope and fervently pray, but Abaddon counts the gardens of a peaceful nation, great gashes in his torso
alongside his hordes of demons many mortal servants, reveal a glowing red interior or belch foul plumes of black
including vicious killers and cruel arsonists who wage their smoke. His voice causes landslides that bury thousands,
war against the structures of society to hasten the end of the stamp of his foot sends ripples through the earth,
all things. Among these servants, none are as deadly or as toppling great towers and collapsing dams, his breath
close to succeeding as are the Scions of the Destroyer. withers whole forests and renders oceans poisonous to
all life, the touch of his great paws annihilates anything
Abaddon the Destroyer living and his speech causes the earth to shriek in pain,
an utterance enough to obliterate entire continents. This
The Scions revere Abaddon the Destroyer. This Demon is as nothing to the clarion call that will one day summon
Lord rules the layer of the Abyss called the Bottomless Pit, Gulthrax. When the time is ripe, Abaddon shall take his
from which numberless hordes of Locust Demons hail. great horn named “Finality” and sound a single note that
These hideous beings consume the crops of a thousand shall shiver throughout creation, revoking natural laws,
worlds in readiness for the day when Gulthrax, Abaddon’s breaking covenants, and unraveling order wherever the

“Nature, the cosmos, and all things that live within it exist in a delicate balance with each other. Forces oppose
each other constantly without our knowledge. Battles are waged we will never see, let alone comprehend. For
every newborn child, there is one that dies at birth, for every victory, there is a defeat, for every sunrise, there
is a sunset. Learned men try to understand these balances so we may maintain them and live happily with the
constraints that they impose on us. However, there are few learned men, and their actions cannot turn the tide
should one force not be opposed; one birth not followed by one death.
“Because man is the fly in the ointment, you see. We are creatures of emotion, not unfeeling logic, therefore,
at times, we are moved so much by some piece of happenstance, that we overload the balance and tip the scales
too far in one direction. We sow destruction as a result. That anyone would hold this as a dogma is beyond me.
That anyone would go even further and seek not only to oppose creation with destruction and seek an end to all
things, but also actually be able to recruit people to this cause is demoralizing in the extreme. ”
—Fercoult Benjanni, Freeport Institute

Cults of Freeport 75
 Chapter V Scions of the Destroyer

sound is heard. On this wave of destruction, the great If your station allows it, sow discord among the mighty,
spiked fortress of Gulthrax shall tear through the bounds so conflict, famine, and misery can strike. Let no prisoner,
of reality to hang like a cancerous moon and from which nor innocent survive a battle. Destroy communities after a
shall fly so many locust demons that they shall consume successful siege. Burn crops, poison wells, and dash hopes.
the sun and blanket the earth with their wickedness. Do not countenance talks of peace or truce, and sabotage
them when it is not within your power to end them.
Dogma Spread disease and empower the locust demons
wherever they are found, so Abaddon can come forth
Abaddon demands that his followers prepare for his from his mighty fortress and destroy. Those who have
coming. They are expected to sow dissent, foment conflict wrought mighty destruction in his name will join him in
and engage in wanton acts of destruction. Those unable his fortress as his favored servants, and may bear witness
to take up arms must not allow an act of creation to go to the end of their world.
unopposed. Destroy tenfold what has been built. Buildings
must be smashed, works of art spoiled and those that Rites and Rituals
created them must become food for worms. Although
followers may own arms, armor, and goods necessary The Grim Harvest is a Rite employed by the Scions
for survival, they may not own anything of material or to destroy the bounty of the earth and to cause famine.
aesthetic value. If there is no bed, sleep on the floor; if When harvest time arrives, a group of Scions visit the
there is a bed, destroy it and he who made it, and then fields, orchards, and vineyards of Freeport under cover of
sleep on the floor. If you can wreak greater damage by darkness. They salt the earth and hang freshly slaughtered
keeping up a civilized veneer, then do so and you will not foxes from overhanging branches or field markers. A short
suffer for it; a thousand dead across a battlefield of three ritual is held over these grim markers—a summoning
villages is more worthy than the destruction of material from the Bottomless Pit. The Scions then move onto
things. Fire is good and is a tool of destruction. Use it the next farm or field. Some fields are stripped bare by
where you can. hideous locusts summoned by the Rite, and in some rare

76 Cults of Freeport
Scions of the Destroyer Chapter V

cases a locust demon from the Abyss is loosed to plague The Scions of the Destroyer have existed in some form
the area and ravage the innocents. or fashion in Freeport for centuries, and they believe they
The cult also employs a Ritual that summons the black were founded, if not before, then at the same time as
soul of Abaddon. Called The Heart of Destruction, this the temple of the War God, shortly after the city’s first
ritual conjures an inky blackness from the Bottomless Pit founding. The Scions’ influence has waxed and waned,
to consume anything that touches its undulating surface. many times nearly extinguished by their enemies, only to
This ritual is only initiated within the heart of Reapers’ rise from the ashes to work their wickedness once more.
Hall’s dank catacombs. Cultists form a circle around Since the largest threat to the Scions in Freeport has long
the edges of a specially prepared summoning circle and been the priests of the War God, the cultists have finally
chant throughout the night. Once the ritual is completed set aside their own ambitions and plan to remove this
at dawn, a pulsing orb of the deepest darkness fills the irritating opponent from the battlefield once and for all.
interior of the summoning circle. The cultists then engage Two years ago, the Scions managed to poison the temple’s
in an orgy of destruction, throwing works of art, captured high priest. In the confusing aftermath, they infiltrated
enemies, and anything else they can lay their hands on into the temple’s ranks and began a rash of poisonings that
the circle—where Abaddon’s dark soul feeds greedily. severely weakened the clergy. However, before they could
succeed in wiping out the priesthood, the subversives
Cult History were unmasked and brutally murdered, killed nearly to
a man. The man who organized this witch hunt was a
Abaddon is one of the few demon princes whose visiting war priest named Cadiccen. Seeing through the
appearance in the mortal plane presages a great and final lies and deceptions, he easily identified the hidden cultists
destruction, a time when the gods and their works are and when found, he dragged them from the ranks and
thrown down, and when evil shall rule forever after. The beat them to death with his bare hands. Seen as a hero, a
finality promised by Abaddon’s appearance is unsettling, savior who spared the temple from certain annihilation at
indeed terrifying to most, but such nihilism has a certain the hands of their age-old enemies, the War God’s priests
appeal to those deeply disturbed mortals whose thoughts raised up Cadiccen as their high priest, vowing to follow
are consumed by hatred. These misguided fools are him into a glorious new future. What the War God’s
obsessed with an unreasoning desire to slaughter and priests did not realize was Cadiccen was in fact a Scion
sabotage every effort. It is from these rare men and women himself, and that the purging of the weaker cultists was
that the Minister of Death harvests his mortal servants. just one more subtle step in his plan to usher in the final
As one might expect, the servants of the Destroyer are age of the world.
divisive and confrontational. Consisting largely of madmen
and nihilists, they are as likely to turn against one another
as they are to set aside their differences and work to bring
Organization
their master forth from the Abyss. Moreover, the threat The Scions are entirely entrenched inside the Temple
posed by these wicked servants is enough to unite other of the War God (see Pirate’s Guide to Freeport page 139).
groups against them, and many churches have organized Still depleted after Cadiccen’s purge, the cult works to
bloody crusades to purge the lands of Abaddon’s minions. subtly convert war priests to the service of Abaddon by
It is a wonder, then, that this vile demon prince has any manipulating their holy texts and the church’s activities in
servants at all. the city, and while they have had some success, few priests
When it comes to the servants of Abaddon, then, of the War God recognize who it is that they serve.
there are no world-spanning organizations. Most of his
minions are loners, exiles, and anarchists, demonologists Membership
all who perform unspeakable rituals to garner their sinister
master’s favor. Where covens do exist, they are small and There are three major divisions to the Scions of the
unstable, usually imploding when the members’ plotting Destroyer, and only one of these groups is aware of whom
and betrayals lead to a short and bloody conflict. Of the they serve and the aims they strive to achieve. The core of
active groups dedicated to Abaddon, only the Scions of the cult is made up of Cadiccen and those cultists whom
the Destroyer have anything resembling stability. That he spared during the great purge that saw his installation
is only because their leader, Cadiccen, paid a steep price as high priest of the War God. These cultists have all
in blood, exposing expendable servants in the hopes of sworn service to the Lord of Locusts and live their lives
subverting the priests of Abaddon’s long hated foe, the to hastening his escape from the Bottomless Pit to the
God of War. mortal realm.

Cults of Freeport 77
 Chapter V Scions of the Destroyer

War God Vigilantes End Vicious Skullduggers Gang Terror!

— T he Shipping News

In addition to these core members, the Scions have the hatred of the War God, these cultists sought to destroy their
unwitting support of the temple of the God of War. These enemies even if it meant their own annihilation. Cadiccen
priests are ignorant (willfully or otherwise) of Cadiccen’s appreciated their enthusiasm, but felt the entire effort would
true nature and purpose, and think him a true vessel of jeopardize the larger goals of his master. So he presented
the War God, the chosen mortal instrument through himself as a champion of the War God and “cleansed” the
which their violent and tempestuous god works. Those temple of those weaker cultists who would prove to be a
who question or look too closely are removed, accidentally liability to his grander plan of bringing Abaddon into the
killed in training or quietly and permanently removed mortal world through the City of Adventure.
from the temple. After the great culling of the cult, Cadiccen was left
The last group is a legion of thugs, brutes, and bravos with a handful of fanatic servants who both worshipped
that stroll through Freeport spreading mayhem wherever him as the avatar of Abaddon and feared him for his
they go. A loose-knit gang, they fight and kill because power and willingness to kill even those he counted as
they want to, recognizing no authority and causing endless his allies. Cadiccen founded the Reapers from those
trouble for the Watch and the Captains’ Council. Few of survivors, forming a tight-knit inner circle of cultists
these lowly servants realize they work for Cadiccen, and who shared his vision and eagerness to speed along
most see themselves as inheritors of the older Freeport Abaddon’s journey.
gangs wiped out during the Succession Crisis. Certainly, The Reapers would act as advisors if Cadiccen let them,
these “Scions” realize they have benefactors, but most but he’s made an example of more than one ambitious
expect their shadowy master is an up-and-coming crime cultist who had the gall to offer an alternative course—his
lord who wants a piece of Mister Wednesday or Finn’s screams were heard all over the city. Instead, the Reapers
pie. Only a few of the highest-ranked gang members have are charged with protecting Cadiccen from his enemies,
any idea that they serve the War God’s temple, and fewer and acting as go-betweens between him and his foot
still realize there is a more sinister agency at work. soldiers on the streets.
In addition to this inner circle, Cadiccen also has
Symbols and Signs the loyalty of the War God’s priests. Cadiccen cuts a
frightening figure, and many wonder at his revelations
Prior to their infiltration of the War God’s temple, the about the War God’s nature, but few would voice these
Scions of the Destroyer recognized the locust as their questions. Was it not he who exposed and destroyed
sacred animal, and their lairs were usually crawling with the cultists? Did not he cleanse the house of the War
these ravenous vermin. The War God’s priests know this God of all the jackals? Such is the force of Cadiccen’s
icon, however, and using this animal as their sigil would personality and character that he has fooled these priests
be far too obvious. Instead, Cadiccen has gradually revised into becoming his minions. Those who follow Cadiccen’s
the War God’s symbol—a brass skull—by adding curving teachings find themselves growing distant from their
horns and placed gemstones in the eye sockets. The horns patron deity, but in his absence are finding a new
symbolize the locusts’ antennae, while the gemstones wellspring of power that echoes the violent teachings of
reflect Abaddon’s multi-faceted eyes. their new high priest.
Scions of the Destroyer who prowl the streets all have At the very bottom of the cult are the legions of killers,
skull tattoos on the left side of their necks. It’s usually in gang members, and brutes that make up Cadiccen’s
black, but red, blue, and even green are common. growing armies. Drawn largely from discontented
citizens, mercenaries, madmen, and bullies, they prowl
Structure the backalleys of Drac’s End, Bloodsalt, and Scrurvytown,
making trouble for the Watch and the Captains’ Council.
Until Cadiccen came onto the scene, the Scions were a They use the name Blood Locusts and are fast becoming a
band of disorganized scum with just enough knowledge feared force in the city, which is exactly as Cadiccen wants
of Abaddon to be dangerous. Armed with a long-standing it. The more trouble these hapless fools cause, the more

78 Cults of Freeport
Scions of the Destroyer Chapter V

likely the Council is to overlook the subtle but deadly thug who dies, it seems there’s two more eager to take the
transformation occurring in the War God’s temple. wretch’s place. Cadiccen never directly involves himself
in the recruitment process, leaving it to his Reapers and
Goals and Motives their minions to fill the ranks.
The most common method for building these teams
Few members of the Scions know who it is they serve, of foot soldiers is to simply trawl through a poor section
for nearly all the lesser members believe they belong to an of one of the worst districts in the city—Bloodsalt,
extremist faction of the War God and that by spreading Scurvytown, and occasionally Drac’s End. The recruiters
mayhem, they are honoring the demands of their divine pick a ripe neighborhood and sweep through the place
master. Among those who know or suspect the truth, gathering up anyone they deem as being healthy and
there may be a blind madness that impels them to further hungry enough to earn a few coins. The recruits are taken
the aims of the Lord of Locusts. But for many, it is the to a remote location, usually buried deep inside the district,
terrifying realization that Abaddon will one day come to where they are fed, bathed, given women, and anything
the mortal plane regardless of anyone’s efforts, and when else they need to feel comfortable. The toughs are then
he and his fortress appear, it will herald the unraveling sorted, questioned, and tested. Those who pass muster are
of reality. Rather than be swallowed up by the demon tattooed and then moved to another section of the city,
prince and his legions, many of the indoctrinated serve where they are instructed to simply cause trouble. Those
in the hope that they will somehow be spared the agony who lack the cruelty, violence, and hatred to serve are
of Abaddon’s arrival and, perhaps, even be elevated as his killed and dumped into the sewers. New recruits have no
lieutenants and generals. idea who they work for, and can’t identify their employers
For these reasons, the Scions spread as much death since they all wear black executioner hoods, but the steady
and destruction as they can. The foot soldiers in this supply of coin, food, and resources, to say nothing of the
effort are little more than gangs and they murder, steal, license to wreak havoc, are often enough to buy their
deface, spread lies and partial truths, and sow chaos loyalty. These gangs are famously short-lived anyway, since
wherever they go. Meanwhile, the Reapers and other they are bound to run afoul of one of the crime lords, the
cultists who have a deeper understanding of the Scions Watch, or the Captains’ Council themselves.
purpose encourage these acts, believing that destruction
will hasten the Lord of Locust’s arrival, easing his release
from the Bottomless Pit through the bloody violence of
their wicked deeds.
It bears mentioning that some people are just born bad
or have a set of principles that don’t match what polite
society calls “sanity.” The Scions attract all manner of
madmen, deviants, and hate-mongers, filling the lowest
ranks with some of the most dangerous criminals to
walk Freeport’s streets. These minions care nothing
for Abaddon, the God of War, Cadiccen or anyone or
anything else. Instead, their affiliation enables them to
live out their fantasies, to work wickedness for the sake of
venting their unspeakable impulses.

Recruitment
The Scions of the Destroyer are reluctant to add new
members to the core organization for the more people
they bring into their fold, the greater the chances are
for the cult to implode and collapse from infighting and
treachery, as has happened to most groups who swear
service to the Lord of Locusts. Instead, Cadiccen devotes
most of his resources to expanding his presence in the
city through street gangs. These are not only his most
numerous servants, but his most expendable; For every

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Those who prove a knack for surviving and a rare of these acts, trapped inside a world inhabited by three
viciousness are plucked from their gangs and relocated headed giants, fire-breathing wyrms and flying, talking
to the War God’s temple in the Temple District. There, heads, that a brush with a hallucinatory drug five years
they are trained in the fighting arts and are expected to ago has made them endure ever since. These madmen
learn. It is not particularly unusual to see new acolytes, refer to Cadiccen as the “Big-Head” and are mortally
since the temple has a history and reputation as being afraid of him.
a fine fighting academy. The candidate must prove his Cadiccen has considered approaching the Blackened
worth, and if he falters in his training or proves a lack of Knot (see Pirate’s Guide to Freeport page 76). Their hatred
talent, he vanishes, usually chopped up and fed to sharks and willingness to use violence to achieve their ends
or dumped into the sewers. Should the candidate proves make them a fitting ally for the Scions, if they can be bent
able, he becomes a recruiter and accompanies one of the toward Cadiccen’s will. Currently, he is working to find
Reapers on their periodic recruitment ventures. some way to prey upon their bigoted nature and use it to
Over time, these recruits may pick up on their masters’ secure an alliance.
nature and may request entry into the cult itself. Again,
those recruiters who prove themselves and start asking Enemies
questions are brutally tortured, their orifices packed with
locusts and sealed shut for a time to determine if their Cadiccen’s purge of the Scions left a great number
loyalty is genuine. Those who survive the experience with of cultists dead or exposed. While this act ensured the
their sanity (somewhat) intact are ushered into the deeper cult’s survival, it also weakened the cult, if for a time.
mysteries of Abaddon and are invited into the inner circle The fractures sent rippling through the organization
to become Reapers. The small number of Reapers in this created unexpected enemies who work from within and
cult testifies to the arduousness of the advancement and without the organization to see Cadiccen and his cronies
recruitment process, and the inability of many would-be destroyed.
cultists to meet the Scions’ strict criteria. If Cadiccen made one error in his daring coup, it was not
tying up all the loose ends, in particular those dealing with
Allies his predecessor Charles Bonnivile. What Cadiccen didn’t
know was that Bonnivile had a daughter, one Christine
The most important ally that the Scions have is the Bonnivile (female human journeyman) and captain of the
temple of the War God. Unknowingly (for the most Dying Sun. A small-time smuggler from Freeport to
part), these men and women have become pawns in Libertyville, she was unaware of the depths of her father’s
Cadiccen’s game. He and his Reapers corrupt the order wickedness until his death at the temple. It came as no
from within, turning honor to dishonor, self-sacrifice to real surprise, though, for her childhood was one of brutal
selfishness, and mercy to wrath. These changes have been beatings and deprivation. If he had just been slain and
noted by some in the city and have caused some concern, discarded, she might have let the death go. But he wasn’t.
but Cadiccen has been able to deflect criticism by stating His corpse was paraded before the city’s sneering masses
the order has been forced to increase its vigilance and as a traitor and cultist, until he was strung up from the
toughen up its methods because of the infiltration suffered Old City walls as a warning to other subversives of his
by the church two years ago. Cadiccen concentrates on ilk.
the most malleable of the temple’s warriors, giving them Blood flows thicker than water, and she determined
tasks to twist their hearts and minds into those fitting that, monster though he was, her father deserved to
for service to Abaddon. Although he dare not reveal be avenged. To this end, she has been plotting against
his true loyalty, having groups of priests and warriors Cadiccen for some time, and has built up a small cadre
carry out some of his dirty work under false pretenses is of informants in the Temple District to inform her of
proving invaluable. his dealings. Christine pulled off a coup two months ago
A couple of inmates recently escaped from the when she managed to have the emasculated corpse of a
Chambers Asylum have been approached on occasion. piglet smuggled into his room. He has wondered who
This pair, who call themselves “Ball and Chain” (male the perpetrator was ever since, and has bent his powers
human journeymen) are beyond even the leader of the to discovering the quaint warning’s source. Christine is
Scions’ powers to employ productively. However, they can outmatched, but should she find more powerful allies,
and do divert attention away from the cult by burning she may be able to cause real damage to Cadiccen, not to
a grain store here and murdering a snooping watchman mention uncover the truth about his identity as the new
there. For their part, Ball and Chain have no recollection head of the Scions.

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The Scions leader also faces competition from within the a briar branch down his brother’s throat until his knuckles
ranks. Being an orc, Lamarak Blacktusk has a hankering brushed blued lips. Enraptured by the dimming light in
for power, or more precisely, the power Cadiccen currently his brother’s eyes, Cadiccen didn’t hear his father’s frantic
holds. He believes the time for the Scions to hide behind approach. When the man saw what his son had done, he
the skirts of the God of War has passed, and they should beat him nearly to death. Unwilling to let the child live, he
take over that temple as their base of operations. Naturally, stuffed the senseless boy into a burlap sack and dumped him
he thinks he is the only Scion capable of this feat and into a well, hoping nature would attend to this rotten child.
plots accordingly. See his entry later in this chapter for Before the boy drowned, a passing patrol heard Cadiccen’s
more details. screams and saved him, arresting his parents and charging
them with the death of their youngest son.
Father Cadiccen, His parents executed and facing the rest of his
Cult Leader of the Scions adolescence in an orphanage, Cadiccen fled his village,
seeking to make a life for himself in a nearby city. As
he traveled across the countryside, a group of rapacious
“Aye, he’s a canny one, that Cadiccen. Had to be bandits captured him. Cadiccen endured unspeakable
to uncover the cult of Abaddon that blackened this cruelties from these hardened and despicable men, but
temple a couple of years ago. Too clever for his own somehow he survived, persevered, growing stronger and
good if you ask me, he’s always coming and going becoming filled with hate.
and who knows what he’s up to? Still, at least he got It was during this time that Cadiccen first learned of
rid of the cultists.” Abaddon the Destroyer. The bandits, while brigands by
trade, were also cultists and devoted followers of the Lord
—Brother Hagar, Acolyte of the God of War of Locusts. Watching their rituals between his beatings,
he saw and learned and finally came to embrace this
Father Cadiccen (male human master) is the leader of
demon prince in all his wickedness. The boy’s eagerness
both the Scions of the Destroyer and the temple of the
and fanaticism for their sinister master led the bandits to
Warrior God. Responsible for the uncovering of the
spare the child and eventually welcome him into their fold.
Scions a couple of years ago (while being a secret member
and betraying his comrades to save himself ), he was
named high priest of the temple and has begun anew to
pervert the faith to the worship of his dark lord, Abaddon.
Trusted by the priests who regard him as a champion of
the War God, he slowly builds his strength in the city and
gradually bends the temple and its priests into his willing
tools.
Background
Born to a middle class family on the Continent, his
family was neither rich nor poor, but comfortable. His
father’s success meant Cadiccen wanted for little, and the
family spared no expense when it came to his education.
They hoped Cadiccen would leave their farming
community behind, live a gentleman’s life, and elevate the
family to a higher social rank.
His family’s dreams would never bear fruit, though, for
Cadiccen was a sullen and cruel child. Never content with
tormenting the various birds he caught, he soon turned his
attentions to his younger brother. At first, it was vicious
insults and beatings, but as Cadiccen grew older, so did
the intensity of his attacks on his younger sibling, until on
Cadiccen’s 11th birthday, he murdered his brother just to
see what happens when a person dies.
Ignoring his brother’s anguished screams, Cadiccen forced

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This reprieve gave the boy the chance he needed to get his Cadiccen serves Abaddon because he truly believes he
revenge, and over the next year, he murdered them all. is the demon prince’s mortal tool. He knows none of the
Freed from the vicious bandits and schooled in the Scions will be spared in the apocalypse, but he doesn’t
teachings of the Minister of Death and Havoc, Cadiccen care. In fact, part of him suspects that not even he will
made his way to Silverus, where he founded a small cult escape the destruction, but this fact doesn’t bother him at
in the city to hasten the arrival of his master. For nearly all and in fact, it encourages him to work harder, to prove
15 years he worked, expanding his ranks until his group his worth in the dim hope that Abaddon will transform
finally attracted the attention of the templars of the War him into one of his demons so that Cadiccen can serve his
God. The crusaders swept in and butchered the cultists master for all time.
nearly to a man, and it was only through a stroke of
luck that Cadiccen escaped. He vowed his revenge as he
Appearance
slipped aboard a merchant ship bound for the Serpent’s Cadiccen is a powerfully built man in his late thirties.
Teeth. Although not of exceptional height, he emanates an aura
Cadiccen arrived in Freeport some two years ago and of power and natural charisma so that when he enters
once there, he sought out the temple of the War God with a room all eyes turn to him. He keeps his skull shaved,
the intent of infiltrating their ranks and destroying them but often neglects his cheeks, which are shadowed with
from within. Once he arrived, he was shocked to learn that stubble. Generally, he wears the red robes of the high
a local group dedicated to Abaddon had already gained a priest and wears a morningstar on a weapon belt cinched
foothold, but were reckless and risked exposure. Rather around his waist. A bronze chain hangs around his neck,
than let them destroy themselves, Cadiccen assumed the proudly displaying the bronze skull of his order. He’s been
guise of a war priest and exposed those weak members, gradually altering the temple’s holy symbol to make it
killing them all. By doing so, he not only removed the resemble the sign of his true master.
weaker and madder elements within the Scions, but also
gained the trust of the War God’s servants. As a result Hannibal, Chief Reaper
of the gambit, he managed to not only take over the
surviving Scions of the Destroyer, who were terrified by “That man is dead inside. Tell him his mother died
his bloodthirstiness and viciousness, but also the temple and you won’t see a flicker of emotion, tell him his
of the War God itself. house burned down and he won’t blink. Yet tell him
Personality that the world is about to end and you’ll see a smile
Beneath his calm, almost serene, exterior is a psychotic. that would shame an angel.”
Thoroughly raving, Cadiccen thrives on discord and chaos, —Dorcus McT hane, Acolyte of the War God
working to spread unrest and destruction to quicken his
master’s arrival. In spite of his brimming insanity, he can Hannibal (male human journeyman) is second in
control his impulses and hides them well from those command of the Scions and is Father Cadiccen’s chief
around him, only revealing his true nature and purpose Reaper. He organizes the Reaper’s activities, reports any
to his fellow cultists. When around the priests of the problems, and gathers a close-knit group of admirers
War God, he is quick to spew their sayings and prayers, within the Temple of the Warrior God. Noted for his
having quickly learned the temple’s dogma and traditions, calm, detached manner, as well as his ruthless fighting
wearing the mask of a skilled and aggressive warrior and style, Scions and priests alike fear him.
denouncing all followers of Abaddon and other enemies
Background
of the faith. Even as he leads the prayers and rituals,
he secretly smiles; for through his subtle changes and Hannibal is a product of war, incest, and plague. He’s
adjustments to the holy texts, he leads these fools into the been bedeviled from birth with chronic bad luck, almost
waiting arms of his dark master. as if he’s been marked out for special attention. Born in

Bloody Coup in War God Temple Leaves Dozens Dead!

— T he Shipping News

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Scions of the Destroyer Chapter V

Scurvytown, 32 years ago to Boris and Matilda Haffenhoff,

his early years were a constant struggle to survive. His
mother and father (who happened to be brother and sister)
faced hostility on a daily basis from disgusted neighbors,
faced blackmail attempts and beatings from the gangs
that roamed the streets, and got paid unfair wages for the
work they completed. It was only the outbreak of plague
that saved Hannibal from an early death. The flux spread
like wildfire through the district, slaying the old, infirm,
and malnourished first, before moving on to the young
and fit. Being in the first category, Boris and Matilda
died swiftly, leaving an orphaned Hannibal to the tender
mercies of his Uncle, Scurble the Unclean, who happened
to be a convert to the War God.
During his adolescence, Hannibal saw war, conflict,
and the beheading of his Uncle for war crimes. It bred a
conviction in him that he was cursed, and that everything
he encountered would wither and die or become perverted
to some unwholesome end. Instead of running from this
perceived fate, Hannibal embraced it, becoming a fierce
warrior in his own right and placing little value in his own
life or on those around him—after all, what was the point?
He languished in the temple ranks, consigned to being a
lowly priest for his amoral bent. It wasn’t until Cadiccen
came and purged the secret cultists that he found an
improved place within the temple. Cadiccen recognized to look at, his features betray little to no emotion, and his
his talents and took him under his wing. It was then that eyes seem flat and lifeless and he never smiles, frowns, or
Hannibal learned about Abaddon’s true nature and the displays any kind of interest in his surroundings. Instead,
inescapable end of all things. He discarded his allegiance he goes about his day with an almost mindless precision
to his weak and petty god and embraced the horrors of that defines his existence. Only ill fortune or death brings
Abaddon with an unpleasant zeal. In the two years since, animation to his face and reveals a brilliant smile that
he’s managed to outstrip all of his rivals and become a makes young women weak at the knees.
capable and enthusiastic, if somewhat dispassionate,
lieutenant. Lamarak Blacktusk
Personality
“I disagree sir, I think that we should attack the monks
Hannibal has all the personality of a dead fish. He
on the way to the temple. My lads are fed up with
does not feel joy, his pronouncements come in a clipped
monotone that give away nothing, and students of body burning crops and smashing crockery. We should
language would be baffled by the apparent control he has send a message to those whoresons that we mean
over subconscious movement. The fact is that Hannibal business. What use is there in setting fire to their
is already dead inside; he is just waiting for the body to little house? Let’s behead them and scatter their limbs
follow. In the meantime, he means to make the rest of the to the wind. Let us announce to the frightened little
world suffer as he has. Death is the only thing that brings shave-heads that Abaddon is among them.”
a smile to his face, something that troubles his friends
within the church. —Lamarak Blacktusk responding to
Appearance Hannibal at a Meeting
Hannibal is a powerfully built man and walks with the Lamarak (male orc journeyman) chafes under the
swagger of a sailor. Meticulously clean, he keeps his short- leadership of Father Cadiccen and believes the Scions
cropped hair combed and waxed, his robes pressed and his should be more direct in their methods. Unhappy that the
mail shirt polished to a fine luster. While not unpleasant cult is reduced to cursing crops and creeping around in the

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succumbing to his injuries. His curses and prayers must

have reached Abaddon’s ears, for not long after his fall, a
Reaping squad appeared at the lip of the well and pulled
him out. They promised to give him food and water and
to heal him. All he had to do in repayment was break a
few heads and cause some mischief.
Lamarak proved so adept in his chores, if a bit
headstrong, that after a few short months Father Cadiccen
elevated him to a Reaper, put him in charge of the gangs
of Bloodsalt, and indoctrinated him with the credo of
Abaddon. Given purpose once more, Lamarak still seeks
revenge against the gang leader who betrayed him, but
puts the aims of the Scions first. Death and destruction is
a fitting end to the city that treated him so badly.
Personality
Lamarak has the patience of a landslide; once he gets
an idea into his head, it rolls downhill without stopping
at his brain for directions. Couple this rashness with a
hot temper and bloodlust, and you have a dangerous
combination. In some ways he makes an excellent Scion—
his appetite for destruction is unparalleled. Unfortunately,
he is not burdened by much in the way of intelligence,
and so his results are generally poor as his impatience gets
in the way of effectiveness. His belligerent nature endears
him to the orcs and goblins under his command just as it
night to set fire to barns, Lamarak wishes to unleash the grates with the Scions, in equal measure.
rivers of blood to herald the arrival of Gulthrax, now. He
Appearance
is bloodthirsty in the extreme and fits the archetypal orc
to a tee. Because of this, he is becoming popular among Lamarak is impressive in his cured leather armor. At six
the gangs of Bloodsalt, and many suspect he has designs feet in height and well built, he dominates the other orcs
on using these minions to mount a coup within the cult. and goblins within the cult by presence alone. He has a
craggy face, even for an orc, and the tusks that give him his
Background name are dyed black. This not only adds to his fearsome
Lamarak was born in the gutter and stayed there until appearance, but also has the advantage of fouling wounds
a Reaping band came to the little sewer he claimed as when he decides to gore with them. The perpetual scowl
his own. One of ten children, Lamarak was abandoned, on his face would make him difficult to read if his actions
along with his siblings, when his mother succumbed to didn’t always give him away. He habitually carries a
plague. The young orc family begged and stole in the serrated sword at his belt, which he also covers in pitch.
twisting, smoke shrouded streets of Bloodsalt. One by
one, the young orcs fell, one by plague, another in a brawl, Turk Silverskin
two murdered for the rags on their feet. Lamarak was the
strongest of the bunch, however, and soon he had killed “Ally himself to a cow, he would, if he thought
the rest of his siblings to survive. it would get him somewhere. Ambition isn’t the
Not long afterward, Lamarak was employed by an orc word, nor cruelty neither, more likely jaded. Once
gang leader in one of the endless skirmishes taking place
on Bloodsalt’s streets. Keen to get into the thug’s good
you’ve seen and done exciting things for many
graces, Lamarak killed and maimed with abandon until years, you kind of miss them when they’re gone and
the day was his. The orc rewarded him by knifing him in will do anything to get that rush of excitement back.
the back and by throwing him into a well. Bleeding to Course, I wouldn’t know.”
death and unable to stand due to a broken leg, Lamarak
seethed with anger, plotting revenge even as he was
—Hannibal, Chief Reaper of the Scions

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Turk (male human journeyman) is an adventurer and for life that is daunting to those who don’t know him; he
thrill-seeker. He has stood on the deck of a burning ship is a larger-than-life figure. Unfortunately, Turk has not
while fighting sea devils. He’s witnessed the slaughter of chosen the life of the hero, and spends his days feeding
thousands on countless battlefields and held the power his appetites and searching for new experiences. He is
of life and death over snuffling infants. Advancing years genial and gregarious, but will betray his friends in a blink
have seen his opportunities for adrenalin-fuelled exploits of an eye if a more interesting proposition comes his way.
dwindle, and he now haunts Freeport, looking for the next Fortunately for the Scions, the promise of the appearance
cheap thrill and trying to regain the spark of his youth. As of Gulthrax keeps Turk loyal.
the years progress, there is no high or low that Turk will
not stoop to in order to regain that spark, making him an
Appearance
ideal convert for the Scions. Age has left its mark on Turk. His once fine features
are now wrinkled and heading south, his stomach hangs
Background over his belt and his luxurious hair is pure gray. He always
Stories say that Turk Silverskin was born with a sword wears a sword at his belt and proudly wears his plate mail
in his hand and a devil-may-care smile on his lips. The armor—the silver skin that gives him his name. He tries
truth is not far from the legend. Born on the deck of desperately to move in a way befitting a younger man, but
the Santa Maria, a pirate ship, some 47 years ago, the aching joints from a life at sea and long journeys means
circumstances of his childhood forced him to take up that a pained grimace sometimes betrays the pain that he
arms at an early age (if he wanted to eat, that is), and he feels. He still cuts an impressive figure however, if these
proved to be invaluable to the crew once he came of age. telltale signs are missed.
A bad storm put an end to Turk’s pirating days, however,
and he found himself ship-wrecked with four crewmates "Matches"
on a tiny spit of land miles from shore. The crew were
an antsy lot, and before long fights and disagreements “Matches” (male human apprentice) is a downtrodden little
had whittled the survivors down to one—Turk. A man who lives in the slums of Scurvytown. An inveterate
merchantman picked him up several days later, and he liar, he drowns his sorrows in flea-ridden grog-shops by day
fabricated a story about being captured by the pirates and lights up the night sky with pyrotechnics by night. His
and swimming to safety. favorite haunt is the Warehouse District, as the buildings
The next phase of Turk’s life involved much travel, there sometimes explode spectacularly once lit. He is as
daring exploits, and shifting allegiances. Born to a life adept at breathing fire as he is at setting them, and carries
of high adventure, he could not put it behind him and special alcohol for this purpose. He delights in seeing the
contemplate the dull life of a farmer or shopkeeper. To resulting flames shriveling the hairs of his victims.
hear Turk tell it, he has been present at most of the events
Background
that have shaped Freeport and lands beyond in the last 20
years. This is not far from the truth, at least ten years ago, Born Harold Shelby La Vance III, Matches is an
but advancing age has limited his exploits and increased embarrassment to his family. He was cast from the
his frustration, since he turned 40. His exploits since family home after his obsession with fire burned down
then have been seeking out new drugs to try, new sexual the servants’ quarters, killing three washerwomen in
perversions to partake of, and experiencing new highs of the process. From an early age, Harold used to stare
any type. enraptured into the fireplace and chatter incessantly
Then, a year ago, Turk met Father Cadiccen in about hooded figures and the fierce faces he saw
Scurvytown, where the onetime adventurer was sampling within their depths. Worried the heir to the family
the pleasures of a whorehouse. The wonders Cadiccen fortune was addled, his father sent the young Harold
described to him set his heart aflame once more within his to be healed at the Chambers Asylum at the age of 12.
breast, and Turk joined the Scions as a Reaper, inveigling While there, Harold caused three fires and killed two
himself into the Temple of the Warrior God. Turk has inmates. Desperate to get rid of the troublesome youth,
never seen apocalypse before and wonders what it looks an asylum administrator with rather dodgy connections
like. sold him to a demonologist. Harold’s family learned he
had died while undergoing treatment, something they
Personality were actually rather relieved to hear.
Turk Silverskin could have been a great hero if he had Mistreated horribly by the cultist, Harold at last
chosen a different path. He has big appetites and a lust escaped his captivity and, his mind long since broken,

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returned to the family home where he was greeted rather base. Frequently, these sentries uses a special type of
coolly. Harold once more settled into a life of luxury, but poison to render their victims unconscious, so they can
his illness could not be cured. Eventually he could not sacrifice their captives to their dark master—or take their
resist the fire’s lure any longer, and once again burned the time dismembering them in the shadows of their home.
servant’s quarters to the ground. Even if someone reaches the Hall intact, the warehouse
He was expelled instantly by his father and disinherited. is anything but safe. Turk Silverskin placed a number
After that, he wandered Scurvytown, setting fires and of bear and pit traps among the pack crates and pallets,
getting drunk, until he was discovered by a Reaper and requiring anyone trying to navigate the crowded building
joined the Scions. to know the layout intimately. The Reapers all know the
pathways, but even their familiarity provides no assurances,
Personality and periodically a cunningly hidden trap maims or slays a
Matches doesn’t have much of a personality. He drinks, sentry or even a Reaper.
he loafs, and he sets fires, only really coming alive while These dregs of society are allowed free rein within the
watching the dancing flames. It is difficult to conduct a warehouse until attached to a cell within the city, but are
conversation with him under normal circumstances, but warned of the danger of the traps, sometimes leading to
tell him to set fire to something and he is all ears. an unlucky soul dying messily. Unwary intruders not only
have to run the gauntlet of the traps, but also have to fend
Appearance
off the grasping hands of the hungry housed here, possibly
Matches is dirty, grimy, and smells bad. Most of the leading to an unseemly scrum and causing a retreat before
hair on his face and scalp has long since been scorched the secret entrance to Reapers’ Hall is found. No lights
away by the fires he sets. He hunches to almost half his beyond those carried by visitors’ illuminate the interior of
real height most of the time, and only meets someone’s the warehouse, giving the grasping hands and silent traps
gaze if they mention his favorite subject. a nightmare quality to invaders.
A trapdoor hidden at the rear of the warehouse opens
Reapers' Hall onto a stone staircase leading down into the reception
area of Reapers’ Hall. Simple wooden doors lead from
The base of the Scions is hidden beneath an abandoned this chamber. Torches set into the stone walls of the
warehouse located in one of the legions of twisting lanes complex give ample light for visitors to see the crazy
in Scurvytown. Despite Cadiccen being the head of murals and graffiti that cover the walls, depicting scenes
the temple, this was chosen as the base for the cult to of evisceration, destruction, and conflagration. Deftly
distance him from the Scions, hopefully stopping a repeat camouflaged spy holes are concealed within the murals,
of the scourge that befell them two years ago. Until the allowing guards in rooms behind the walls to follow those
Scions are strong enough to take total possession of the who enter. These guard stations are only infrequently
temple, this old warehouse serves as a base of operations. manned, however, as Father Cadiccen and Hannibal do
Even the locals fear to come too close to this place, and not have enough trusted Scions at present to keep them
Hannibal posts recently converted members to guard the constantly manned.
approaches in case someone gets too curious for their own The complex has been worked from the bedrock below
good. The homeless who have recently been “Reaped” call Scurvytown and is uniform in dimension. Rooms tend to
this place home until they have been fully indoctrinated. be of square or circular design, with ceilings ranging from
Woe betides anyone who stumbles inside; chilling murals, eight to ten feet in height. Niches in the walls provide
graffiti and poems bedeck the walls, warning the trespasser storage space for the cultists’ goods and iron brackets
of the fate awaiting them. attached to the stone contain pitch-covered torches.
The doors are not designed to keep out intruders—the
Features and Defenses warehouse above serves that function—and are poorly
fitting in their frames, allowing drafts to waft around the
The Reapers’ Hall may look to be in bad shape, but feet at all times. Where this breeze originates is anyone’s
it’s actually well protected. The only path to the rotting guess.
structure (aside from a perilous journey across the
rooftops) is through a veritable maze of narrow twisting Key Locations
streets and corridors, all of which are guarded by gang
members loyal to the Reapers. Using poisoned blades and All of the following locations can be found in or around
darts, they ensure no uninvited guests reach the hidden the Reaper’s Hall.

86 Cults of Freeport
Scions of the Destroyer Chapter V

1. The Warehouse Once within the warehouse, hungry men and women
emerge from the offices to beg for food and water. They
The interior of the warehouse is 60 feet long and 40 feet
know nothing about the cult at this point and are of little
wide. Along the sides of each wall are small office spaces
help. The confusion and scuffling can certainly set off
that have long been abandoned by their original owners.
traps that both parties are unaware of, however.
These cramped rooms now serve as the temporary homes
of the poor souls who have been collected during a Reaping 2. Entrance Chamber
of Scurvytown or Bloodsalt. At most times, between ten
Stairs lead down from the trap door to a simple
and 20 hungry people sleep in these chambers, clutching
hallway that contains four doors, two to each side, and
all of their belongings (which is not a lot).
a large set of double doors facing the entrance. The walls
A small central aisle runs the length of the warehouse,
of the chamber are covered in scrawled missives, rough
framed to each side by imperfectly stacked crates and
paintings, and murals depicting scenes of a disturbing
pallets, some of which have been rigged to fall on those
nature. Close examination of these murals reveals small
passing below should they make a misstep. The cluttered
pinpricks of light emanating from holes in the wall, and
floor is also scattered with bear and pit traps, so that
a small space beyond. These are the guard cubicles and
invaders who do not know the layout will be slowed
are only occupied infrequently. If someone is on guard
down or incapacitated. The route through the warehouse
duty, a network of ropes allows a guard spying intruders
to the trapdoor leading to Reapers’ Hall is convoluted
to alert cultists in adjacent rooms, who pass the message
and doesn’t follow any simple pattern. Only knowledge
on. If they PCs are spotted, then very quickly the doors
of the layout allows safe passage. Placed a pace in front
open and cultists erupt from them with clubs and curved
of the hidden trap door is a lethal bolt trap. A pressure
knives. If at full strength, a dozen cultists attack; however,
plate releases a dart from the roof beams that is coated
if the Hall is poorly guarded, then no more than half a
with poison. The dart comes from above, an unexpected
dozen Scions emerge.
direction and so renders shields largely useless.

Cults of Freeport 87
 Chapter V Scions of the Destroyer

3. Guard Cubicles is sterile and depressing. If the Hall is being used, then
In the corner of each chamber is a small cubbyhole Hannibal, Turk, and Lamarak can be found here and will
hidden by a wardrobe. The wardrobe door leads to a tiny mount a spirited defense. Intruders find themselves faced
space with room enough only for a tall stool and a small with three formidable warriors, and if Father Cadiccen
ledge holding a candle. The entrance chamber can be is here, magic also. Cadiccen retreats to the Temple of
seen through small holes drilled through the walls. the War God if he can, rather than fight to the death. A
single door leads from the meeting chamber.
4. Common Rooms
6. Vestment Chamber
Each of the four single doors leading from the
entrance chamber opens on to common rooms kept for This small room contains cupboards holdings the
visiting Scions, either Reapers or common men being black cloaks of the Scions, which must be worn before
indoctrinated. Six simple cots adorn each chamber the only other exit from the chamber is taken. Failure to
and are occupied by two or three cultists at any time. do so results in Abaddon cursing the interloper to know
If intruders were spotted and combat occurred in “nothing but dust.” The form of this curse is unknown
the entrance chamber, then these rooms are empty. even to Father Cadiccen and was a gift from his master.
If occupied, the cultists fight a holding action while 7. Inner Sanctum
adjoining chambers are warned via the rope system. The
cultists do not own any material items beyond simple This circular chamber is the heart of the complex.
clothes and clubs and daggers. Twenty paces from wall to wall in any direction,
footsteps echo on the tiled floor. In the center of the
5. Meeting Chamber chamber is a summoning circle inscribed into the tiles.
The double doors open onto the Reapers’ meeting When Cadiccen is summoning the Heart of Abaddon, it
chamber. Here they discuss matters of import to the appears contained within the circle, allowing the cultists
cult. A rough-hewn table dominates the room, around to throw items or struggling prisoners into the heart to
which are half a dozen chairs. No adornments hang on be totally consumed. If the fight goes ill elsewhere, yet
the walls or lay on the table’s wooden surface. The room the cult still has a chance of victory, Cadiccen retreats

88 Cults of Freeport
Scions of the Destroyer Chapter V

to this chamber and summons the Heart, exhorting his transport a wagon of goods from Otto’s Blades & Baldrics
cultists to shove the interlopers into its black depths. (see Pirate’s Guide to Freeport page 70) to his holding bay
A small alcove in the wall contains a barred cell. At all in the Warehouse District. He offers payment of 10 lords
times there is at least one prisoner held here for sacrifice to each member of the party, payable on delivery. If asked
to the Heart. why he is not capable of doing it himself, he replies he has
an urgent business meeting elsewhere and will meet them
Using the Scions later at the warehouse.
Once the PCs accept the job and load the wagon with
of the Destroyer goods, they must escort it through town to the warehouse.
This being Freeport, of course, it’s not that simple. Once
The Scions of the Destroyer are deranged even by normal
the PCs reach a narrow lane in Scurvytown, the axle breaks
cult standards. To want the destruction of everything, and
on the wagon, spilling swords and breastplates all over the
try to facilitate it, requires madness or a desperate spite
road. As if by magic, hordes of unwashed scamps descend
not commonly found. They find innocent converts among
on the bounty and run off with it. If they are confronted
the poor and dispossessed who want to spit in the eye of
by violence, they run, but not before a substantial amount
the world for dealing with them so harshly. From there,
of the goods are taken. The PCs are now in a quandary:
the slippery slope beckons, as does megalomania and
do they fix the wagon and take the remaining goods to
madness. For these reasons, the Scions are an excellent
the warehouse as agreed (no doubt getting a scolding), or
choice of adversary for characters who are poor or who
try to retrieve the goods by chasing the thieves? PCs who
reside in areas of Freeport that suffer badly from poverty.
turn up at the warehouse without the goods are indeed
The lure of exacting revenge is a powerful motivator and
scolded, and told in no uncertain terms to get the goods
one that can be used to introduce the cult. Someone who
back if they want payment or want to work in Freeport
has been wronged by the PCs (or thinks he has) can
again.
reappear as a member of the Scions, perhaps attached to
The thieves turn out to be a small cell employed
a cell within the city or even as a full Reaper. This former
by the Scions of the Destroyer to destroy property in
acquaintance can exact revenge against the characters, or
Scurvytown. They stay in a tiny hovel hidden in the back
simply use them as dupes in the Scions’ schemes.
roads of the district, and are difficult to follow. However,
Alternatively, the Scions can be introduced as a means
once confronted, they scatter as quickly as they can.
of societal change in Scurvytown and Bloodsalt. The
Hidden under a floorboard is a black cloak with a locust
petty vandalism and destruction of property is a leveling
embroidered onto the breast that was smuggled from
of the playing field, and a means by which the poor can
Reapers’ Hall by a careless cultist.
elevate themselves. Viewed in this manner, the lower
echelons of the cult hierarchy can be viewed somewhat
sympathetically, while those leading the Scions are sinister
Experienced Adventure
manipulators of a genuine grievance. Lamarak and his orc
A rash of arson attacks in Freeport spread fear among
and goblin followers are a powerful force of nature, some
the populace. A business the PCs own or frequent, or
wishing destruction on a cosmic scale, while the majority
somewhere they are staying, is the victim of one of these
just want a better place to live and some food in their
attacks. A hunched figure is seen running from the scene.
mouths. A Bloodsalt revolution based on the cult of the
Chasing the little man brings the PCs to a rat-infested
Destroyer would be an interesting spin.
dive inhabited by ten men and a couple of orcs that are
just as bedraggled as the arsonist. Crying blue murder, the
Beginner Adventure arsonist rouses the inhabitants to assault the characters. A
desperate fight ensues in the horribly dirty hovel.
The PCs are approached by an irate merchant in one of
Once they have dispatched the cultists, they discover the
the cheerier taverns in Scurvytown, which is to say, not
arsonist huddled in a corner, jabbering about the “castle
very cheery. The merchant needs a party of likely lads to

Silence, Insects! Tarmon Denies Magical Cause for Locust Swarms

— T he Shipping News

Cults of Freeport 89
 Chapter V Scions of the Destroyer

that walks” and “pretty sparks!” The arsonist is “Matches” cult’s headquarters, where they face desperate homeless
from the Scions, who was a bit bored and so decided to people and the assembled ranks of the Scions. As far
liven things up. Interrogating the pitiful creature reveals as the characters know, this is the heart of the evil, and
a confusing picture of hidden masses, terrifying cults, once overcome the matter is ended with Lamarak’s
screams, and other odd behavior. At last, Matches reaches defeat. Cadiccen is more cunning than to reveal his hand,
into his pocket and withdraws a flask of spirits. Allowed however, and does not interfere.
to drink it, he then sprays fiery liquid into the faces of the Only on searching the compound once the day is won
characters and attempts to flee. do the PCs discover the full nature of the threat, and
Killing Matches or allowing him to escape back to the realize Father Cadiccen and the Temple of the War God
Scions results in Cadiccen hiring Ball & Chain to kill are now the true heart of the Scions.
them and gaining descriptions of the party. The madness
continues as these two assassins stalk the PCs, always Endgame Adventure
choosing a time when they are preoccupied to attack. If
the party thought Matches was crazy, they are in for a The city is in uproar after the events in the previous
surprise. These two nut-jobs have passed through crazy scenario; armed patrols are on every corner, citizens
and are now on another level entirely. A desperate battle are home before dark falls, and every suspicious look
ensues and presuming that the party is victorious, they find is reported. The PCs can easily be identified as being
a letter in Ball’s pocket giving descriptions of the party prominent in the fight that consumed the city, for good
and orders to kill them. It is signed “The Big Head.” or ill, and it is for the latter purpose that Father Cadiccen,
Hannibal, and the core of converted warriors from the
Advanced Adventure War God Temple denounce them.
The first that the characters learn of this devious scheme
The PCs have been able to piece together some clues as is the arrival of a troop of guards charged with their arrest.
to the identity of the Scions by this time from evidence Resisting arrest is not a good idea and just reinforces the
gathered at the scenes in the first two scenarios. Now the charges laid against them. They are placed under lock
action ramps up, just as the party is getting close to its and key in the Fortress of Justice, awaiting a trial. The
goal. rope is tied firmly around the characters’ necks, but hope
Lamarak has at last decided to take the reins of power arrives in the form of a recently returned priest of the War
from Cadiccen. Ensconced at Reapers’ Hall, he gathers his God, who was barred from his own temple under fear of
cohorts of orcs and goblins, enacting a largely bloodless death. Hearing of the charges leveled against the PCs, he
coup and bending all of the Reapers, bar Hannibal, to is willing to aid an escape so they can confront Father
his cause. He starts to make moves within Scurvytown Cadiccen and restore the honor of the temple.
and Bloodsalt, his cultists roaming the streets openly What follows is a daring escape from the Fortress of
displaying the cult’s device. A bloodbath ensues, with Justice and the Old City, before a climactic showdown
riots, stabbings, murders, and arsons bathing the streets with the true leadership of the Scions, and a small group
in blood. PCs who hear of this doubtless put two and two of converted warriors from the church. Defeating the
together and tackle Lamarak and his Scions. Scions reveals the truth about Father Cadiccen and
This adventure is one long skirmish, first through the exonerates the PCs, although they might receive a trifling
streets of Scurvytown and Bloodsalt and then, once they punishment for their escape from prison (along with the
have tracked the Scions back to Reapers’ Hall, within the rewards of saving the city).

90 Cults of Freeport
The Charnel Children Chapter VI

- Chapter VI -
The Charnel Children
A
t the Cleaves Home for Foundlings and Wayward The few, scattered legends of the Charnel God that
Children, the corridors are ruled by Cleaves’ exist are often tales of horror told by the worshippers of
favorites, a gang of youths who keep the other other gods—stories of a prowling entity lurking in the
children in line with a campaign of bullying. The favorites shadows with his followers, stealing away the dead for
aren’t just a gang of mean kids though; they’re a secret their dark rites. Some speak of entire towns turning to
society that worships the Charnel God. his faith during famines and other hard times, engaging
Once a month, under the leadership of Euglenus first in unnatural practices with the dead, then descending
Cleaves, the head of the home, they perform a perverse into madness and inhumanity, turning on each other in
cannibalistic rite. Afterwards, they are physically frenzied orgies of slaughter, heaping high the defiled
transformed into monstrous ghouls and unleashed on corpses of the desecrated fallen to honor their blood-
Freeport to hunt in the name of their dark god. They are drenched god.
the Charnel Children. A tribal myth tells of a ritual that can be performed by
a warrior of the tribe, exchanging his soul along with the
The Charnel God life of one of his companions for the strength to face his
enemies. The Charnel God transforms the warrior into
The Charnel God is a truly ancient figure. He is the a fearsome monster capable of defeating stronger men.
darkness beyond the campfire that hungers for the heat and According to the story, the transformed warrior has to be
substance of life. He is the inner beast driving us to base acts, killed or exiled after the battle because he ever after has a
he is the Eater of the Dead, the All-Consumer whom is said taste for human flesh.
will swallow the world at the end of time. Sometimes he is The Charnel God’s own worshippers make fewer accounts,
conflated with the beasts fighting for the right to devour the for he demands only bodies rather than holy texts or icons.
old world and have their corpse used as the foundation for There are few images of the Charnel God, save for a few
the new world, as the Serpent God whose teeth form the cave etchings drawn with blood and paintings made by a
islands of A’val, Leeward, Windward, and T’wik did. handful of madmen. These depict him in several different

Henry Hawkins wasn’t sure what he’d seen, but whatever it was it scared the brown right out of him. He’d been
waiting in the alley for Cheesebuttons Jack to finish pissing when he saw something small and lithe drop from the
rooftop into a trash pile. He hadn’t got a good look at it, but he could have sworn it was a little man, his gaping
mouth full of jagged fangs.
Henry made it three blocks before he stopped running and got his courage back. One drink too many, that was
all it was. He’d seen something, but it was probably just a monkey. He shouldn’t be afraid of a monkey.
Turning, he made his way back to the alley. Jack would laugh, but he was fall-down drunk and he wouldn’t remember
it in the morning. In fact, he had fallen down. There he was, slumped on the ground at the back of the alley.
Then the thing, small as a child, looked up from its meal of Jack’s flesh with blood still on its fangs.
“Hey mister,” the child-thing said. “I’m done playing with this nice man. Do you want to play with us now?”
More of the disconcertingly small figures dropped soundlessly from the rooftops, grinning jagged grins. The
darkness closed in and it was all over for Henry Hawkins, bar the screaming.

Cults of Freeport 91
 Chapter VI The Charnel Children

forms. Sometimes he is shown as a gaping, slavering mouth the dead on to their deity so he can reconstruct them for
set in an eyeless head, at other times as a ropy column of his own dark and uncertain ends.
flesh-eating worms or a darker shadow among other The dead are sacred to followers of the Charnel God in
shadows with coils stretching out into the light. a very different way than they are in other religions. His
The only detailed account of the Charnel God comes followers see the burning of bodies as blasphemy, but the
from copies of the Ghoul’s Manuscript, an ancient book consumption of them as holy. Cremation, the reduction
whose origin is debated by scholars, its spine always of corpses to tasteless, unpalatable ash, is a waste their god
made of a literal human spine. According to the Ghoul’s despises. In fact, fire has always been the enemy of the
Manuscript, the Charnel God has always been with us, shadowy Charnel God, who sucks flames out wherever he
silently lurking at the heels of more destructive deities finds them to create pleasing darkness.
like the God of Warriors and the God of Pain, scavenging Not content with waiting for the dead to fall of natural
those they leave behind. He stalks battlefields and plague causes, the followers of the Charnel God are encouraged
towns, taking away the dead and all their secrets to his to cannibalize the living so their god’s realm may be
dark and fetid underground tunnels, where he puts them expanded even further, and others may know worshipful
to work digging further intestinal caves that weaken and fear of him. Such murders are a sacred duty from which
literally undermine the foundations of the world. the murderers are spared blame, though they perform
them secretly, knowing the world at large is not yet ready
Dogma for knowledge of their god’s true and glorious nature.

Bestial acts are encouraged by the Charnel God. Giving Rites and Rituals
free reign to the inner beast is seen as a way of achieving
closeness to the god that is second only to being devoured The worship of corpses displayed by the followers of
by him. the Charnel God leads them to perform acts considered
The main act of worship required by the Charnel God blasphemous by others. Certain dark acts of necromancy
is the consumption of the bodies of the dead. By taking are practiced by some of the Charnel God’s followers as a
the flesh of the holy dead into themselves, his priests pass way of attaining closeness with the holy dead.

92 Cults of Freeport
The Charnel Children Chapter VI

The most significant rite described in the Ghoul’s

Manuscript is the Cannibal Ritual. The ritual describes
a way of specially preparing the flesh and organs of the The Charnel God in the
recently slain so their consumption grants the strength World of Freeport
of the Charnel God. Essentially, it transforms those who
If you are using the World of Freeport as the
successfully perform the ritual into ghouls, although only
backdrop for your campaign, the history of the
for the duration of a single night.
Charnel God is easily slotted into the setting.
Before entering battle and before going to sleep the
Mordiggian, as the Charnel God is known here,
followers of the Charnel God recite a prayer called the
was served by many cultists during the rule
Charnel Chant. This prayer entreats the god to ensure the
of Rajko the Ghūl. Led by their Grand High
devotee’s body should be properly disposed of—eaten—
Psychopomp Wen Diego, they were fierce allies
if the devotee dies. The bedtime version of the Charnel
of Rajko, fighting alongside his undead minions
Chant ends with the line “and may all my giblets be eaten
in their ghoulish forms. After Rajko’s fall, Diego
up.” Followers of the Charnel God often use this line as
attempted to replace him, becoming one of the
an oath, a protective ward muttered before dangerous
many warring Necro-Kings to try to take his
undertakings, against bad omens, or as a blessing in the
place atop the throne of the dead.
form “May all your giblets be eaten up.”
The Starfall Alliance defeated Wen Diego
and his city of Zul-Bha-Sair was destroyed. His
Cult History followers scattered, many wandering the Bone
Lands clutching copies of the Ghoul’s Manuscript
Many secret followers throughout the ages have served he had authored. Some of the nomads of those
the Charnel God. For obvious reasons, he is a popular lands, desperate for food, were swayed into
god with ghouls. The earliest ghoul tribes are believed to Mordiggian’s hands.
have been followers of the Charnel God. They discovered Every attempt by Mordiggian’s followers to
their ritual feasts granted them immortality of a kind, reclaim his brief glory has failed. Most notably,
giving them a hunger for flesh that persisted even beyond the Inquisition rooted out his cult in Hexworth
the grave. It was the high priest of one of these tribes and destroyed it utterly. The few, scattered cultists
who wrote the original version of the Ghoul’s Manuscript, who remain are forced to travel constantly,
channeling the Charnel God into a text so hungry it never resting long in the one place for fear of
devours the sanity of those who read it. discovery.
One such reader was Euglenus Cleaves, a ship’s surgeon
serving on the privateer Bloody Swathe. A collector of
foreign medical texts, Euglenus found the Manuscript
in a curio shop in the lands far to the east and assumed Swathe made it to Freeport before Euglenus could perfect
from the illustrations it was merely a very graphic the recipe of the ritual. His attempts seemed to make his
anatomical work. While translating it he discovered his subjects hungrier for flesh without effecting the full physical
mistake, but by then he had read far too much, and it transformation he had read of and longed to see.
was far too late for Euglenus Cleaves. The pages had On his shore leave in Freeport, he continued to hear
devoured his mind. the book whispering to him as it had frequently since
When the Bloody Swathe next stopped for provisions, he read it—first in his dreams and then while awake. Its
Euglenus sabotaged the provender, so that halfway to their instructions were explicit. He resigned his post, accepted
destination of Freeport the crew found their food inedible, his share—larger than usual as there were so few left to
moldy and maggot-ridden. Facing starvation, they turned split it among—and explored Freeport. He needed access
on each other. Euglenus convinced the Captain to allow to subjects over an extended period if he was going to
him to take charge of the process, and they chose the transform them into the form most pleasing to the voice
weakest and most scurvy-ridden crewmembers to be coming from the book, and it would be best if those
dragged screaming to the pot, beginning with the cabin people were already close to savagery.
boy as tradition dictated. Euglenus secretly prepared the An idea came to him when he saw a young urchin
cuts according to the Cannibal Ritual, hoping to reduce fighting with a dog for scraps in Scurvytown. He took his
the crew to gibbering monstrosities who would worship share of the Bloody Swathe’s profits and bought his way
the Charnel God as readily as he now did. into the Home For Foundlings and Wayward Children
Through a stroke of luck and good sailing, the Bloody the next day.

Cults of Freeport 93
 Chapter VI The Charnel Children

The Home was a Drac’s End institution that cared

for the orphaned and abandoned of Freeport—of which
there have always been many—but was suffering through
hard times. The founding of the Freeport Orphanage
in the Warehouse District had drawn funds away from
the Home, as Freeport’s do-gooders and charitable
organizations favored the newer and larger institution,
no doubt encouraged by Mister Wednesday. The poor
innocent darlings there had to sleep in hammocks, for
goodness’ sake, clearly they needed the donations more
than the old Home. Cleaves’ sizeable donation bought
his way onto the board, into the position of headmaster,
and his name onto the plaque; it became known as the
Cleaves Home after that.
Euglenus has spent the five years since using his
position as headmaster to indoctrinate a select group of
the children in his care into the tenets of the Charnel
God. Behind the building’s closed doors, those thought
most innocent perform unspeakable acts. Upon reaching
adulthood, these fierce young cultists will go out into the
world to spread the tenets of their god, furthering the
cult’s aims and founding groups of their own to induct
more children into the ways of the Eater of the Dead.
With every generation, there will be more of them, and
one day they will spread across the world.

Organization
At the head of the cult is Euglenus Cleaves, their founder
and Psychopomp, now in his fifties. Immediately beneath
him are his acolytes, a motley group of Freeport’s orphans
and abandoned bastards who have been indoctrinated to
worship the Charnel God from an early age.

Membership
There are currently 30 children at the Cleaves Home,
17 boys and 13 girls, aged two and up. Of those, five
boys and one girl have been found worthy of becoming
Charnel Children. Cleaves chooses them for callousness
and brutality, cynically favoring boys over those made of
“sugar and spice.”
The favorites are roomed separately from the other
orphans, who are naturally curious about what they do
behind those closed doors. Despite the attempts of some
of the braver boys and girls, they haven’t been able to spy
on these “secret club” activities yet.

Symbols and Signs

The Ghoul’s Manuscript is etched with a primitive design
of a fanged mouth that is the closest thing the Charnel

94 Cults of Freeport
The Charnel Children Chapter VI

God has to an official symbol; Euglenus has a necklace brother, he gives money to the Cleaves Home but no
with this design that he purchased from Godshop in the longer participates in the rites. He has his own ways of
Temple District. Brother Wilford Vinely may be the only getting close to the holy dead now.
person who suspects Euglenus of being a cultist, but he’s
not about to do anything about it, as such a betrayal of Goals and Motives
trust would be bad for business.
Cultists of the Charnel God in foreign lands recognize Driving everything the Charnel Children do is their
each other by means of a secret sign. One casually rubs hunger. This gift from their god is not only a hunger for
his right canine tooth, and in response, the other does the flesh, but for power or knowledge or control. It manifests
same to his left. In this way they know each other without differently in all of the Charnel God’s followers, but all
exchanging words. Only Euglenus and Slim William heed the call deep in the pits of their stomachs that drives
would recognize this sign, as the other children have yet them to always want more, more of everything.
to be taught it. Ideally, it is the aim of Euglenus Cleaves to spread his
The Charnel Children are all marked with a tattoo of faith to as many of the living as possible, so as many of the
their own design depicting a crossed knife and fork they dead can be saved from improper disposal as possible. This
call “the brand.” It’s drawn with pen-ink and needle as a is his holy work. He is sane enough to realize most people
form of gang initiation invented by the children. will not readily join a religion that preaches the eating of
the dead. Even orcs are picky about which corpses they
Structure devour. For this reason, Euglenus operates covertly and
concentrates his proselytizing on the children. When
Euglenus Cleaves holds the rank of Grand High they leave the Cleaves Home, they are expected to observe
Psychopomp, as the Ghoul’s Manuscript dictates the leader duties like finding willing converts, bringing orphans to
of a cult should be named. Beneath him is the First Eater, the home, and having children of their own to give to the
“Sly” Simon Midwich—Euglenus gives him the unofficial cult.
title of junior psychopomp, in a doting, fatherly way. Next Currently, the Cannibal Ritual only has a temporary
is “Horrible” Lucinda Penmark, the Second Eater. These effect, turning the cultists into ghouls for a matter of
two titles are named for their positions during ceremonial hours, but not much longer. Despite Cleaves’ experiments,
feasts, when they have first and second pick of the they have been unable to prolong the effect. If perfected,
choicest cuts. The other children are referred to as brother it would be permanent, granting the Children a kind of
such-and-such, and have no formal title save those they living undeath as they became full ghouls without having
playfully adopt. Each is given a pack name after their to die and claw their way back from the grave.
first hunt, a nickname inspired by personal or physical Pursuing this immortality becomes more important
characteristics. to Euglenus as he ages, and he searches through ancient
The children’s own hierarchy is based on age and size. texts looking for clues—perhaps he has mistranslated, or
The tougher children are able to muscle their way up, perhaps there is another version of the ritual to be found.
but only until someone decides to take them down a peg He has made contact with a fellow cult of the Charnel
or two. As is always the case with children, this pecking God called the Eyeless Head to exchange knowledge, but
order is extremely precise but unspoken. is still in the process of gaining their trust. The Eyeless
Everyone knows their place, but no one needs to be told Head travels from place to place, so the letters are
it. The other Charnel Children are “Gross” Billy Egbert, infrequent and, frustratingly, sometimes they have moved
“Sharp” Peter Lind, “Silent” Gage, and “Quick” Gilbert on before Euglenus’ missives arrive.
Baker. Once a month, although not always on the same date,
Slim William the Pleaser is the cult’s only associate the Cannibal Ritual is performed so the Charnel Children
member, an orphan who grew up and left the home, he can take on a form closer to their god and show him proper
now runs his own business in Freeport. As an associate worship. Hunting one or two of Freeport’s scum who won’t

No Adult Supervision: Child Kills Nine in Scurvytown

— T he Shipping News

Cults of Freeport 95
 Chapter VI The Charnel Children

be missed is their way of demonstrating their devotion,

obtaining closeness to their god while expanding his realm
Recruitment
of the dead. Although Euglenus experiments with the
The Charnel Children are unusual among cults in that
details of the ritual in his attempts to prolong its effects, the
they do not need to seek out new initiates, because new
hunting is an end to itself, an act of prayer. The children’s
initiates are brought to them. Freeport is a dangerous
ghoulish howls are songs of praise.
and uncaring place, so there is no shortage of abandoned
One of the prime beliefs of the Charnel God’s followers
children left on doorsteps or orphaned by tragedy.
is that the bodies of the dead are sacred, and only they
These children are in a vulnerable state when they are
are pure enough to dispose of them properly. Freeport’s
brought to the Cleaves Home, but that doesn’t mean they’re
Crematorium is a thorn in the side of the Charnel Children,
ready to be inducted into a cannibal cult straight away. New
a blasphemous insult they have plotted to destroy. As of
children are watched closely until it can be decided whether
yet, these plots have not moved beyond vague schemes.
they are worthy of membership. The Charnel Children
They shake their fists in the Crematorium’s direction, but
torment them, bullying and terrifying them, keeping them
do not have the numbers to take on the priests of the God
awake at night by chanting “fresh meat,” and climbing the
of Death who staff it.
walls to rattle the grates on their windows at night. Those
Slim William’s goals are slightly different from those of
who cry, wet their beds, or otherwise show fear are deemed
the Charnel Children. Although he took part in the hunt,
unworthy. Those few who act bravely and stand up to the
he never took to the Charnel God like those who came
bullying are given the chance to join.
after him, and he only pays lip service to most of the god’s
The chosen children are brought to the secret feasting
creeds. He believes in the holiness of the dead, but his
hall, where they are welcomed and treated like honored
real obsession is with necromancy. Deep down he would
guests by the same bullies who threatened them. Though
like to be a typical immortal lord of the dead, ruling over
they do not know it, the meal served, brought on silver
a kingdom of corpses under his command so he never
platters by their peers, is their first taste of human
has to deal with the living again. It will take a lot more
flesh. They are only informed of this afterwards, when
study of the dark arts before he comes close to that goal,
the change begins to overcome them. Some children
however.
welcome it and some are swept away by it. Others fight it
or are too scared by it to do anything; they are taken away
quietly and are recorded as tragic victims of childhood
illness. Some of the children give in to the change, driven
mad and bestial by the warping of their bodies as their
hands become claws, their teeth sharpen and bite into
their tongues, their muscles harden and tense, their guts
distend and twist with hunger despite being full, and their
brains turn off all but the most basic instincts.
When the ritual victim is brought before them, bound
and gagged, they join the other children and fall on him
ferociously, their tiny mouths tearing eagerly at his flesh.
It is as if the fragile childrens’ minds can only deal with
the horror they are exposed to by imitating it, joining it
rather than fighting it.
After this initiation, they are considered full members of
the cult. They are taken on their first hunt, given pack names
and tattoos, and once a month they are allowed to undergo
the transformation and wander the city to feed. During
this time, bonds are forged among the Charnel Children as
strong as any they would have had with real families.

Allies
The Charnel Children have tried to communicate with
a tribe of ghouls haunting the edges of Freeport, with little

96 Cults of Freeport
The Charnel Children Chapter VI

success. Although the ghouls tolerate their presence and monstrosities, drooling and staring with frightening hunger
seem to appreciate gifts of food, the Charnel Children at the tender morsels walking past them.
are unable to speak the odd, gibbering language of the Thurber was shocked to see what he had drawn, but he
ghouls, even while altered by the Cannibal Ritual. The knows it to be real: his art never lies. It is his gift and his
ghouls do not actively worship the Charnel God, but they curse that he can only draw the truth of things, no matter
are venerated by the cult as holy hermits who are to be how unpalatable. Thurber faces a difficult decision. Can he
observed and imitated, and not disturbed. convince someone that an upstanding citizen and a group
Secretly, Euglenus has made contact with a fellow of poor orphans are really ghouls? He has no idea who
cult of the Charnel God on the Continent. Called the to turn to, but the sketch has been keeping him awake at
Eyeless Head, this cult is made up of ghouls descended night, and he feels the need to tell someone just to get it
from a tribe who once ruled an entire city of the damned off his chest. Soon, in an unguarded, drunken moment, it
as its priests, demanding all who died be brought before may all come tumbling out.
them for proper disposal. Though they were overthrown, Slim William’s ownership of the bordello called the
they have not descended to the savagery of most of their House of Silence has made him an enemy in the form of the
graveyard-haunting breed. They have kept their traditions League of Freedom. This student group from the Freeport
alive while traveling from town to town, hidden behind Institute has taken Freeport’s attitude against slavery to
robes and skull-like masks, stealing the dead where they heart and published a series of pamphlets damning the city
can before moving on. of Mazin and other bastions of the barbaric practice.
Their leader and Grand High Psychopomp is a powerful One of the League’s members, an elf named Lanceton,
necromancer named Roda Spitgut, who corresponds by has become convinced the girls of the House of Silence
letter with Euglenus whenever they settle in a town. She are slaves who deserve to be freed. He has published a
is fascinated by his descriptions of Freeport, and sees it pamphlet on the subject, which angered the Blackened
as the kind of place where her ancient heritage could be Knot gang. Several members of the Blackened Knot are
returned to her, and the Charnel God returned to his among the House of Silence’s frequent customers, and they
place as the head of a mighty religion. argue that William the Pleaser’s girls are not slaves at all,
but are perfect ladies who always wear perfume and never
Enemies talk back. More women of Freeport should follow their
example, they argue, in preserving old-fashioned values
As a well-kept secret, the Charnel Children have no like submissiveness and recognition of male authority. This
enemies … yet. They are about to acquire not so much an has lead to brawls in the street between members of the
enemy, but certainly a thorn in their side, when Sophie Blackened Knot and the students who have more forward-
Steadman (age eight) finally convinces some of her fellow thinking attitudes about the role of women.
orphans that she saw monsters climbing over the wall and Of course, the members of the Blackened Knot who
out into the darkness one night. This isn’t something that frequent the House of Silence would not react well if
will have the cult overly worried—after all, how much they discovered that the reason their favorite ladies are so
harm can a bunch of teddy-bear-toting kids do? perfect is that they are stone dead.
The Charnel Children have another potential enemy in
the artist Thurber Sime. Thurber is a gifted but barely- Euglenus Cleaves
heard-of artist living in the Cluster of Drac’s End. His
portraits are remarkable for their ability to capture the “Mr. Cleaves may have his ways, but he’s ever so
essence of their model, but many of Freeport’s citizens good to those poor children. It’s not their fault
would rather not see their true selves in all their they’re insufferable brats; most of them were born
avariciousness, vanity, or cruelty, staring back at them over
the mantelpiece. Thurber is reduced to sketching people
in Drac’s End or the docks, after all.”
in the street and drawing in chalk upon the pavement. —One of Freeport’s Caring Citizens
While sitting in the window of his tiny loft one day,
idly sketching the street people beneath him, Thurber saw Euglenus Cleaves (male human journeyman) is the founder
Euglenus Cleaves and several of his favorite charges pass of the Charnel Children, their Grand High Pyschopomp
by on a rare daylight excursion, a treat bestowed for their and Eldest Child. He has the Ghoul’s Manuscript, which
excellent performance. While Thurber watched the ordinary speaks to him about the ultimate destiny of mankind in
spectacle of a gentleman leading some children beneath him, a voice cold and dark. That destiny is to assume the true,
his fingers sketched the truth—a horrible crew of leering perfect, and immortal form locked inside all of us. Only

Cults of Freeport 97
 Chapter VI The Charnel Children

the Charnel God can provide the key, says the voice, and down and die. How could that be all the gods had in mind
Euglenus believes it devoutly. He is quite mad, but driven when they designed us?
and focused enough to appear sane and achieve his ends. It was while searching for rare books of medical lore that
As the headmaster of the Cleaves Home for Foundlings Euglenus discovered the Ghoul’s Manuscript. An obsessive
and Wayward Children, he is seen as a charitable do- and single-minded eccentric, he was the perfect vessel for
gooder by Freeport society; the Golden Pillar Society has the Charnel God’s messages. First, the body is sacred. By
innocently raised money on his behalf several times. He is ritual consumption, it can be transferred to the care of
rarely seen outside the orphanage, which only adds to his the god who best understands the beauty of the fragile
reputation as a tireless worker dedicated to the well being collection of organs and meat that makes us up. Second,
of his charges above all else. And, in a way, that’s true. by dedicating oneself to the correct transference of these
holy physical shells to their paradise in the Charnel God’s
Background eternal gullet, one can be rewarded by becoming something
Some take the physician’s oath out of a desire to do good, less fragile, an everlasting and undying god in miniature.
to help people in a most direct way. Not so with Doctor The supernatural power of the Ghoul’s Manuscript sent
Euglenus Cleaves. Euglenus saw his patients’ bodies as Euglenus howling over the brink from oddball eccentric
puzzle boxes to be unlocked, opened, and solved. They to out-and-out madman. A voice he attributed to the
were fascinating collections of organs and meat in need Charnel God began whispering in his mind, reciting
of constant repair. During his time as a ship’s surgeon, passages from the Manuscript and suggesting ideas so
he saw the body at its worst: scurvied, syphilitic, drunken dark, they surely could not be his own. His shipmates
and broken and shot and stabbed. The inefficiency of ignored his erratic behavior, accustomed as they were to
the humanoid form made him despair. Why have such a their surgeon’s unusual ways. When disaster struck and
fragile seat for such a valuable thing as the soul? the supplies ran out, he was a trusted voice suggesting the
Traveling the world, he took lessons where he could only rational solution. Horrible as it seemed, cannibalism
from the practitioners of esoteric medicinal arts (a knack was the best option. None of them ever discovered it was
for picking up languages helped), but all the far-flung their trusted doctor who had fouled their food.
foreign experts in the world could not help him solve the This attempt to fix the entire crew at once failed,
fundamental problem. People seemed designed to break however. The adult human form seemed resistant to the
change, and the ritual proved difficult to perform perfectly.
Needing more time to work on his subjects and believing
the forms of children would prove more malleable, he
took control of the orphanage. Now he works on the next
generation. His only hope for the grown-ups of Freeport
is that he or his charges find them before their death, and
send them on to the Charnel God where they can finally
be made whole and holy. It’s a kindness, really.
Personality
Euglenus is an insular and severe man who appears to
have no friends outside his work. He tends to be laconic
and disinterested in society or the company of others. This
is because he is never truly alone, but always in the presence
of the voice of his god, who is infinitely preferable to the
company of mortals. To his “children,” he is stern but oddly
paternal, taking pride in their foul accomplishments. When
they inform him of their dark deeds, he ruffles their hair
and calls them scallywags, then offers them sweets to help
rid their mouths of the taste of skin and blood.
His curiosity is insatiable and when a subject interests
him, he becomes animated and energized, in obvious
contrast to his usual chair-bound disinterest. He paces,
gestures, and talks in an animated and frenetic way. He is,
of course, quite mad.

98 Cults of Freeport
The Charnel Children Chapter VI

Appearance Town, he took the new name of Slim for the wasted
orphan’s build that enabled him to slip through the
Years at sea gave Euglenus’s skin the consistency and
narrowest cracks in pursuit of his quarry.
color of leather, though the five years since spent behind
Euglenus gave him access to the library of texts he had
a desk with most of his excursions limited to the night
built up over the years—every dark book he had found with
have taken away much of the color. He’s in his 50s, which
the merest passing mention of the Charnel God. Many of
shows mostly in his salt-and-pepper beard (salt now
these books were works of necromancy, an art for which Slim
dominating). At just under five-and-a-half feet tall, he’s
William showed a natural flair. The insects in his box soon
short, and with his stooped posture, he appears even more
lived again, performing intricate dances for his enjoyment.
so. His typical expression is a schoolmasterly frown.
Today, his undead slaves can do much more than just
All of this vanishes when he partakes in the Cannibal
dance. As Slim William the Pleaser he runs the House
Ritual, which has finally begun affecting him as strongly
of Silence, a bordello in Scurvytown. His girls are famous
as it does the children. The years drop away, and his body
for their submissive attitudes and their vows never to
straightens and thickens with sinew. His teeth sharpen
speak, and are popular with the Mouth of Hell crowd and
and claws emerge. A delirious, slavering grin, wide as an
the Blackened Knot gang. They might be less popular if
open zipper, overtakes his features. For the span of a night,
it was known that his girls are reanimated corpses of the
he feels young and able to conquer the world again.
recently dead, although admittedly not in some quarters.
The bodies are acquired through a contact at the Veiled
"Slim" William the Pleaser Lady Funeral Home as blackmail payments. Slim William
discovered one of the morticians liked to dally with the
“My girls are, simply put, the best. Good looking, bodies of the wealthy ladies, those who pay to be interned
guaranteed clean, affordable, and with a certain at the Veiled Lady rather than go up in so much common
submissive quality that distinguishes the finer smoke with the riff-raff at the Crematorium.
variety of lady. Escape from that nagging wife of Personality
yours in the arms of one of my most excellent girls.
Every single one has taken a vow of utter silence.” It didn’t take much for Euglenus to convince William
the dead were holy: He believed it already. He’d seen the
—William the Pleaser Drums up Some Business torn and broken bodies of his parents (who died when
the poorly built tenement they lived in collapsed during
Slim William (male human journeyman) served a storm) and he knew people were fascinating collections
Euglenus and the Charnel God loyally for several years of parts, far more interesting dead than alive.
before leaving to make his own way in the world, and he’s William has always been distant and aloof from the dull
certainly found an unusual way of doing so. Slim William living and their boring conversations, but over the years,
is a necromancer, as many of the Charnel God’s cultists he has learned to cover this up with fast-talking patter.
have been. By allowing the holy dead to walk again, if His dead eyes only sometimes give away his disinterest.
only briefly, he helps narrow the barrier between life and
death separating the land of the living from the charnel Appearance
realm. He also rents them out as whores. Like the other pimps of Scurvytown, Slim William dresses
Background like a poor man’s picture of wealth. He wears a high hat, a
luxurious coat no matter what the weather, and always carries
William was the first of the orphans chosen by Euglenus. a walking cane. The outfit only looks more preposterous
A thin and bookish teenager, he distinguished himself by because underneath it he’s pale and skeletally thin.
gutting the cook’s cat to see what its insides looked like. He He is usually seen with one of his girls on his arm so he
filled notepads with sketches of dead birds found on the can advertise to prospective clients, pointing out her best
grounds, and kept a box of dead insects under his pillow. features with his cane while she stands stiffly, not making
He was a morbid and unusual child, and therefore perfect. eye contact. The only times Slim William is seen without
Under the personal tutelage of Euglenus, disguised one of his girls is during hot weather, when he leaves
as punishment after the incident with the cat, William them in the magically cooled air of the House of Silence.
changed. Not only did he come out of his shell, but he The clients think that the low temperature is intended
changed physically, undergoing the Cannibal Ritual and to encourage them to get under warm sheets. It is the
taking to it like none of the sailors on the Bloody Swathe same enchantment used on some of Freeport’s other meat
had. That first night he brought down his prey in Tent warehouses.

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Around the other children at the Cleaves Home, he is

"Sly" Simon Midwich, First Eater cruel and bullying, using his age and strength to instill the
proper degrees of respect and terror in them. Everything
“You must be new here. My name is Simon Midwich is a game to him, and he gets to change the rules as he
and from now on, I am officially the king of you. goes along so that he never loses.
Now lick my shoes like a good peasant. I want to see All of that is hidden, however, beneath a nearly
them shine.” impenetrable layer of boyish charm. He knows what effect
this has on adults and milks it for everything it is worth.
—Simon Midwich, When the Matrons Aren’t Around
Appearance
Simon (male half-elf apprentice) is the Charnel Children’s
“golden boy,” an angelic star pupil whose fresh face hides A sandy-blond-haired young man with pinchable cheeks,
an appalling lack of empathy or humanity. In the eyes of recently emerged from baby fat to the delight of girls and
the staff, he can do no wrong; only the other children women alike, Simon is the very picture of youthful health
are witness to his brutal streak. Through intimidation and and vigor. His smile is innocent and guileless, his eyes
fear, he has the entire orphan population quivering when piercing. Leading the hunts has made his physique lean and
he walks down the halls. strong. The knife and fork symbol of the Charnel Children
His real face is the one brought forth by the Cannibal is tattooed on his chest, over his heart.
Ritual, when he shows his bestial side fully. He leads the
Charnel Children in their monthly hunts through the
"Horrible" Lucinda Penmark,
alleys of Drac’s End and its surrounds, howling with joy. Second Eater
Background
“Sweets? How did you get sweets, Tomkins? Never
Simon’s half-elven parents were disappointed when their mind, they’re mine now. Hand them over or I’ll sit
beautiful baby came out too human. He was barely elven
on you ’til you’re flat, then scrape you up, feed you
at all. Since they had decades more to continue trying, they
callously abandoned him, hoping to get a better mix of their to a cat, and eat your sweets anyway. I don’t care if
backgrounds next time. He was found outside the temple your dead mother gave them to you, stop sniveling
of the God of Knowledge in a bassinet, and brought to the and hand them over.”
Cleaves Home by a priest who was tutoring the children.
She did not realize she was doing the worst thing she could
—Lucinda Penmark,
possibly have done for the child. showing why they call her “Horrible”
Years later, on the cusp of his teens, Simon managed
The only female member of the Charnel Children,
to catch a glimpse of William leaving the home in his
Lucinda (female human apprentice) sometimes manages to
ghoulish form and fearlessly climbed out a window with a
shock even the jaded cannibals she runs with. Not by dint
rusted grate to follow him. Unable to scale the wall as easily
of her tomboyish behavior, which shocks only the Home’s
as he did with his clawed hands, he waited for William
matrons, but with her horrible hunger for flesh. She is
to return. When he did, grisly-mouthed from his feeding,
insatiable, and devours any foul guttersnipe or street bum,
he was surprised to find the boy patiently waiting for him.
no matter how filthy.
“That looks like a fun game,” Simon said. “Can I play, too?”
On her first hunt with the pack, she cracked her victim’s
Now that William is gone, Simon is leader of the pack—
bones and sucked out the marrow before scooping out his
except for those occasions when old Euglenus decides to
guts, earning her the moniker “Horrible.” She accepted it
join them in the hunt, of course. He remains playful in this
with pride.
role, treating it with childlike glee. He favors hunting the
anonymous derelicts of Tent Town, though he has led the Background
others on excursions further afield, either into the jungle Fire took Lucinda’s family from her, a fire that burned
to hunt larger game or through the alleys of Freeport in down their home and killed her parents, her grandfather,
pursuit of humanoid flesh. her sister, and two brothers. She has blocked out her
Personality memory of the event, except for one thing: the disturbingly
appetizing smell of cooking flesh.
Simon is a completely amoral sociopath. He cares no
After being brought to the Cleaves Home, Lucinda
more for the lives of his victims than the wings of a fly.
distinguished herself by being one of the rare children

100 Cults of Freeport

The Charnel Children Chapter VI

to stand up to the bullying of Cleaves’ favorites. When

they tried to take her bowl of fish gruel away, she refused.
Outnumbered by a gang of boys who had the other
children terrified, she simply said no. This brought her to
the attention of Euglenus, who rescinded his policy of
keeping the Charnel Children a boy’s club for her sake.
He hasn’t regretted it. Lucinda was an eager convert
who found human flesh the one thing that could fill the
emptiness inside her, if only for a little while.
Naturally competitive, she began bullying the bullies to
advance herself within the group. The boys were surprised
by this, and a little unwilling to fight back against a girl.
Lucinda has forced her way up the pole to the rank of
Second Eater, so she gets some of the choicer cuts when
the Cannibal Ritual is performed.
Almost every child at the Cleaves Home has had their food
taken from them by Lucinda at some point. If they weren’t
such small and malnourished morsels, she would have eaten
one of her fellow orphans already. She still might.
Personality
Lucinda’s defining trait is hunger. Whatever is offered,
she always wants more. She is the last to return from a
hunt, getting back just before the sun is almost up. When
food is handed out to the children she has to have the
most, no matter what foul slop is served. Slim William and brought to the Cleaves Home, where
Her competitive streak has her looking jealously at he developed an inventive way of making friends; he’d
Simon’s position immediately above her, but she knows eat glue, flies, roaches, anything that revolted the other
he is Euglenus’ favorite, and will not be deposed easily. If children enough to earn him some of the attention he
she sees an opportunity, though, she will gladly take it. craved.
Euglenus saw the potential in a boy with such a strong
Appearance
stomach straight away. Invited to a secret meeting of
Lucinda is large, especially for a girl of 12, but it’s not Cleaves’ favorites, he was presented with his first strip of
all fat. Her bulk includes a fair amount of muscle and prepared human flesh. He gobbled it down under their
she has a surprising amount of speed. The knife and fork watchful gaze, and then grinned at their approval. His
symbol of the Charnel Children is tattooed on her ankle. grin widened, becoming the feral grin of a ghoul, and he
Her skin is as white as cuttlefish bone and her hair is as was officially a Charnel Child.
black as tar.
Personality
"Gross" Billy Eggbert Gross Billy’s defining trait is the desperation for
attention that drives him to make a show of himself. After
Billy (male human apprentice) is typical of the other joining the Charnel Children, he finally found some of
children in the cult. Abandoned at an early age, he has an the attention he needs. He loves the other cultists like
almost pathological need to fit in and find a niche, which family and will do anything for them, no matter how vile
makes him willing to do anything to be accepted. This has or mad it seems.
been exploited by Euglenus to turn a needy child into a
depraved killer without compassion or conscience. Appearance
At ten years old, Billy is small for his age. He is also
Background
permanently filthy; the matrons long ago gave up on
Billy’s mother ran off with a sailor and his distraught trying to keep him clean. He almost seems to generate his
father, unable to cope with raising a son on his own, own field of dirt and mud that follows him wherever he
abandoned him at the markets one day. He was found by goes. The knife and fork is tattooed on his right shoulder.

Cults of Freeport 101

 Chapter VI The Charnel Children

and investigate noises, but they are not professional guards

The Cleaves Home and they are haphazard in their patrolling.
The Cleaves Home for Foundlings and Wayward Children
is one of the sturdier buildings in Drac’s End, although it has
Key Locations
nothing on the Freeport Institute. It was originally founded
All of the following locations can be found in or around
to take in the orphans and street children of the city, and this
the Cleaves Home.
corner of it in particular, and to give them the rudiments
of an education that would get them through life without 1. Cleaves' Bedroom
having to resort to crime. The Freeport Institute is exclusive,
This is not the bedroom of a man who cares for the
but the Home will gladly take the lowest.
simple pleasures of life. The bed is solid and sturdy, the
The Home survived the Great Green Fire with only
room is bare of ornamentation, and only the diverse books
minimal damage, but there was a greater threat. The
on medicine, religion, language, and history give any clues
Freeport Orphanage was in direct competition for the
as to the owner’s personality.
limited charitable funds of the city. Although the repair bill
was not great, with no funding to pay it the Home would 2. Cleaves' Office
have been closed. Euglenus Cleaves and his donation came
Underneath a stern portrait of Euglenus Cleaves, the
along at exactly the right time. Without this monster’s
man himself sits at his desk looking after the day-to-day
support, Drac’s End would have been flooded with
workings of the home, writing letters seeking charitable
orphans.
donations, and keeping the paperwork up to date. In the
privacy of this office, he also studies the Ghoul’s Manuscript
Features and Defenses and the other tomes locked in his desk, puzzling out
the precise meanings of difficult-to-translate words and
A seven-foot-high stone wall surrounds the Cleaves
phrases, and staring longingly at the illustrations while
Home, although this is designed to keep the children in
the voice in his head whispers softly.
more than it is to keep anyone else out. Vines and nearby
trees make it easier to scale from the outside, and the top 3. Dining Room
of the wall leans inward at a 45-degree angle. It’s still The dining room is where meals are served. There is
blackened on the south and east sides from the damage a fierce pecking order established over who gets to sit
it suffered in Great Green Fire. The gates are rusty and where and who gets served first, with Cleaves’ favorites
topped with dull spikes, and only padlocked at night. at the top. They sit at a table of their own with no spare
Many babies have been abandoned outside the gates seats, talking and laughing louder than anyone else. The
over the years, and some of the children dumped here have children at the tables nearest them cringe, and ignore it
tragically frozen to death before being discovered in the when an insult or lump of food comes their way.
morning. It has been proposed that some kind of chute be
built into the wall, allowing abandoned babies to be dropped 4. Dormitories
into a specially warmed container. Questions about security, Two dormitory bedrooms, one for the girls and one for
design, and cost have kept the idea from being acted upon. the boys, follow the same plan. They’re big, open rooms
The front entrance is a set of double doors over a stoop, with 20 simple pallet beds along the walls. Even these hard
which gives the building the look of a miniature castle. lumps of straw are considered extravagant by some, for in
A single door is set in the back of the kitchen; it is a the Freeport Orphanage, they make do with hammocks
tradesman’s entrance. hanging from the high roof and if a child falls, well, that’s
The windows in the boys’ and girls’ dormitories have one less mouth to feed.
mesh grating over them, but some are rusted and have Small drawers between every second bed hold the
been pried loose by enterprising youths over the years and shared clothes of the children, as well as any hidden
can be lifted off. The other windows have no grates and personal possessions. Usually these are limited to rag dolls
are easily opened, except for the small, dark window into or mementos of lost families. Anything of real value is
the secret feasting hall, which is always carefully locked. confiscated and sold.
All of the lights go out at eight o’clock, except for one A third, smaller dormitory is kept for Cleaves’ favorites.
that may still be seen burning in the office as Euglenus They are given proper beds to sleep in, cupboards for their
goes about his business. The matrons walk the halls in four clothes and possessions (including some that they steal
shifts. Holding candles, they check in on the dormitories from the other orphans) and a window without a grate.

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The lights go out at eight o’clock sharp. Any children 8. Secret Feasting Hall
caught out of their beds by the matrons will be punished, The high wall kept the home relatively safe during the
excluding Cleaves’ favorites who are allowed to do as they Great Green Fire; although one corner caught aflame it was
wish. extinguished quickly. Euglenus used the repair work as cover
5. Grounds to have this secret room constructed behind the office so he
could perform the Cannibal Ritual in peace and privacy.
The narrow strip between the walls of the home and the A catch under his desk opens a door set flush into the
wall that surrounds it gets very little light and is mostly home wall, revealing a dark 15 foot by 20 foot room with a
to jungle weeds. The groundskeeper sometimes putters low dining table in the center. The table is made of solid
around, trying to encourage proper grass to grow, but he wood, covered in gouge marks and old blood. A cupboard
spends most of his time in his rusty tin shed. The children holds ritual paraphernalia and, once a month, fresh meat
have many theories about what he gets up to in there. obtained through the body trade. A small window is the
6. Kitchen only exit, through which the ghouls make their way out
into the night.
The matrons in this less-than-perfect kitchen prepare
meals. Only the cheapest foodstuffs are prepared for the 9. Study Room
children, and seafood is a constant feature of their diet. This is where visiting priests of the God of Knowledge
Thin gruels, stews and slops are served frequently. give the children the rudiments of an education. By
7. Matrons' Quarters teaching them the basics of reading, writing, and
arithmetic, it is believed they will be that much more
A staff of four matrons lives and works at the Cleaves likely to go on to lead productive, non-criminal lives.
Home. This austere shared bedroom, its only decorations There is no set curriculum, however, and the lessons are
devotional, is still luxurious compared to the dormitories. often based on whatever the priest feels like teaching that
The four matrons are Mrs. Grose, Mrs. Slauson, Miss day. The chalkboard is as likely to be filled with obscure
Jessel and Miss Giddens. religious dogma as it is with the times tables.

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 Chapter VI The Charnel Children

Of course, since the students spend most of their time Home and then terrorized by Cleaves’ favorites. They may
scratching messages into their desks and shooting spitballs plot revenge, spying on their bullies to find a weakness.
at each other until one of the matrons looks in on them, it They may even stand up to them and be invited along to
matters little either way. a special club meeting by Euglenus. Once they discover
what is really going on at the Cleaves Home, they will be
10. Work Room in terrible danger. How can they escape the orphanage
This is where the children earn their keep—charity and and who will believe their story enough to help them?
zombie prostitution can’t pay for everything, you know.
They wash laundry for several of Freeport’s businesses, Beginner Adventure
and do craftwork making baskets, lobster traps, trinkets,
and other items that are sold from a market stall. The House of Blane is in an uproar: Lady Blane was
buried wearing the family jewels when her will clearly
Using the stated they should go to her sister. The sister gets a court
order to dig up her body from the exclusive Veiled Lady
Charnel Children Cemetery­, but Lady Blane isn’t in the grave she should
be in. It’s empty—some dastardly bodysnatcher has
Freeport’s a cynical town, and certainly not a place where gone and taken her. The family offers a reward for her
everyone believes children are automatically innocent little return and half of Freeport’s scum are on the trail, as
angels, but the full extent of what the Charnel Children are well as the PCs.
up to is still going to surprise even a hardened freebooter. Suspecting an inside job they might think to question
An encounter with the ghoulish youths during a hunt will the dubious mortician, John Etch, who leads them to the
give them pause, and a full investigation of the home will House of Silence, or maybe they just spot Lady Blane
be a disturbing adventure. You should think, before using walking the street, in both senses of the phrase. Liberating
them in a campaign, about how your players will react. Not Lady Blane’s body from its sinful new unlife is harder
everyone is going to be comfortable with the subject matter, while it’s still walking around, especially if Slim William
even if you use it in a throwaway encounter. and his other undead girls have anything to say about it.
A potentially quite different way to use the Charnel The customers won’t be pleased, either, and they aren’t a
Children would be to run a one-shot game in which the nice bunch, those who prefer acquiescent girls who don’t
players portray waifs who are taken in by the Cleaves complain no matter how they’re treated.

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Down the Drain! Crematorium Scandal Leaves Dead in Sewers

— T he Shipping News

After dealing with the House of Silence and Slim matrons or fill-in teachers after finding ways to open up
William, the PCs find some surprising papers lying those already-taken positions. Those who don’t wish to
around the bordello. As well as mentions of William’s ties go undercover at all will have to investigate stealthily to
to a cult called the “Charnel Children,” there are records avoid alerting patrolling matrons, a wandering child, or
of frequent donations made to the Cleaves Home for the Charnel Children themselves.
Foundlings and Wayward Children, and William doesn’t When Euglenus is exposed, he won’t hold back from
really seem the do-gooder type. unleashing his hideous and inhuman other form. Practice,
and the coaching of the voice in his head, has given him
Experienced Adventure the ability to transform himself even without performing
the full Cannibal Ritual. Of course, if he catches anyone
Whether the PCs make the connection between the spying on him, he won’t hesitate to use them as the main
House of Silence and the Cleaves Home or not, Euglenus ingredient.
thinks they have. In order to keep them silent, he sends some
of the pack out on a special hunt. It begins on an ordinary Endgame Adventure
night: Perhaps the PCs are in the middle of an unrelated
adventure, or perhaps they have been out for a night on the A strange ship arrives in Freeport from a distant shore.
town (and are somewhat the worse for wear because of it). The priests who disembark hide their faces behind silver
A gang of unnaturally fast and agile creatures begins masks, wear funereal purple cerecloths for robes and their
hunting them. Leaping and climbing and using hit-and- hands are hidden in gloves. Unbeknownst to anyone,
run tactics, they either chase or lure the PCs through they are the Eyeless Head, a cult of worshippers of the
Freeport’s more dangerous nighttime streets, taking them Charnel God whom Euglenus Cleaves made contact
through areas like Bloodsalt, where they are likely to come with before he met his end at the hands of the PCs. They
to the attention of gangs keen to protect their turf. have a mastery of the necromantic rituals of the Ghoul’s
When the PCs finally catch up to (or are cornered Manuscript that the Charnel Children only dreamed of, as
by) the ghouls, they will be surprised to find that their under their robes and masks they are ghouls themselves.
assailants are clearly children—inhuman and monstrous The ghoul-priests resurrect Euglenus and the Charnel
children, but children nonetheless. Will they be able to Children as true, undead ghouls and use them as their
bring themselves to kill the Charnel Children, or is there tools to free Freeport from its terrible heresy. They
a nonviolent solution to be found? And, oh hell, that one sabotage the Crematorium, and until it can be rebuilt,
got away! Where’s he going? Freeporters take to dumping their dead where they will.
Some are thrown into the ocean, some are buried in the
Advanced Adventure jungle, others are left in the streets where they fall. It’s a
public sanitation nightmare, and it only gets worse when
Having traced the Charnel Children to the Cleaves the holy dead begin to stir and the second part of the
Home, possibly by following one of them or by following ghoul-priests’ plan takes effect.
the paper trail from the House of Silence, the PCs are They plan for Freeport to be overrun by the dead so that
faced with a challenge. They can’t just scale the walls they can remove the Sea Lord and take control. The entire
and invade an orphanage full of children. How can they city will be forced to devote themselves to the Charnel
expose a cult hidden among so many innocents? One way God or join him in the afterlife, and only the PCs can
is to go in undercover. stop it. Before the attack on the Crematorium, however,
Halflings, or those who have been magically rejuvenated, they get advanced warning when the resurrected Charnel
could pass as orphaned children and be taken in. They will Children attempt vengeance upon them, deviating from
find themselves being subjected to a strict regime of class the plans of the ghoul-priests to feast on those who
and work and lights out at eight, broken only by periods brought them down. Can the PCs survive this attack
of bed-wetting terror as a gang of bullies systematically from an enemy they thought was dead, and then figure
works them over. Other PCs might get positions as out what it means in time to save Freeport?

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 Chapter VII The Society of the Velvet Whip

- Chapter VII -
The Society of the
Velvet Whip
T
orn from her home dimension by the destruction From these savage peoples comes Lowyatar—daughter
of the Valossan Empire, Lowyatar is the Mistress of the Goddess of Death and The All Father. Born of the
of Pain. Dedicated to primal forces of Life and Death,
teaching the intelligent beings she stands between the two.
of the world the sublime joys of “The daughter of blind Tuoni, Filled with the indifference of
inflicting and enduring agony, Fairest of Uko’s children, her father for his creations and
she seeks to seduce rather than Worst of all the death-land women, the hunger of her mother for
force. Driven underground by Is lovely and cruel Lowyatar. their souls, Lowyatar was told
various religious inquisitions, Delighting in Her cruelties, by her father that Life was his
her followers have formed the gift to men, and what they did
Inflicting Her cruel delights,
Society of the Velvet Whip with it was up to them. She
to perpetuate her ways and From the fields of sin and sorrow, was told by her mother Life
teachings, and spread the word Unto the world of mortal flesh. was full of pain and suffering,
to the faithful. Operating in Cringe, Oh Man, and she would relieve them of
secret, the Society lures those Ask not Her blessings, that through Death. Lowyatar
who already have a taste for the Nor seek you Her sight, reasoned if Life was a gift, it was
delights Lowyatar has to offer, Long you for Her caresses, something to be savored and
and to show them how much Yearning for Her touch. enjoyed, and the only difference
more pain there is to enjoy. between Life and the oblivion
When the numbers of the
Strong the hand which wields Her lash, of Death was pain and suffering.
faithful have swelled to legion Stronger still, the back which endures it.” Therefore, to truly revel in Life,
and they have pleased their —Excerpt from one must revel in pain and
Mistress with their devotions, suffering, and to enjoy and savor
then she will reveal her grand
T he Fragments of Midgard such things was the highest form
design unto them; and even of existence. Men, she observed,
the gods will know what it is seemed not to know this.
to feel pain. She would teach them.
Lowyatar appears as a beautiful woman with flowing
Lowyatar: The Bringer pale blonde hair, piercing ice blue eyes, and a curvaceous,
athletic body with long limbs. Her garb varies, depending
of Painful Delights upon her whim and the effect she wishes to have upon
those she “graces” with her presence. Sometimes she
Far from the temperate environs of the Serpent’s Teeth, wears a diaphanous gauze-like gown of gossamer, and
there lies a harsh and frozen land. It is a land of dark other times she is clad in skin-tight leather.
and brooding forests, wind-swept tundra, and ice-capped
mountains. Bleak are the people of this realm, and bleaker D ogma
still are their gods. Gods of ice and fire, thunder and blood.
Not lightly are they prayed to, for their blessings are oft- Lowyatar teaches her adherents the joys of pain: the
disguised curses. elation of inflicting it, and the ecstasy of receiving it.

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The Society of the Velvet Whip Chapter VII

Pain, she teaches, is a delicacy that must be savored, and

like a fine wine, if indulged too much, the senses become
Rites & Rituals
dulled. Suffering must be tempered with mercy—
Lowyatar’s followers don’t pray to their goddess. They
capriciously—to better kindle the subject’s hope and
demonstrate their devotion to their divine Mistress’
increase his anguish. Man is afraid of pain. He must
teachings by engaging in them. Members are expected
be coaxed to it, seduced to its dark embrace. Therefore,
to partake of the delights at the Crimson Weal at least
Lowyatar teaches her worshipers to act alluringly,
once a week (although the services are free for Society
to seek out those things in life man most covets and
members), but may attend as often as they like. The
hold them before his eyes: wealth, power, the pleasures
closest the Society comes to an actual worship session
of the flesh. Draw your subject to pain’s dark embrace.
falls on the night of every full moon. All the members
Make him yearn for it, ache for it, beg for it. Dole out
gather in the main hall of the Weal. The assembled group
torment and suffering to those who desire it as well as
removes all clothes and dons simple masks, so everyone
to those who deserve it, or those would be hurt most by
appears much the same as everyone else. After a brief
it. But remember, punishment becomes meaningless if
invocation to Lowyatar, the lights are dimmed and the
the punisher knows no restraint. Relentless cruelty only
group falls upon itself in a revelry of abandon in which all
serves to turn all people against you.
members—including the leadership—are equal, and each
Pain is a test, but it endows the worthy and the faithful
may use or be used as he or she desires.
with strength of spirit and true pleasure. Fire, ice, and
Each year, on the anniversary of the emancipation of
the lash: these are the tools of bodily suffering. Properly
the Mazin slaves, the cult gathers for a reading from
administered, they never fail the devout.
the Book of the Nine Tales of the Cat. This annual event is
But the highest forms of cruelty, the subtlest forms of
also followed by an orgy of painful delights as described
suffering can only be drawn out by understanding your
above. For some time after Leanna assumed the position
subject. Guile, subterfuge, and knowledge: these are
of Mistress, this observance was forgone due to the cult’s
the tools of mental suffering. Only the most dedicated
lack of access to their copy of the Book. It has since been
worshipers truly master these arts and they please
resumed, with the readings becoming recitations of
Lowyatar most.
passages from Gulimar’s memory.

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 Chapter VII The Society of the Velvet Whip

Aristede’s origins are clouded in mystery, as no record of

Cult History his existence can be found prior to the publication of this
work. It is widely assumed he was a scholar who fled the
Among some scholars, it’s believed that the known
Inquisition of Hexworth for safer climates to the south.
world is formed from many and disparate planes, gathered
Unfortunately, his work was quickly deemed to be one of
up by the Primal God Yig in his bid to create a new reality,
darkness by the church of Tagmata. All known copies of
to bring order to the chaotic soup of creation. Evidence
his book were seized, and used to fuel the pyre on which
of Yig’s hunger and conquest can be found throughout
he was burned alive by the servants of light.
the legendary lands of the Freeport world, from such far-
But the cat was out of the bag, so to speak, and
flung lands as Hamanuptra, to the mysterious isles where
adherents of Lowyatar went underground and formed
the power of the mind rivals the arcane masters of the
a secret cult: the Society of the Velvet Whip. They
Continent. One by one, these worlds, these realities, gave
perpetuate the worship and teachings of Lowyatar.
up a portion of themselves to appease the snake-god,
Rumors long persisted of surviving copies of the Book of
and through it, a great many and diverse peoples came
The Nine Tales, but if any survived the flames, they were
together in this patchwork realm.
well hidden from both the priests of Tagmata and the
Of the many planes touched by Yig’s scales, a distant
Inquisitors of Hexworth.
realm known as Midgard, a world formed by the will of
One of the Freeporters taken as a slave by the city-state
the All Father, proved to be resilient to Yig’s demands.
of Mazin was Emmanuelle Telfer. Emmanuelle was sold
As Yig slithered through the primordial soup of creation,
to a cruel master and devotee of Lowyatar, Rosahn Kobahr.
his coils wound around the All Father’s realm, where Yig
He subjected her to many cruelties, and ultimately seduced
became known as the Midgard Serpent. The two gods
her to the dark joys of his mistress. As the Freeport-
struggled long and hard over the plane, but affairs stood
Mazin War was ending, Kobahr, also in hiding from the
in balance for eons, at least until the Brotherhood of the
Hexworth Inquisition, entrusted all his knowledge to his
Yellow Sign summoned the Unspeakable One.
former slave, now apprentice, Emmanuelle, and sent her
With the shattering of the minds of the serpent folk
home to Freeport with the rest of the freed slaves. As
and the destruction of Valossa, Yig was wracked with
Emmanuelle sailed back to Freeport, the Inquisitors who
incalculable pain. In his agony, his coils tightened around
had finally tracked him to his lair burned her master’s
Midgard, and crushed the realm into fragments that
home. With her, Emmanuelle took what she thought to
were swept away into the myriad realities of the universe.
be the sole surviving copy of the Book of Nine Tales and
Buffeted by the destruction of her home realm, and
the future of the Society.
stunned by the death throes of her parents, Lowyatar
Emmanuelle returned home to Freeport, but found
clung to one of these fragments like a mariner to a piece
it hard to return to normal life after her existence in
of his wrecked ship. Eventually, her fragment of Midgard
Mazin. Her family, once a small but up and coming trade
came to rest near the shores of the World of Freeport, and
house of the Merchants’ Quarter, had been swallowed
she dragged herself into a new world full of life awaiting
up by a rival house while her father had lent his ships
her teachings.
to the war effort with Mazin. Penniless, she used her
Slowly she reached out to the beings of this new
feminine wiles to reestablish herself in Freeport society by
world and found that they were very much like those of
marrying one Victor St-Martin. After the birth of their
Midgard, afraid of, yet easily seduced to her ways. As she
daughter—Leanna—Victor died and left all his monies
roamed across the face of her new home, she encountered
to Emmanuelle. She used a portion of her wealth to
the azhar. Perhaps due to the efreet blood running in
establish the Crimson Weal, a house catering to the more
their veins, she found the Kizmiri to be fertile ground
depraved desires of the patrons of Dreaming Street. Here,
for her seeds of wisdom. To her high priest, Ahamed
she slowly began to seek out new recruits for the Society,
ibn Hassim ibn Alhazred, she dictated the tenets of her
and to prepare Leanna to one day assume the mantle of
faith that Alhazred compiled into the dreaded book, the
leadership.
Felomelonicon.
Now the cult survives on both the revenues of the St-
Alhazred himself was killed during the First War of the
Martin trading company and the profit generated by the
Southern Sea, and his work was supposedly lost. But a few
Crimson Weal’s commercial front, and grows, slowly,
years later Torquemada Aristede, a scholar from Tagmata,
under the watchful eye of Leanna. Emmanuelle passed
published a work known as the Book of The Nine Tales of the
away during the rule of Anton Drac, some 16 years ago.
Cat—his translation of the Felomelonicon from the azhari
Her copy of the Book of The Nine Tales is now lost, as she
tongue into the more common vernacular of humanity.
did not pass along the secret of its resting place to her

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The Society of the Velvet Whip Chapter VII

daughter and heir, Leanna, before her death. And so the

cult forges ahead into the uncertain future, doing its very
best to support and understand the grim teachings of
their wicked goddess.

Organization
The Society is organized into a simple hierarchy with
three basic levels: the laity, the flagellants, and the Masters/
Mistresses. Each level is subservient to those above it in
all ways. Members are equal in rank to those of the same
level, except at the top. There will always be both Master
and Mistress, and one is always superior to the other.
In Freeport, that would be the Mistress. Currently in
Freeport, there are 50 members of the laity, ten flagellants,
one Master, and one Mistress.

Membership
Under the direction of Emmanuelle, the cult’s
membership was primarily drawn from patrons of the
Crimson Weal; members of Freeport’s well-to-do who
were able to afford to go “slumming” in Scurvytown to
satisfy their cravings for pain. Leanna has swelled the
cult’s numbers by reaching out into Freeport to seek out
like-minded folk to join.
The bulk of the members in the Society are still drawn
from Freeport’s upper classes—rich from the Merchants’
or Eastern Districts, and powerful from the Old City. Not
just the jaded elite of the city, but wizards and scholars
whose researches would be censured by their peers have
found a welcome home in the Society—vivisectionists,
demonologists, and outcast priests.
Now more of the laity of the cult is being drawn from
the masses of the city. Bloodsalt, in particular, has proven
to be an area ripe for the plucking. Now known in the
Society as Lowyatar’s Crucible, Bloodsalt typifies the
teachings of Lowyatar in regards to life being full of pain
and suffering, and those who can endure and, indeed,
learn to savor these tests are worthy of Lowyatar’s favor.

Symbols and Signs

Originally, Lowyatar’s followers used a cat-o-nine-
tails as their symbol, but as itl became too readily
associated with the cult and only served to identify its
members to the Inquisition and other cult enemies, the
symbol has changed. Currently in vogue are symbols of
cats—cat-shaped jewelry, patterns on clothes, tattoos,
or cats themselves. As most members are either a “lash”
or “back,” symbols are worn on one side or the other to
denote which: right for “lash,” left for “back.”

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 Chapter VII The Society of the Velvet Whip

Knowing that outside of Freeport the old symbols may criminal acts; the tests for a flagellant are more likely to
still be in use, Emmanuelle kept up the usage of verbal involve deeds that cross the line of legality. Once the tests
cues and responses which she knew to be in use by cult have been passed and the supplicant is deemed worthy,
members on the Continent as a way to identify and work he or she must pass one final test—the test of self. The
with members from beyond the local area. The most supplicant must devise a form of torture he must himself
common of these is a quote from the Midgard Fragments, endure. Examples of such tests include hanging in the
“Strong the hand that wields Her lash,” and the response, gibbet for a period of time, being walled into an alcove
“Stronger still, the back that endures it.” barely large enough to hold him, or being staked out
under the sun with his eyes sewn open. Such tests rarely
Structure last long enough to do lasting harm—what good is a dead
or maimed member? And most of the ill-effects of these
The laity represents the average member of the cult. tests are cured by the Society upon completion, but always
Mostly, these members are drawn from the jaded upper at the discretion of the Master or Mistress.
crusts of Freeport society—those with the spare coin to Finally, at the top of the Society are the Master and
have been regular patrons of the Crimson Weal. Although Mistress. Each chapter of the Society has one of each
Freeport’s elite are not the only residents of the city with presiding over the rest of the local membership, but one
the wherewithal to be able to partake of the services offered. is always superior to the other. In Freeport, Leanna St-
Successful adventurers, criminals, and pirates with money Martin is the Mistress and Gulimar Do’ana is the Master.
to burn have become regulars at the Weal. In addition to Leanna assumed the mantle of leadership from her mother
customers, the Society has begun to reach out to other Emmanuelle some years ago. When Gulimar arrived
segments of the population in an aggressive recruitment from the continent with his specialized knowledge of
program. These potential members are sometimes offered the secrets of Lowyatar, Leanna appointed him to be the
an apprenticeship as attendants at the Weal, serving the Master of Freeport. When Leanna “assumed” authority
various needs of the customers. Those who prove to have over the Freeport cell, it was by right of blood; although
enough stamina and a real taste for it are asked to join the she took action to claim leadership based on what she had
Society as members of the laity. All members of the laity read in a fragment of the Felomelonicon. Gulimar, with
are, in theory, equal in rank, although newer members this special knowledge of the work, has, so far, supported
tend to defer to those who have been with the Society for her claim to rule. What will happen should the leadership
a longer time. of the Freeport cell become vacant, none can say. But it
Above the laity are the flagellants. When a supplicant won’t be painless.
becomes a member of the laity, he or she is often
referred to as either a “back” or a “lash,” depending on Goals and Motives
their preference for either receiving or inflicting pain.
Flagellants are those members who have moved beyond Yig destroyed Lowyatar’s home plane of Midgard, and
this distinction and enjoy both forms of activity equally she’s never forgotten that. When she first arrived in this
well. In order to advance from the laity into the ranks of world, she didn’t know this was Yig’s home domain, but
the flagellants, the supplicant must first demonstrate he over time, she became aware of the truth. Slowly, she began
has transcended the distinction between “back” and “lash.” to seek out her father’s ancient foe. Unfortunately, most of
The other flagellants devise various tests, similar to those the inhabitants of this realm knew little or nothing about
the member was asked to perform prior to his acceptance its creator. As her influence spread, her knowledge grew.
into the Society (see Recruiting, below). The list of tasks She learned of the serpent people, the Unspeakable One,
is designed not only to test the potential flagellant to see and lost Valossa.
if his “tastes” have changed, but also to recondition him Lowyatar is driven by two main urges: her need to share
to be ready to assume the mantle of flagellant. Initiation her love of pain with the sentient races of the world, and
tests, while often shocking or distasteful, are usually not her desire to be revenged upon Yig and his minions.

Former Council Member Reveals Sordid Secrets and Dire Deeds!

— T he Shipping News

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The Society of the Velvet Whip Chapter VII

First and foremost, Lowyatar’s followers are concerned

with their own particular brands of pleasure: bliss through
suffering—one’s own or another’s. Left to their own
devices, they would happily spend their time devising
new ways to torment themselves and those around them,
and would probably all wind up dead or in the Hulks. The
Society instills in its members the need for secrecy and
restraint. Constant pain only serves to dull the mind and
body of the “victim”; you need only look at the deluded
followers of Yarash to see what pain without end will do
to someone. And where’s the fun in that? Most people are
still too afraid to embrace the ways of pain—and what
people fear they destroy.
It is this fear the members of the Society seek to banish.
Once rid of the shackles of fear—especially the fear of
pain—mankind (or any other “-kind,” for that matter)
can achieve anything. Lowyatar teaches her followers that
once the fear of pain is mastered and pain is embraced, as
one would embrace a lover, the devotee achieves a kind of
transcendence beyond normal people. Simple terms such
as right and wrong, good and evil, and law and chaos all
cease to have meaning and cannot be applied to one in
such a state. The true believer becomes as a god.
Of course, just as constant exposure to acts of pain
or inflicting suffering dull the mind, so too does simple
repetition of the same sort of act. Innovation, creativity, fought with her father, Uko, for countless generations, or
and spontaneity are always to be incorporated into the that, indirectly—thanks to the Brotherhood of the Yellow
true adherent’s behavior. Those who can find beauty in Sign—he destroyed her home and caused her to come
cruelty and share it with the other members of the group here. Her desire to be revenged upon Yig manifests itself
are the ones who rise most quickly in the ranks. in two ways. First, she and her followers will always work to
Lowyatar’s primary focus is simply to teach all the peoples thwart the plans and activities of Yig and his children, the
of the world to embrace pain. She seeks not to destroy serpent people. Second, although she never encountered
the world nor drive all its inhabitants mad. Legions of Yig directly in Midgard, she clearly recalls his tormented
undead servitors interest her not. A world filled with mad cries as his tortured coils constricted around her home
or undead creatures unable to appreciate their sufferings realm and crushed it into pieces. The suffering of a Primal
is decidedly not what she would like. Similarly, a world of God was beyond even what Lowyatar had imagined. She
nothing but an endless orgy of ecstatic anguish would lead would sacrifice much if she could inflict such misery upon
only to stagnation and death. With this is mind, Lowyatar Yig again.
has instructed her followers to infiltrate as many other cults
as possible. This directive is two-fold. First, everyone can be
taught to embrace pain, so why not seek out members from
Recruitment
within the ranks of other cults? Second, knowing there As in the beginning, the primary form of recruitment
are any number of cults and secret societies dedicated to for the Society is to draw new members from the patrons
creating a world which Lowyatar would find useless for her of the Crimson Weal. A watchful eye is kept on those
purposes means her followers need to keep tabs on their who visit the Weal: how often they visit, what sorts of
activities, and if necessary, stop them from achieving their activities they engage in, how deeply they immerse
ends. This sometimes makes for strange bedfellows on the themselves in their activities. Once a potential recruit has
part of her followers, such as anonymously informing Asha reached a certain level of dedication, the Society examines
Sante (see Pirate’s Guide to Freeport page 182) or other such their behavior outside of the Weal. Do they carry their
authorities when the circumstances dictate. activities with them in their daily lives, or is their secret
Then there is the matter of Yig. Lowyatar hasn’t forgotten life at the Weal just a “pleasant” diversion?
Yig invaded her home realm so very long ago, or that he

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Finally, during a visit to the Weal, a prospective member The Society of the Velvet Whip isn’t the only group
is asked if he wishes to sample something truly exquisite. dedicated to pain. The Lost Souls of Yarash have long
If they accept the invitation, they are given a list of tasks called Freeport home. Lowyatar and her followers hold
they must complete first. The list of assignments varies Yarash and his in a certain amount of contempt, like
from person to person, and some lists are longer than are connoisseurs of fine wine who consort with drunkards.
others. Usually such a list is around nine tasks. The tasks Both enjoy the heady drink, but each experiences it
on these lists are designed to shake the potential member’s differently. But they do have their uses. In the past, they
grip on his normal ways of perception and thought, and have made excellent foot soldiers in the struggle with
to kill any vestiges of moral conscience. Applicants must Yig’s priesthood. Unfortunately, their minds have become
endure and commit the most intolerable and basest too warped by constant exposure to suffering to be of
outrages in order to be accepted into the Society. Typical much use to Lowyatar, and none of her followers have
tasks might include enduring a beating at the hands ever “infiltrated” Yarash’s cult.
of strangers, breaking someone’s will through painful A much more useful group is the Scions of the Destroyer.
means, or introducing a painful element into an otherwise These followers of Abaddon often find it very useful to be
pleasurable (or at least ordinary) situation. Outright unafraid of pain in the way that Lowyatar’s followers are.
criminal activities are generally avoided during these The few Scions who have joined the ranks of the Society
initiations—the Society doesn’t wish to attract unwanted serve as guards at the Weal, and are often excused from
attention—although exceptions are made on occasion if the normal observances of the Society in favor of their
deemed necessary for the applicants “re-education.” custodial duties. Some might see this as a weak spot in
Leanna has broadened the recruitment efforts of the the Society’s defenses—entrusting their defenses to the
Society to be more aggressive and far reaching. A few members of another cult, but Leanna and Gulimar do
members roam the city streets in the garb of members not. They have ensured the loyalty of their Scion brethren
of the Church of Penitence; one of the “penitents” in the by promising them should they ever betray Lowyatar they
group engages in self-flagellation while the others exhort will be shown they can still fear pain.
the crowds with the virtues of suffering to alleviate the The Golden Pillar Society would seem like a perfect
burden of sin. It was only the admission into the Society fit for the Velvet Whip; however, Leanna prefers to limit
of an actual member of the Church that made these forays the number of members recruited from the inner circle
into the streets possible. Suggested, and now overseen, of the Golden Pillar to just a few choice individuals.
by Brother Remigio, these proselytizing missions are She sees the Golden Pillar as a convenient scapegoat
infrequent, to avoid drawing too much scrutiny from for her own group’s activities, should one ever become
either city officials or from the Church itself. needed. She has inducted several of the inner circle into
The infiltration and use of the Church of Penitence is the cult, but keeps them separate from the goings-on
one example of how Leanna has begun to make use of at the Weal. Leanna makes a point of attending each
the positions of the Society members to her advantage. meeting of the Golden Pillar that does not interfere
Other groups mined for members include the Golden with her duties as Mistress of the Society. This pseudo-
Pillar Society, the Freeport Institute, and the Scions of cell of the Society has its own set of recognition signs,
the Destroyer. and uses the cat’s paw instead of the cat as their symbol.
Lastly, Leanna has begun to send members of the It wouldn’t do to have these poor dupes interacting with
laity—missionaries, if you will—into Bloodsalt. Known the real members: that would spoil the rather unpleasant
as the Crucible of Lowyatar, the Society sees Bloodsalt as surprise they have coming should she ever need to throw
a perfect example of how enduring pain and suffering can them to the wolves.
make one strong. Quietly, her emissaries have begun to
win a few converts among Freeport’s laborers, appealing Enemies
to their desire to inflict a portion of the suffering they have
received back onto those whom they see as responsible for Lowyatar’s followers have three main adversaries here in
it—whoever that might be. the world of Freeport: the Church of Yig, the Inquisition
of Hexworth, and the Church of Tagmata.
Allies As Yig awakened from his long torpor, he flexed his
coils and felt the world around him. He was perturbed
Lowyatar’s followers in Freeport don’t have any real to discover that Uko’s daughter, Lowyatar, had somehow
allies, although they do have some groups they use, or found her way into his realm. Certain she was up to no
cooperate with from time to time. good and would bear a grudge, Yig informed his followers

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to be alert for her and her minions, and to stamp them out
wherever they are found. As the cult spread, Yig’s minions
Leanna St-Martin
came in frequent contact with them, not often enough to
call it a religious war, but often enough for the serpent “It has long been my experience that you humans are a
people to be concerned. So far, Yig’s minions have not weak species, weak in body and in spirit. Such a young
discovered a nest of these vipers at the very heart of their race as yours can’t possibly understand pain. Then I
ancient homeland. met Leanna. I doubt that such a creature has ever been
Initially, the Inquisition of Hexworth had little interest spawned by your race before. If I didn’t know better,
in Lowyatar’s followers; their numbers within the borders I’d swear she was a fiend in human form.”
of Hexworth were few and their influence slight. Destroyed
when found, the Inquisitors had larger fish to fry. Then —Gulimar Do’ana, Master of Freeport
along came Torquemada Aristede and his blasphemous
work The Book of the Nine Tales of the Cat. Torquemada Leanna (female human master) is the daughter of the
was a wanted heretic and fugitive from the Inquisition’s Society’s Freeport cell’s founder and current leader of the
justice, but he was safely ensconced in Tagmata. The group. She embraced the teachings of Lowyatar at an
Inquisition came into possession of a copy of his book early age and doesn’t just believe in them, she lives them.
and quietly passed it along to the Church of Tagmata, Cunning and cruel, she wrested control of the Society
who then quickly did the Inquisition’s job for them. from her mother and now seeks to expand its membership
Having retained a copy of Aristede’s work for themselves, beyond the jaded elite of the city to include the masses.
the Inquisition determined Lowyatar’s followers deserved She sees herself as the inheritor of the mantle of Lowyatar
more of their attention and has since dedicated a greater and as her chosen representative in this world. Knowing
amount of their resources to hunting them down. It is her immediate subordinate, Gulimar Do’ana, has had
rumored that in addition to one or more copies of The access to the primary works of Lowyatar’s message, she
Book of Nine Tales that Hexworth owns, he also has a copy feels he means to supplant her as leader. She keeps a tight
of the original Felomelonicon from which it was translated. rein on his activities and watches him closely for any signs
Despite the fact they are actively working to destroy her of betrayal, while making use of his specialized knowledge
cult, Lowyatar is delighted the Inquisition has kept her to further the group’s aims in and around Freeport.
books. Those members of the Inquisition who strive to
root out her followers have done more to embrace her
teachings than she could ever have hoped for. All who
indulge in the application of fire and the lash come unto
Lowyatar in the end.
The Church of Tagmata knew nothing of the insidious
cult of Lowyatar until the agents of Hexworth’s Inquisition
drew it to their attention. The servants of the Light had
long been somewhat suspicious of the Inquisition, seeing
more than a little darkness in its members and methods,
not mention Hexworth’s imperial designs on Tagmata as
a whole. But Tagmata decided to cooperate with them
anyway in regards to certain common threats—the Society
of the Velvet Whip being one such example. Chiefly, this
cooperation was limited to the exchange of information
regarding the activities of certain cults within each other’s
sphere of influence; however, Freeport is neutral ground,
and victory over the forces of darkness is by no means
assured. The Church of Tagmata takes all the help it can
get. But unlike the Hexworthers, the Tagmatans have not
sullied themselves with Lowyatar’s teachings, and strive
to remain clean in their war with darkness. They keep a
close eye on their Inquisitorial allies, and are quick to root
out any who seem to have embraced the ways of their
enemy too closely.

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Background book, and the two argued about it violently. Left with no
alternative, Leanna decided to leave it to Lowyatar and
Born the daughter of Victor and Emmanuelle St- acted upon what she had read in the translated fragments
Martin, Leanna should have been destined to a life of of text.
leisure as one of Freeport’s mercantile elite. Her mother Carefully, she began to act through the members of the
had other ideas. Victor’s untimely, and apparently cult, and to twist their loyalties away from her mother.
agonizing, death meant Leanna was raised solely by her She became secretive from her mother, would often
mother. As a mother, Emmanuelle left a lot to be desired. ignore her completely, and would lurk about the house
While Emmanuelle had come to know Lowyatar’s ways when Emmanuelle thought she was alone. Emmanuelle
late in life and adapted to them as a means of survival, knew something was coming and began to live in fear of
Leanna was raised according to them. Suffering and her daughter. But, as she had only come to Lowyatar as an
cruelty—both inflicted on and by her—were the milk adult, and not been born into her embrace as had Leanna,
on which she was fed. Recognizing she would have to she was unprepared when the end came.
be able to survive in Freeport as an adult, Emmanuelle Finally, one night, Emmanuelle went to the Crimson
hired the best tutors the city had to offer and ensured she Weal and found its doors closed and its rooms empty. She
mixed with the right people. But Emmanuelle also made entered the Crimson Weal for the last time that night,
sure Leanna understood that ordinary people would be and was never seen again. What took place behind those
repelled by their home life. They would take Leanna away doors none in Freeport can, or will, say. But when asked
from the loving embrace of her mother’s arms if they ever about her mother, Leanna simply states she has passed
found out just how monstrously she was treated. Secrecy from this world into a better place, and then smiles.
was all important.
And so Leanna was raised leading a double life from the Personality
time she was old enough to talk, and understood why her Cruelty isn’t second nature to Leanna, it is her first, true
mother did the things she did. There were, from time to nature. Leanna flaunts her wealth and beauty to attract
time, incidents— when she was six, a neighbor’s dog that weaker-willed people to her, like an angler fish attracts
barked incessantly was found with its mouth sewn shut. its prey. She is also quick to use the tools of mercy and
At 14, she cruelly toyed with the affections of a young charity to disguise her true intentions and to draw the less
man solely to drive her rival to despondent suicide, and fortunate into her influence. She would think nothing of
then cast the boy aside. When she was 16, she arranged sponsoring a soup kitchen in Scurvytown, and then having
her own brutal rape at the hands of some orc sailors. All it burned down to spread destruction and despair among
the while she found new ways to experiment with pain, the downtrodden masses. A firm believer in keeping her
new ways to turn her own agonies into ecstasy. When enemies close, she has been known to turn heretics in
she reached maturity, Emmanuelle initiated her into the to the Inquisition of Hexworth as they sometimes pass
Society as a full member, and she took her rightful place through Freeport. Proud and willful, Leanna shows no
at her mother’s side. fear of going about Freeport without an escort. She is one
And so things remained, and might still be, but for a of the few people in Freeport who owns and rides her
difference of interpretation in the words of Lowyatar. own horse, although this she does this more to cover the
In her research of ancient texts, Leanna had come into fact she carries a long black riding crop with her wherever
possession of what was purported to be a fragment of she goes.
the lost Felomelonicon—not more than a few pages, but
important for the knowledge they contained. Upon Appearance
having it translated, she wanted to compare it with her Now in her mid-forties, Leanna is the picture of
mother’s copy of The Book of Nine Tales. The “original” womanly sensuality. She displays her well-muscled
text seemed to differ from the translation in some details body in form fitting clothing of the most expensive
about how succession within the cult was to be handled. materials. Although she prefers to dress in more man-ish
Emmanuelle refused to allow her daughter access to her clothing—pants, boots, etc., she has a stunning array of

Gullible for Gossip: High Society Whistle-Blower Admits to Lies

— T he Shipping News

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gowns (both for public and private use) at her disposal.

She wears her long black hair in a tight braid—similar to
that of a bullwhip—that hangs below her waist. Her eyes Dark Elves
are a deep green and are alert to the slightest detail of If your game does not feature dark elves, you
her surroundings. Enemies and admirers alike have often can easily make Gulimar a disgraced elf or a
compared her lithe grace to that of a cat. disgraced member of another race that fills a
similar niche.
Gulimar Do'ana, Dark Elf
“Normally, I’d not have dealings with one of his ilk; Tipped to the Church of Tagmata’s raid on Aristede’s
an obvious vagabond, and a disgraced elf at that. house, Gulimar fled Tagmata and escaped the flames,
But he knows things; his knowledge of certain— but he berated himself harshly for failing his mistress
forbidden—texts was profound. In exchange for Lowyatar by allowing her works to perish, unaware that
a very few copies did survive. Again, Gulimar wandered,
his help with certain Church matters, I was able to
but he took out his own self-loathing on those he met,
provide him access to our closed stacks. He is, after especially adherents of the Church of Tagmata. It is from
all, a true seeker of knowledge.” one of these folk he learned, amidst the screams of agony
—Brother Ansel, Freeport Temple of the God of and pleas for mercy, a few copies of The Book of Nine Tales
survived the flames.
Knowledge With renewed fervor, Gulimar set out to find these
Gulimar Do’ana (male dark elf master) is an exiled dark books. He tracked one to Mazin, but found the house
elf whom, through his wanderings on the surface world, of its owner, Rosahn Kobahr, long burned by the
has been directly responsible for the major spreading of Inquisition of Hexworth. However, he learned a former
Lowyatar’s teachings throughout the World of Freeport. slave from the house had been repatriated to the City of
Having been in the possession of Lowyatar’s actual Freeport. Hoping this slave might know something of
words, he has spent his life questing to recover them in
their original, pure state. Having been privy to the great
works of Lowyatar’s teachings, he now believes the key
to finding the repository of her knowledge lies in finding
and gathering together the lost copies of The Book of the
Nine Tales of the Cat.
Background
Gulimar was raised in the shadowy underground realm of
Dezzavold (see Green Ronin’s Dezzavold for more details).
Falsely accused of plotting against a matriarch of a rival
house, his family was stripped of its standing and he was
given the choice of death or exile. Gulimar chose exile.
He wandered the surface world and drifted from
place to place as a hired sword. He served with the
armed forces of the Ivory Ports during the First War of
the Southern Sea and was taken captive by the Kizmiri.
Sold as a slave, he became the bodyguard of Ahamed ibn
Hassim ibn Alhazred, and came to know the teachings of
Lowyatar. When Alhazred died, he entrusted his work,
the Felomelonicon, to his slave with instructions to take it
forth and spread the word. From Kizmir he made his way
to the Kingdom of Tagmata, where he collaborated with
the scholar Torquemada Aristede, who translated and
published the work under the title The Book of the Nine
Tales of the Cat.

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the whereabouts of the book he sought, he took a ship Background

bound for Freeport. Upon his arrival there, he made
Remigio Stonequay came to Freeport after years of
discreet inquiries and eventually was led to the home of
wandering. A ruffian with a sadistic streak, he found
Emmanuelle St-Martin.
himself right at home in the Sea Lord’s Guard under
Personality Boss Tillinghast. When Xander Williams took over, he
Gulimar is sly and furtive in his manner. Although he knew his days of gravy were over. He cleaned up his act as
always seems subservient to Leanna, he pursues his own best he could and tried to fit in.
agenda within the Society. He is determined to make But old ways die hard. Assigned to patrol Drac’s
amends for what he sees as his own failures in the service End, Remigio found ways to shake down the residents
of his goddess: the loss of the Felomelonicon and most of of Freeport’s shantytown. Unfortunately, he eventually
the copies of its translation, The Book of the Nine Tales. He squeezed too hard, and his activities came to the attention
is constantly driven by rumors of these books surfacing of Commissioner Williams. Charged with corruption,
around the world, and he spares no expense to investigate Remigio was sentenced to several years in the Tombs.
them. The retrieval of these lost works and the knowledge Eventually, the dank atmosphere of the Tombs began
they contain is his main goal. to wear on his hardened dwarven psyche. There was one
easy way out: the Church of Penitence. By becoming a
Appearance devotee of the Church, Remigio was able to commute his
Even in Freeport, Gulimar’s race attracts a certain remaining time in the Tombs, and was released into the
amount of attention, although he does little to hide it save care of his new brothers and sisters.
limiting his daylight activities. His many years as a hired Life was simple for Remigio, and he devoted himself to
sword have given him a wiry but muscular frame that seeking forgiveness for his crimes through the Church. But
bears the scars of many conflicts. He prefers to a wear a always there was a darker side to him. As he walked the
richly embroidered padded doublet in deep hues of scarlet streets of Freeport, he came to know the various dens of
and gold, and black leather gauntlets. At his hip hangs a iniquity and what they offered. One night he slipped off
rapier and a long-bladed knife he wields in a fight. He and made his way to the Crimson Weal where he was soon
wears his long white hair pulled back in a ponytail, held to become a regular patron, funding his visits through a
in place by a golden circlet about his head. more straightforward criminal endeavor: armed robbery.
His frequent visits drew the attention of the Society, who
Brother Remigio devoted some time to watching this odd character. When it
was deemed he was the right kind of material for admission,
the Society recruited him. He embraced the teachings
“Stonequay? Oh, you mean “Brother” Remigio. of Lowyatar and served well under Emmanuelle. When
I know of him, but he ain’t welcome in my place. Leanna took over, he rose out of the laity and into the ranks
I mean really, what sort of self-respectin’ dwarf of the flagellants and suggested his daylight activities with
would shave his head and his beard! If that’s what the Church of Penitence might be put to good use as a
penitence is, give me a life of sin!” recruitment tool. Now, he walks the streets in the guise of a
penitent while spreading the “good word” of Lowyatar.
—Garek, Owner & Brew-Master of T he Dented
Helm Personality
Remigio has always known which way the wind was
Remigio (male dwarf journeyman) is a thug, a thug blowing and been able to take advantage of it for his own
with brains. He’s been in Freeport for a long while, and benefit. He made use of his position in the Sea Lord’s
he’s learned how to survive on its mean streets. He had guards—both under Boss Tillinghast and Commissioner
it good under Boss Tillinghast, but his number finally Williams—to feather his own nest and smash some heads.
came up when Commissioner Williams came to town. To Now, in the guise of a penitent, he is able to indulge in his
escape serving his full sentence in the Tombs, he found taste for self-inflicted pain while corrupting others to the
religion and joined the Church of Penitence. But his ways of Lowyatar. He has no illusions about climbing too
taste for making people writhe and grovel led him to the high in the Society, but he is aware of the tension between
Crimson Weal. Now he uses his position in the Church as Leanna and Gulimar. If he sees a way to ingratiate himself
a front for one of the Society of the Velvet Whip’s many with one or the other while advancing himself, he’ll jump
recruitment programs. at the chance.

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Appearance
Remigio stands out among dwarves due to his lack
of beard: As a mark of his penitence, he shaved it off
when he joined the Church. He wears his hair in a wild
fashion, heavily greased with bear’s fat and worn in spikes
that radiate outward from his tonsured pate. His garb is
simple, befitting that of a member of his faith. Scars from
his flagellations crisscross his back.

Lady Elise Grossette

“Poor Lady Elise. She was so strong, such a leader in
our community. It was a loss to Freeport when she
came home and retired from the Council. I remember
when she first came to us; she was so timid—so
different from how she used to be. Of course, we’ve
helped her to find herself—her true self—and it’s clear
now she’s found her strength again.”
—Leanna St-Martin
Shaken by her ordeal at the hands of a sadistic pirate
during the final movements of the Succession Crisis,
Elise’s mind became a dark and twisted thing. Driven to
crave the torments she endured and to inflict them on
others, she joined the Society. Welcomed with open arms such pain, such degradation, such darkly pleasurable
by Leanna, Elise provides the Society with another hook sensations! She needed more. Through her contacts in
into the tender flesh of the Merchants’ District, and an the city, she first heard of the Crimson Weal as a house
avenue into the circles of political power of Freeport’s where such things were commonly done and shared by
ruling class. While her political career is long over, she others. Drawn like a moth to the flame, Lady Elise went
still has some status as an “elder stateswoman,” and she at forth one night, shrouded and alone, and sought out the
least has the ear of the Council, if not the ability to sway hoped-for refuge within its walls. She was recognized
it directly. at once and brought to Leanna, who saw to her needs
personally and, over time, eased her into the ways of
Background Lowyatar.
There was a time when Elise was a mover and shaker Elise has rediscovered much of the strength she had
in Freeport politics. She was poised to become the first before her ordeal, although the font of her strength is
Sea Lady instead of Marilise Maeorgan. But the late vastly different from what it once was. Only of mid-rank
Arias Sonderheim had other ideas. Soderheim hired one in the Society, Elise is still an important member of the
Captain Sharpe, a ruthless elf pirate, to keep his rival out Society, using her gold and connections to further the
of Freeport while a new Sea Lord—hopefully himself— Society’s aims and finance the search for lost copies of
was selected. But Sharpe had another master to answer The Book of Nine Tales.
to, and he tortured Lady Elise nearly to death. Ultimately, Personality
Lady Elise returned to Freeport and Soderheim brought
to justice. But her mind had been twisted by the tender Once a commanding presence in Freeport’s political
mercies shown her by the cruel captain. She retired from landscape, Lady Elise had her first taste of what it was
Freeport politics, and is now rarely seen outside the like to be insignificant at the hands of Captain Sharpe.
confines of her Merchants’ District manse. That taste only served to whet her appetite for more.
She hid in her house, ashamed of the cravings she She returned from that experience profoundly changed:
experienced. As a woman of power, she had never been Where once there was superiority, there was submission;
subjected to anything like what Sharpe had done to her: where once there was strength, there was fear.

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That has changed now that she has found a welcome they must have the things which only the Weal and the
home in the Society. While she has rediscovered how Society can offer. Other houses in Freeport offer similar
to control others below her, she also knows what it is to services, of course, but none allow their guests to indulge
serve—and be disciplined—by her betters. Her time on as fully as the Weal. Curiosity grows to hunger, and once
the Council and her years of experience in the political there’s a need, addiction is sure to follow.
games of Freeport are serving her well, as she finds there
are other means to inflict cruelty and pain on the deserving
Personality
besides the physical. Like the cat from which the Society While still in the laity, members are haughty and
takes as its symbol, Lady Elise has learned how to savor cruel or simpering and subservient (depending on their
playing with her prey to prolong and heighten their initial orientation). As they advance into the ranks of
anguish—much as her own was—before she finishes with the flagellants, they become an odd mixture of the two,
them. having learned to appreciate the finer delicacies of agony
and anguish, in both themselves and others. This puts the
Appearance “lashes” at a slight disadvantage while still among the laity
Old enough to be Leanna’s mother, Lady Elise has aged as they may still flinch away from their own suffering.
well, although she bears the marks and scars of her ordeal. The “backs” or any of the flagellants do not share such
She employed the best wizards of the Guild to remove weakness—it’s always easier for beginners to dish it out
the physical marks, but her eyes betray the fearful look of than to take it.
a trapped animal at times. She wears a veil over her eyes
to conceal this when she needs to be more commanding.
Appearance
Her dark hair is now shot through with streaks of white, Whether or not they like to hurt or be hurt, members of
and she finds it painful to walk when the weather is bad the Society have money and they like to show it. Cultists
(which has led her to do so all the more, now…). She dress in rich clothes cut from expensive materials.
carries an ornate cane with her at all times, inside of Some prefer bright colors, while others stick to simple
which there is a concealed dagger. black or white outfits. Regardless of the clothes, all the
members wear the symbol of the cat about their person
Typical Cultist somewhere. Acceptable forms of the symbol include
jewelry, embroidery on clothes, tattoos, or even a playful
The average member of the Society is human, although cat companion. Those members who don’t come from
there is no racial restriction on membership. Most come the upper crusts are encouraged not to dress above their
to the Society after visiting the Crimson Weal. Such station, but must still incorporate the cat into their daily
people tend to come from Freeport’s upper crusts, since garb somehow.
they can afford the steep entry fee for a night of pleasure
and pain, so many hail from the Merchant District or the
Eastern District. So long as a candidate has the coin to
The Crimson Weal
pay, though, the Society does not care where someone is Ancient wisdom holds thus: Hide a stone among
from or how he makes his money. stones, hide a man among men. Taking this thought
to heart, Emmanuelle hid the Society headquarters in
Background
plain sight—a vice among vices—on Dreaming Street.
Despite Leanna’s various “outreach” programs, most She used a (small) portion of her husband’s wealth to
of the members of the Society are still drawn from purchase a piece of property on Scurvytown’s infamous
Freeport’s jaded elite: the bored sons and daughters of street of vices, built a shrine to painful pleasures, and
leisure and privilege who have the time and money to named the place the Crimson Weal. The building itself is
waste on trips to Freeport’s seedy underbelly. Examples fairly nondescript, being a decrepit old brick and mortar
include those who are accustomed to power but need to structure whose original criminal purpose lent itself well
express it in new ways, or those who could never live up to the hidden activities of a cult. Its rickety second story
to their parents’ expectations and need to beg forgiveness teeters precariously over the narrow alleyways on either
or endure dreadful punishment. side, and without the neighboring buildings for support
It starts with just one visit to the Weal, for just a taste it would probably collapse. But its outward façade belies
of the forbidden excess they crave. Leanna’s staff is careful a hidden structural strength added after Emmanuelle
not to overstimulate their guests on their first visit. Slowly, purchased it. Not only does the site serve as a meeting
as they return again and again, their cravings grow until place for the cult members, but as a functioning business.

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The Society of the Velvet Whip Chapter VII

Leanna continues to use it as a means to screen her subterranean spaces.

customers as possible recruits. First, the original exterior walls were allowed to
remain standing; the crumbling bricks blend in with the
Features and Defenses surroundings and make it more difficult to scale. While
the bricks do offer plenty of handholds, the crumbling
Originally, the building served as a hidden slaver’s den mortar ensures they won’t hold any weight. Further, the
and auction house. Its main floor served as a functioning walls have leaned outward so much that they actually
smithy, although very little actual smith work was done touch the neighboring buildings, turning the alleys to
here. The space above the work floor was originally open either side of the building into gloomy tunnels. The roof
rafters, the underside of the roof had some small storage slopes to the front and back of the building, making
for hay and other materials, and behind the building was access to the roof from the sides trickier. Should a clever
a small stable yard. The business of slavery, always being thief, or adventurer, choose to gain access to the roof via
illegal in Freeport, required hidden means of bringing the neighboring buildings, they would encounter the four
“goods” to and from the auction house as well as a secret gargoyles Emmanuelle has roosting on the peaks and
means of storage. All of these things were accomplished inside the front and rear dormers. Just inside the original
underground. The sewers of Freeport allowed access; façade walls, new walls of stone have been erected,
slaves were brought in via secret entrance to the smithy’s forming a building within a building. Should the original
basement. The basement encompassed both holding pens walls collapse completely, the new stone walls would still
and an auction area. With the forceful demise of the stand.
slave trade in Freeport, the old smithy fell into disrepair
and quietly moldered into the ruin it still appears to be.
When Emmanuelle bought the building, she embarked
Key Locations
on a series of renovations to strengthen and secure the All of the following locations correspond with the
structure, and to expand and remodel its interior and Crimson Weal Map.

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 Chapter VII The Society of the Velvet Whip

1. Lounge manacles stapled to the walls, is perfect for the types

of behavior encouraged by the cult. The auction block
The wide-open space where the anvils and forge were
serves as a pulpit from which Leanna or Gulimar
has now been refurbished as a lounge and sitting room
preside over functions. Beyond the original holding
where visitors may sit and engage in conversation over
cells, Emmanuelle had the space expanded to include
drinks. The lay members of the Society work as the
several vaulted chambers. The secret access to the sewers
employees of the Weal, and they mingle among the
was reinforced and is now protected by both magical
customers and offer their services. The forge remains as
and mechanical means.
the central fire-pit, and is still used to provide hot irons,
Access to the basement is through a doorway beneath
as needed, for customers and members. A stairway at the
the stairs that opens onto a concealed stairway. Buried
rear of the room leads upwards to the new second story
deep below the ground, sounds from the various activities
and the private rooms.
engaged in here do not reach the ears of those above.
2. Private Rooms The stairs enter the former auction area of the slave pits.
The upper story was converted from empty space into Here the faithful congregate to indulge in their monthly
functional rooms for the use of non-Society customers. orgies of pain and pleasure. Once each month, on the full
There are now eight small rooms above the main floor moon, this room fills with a swaying mass of people and
of the Weal. The walls and floors of these rooms are the walls echo with the sounds of laughter, sobbing, and
constructed of heavy timber and shrouded in rugs and the crack of the lash as oils, blood, and other fluids splash
tapestries to muffle, but not completely deaden, the against the walls.
sounds of what goes on within them. None of these 5. Slave Pens
rooms have windows. The staff below can provide any
Off this main chamber are the former slave pens now
sort of implement a customer wants or needs. The front
used for members’ pleasures or as actual holding cells for
and rear dormer spaces are sealed off from the rest of
any actual prisoners.
the upper story and are used as roosts for the gargoyle
sentries. 6. Medical Research
3. Stable Yard This room has been opened up off the Den, and it is
here where medical research is conducted. This mostly
The rear stable yard has been cleared into an open
takes the form of human vivisection, not necessarily with
courtyard surrounded by the walls of the neighboring
subjects that are entirely deceased. The few members
buildings (both sides and to the rear). Access from the
working at the Freeport Institute, but whose work would
side alleyways is restricted by strong gated iron fences
be prohibited there (again, mostly because the subjects
that extend upward to prevent access by climbing.
aren’t entirely dead yet), use this room exclusively.
The cobbled courtyard is mostly empty, but does contain
some of the Weal’s larger implements. Here the Society 7. Magical Research
keeps a working stocks and barrel pillory which customers
Another newly excavated chamber, this room is used
may make use of (for a fee, of course). There are several sets
for all manner of unspeakable experiments and horrific
of iron staples set into the cobblestones which chains or
exploration. The most common purpose for this chamber
manacles may be attached to as needed. The accoutrements
is for summoning and subsequent questioning of various
of the courtyard are solely for the non-Society customers.
demonic entities. Such entities are often reluctant to
The “real fun” goes on in the basement.
divulge information, but the Society has become quiet
4. Den of Pleasure and Pain adept at extracting desired knowledge from anyone, or
anything. Similarly, from time to time, Leanna finds it
The underground parts of the building have been
amusing to have succubae available to abuse and amuse
converted into the main meeting area for the Society.
the cultists.
The damp dungeon-like atmosphere, complete with

Faceless Corpse’s Name Ruthlessly Suppressed by City Watch

— T he Shipping News

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The Society of the Velvet Whip Chapter VII

Using the Society

of the Velvet Whip
Unlike other cults in and around Freeport, the Society
takes a much longer view in regard to accomplishing its
ultimate goals. For the most part, the cultists are content
to slowly extend their reach into every level of Freeport’s
society—from the poorest hovel to the halls of power, from
the purest temple to the most debased cult. Infiltration
and subversion is the name of their game—one at which
they are very good. It is not uncommon to find at least
one follower of Lowyatar nestled away inside of another
organization within Freeport: the Church of Penitence,
the Scions of the Destroyer, the guards in the Tombs,
various pirate crews, Finn’s syndicate, even the Captain’s
Council may harbor a member of the Society.
As one of the main aims of Lowyatar in this realm,
foiling the designs of the Church of Yig is always on
their agenda. Located at the heart of the ancient serpent
people’s empire, Freeport is an excellent location for all
sorts of anti-Yigian mischief. Leanna and her followers
don’t devote much time to seeking out the priests of Yig,
but if they catch wind of something they are doing or
are involved with, they make a point to find out what
it is and how they can foul it up or somehow make use take advantage of the first day’s festivities in a unique way.
of it. They’ve kidnapped someone—someone who was caught
And lastly, with their finger in so many pies, the poking into cult business a tad too closely—and transform
Society often comes across information that may be him into one of the animals for the first day’s hunt.
of interest to various people in and around Freeport. The PCs receive a worried note from an acquaintance
They are not above selling this information, or passing of theirs asking them for help. Strange people have been
it along to others in exchange for future considerations. following him, his residence has been broken into, etc.
Also, many of Freeport’s other cults’ apocalyptic goals Their friend asks them to meet him at his favorite eatery
aren’t in keeping with Lowyatar’s own ends, and, from to discuss the matter. Their friend never shows up for the
time to time, Leanna or Gulimar may find it necessary meeting. As the PCs leave the establishment, they are
to pass along information regarding other cult activities attracted by the sounds of a pig grunting at them from a
to either those in power or to groups of heroes to act side alley—a pig in a yellow cloak. Before they have much
upon. of a chance to interact with the pig, a group of celebrants
spots the pig and the chase is on. Can our heroes save
Beginner Adventure their porcine friend from becoming the main course at
the Society’s Drac’s Fall feast? And if they do, how much
Despite their cult affiliations, the members of the Society can their friend tell them about the goings-on at the
of the Velvet Whip love a good party as much as the next Crimson Weal?
Freeporter. Swagfest and Raidfest are fine, but Drac’s Fall
(see Pirate’s Guide to Freeport page 29) is one of the high Experienced Adventure
points of the Society’s social calendar. The Society takes
great pleasure in not using an effigy of Milton Drac, but The schism between High Priest Egil and Brother
in choosing some lucky member to take his place, and Ansel and his separatists from the Church of the God of
then actually summoning an improbable creature to do Knowledge has gone on long enough. Egil is desperate to
things best not described to him or her in the privacy of end the crisis, and looks for help from any quarter. Leanna
the Weal’s basement. This year, the Society has decided to St-Martin has recently acquired information from a

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within the foundations of the old Church of Retribution

shortly before the last of the priests disappeared. The
problem is this: the Mouth of Hell (see Pirate’s Guide to
Freeport page 73) is always open, and Gulimar is a tad
too conspicuous to just waltz in and start poking around
in the basement. However, if he were to walk in, very
conspicuously, all eyes would be on him, allowing his
agents to sneak into the lower levels and try to unearth
his precious book.
Acting on behalf of a mysterious client (Gulimar), the
PCs are approached by an agent (perhaps Argyle McGill,
see Pirate’s Guide to Freeport page 115) and asked to retrieve
a certain book. The agent offer them a fair financial reward,
or, if Argyle is the agent, perhaps a shopping spree at his
shop, in exchange for their finding the Book, or at least
information regarding its location. Once the PCs are in
the lower levels of The Mouth of Hell, who knows what
evil may lurk within its rotting foundation? Even if they
do find the demon in question, what can they offer it in
exchange for the Book?

Endgame Adventure
As the crossroads of the world, eventually every sort
of person or item comes through Freeport, and Gulimar
tortured serpent person captive that the servants of Yig isn’t the only person interested in collecting old books. At
are somehow connected to Egil’s temple. Hot on the trail long last, a copy, perhaps the sole surviving copy, of the
of evidence that will shake the Temple to its core, she Felomelonicon has surfaced. Leanna is desperate to obtain
hopes if Ansel can be named the new High Priest, he’ll it. K’Stallo, now aware of the presence of Lowyatar’s
be friendlier to Gulimar in his quest for lost lore of use to followers in Freeport, is equally desperate to prevent it
the Society. Of course, this is also a good opportunity to from falling into the wrong hands (meaning anyone’s but
stir up lots of anti-Yigian sentiment. his). Through their researches, both Gulimar and K’Stallo
K’Stallo has also gotten wind of the situation, and are now convinced the book can be used to inflict upon
although he doesn’t know who is behind this attempt Yig, or any other god for that matter, such pain as he knew
to oust his “successor,” he does know it won’t be good when the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign summoned the
for him or Egil if the truth comes out. Egil once again Unspeakable One eons ago. If the Society of the Velvet
turns to outsiders—perhaps the very ones who aided Whip could do this now, Yig’s throes of agony would be
him before—for help. Can the PCs stop the truth from enough to crush the last vestiges of Valossa into rubble
coming out? Do they want to? Maybe Egil, as the new and drive the remaining Serpent Folk mad.
High Priest, can offer them a better deal? The problem is the dealer who had obtained it to begin
with was found dead in his shop. K’Stallo is convinced the
Advanced Adventure Society has the book, but he is equally sure they won’t be
able to solve its mysteries right away. The question is, does
Gulimar Do’ana is obsessed with the recovery of the Society have the book? If they do, how long before
any surviving copies of The Book of the Nine Tales of the they can unravel its secrets? If they don’t, who does and to
Cat. Given access to Emmanuelle’s journals by Leanna, what end will they use it? Even Gulimar and Leanna don’t
Gulimar is confident he has found the hiding place of the want the book falling into the hands of those who would
Society’s missing copy of the Book—the lower levels of misuse its powers. The fate of Freeport, and possibly the
The Mouth of Hell. He’s uncovered the fact that one of world, rests in finding this book before its vile powers can
the demons Emmanuelle had congress with was bound be unleashed upon the gods themselves.

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The Obsidian Brotherhood Chapter VIII

- Chapter VIII -
The Obsidian Brotherhood
J
ust north of the City being descended onto the
of Adventure lies new world, and the land
“Some scholars say there are forms of life so alien to
the remains of an and seas, still cooling from
impossible being, a thing
us that even to glimpse them is to know madness. the fires of creation, fled
so ancient, so powerful, so These same wise men admit the possibility that his approach. The young
infinite in its wickedness these beings travel between the planes and the voids serpent people saw in this
that it defies description. that stretch between them. thing a god and some
While a true and constant strove to worship it, but
“Such beings most certainly exist. I know this because
threat, the people of the all who approached were
city and indeed the world I’ve found one. I will extract the knowledge it contains destroyed, swallowed up
are ignorant of this thing even though it cost me all that I hold dear, everything by its incalculable hunger
and for good reason. that you hold dear. Should the oceans burn, the stars to absorb all things into its
It was shattered eons fall, and the earth open up beneath me, I will know essence.
ago, frozen, broken and its secrets. The Wanderer shall soon return, and So great was the
believed to be destroyed only those with the knowledge to confront it will be destruction wrought by its
for all time. But a new era hands that Yig himself was
spared. That time is coming. Soon.”
is dawning, for unwitting stirred to act, and wearing
fools, greedy old men —Xyrades, Leader of the Obsidian Brotherhood the form of a mighty
with an insatiable hunger dragon, the Serpent God
for knowledge, risk the emerged from beneath the
nature of reality itself to unlock the secrets contained seas to wage war against this vile entity, to halt its attack
in the bones of this dead god, and should they succeed, before it unraveled more of his mighty works. For an
doom shall surely follow. entire age, or so the Windward Scroll fragments suggest,
the dragon and the Wanderer fought until the great wyrm
The Wanderer delivered the dreadful blow that splintered its starry form
into a thousand fragments. Believing it dead, the dragon
“Black as the night sky it is and just like the night sky, it returned to its watery lair, leaving the jagged shards of
is full of stars, pinpoints of light that blossomed into obsidian to the serpent people to do with as they wished.
Fearing Yig’s anger as well as the Wanderer’s return, these
miniature fire bursts before receding to the faintest simple people flung gathered fragments into the heart of a
pricks again. An aura of wrongness surrounds it, volcano, believing the danger to their kind to be at an end.
for in its presence the very air seemed to draw back, What the serpent people did not understand was that
even the tide receded from its midnight steps.” the essence of the Wanderer could not be destroyed, not
even in the crucible of an active volcano. The shards sank
—Translation from the Windward Scroll Fragments beneath the lava’s surface, drifting in the fiery fluid for
From whence this thing came, none can say. It is believed countless centuries until the Unspeakable One manifested
the entity named the Wanderer in ancient writings from in the heart of Valossa. In the devastation that followed,
the dawn of the Valossan Empire was older than the oldest the volcano erupted, spilling its contents down the slope
god, a drifter through the gulfs of space, slipping between from the caldera. In this flow were those same fragments
the bounds of reality, observing, sampling, and destroying of this ancient wanderer, freed from the prison of heat and
all it encountered. Only when it reached the newborn lands flame to cool upon the surface of the island that would
formed by Yig was the Wanderer was stopped. The great become known as A’val.Many centuries passed again,

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and the fragments sank beneath the soil, vanishing in the tease forth from the shards they translate. None of this
loamy earth to lay buried until some hapless wandering lore reveals anything about what caused this being to
mortal came upon them, recognized their purpose, and descend from the starry heavens in the first place. It falls
took the wicked steps necessary to reconstitute this to Xyrades to shape the Brotherhood’s message, and the
entity’s monstrous form. leader of this cult reveals this celestial truth in whatever
way and in whatever form that suits his current purpose,
Dogma and none who serve dare gainsay or question his own
enlightened interpretations.
For all the power the Wanderer is said to hold, and
for as much as this being is served and worshipped like Rites and Rituals
a god, the Wanderer demands nothing from his mortal
servants—nothing so long as its essence remains buried The Brotherhood performs two rituals of note. The first
inside the fragments of its physical form. What would is the Rite of Awakening, the process by which the cult
happen if this thing, this entity, were to be reformed? brings to life shards gathered from the Wanderer’s body.
Only speculation exists; while many suspect this is a Captives brought from Freeport are taken to the crystal
being of supreme violence, of incalculable wrath, the caves beneath the archaeological dig and sacrificed. As
Obsidian Brotherhood believes that they, through their their blood showers onto the shard, it blazes to life with
constant service, can stay its hand long enough for them fiery runes crawling all over its surface. The witnesses
to convince it to spare them and allow them to serve it in hastily scribble down the words they find in the dark
all things. stone, which is later gathered and sent to the archivists
It’s of vital importance to understand that the Wanderer for translation and collation.
is no god, at least not in the traditional sense. It creates On occasion, especially of late, Xyrades has turned to
nothing, cares nothing for mortals, and has no particular the use of the Shrikes, a small group of hired killers that
message or belief system. All that is known of this being is work in the Shantytown, and occasionally the docks. The
from the scattered scrolls that relate to its first appearance cult leader arms these killers with obsidian shards, and
on the mortal plane and what the cult has been able to pays them well to use these implements to do the bloody

124 Cults of Freeport

The Obsidian Brotherhood Chapter VIII

work and then return the fragments to him once the task change their lives forever. It was in a particularly deep
is complete. shaft that the pair worked, digging and clearing away the
The second ritual is the Ritual of Joining. Each time the soft earth until Xyrades’s shovel broke through a wall and
archivists translate an awakened shard, the Brotherhood into an air pocket that smelled foully of sulfur. There on
performs this ritual. In reverent quiet, a gathering of five the floor he discovered a rough circle of sharp black shards.
cultists—almost always including Xyrades himself— Xyrades entered the room, amazed at his findings and the
descends the hand-excavated steps to a deep room, buried hundreds upon hundreds of shards. He immediately set
far below the slopes of A’Val into a room of uncommon out to recover as many pieces as he could, calling for his
and unnatural chill. Ice rimes the floor and ceiling, densest friend to help. Gallus dropped his tool and entered the
around the dark wood table on which lies the semi- room, plucking the odd shards from the soil. Then, the
reassembled Wanderer. Through arcane methods and accident happened.
spells of powerful magic, the cultists fuse the awakened Gallus climbed a mound of earth to reach a shard
shards, so that gradually, ever so gradually, the Wanderer’s when the soft soil gave way. The whole thing slid into the
physical form is restored, covered in spidery, fiery runes. chamber, burying him beneath it. Xyrades screamed in
fear and spent an hour digging his friend from the cave-
Cult History in before he was unearthed. Xyrades found Gallus dead—
the shard he had been trying to reach was embedded in
The Obsidian Brotherhood is not an ancient cult. In his throat.
fact, they have existed for only a few years and had it not After a moment or two of weeping and cursing their
been for the accident of their birth, they might have never foul luck, Xyrades noticed spidery red runes crawling
formed. across the shard’s surface. Amazed, the young wizard
About five years ago, two young wizards thought to make withdrew the obsidian from his friend’s throat to get a
a name for themselves by uncovering an ancient artifact. closer look. The torrent of blood that followed splashed
The Serpent’s Teeth abounded with tales of mystery, onto the shard, intensifying the runes, making them stand
ancient ruins, and the relics of another age. Xyrades, out from the dark shard.
always the doer and rarely the thinker, led his faithful So it was that Xyrades had found the Wanderer and
friend and constant companion, Gallus Vickers, on a wild discovered the connection between blood and the
chase through the thick jungles, into the lava tubes at the obsidian fragments. Xyrades spent the next few weeks
base of Mount A’Val and pretty much wherever Xyrades’s excavating the shards from the earth, and quickly became
caprice carried them. Through it all, they had little success obsessed with them. Using his contacts at the Wizards’
aside from a pile of uninteresting pottery fragments, a few Guild, he translated the writings on the shard that had
corroded coins, and the skeleton of some terrible thing. It been awakened, finding the information there to be of
wasn’t until, while sipping wine between expeditions, that great value to a wizard such as himself. What’s more, the
they heard some pirate who claimed there was something knowledge contained within the shards indicated they
of interest near A’Val after all. The man, a crusty old crook were some kind of journal, a journal detailing great travels
and sea dog, went by Captain Malachi the Marooned of some thing that Xyrades could only dub the Wanderer.
(male human journeyman) and was famous for his lies, but Buried within those experiences were incredible revelations
after a few drinks and careful questions, the young men about the nature of planar travel, and the various methods
felt confident enough that there may be something to his one might employ to escape the bounds of the mortal
meandering tales after all. plane and explore the far flung, wondrous, and horrific
Xyrades and Gallus wasted no time in collecting funds planes of existence.
and equipment. By the following month, they had a well- For the next few years, Xyrades committed himself to the
established dig on the mountainside, right around the area recovery and awakening of these shards, slowly adding to his
Captain Malachi described. The pair used their Freeport numbers with like-minded scholars from Freeport as well as
Institute tuition money to hire laborers from the city, as the Continent beyond. As his ranks swelled, the Obsidian
well as other experts on such subjects as ancient and dead Brotherhood was born. By this time the organization had
languages, archeological procedure, and historians. For far eclipsed the early fumbling of two wizards. It had lost
weeks their monies dwindled and shafts penetrated deep all innocence and had become a disturbing enterprise that
into the base of A’Val, with nothing to show for all their required fresh and living blood, and in appalling quantities,
work. to achieve an unspeakable goal.
After most of their workers had quit and the experts
went home that the pair came upon the find that would

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 Chapter VIII The Obsidian Brotherhood

of the organization. Aiding him is the spirit of his dead

Organization comrade Gallus, who helps other inner circle members in
the processes of translation, offering advice for reassembly,
In spite of its relative youth, the Obsidian Brotherhood
and occasionally acts as a spy, flitting through the shadows
is quite large, with contacts throughout Freeport, Mazin,
of Freeport to ensure no one pays too much attention to
and even the Continent. The early findings extracted from
the Brotherhood’s activities.
the shards proved quite valuable, and the sale of this lore
Beneath the leadership are the archivists. These cultists
funded the continued excavation and recruitment of new
are the ones who perform most of the labor. They translate,
members. Although the Brotherhood claims an extensive
record, and collate the information extracted from the
network of agents, the structure is loose, with only a few
shards and occasionally leave the site of the extraction to
members aware of the Brotherhood’s actual purpose.
reference volumes in the city, using the Freeport Institute’s
libraries or, more rarely, those of the Knowledge God’s
Membership temple. In addition to the scribing duties, the archivists
may also experiment with their findings, practicing the
Within the Brotherhood, there is a sharp division
revealed techniques until they gain mastery. Although
between those who understand the nature of the Wanderer
Xyrades heads up this cult, he delegates the day-to-day
and what exactly the Brotherhood hopes to achieve and
business to Gallus and Torvey the Flea. The core of the
everyone else. The cult’s core consists of a tight-knit group
cult has a dozen members plus the leadership.
of ambitious scholars and disgraced wizards who do the
The rest of the Obsidian Brotherhood consists of its
lion’s share of the work when it comes to translating the
servants, those morally ambiguous individuals seduced
shards and reassembling the body. The rest of the cult
by the promise of power, wealth, or other gifts, and do
consists of spies, saboteurs, assassins, and smugglers, none
their part to aid the Brotherhood in their endeavors. The
of whom have any idea what it is that Xyrades is after.
principle and largest group of supporters are the Shrikes,
a small—about ten—but effective group of professional
Symbols and Signs killers. The Shrikes are charged with eliminating anyone
that looks too closely at the Obsidian Brotherhood’s
Secrecy is key. Most of the Brotherhood inner circle
activities, as well as bloodying the obsidian shards to
works and lives in Freeport or in the encampment and
ready them for translation.
when meeting in public, they use codified hand signals to
Aside from the Shrikes, the Obsidian Brotherhood has
communicate news to each other. This method of speech
a number of useful contacts, including pirates, smugglers,
takes the form of placing a number of fingers against parts
spies, and no few merchant princes, none of whom are
of the body to transmit meaning. Three fingers placed on
fully aware of the Obsidian Brotherhood’s nefarious
the upper arm inform fellow cultists law enforcement is on
plans. These unwitting allies support the cult because
the way. A clenched fist held to the lower back indicates
they are well-paid and plied with whatever it is they want,
tiredness and a single finger placed on the crotch tells
whether it’s young women or men, jewels, or even status.
someone to get lost.
The Brotherhood also employs the device of an obsidian
dagger on a fiery red field to identify itself. This symbol is
Goals and Motives
a modification of the Shrikes device and Xyrades adopted
The Obsidian Brotherhood’s goals appear simple, at
it, much to Hobson’s alarm.
least on the surface. The inner circle works to unravel the
mysteries of the shards, record their findings, and then take
Structure the awakened pieces below their encampment where the
pieces are slowly assembled in the ongoing effort to reform
As mentioned, the Obsidian Brotherhood is divided
this deceased being. None of the cultists truly understand
between those who know and those who know not.
the implications of their actions, for while they have a sense
Xyrades commands the cult and is the heart and soul

Curse of the Ancients: Tragedy at Mount A’Val Archeological Dig

— T he Shipping News

126 Cults of Freeport

The Obsidian Brotherhood Chapter VIII

that these shards were once a being, they believe, at Xyrades’s the research has a way of sparking interest in the subject
insistence, that the thing is dead. The reason for reassembly matter, which ultimately leads these accomplices into
is because Xyrades claims that once restored, the remains looking deeper into the Brotherhood’s activities. Those
will reveal the deepest mysteries of the cosmos. intellectuals who object to the nature of the project are
Xyrades is lying. He knows what’s at stake and what silenced, their lifeblood awakening yet another fragment,
will happen should this dark work be completed. Once while those who set aside their morality and embrace the
the final shard is in place, the Wanderer will awaken from horrific nature of the cult’s work are welcomed into the
its eons-long slumber and visit incalculable destruction deeper mysteries of the Wanderer. The explanation for
on this world. The sacrifice of this world is a minor thing the incredible conversion rate stems from the strangely
in the larger scope of the cosmos, for Xyrades believes he compulsive nature of the research, freeing the full members
is strong enough to command this thing. As each piece is from the burdens of active recruiting. There are, naturally,
restored, Xyrades ensorcels the shards with enchantments dangers to this passive approach, and Xyrades is careful
he believes will bind the Wanderer to his own purpose. not to hire students or sages affiliated with Freeport’s
Once the Wanderer has fully awoken, Xyrades will use temples, especially any priests of the God of Knowledge.
it to leave behind the woes of this world and explore Any candidate that shows interest in joining the dark
the multiverse, travel through the planes, see ancient pursuit of forbidden knowledge is allowed to do so,
and otherworldly civilizations, explore the heavens, and provided he can complete the Ritual of Awakening with
plumb the hells, all through his willing servant. his own hands, using a victim of his own choosing. Upon
A few of the cultists have begun to suspect that Xyrades completing this task, the candidate must show his worth
hides something from them, for the more shards they by trafficking with a conjured creature. What transpires
translate, the stranger and more sinister are the inscriptions, with the creature varies from candidate to candidate, as
filled with the ruins of shattered worlds, lost beings, and well as whatever deviant command that strikes Xyrades
eradicated civilizations. It’s no stretch to think that the as he observes the incantation. The cult leader has been
Wanderer will do the same to the mortal plane should it known to demand sexual acts with the summoned
recover all of its faculties. Thus a few of the cultists have creature, self-mutilation, ritual sacrifice and far worse. It
begun to question, requiring Xyrades to quietly feed their is only those few who throw themselves wholeheartedly
blood to the shards to silence any divisive and rebellious
elements within his ranks.
Although the Shrikes work for the Brotherhood, it is a
tense relationship, largely due to the growing rift between
their leader, Hobson, and Xyrades. Hobson agreed to
aid the Obsidian Brotherhood because it was a good
commission. It would help the assassin gain a foothold
in Freeport and start a lucrative business. Frustratingly,
it was a devil’s bargain and one he’s rued from the start.
As the months pass, Hobson’s control over the Shrikes
has waned. While nominally in charge, he’s finding his
agents answering directly to Xyrades, circumventing his
command and authority. Hobson’s worried that what
began as an alliance is fast becoming a merger. The
Brotherhood is even using the Shrikes standard, replacing
an obsidian dagger for the original bloody thorn and
what’s more, some of the Shrikes have adopted it.

Recruitment
Since the Brotherhood pays studious and scholarly
types to conduct research on the cult’s behalf, usually
masking the intent of the investigation with a great deal
of gold, few of their “agents” in the city realize they abet a
malevolent institution on their mad campaign to awaken
what many would consider a dead god. The nature of

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 Chapter VIII The Obsidian Brotherhood

into these abominable rites that are welcomed as fellow with buying their knowledge. Xyrades does not want to
brothers. Those who fail to meet Xyrades’ strict criteria dilute his cult with external power groups, so he limits
are fed to the shards. his recruitment to individual scholars. Still, he can call
Of late, Xyrades has relaxed his strict view about the upon their knowledge when he needs it, and is certain
membership requirements. As the body count in the they won’t go running to the authorities should he ask
city grows, he fears suspicious eyes will fall upon him something somewhat unconventional of them.
and his brethren, and any effort by the Watch to halt When they have need, the cult may visit Lord Vendon
their filthy progress would result in an unacceptable of the Golden Pillar Society (see Pirate’s Guide to Freeport
delay. Furthermore, once the Wanderer has been fully page 92), who has his finger on the political pulse of the
reconstituted, Xyrades will need an army to assist him city. The cult needs to know the current political state of
in the conquest of the city. So he has been toying with the city if they expect to be successful when they are ready
recruiting toughs and thugs, dispatching his minions for to take power. For Lord Vendon’s part, he is an anarchist
the purpose of finding cutthroats with loose morals and at heart, so does not mind sowing dissenting seeds for
skill with swordplay. the Brotherhood … as long as there is something in it for
The Shrikes occasionally recruit promising thieves and him. Vendon has witnessed the Ritual of Awakening, so
assassins. To separate the wheat from the chaff, the Shrikes he is aware of the cults’ excesses, which are very similar to
shadow prospective additions, testing them and even his own.
going so far as to work against them. If the candidate can
complete the task despite the interference, they invite him Enemies
to join. Should he decline, they silence him. Hobson wants
more recruits to strengthen his grip on the Shrikes. Maybe The Obsidian Brotherhood is a young cult and so they
then, he can tear away from the Obsidian Brotherhood haven’t had a great deal of time to make many enemies.
and end the threat they pose to his command. Some exist, though, and they largely consist of sages and
learned men who saw through the aims of the cult early
Allies enough to not become ensnared by their schemes and
who escaped with their lives.
Aside from the Shrikes, the Obsidian Brotherhood Alfred Condon is one such man. Xyrades approached
can also call upon Captain Malachi the Marooned, a him six months ago. An expert in ancient tongues, Alfred
notorious pirate who calls Freeport home. He is the poured over musty tomes describing the ancient Empire
master of the Dark Desire, and it was foragers from his of Valossa. Alfred was happy enough to begin with, as
vessel that discovered the site containing the Wanderer. the payments were regular and pleasantly large. However,
Although he does not fully understand the work of the every time Xyrades visited him, he gave Alfred more
cult, he has seen and heard enough for it to have piqued work to do and the translations became more and more
his interest. He has maintained close ties to Xyrades as unsettling, detailing demonic rituals and the like. Fearing
the Obsidian Brotherhood has developed. Malachi ships accusations of demon worship, Alfred abandoned his
unusual components, cultists, and other contraband out townhouse and disappeared into the city. The sage now
of Freeport, and sails in with artifacts and tomes from hides in the Docks district, not far from Urian’s Forge
abroad that may be of interest to the Brotherhood.As (see Pirate’s Guide to Freeport page 63), and spends
Malachi can be away for long stretches, communication his time scraping together clues about the Obsidian
can be sporadic, although Xyrades does on occasion use Brotherhood and their activities. His diligence is not
supernatural messengers to keep the captain abreast of particularly altruistic, however, for he hopes to sell this
developments. When the Dark Desire is in port, Xyrades information to the Wizards’ Guild. PCs investigating the
sends a member to liaise with the captain. Malachi has cult may get aid from Alfred in the form of details of the
not yet visited the worksite and so he does not yet know Brotherhood’s members, activities or goals—prospective
the size of the operation, although he has his suspicions. co-conspirators would have to approach him gently and
Xyrades has contemplated initiating him into the cult, gain his trust before he will commit himself.
but Malachi’s lack of magical skill and his worth as an A handful of scholars like Alfred are scattered through
outside agent forestalls such thoughts. the city, but none of them pose much of a threat to the
Xyrades has also been courting a group of demonologists. fledgling Brotherhood. Of much more concern to Xyrades
Although their skills would no doubt be of great use is the Wizards’ Guild. Since demon worship is punishable
to the cult, Xyrades fears a power struggle could result by death, any involvement by the Guild would become a
should they be invited to join. So, he contents himself serious threat to him.

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Although counted as an ally, Captain Malachi could pause. Xyrades was given a choice between tutorage in
soon become a dangerous enemy. Seduced by the promise the magical arts or a beating. Xyrades chose the former
of wealth, power, and influence, Malachi believes he is and gained the power he had sought all of his life.
somehow being cut out of the Obsidian Brotherhood’s At the age of 22, he murdered his mentor while the old
success, and, like any good pirate, he wants a bigger piece man was asleep and took up residence above a tailors’ shop
of the profits. For some time now, he’s pressed Xyrades to in Scurvytown. Not long after, he joined the Wizards’
accept him as a full member, but every time he broaches Guild, where he met Gallus Vickers. Recognizing a
the subject, the cult leader refuses without explanation. kindred spirit in Gallus (bar the worst vices), the two
Malachi simmers, resenting his position more and more became inseparable.
with each week that passes. It’s just a matter of time before They soon found the site containing the Wanderer and
Malachi forces Xyrades to act, and when he does, death started excavations. The discovery of the shards and the
will most certainly be his reward. subsequent death of his friend Gallus set Xyrades’ feet
upon a path he cannot now leave, even if he wanted to.
Xyrades, Leader of Possessed of a fearsome hunger for the knowledge the
the Obsidian Brotherhood shards contain, Xyrades lost the last vestiges of any charity
or goodness he may have had left. The rites necessary to
awaken the shards and the beings he has since contacted—
“If you ever want to have another full night of sleep horrific demons and terrifying abominations all—have all
again, don’t, whatever you do, look him in the eye. If left their mark on him, leaving behind a shell of a human
you’ve ever been to Chambers Asylum, you’ll know being.
what I mean.” Having seen the power offered by the shards and the
wonders yet to come should he successfully re-animate
—T he Silver Shrike the Wanderer, Xyrades has become impatient at the slow
Xyrades (male human master) is the leader of the progress of translations. So he has perhaps crossed the last
Obsidian Brotherhood and it’s a role and position he line. With a ritual unearthed from the shards, he called
relishes. While he doesn’t involve himself in the mundane forth the spirit of his old friend Gallus. The ritual has
business of managing his minions, his intense presence
ensures his servants carry out his commands without
question. Due to the scholarly nature of the work carried
out by the cult, the members can be timid at times,
something that suites Xyrades well. Manic and not a little
dangerous, he is confident of being able to contain and
dominate the Wanderer once he has awoken from his
slumber.
Background
Xyrades was packed off to sea by his parents as soon
as he could hold onto the rigging safely. Upset by
their son’s obsession with torturing small animals and
generally spiteful nature, they thought a spell at sea and
the discipline it would instill in him would cure him of
his darker side. Sadly for them, he returned home with a
back striped with lash marks and a note from the captain
describing crimes as diverse as theft, endangering the
cabin boy, and “odd ways.” His family dumped him at the
Freeport Orphanage, where he grew from a spiteful boy
into a spiteful man. Stories told of two disappearances
during his tenure.
It was during a botched attempt to break into a wizard’s
house that he discovered his potential as a wielder of
magic. Caught by the owner, the spell meant to knock
him unconscious had no effect, giving the old wizard

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 Chapter VIII The Obsidian Brotherhood

given him almost unlimited influence over the undead

suffers terribly. To add to his troubles as a ghost, he must
Gallus, so Xyrades has set him to work on the translations
endure Xyrades’s mad whims and the occasional torture
(which was ever Gallus’ strong suit). Now things are
his “friend” inflicts on his exposed spirit. Gallus burns
running more smoothly and the day when the Wanderer
with shame, anger, and a desire for retribution. Although
returns gets ever closer.
diligent in his translations, he secretly plans his revenge.
Personality Gallus is a dark presence. His spectral form haunts the
lower caves, seeking a way out of his prison, only stopping
Xyrades is a perverse man, with perverse tastes. The
briefly from time to time to scold an unlucky cultist who
burning energy and desire that fuels his translations of
happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
the Wanderer’s shards is also the catalyst for desires of
Gallus no longer has any friends and wants none; most
a darker nature, as many in the cult can attest. Coupling
of the trappings of humanity have long since fallen from
his depraved drives with his thirst for knowledge results
him, and all that is left is rage.
in a man who recognizes no limits to his behavior. There
is nothing he will not do in his quest to recover the Background
knowledge held within the Wanderer’s mind and body. If
Born to a father who owned half a dozen warehouses
he needs to betray members of the Brotherhood, he will
and a mother with a substantial inheritance, it would
do so unflinchingly; murder, rape, and torture are second
not be a stretch to say Gallus Vickers was born with a
nature to him, as is theft and bribery. Even though he can
silver spoon in his mouth. He received the best tutelage
appear cultured and friendly, he is not to be trusted. If
in the arts, crafts, management, swordplay, and magic
crossed, he will move heaven and earth to track down the
that anyone short of a member of the Captains’ Council
culprits, using his considerable magical abilities to blast
could hope. At the age of maturity, he was accepted into
them to dust.
the Wizards’ Guild and began the downward spiral that
Appearance explains his current state, because it was at the Guild that
he met Xyrades. Together they made expeditions into
The most notable feature about Xyrades are his eyes: They
the interior of A’Val, braving jungle creatures, smugglers,
burn with the fury of a dozen suns, malevolent, wicked
and worse, for they both were keenly interested in the
and cruel one moment, laughing, manic, and shielded the
Valossan Empire and the secrets it was believed to
next. He is a slight man and not physically imposing, yet
hold.
somehow the force of that intense stare enables him to
After much searching, their efforts and the small
dominate a room with ease, even though he has a habit of
network of contacts they had built up paid dividends, and
slouching. His short-cropped hair is light brown, framing
they learned of the site where the Wanderer lay. Eager
a square-jawed face. A badly healed scar below his nose
to learn about ancient magic, and a desire left unspoken
has forced one side of his mouth downward, resulting in
between them for the power that it might bring, they
a perpetual sneer. He normally wears simple black robes,
started the excavation and eventually unearthed the
gathered at the waist by a leather cord, and wears only the
Wanderer’s shattered body. This is where Gallus’ story
most basic of sandals on his feet. Ink stains his slender
leaves that of Xyrades for a time as at the very time of
fingers.
discovery, Gallus died, a shard from the Wanderers’ body
buried in his throat. As the last of his lifeblood leaked
Gallus Vickers from him, Gallus recalled the look of hunger on his
friend’s face. Then all was black.
“He told me if I smudged my ledger one more time, Some time later, the darkness receded and vision
he would shatter my soul into a thousand fragments returned. However, he could feel nothing of his flesh;
and it would take a thousand men to collect them he felt only cold. Unhealthy desires flicked through his
up again! Of course, I haven’t made a mistake since mind, and he felt trapped, torn between two equally
then, but I can feel his presence in the dead of night, powerful forces—the material world and whatever
all the same.” hell that awaited him beyond. He was not dead and
not alive. He was undead, a wretched ghost brought
—Joseph “Blackjack” Simonen, Cultist back by his former friend. Worse, Xyrades had power
over him, and Gallus learned he could not resist the
Gallus Vickers is a shadow. A disembodied spirit, commands of his comrade in life and had become his
trapped between the mortal world and the afterlife slave in undeath.
through his former friend and colleague’s dark magic, he

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Personality
Gallus translates the shards because this task is the
reason for his revival and he has no choice. However, this
doesn’t mean he is totally without free will. His burning
hatred of Xyrades for what he has done enables Gallus to
keep a lid on his madness. He feels the unholy drives and
lusts, but he resists them heroically. This resistance has a
cost however; he has a fearfully bad temper, and as a result
has no friends. He clings to the hope that he can gain
revenge on Xyrades, but doesn’t have the means to do so,
which only stokes his anger further.
Appearance
In his ghostly form, he still resembles the short, slightly
paunchy man he was. His face displays the despair he
feels at his condition. His weary eyes speak of an inner
turmoil that can only be guessed at, and his soft, raspy
speech seems to be dragged from the depths of a soul in
torment.

Torvey the Flea

“Can’t say that I’ve ever met a more irritating man.
His voice, his mannerisms, even the way he walks sets
my teeth on edge. Some say he murdered Heldred This was probably a good thing for Torvey, for indeed,
to get the head archivists’ job. Wouldn’t surprise me the priests did unlock the strange child’s potential. A
in the least. He’s poison, make no mistake.” genius with locks, puzzles, and slow, deliberate research,
Torvey soon developed into a walking enigma. He was
—Simple Simon, Archivist intelligent, yet socially inept; curious, yet detached; voluble,
Compulsively stroking a smooth metal ball in his left but offensive. Eventually, the priests sent Torvey into the
hand or ironing wrinkles from his robes, Torvey (male world to find his place. Xyrades provided it. He presented
human journeyman) is a barely tolerated fixture in the him with puzzle after puzzle to decipher, and Torvey solved
cult. His exact and maddening mannerisms are a constant them all. Not long afterwards, Xyrades invited him to the
thorn in the side of many brothers. However, his skill at dig, where Torvey has remained ever since, unlocking codes,
reproducing rituals translated from the shards is without practicing rituals, and getting on everyone’s nerves.
peer, and is the reason he retains his place. Despite his The Brotherhood has had an effect on the troubled
personal drawbacks, he has risen to head archivist and Torvey, however. His dislocation from emotion and
brings his unique powers of insight and military precision inability to connect with other people made him an
to the role. Disliked by the cultists because of his insanity, enthusiastic participant in the cult’s deviant behavior. He
he nevertheless enjoys working alongside them, blissfully sees nothing wrong with it, so much so that after two
ignorant of their scorn. years in the cult, he murdered Heldred, the original head
archivist. Xyrades made him the new head archivist, a role
Background he has excelled in ever since.
Torvey was the victim of a disturbed childhood. Personality
Abandoned at the age of six for his strange ways and
difficulty in interacting with his family, they thought it Torvey is an obsessive-compulsive. Everything he
was better for him to be brought up by the priests of the does must be regimented, logged, and carried out in a
God of Knowledge. If anyone could help him, they figured particular way; to do otherwise gives him paroxysms
the priests could. Then they promptly forgot about their of fear. He speaks in clipped tones that are singsong in
son and got on with their lives. nature. He scratches under each arm before entering a

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 Chapter VIII The Obsidian Brotherhood

room, and snuffs out lanterns twice after lighting them, shadier residents of the area are to be believed, Hobson
so something bad won’t happen to him. He brings this has the dubious distinction of being the youngest man to
behavior to his work as head archivist, and it is because of have ever killed someone in a tavern brawl in the district.
his excellent performance that he is tolerated. Some say he was only nine years old. Growing up on the
docks forged the young Hobson into a heartless, and
Appearance capable, killer.
Torvey is notorious for his immaculate appearance. As his reputation grew, he attracted notice and sold
All his garments are washed frequently and are wrinkle- his services as a bully for hire. However, it was the
free, his leather boots are shiny, and he keeps his close- assassination of the crew of the Black Doxy that sealed
trimmed beard tidy. He has several changes of clothes, his reputation. Hired on with a handful of others to
all of them are spotless, and he normally changes clothes bring justice to that murderous crew, Hobson nailed the
twice a day. He rarely stops moving, and he constantly lists of the murdered to the dead pirates. Since, he has
fiddles with a smooth object that he carries in his left fostered a reliable reputation as an assassin, and recruited
hand. When spoken to, he rarely makes eye contact and likely looking men and women to follow in his footsteps.
his responses lilt musically, as he stresses some syllables This group became the Shrikes, and they enjoy a good
over others. Given all of his nervous energy, his spotless reputation among those who would hire them.
raiment fails to hide that he is whip thin. All of that changed when he hired on with the Obsidian
Brotherhood. He has seen a slow erosion of his influence
Hobson, the Silver Shrike over the Shrikes, and seeks solace at the bottom of a
bottle. His favored haunt these days is The Black Gull,
“He’s been drinking again. He’s hardly ever out where he can be found on most evenings, propping up the
of his cups these days. What he needs is a juicy bar. He is completely oblivious to the fact that the man
new contract, one of those rich fellows from the who serves him his drinks is one of the only crewmembers
who escaped from the Black Doxy all those years ago.
Merchant District. Ever since the Brotherhood
employed us, he’s been like a dog without a bone.” Personality
—Neb the Nifty, Shrike Hobson has fallen into a morose depression ever since
the Brotherhood bought his services. He is never without
Hobson (male human journeyman) resembles Gallus a bottle of spirits, and finds consoling oblivion at the
Vickers in many respects. He is unhappy in his work, bottom of each bottle. He was once a proud man, but the
distrusts Xyrades and the Brotherhoods’ motives, and slow erosion of his authority over the Shrikes by Xyrades
wants to be rid of the shackles that tie him to this cult. has buried his pride below a cocoon of self-doubt. He
But he has neither the will nor the means to remove those holds out hope that he can regain his power; however,
shackles. Titular head of the Shrikes, junior members he is tentative in his efforts to do so, fearful of the
respect him, but he’s frequently bypassed when time comes Brotherhood’s growing power. If he were able to return
for a commission to be handed out. The result of this the Shrikes to their former autonomy, or gain the courage
sidelining is that he has become morose, depressive, and to leave the organization, he would quickly regain his
a drunk. If he can somehow gather up his departed will, former confidence. However, he is too sunk in despair to
then he may be able to take back the reins of power and find the will to make this move.
remove the Shrikes from the Brotherhood’s clutches, even
though many of his subordinates would not approve.
Appearance
A fearsome hooked nose dominates Hobson’s hangdog
Background face. Fleshy jowls hang from his jawline, and a drooping
Hobson grew up in the slums of the Docks, and learned mustache completes his gloomy looking countenance. He
from an early age that might did indeed make right. If the normally dresses in black leathers and trousers, with a wide

Rare Rock Ransom: Obsidian Shard Sells for a Fortune

— T he Shipping News

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The Obsidian Brotherhood Chapter VIII

belt from which hang a dagger or two. When he is on a

mission for the Brotherhood, he wears studded leather
armor and adds a short sword to his armory, as well as a
vial or two of poison, which he carries in a belt pouch.

Joseph "Blackjack" Simonen

Joseph (male human apprentice) was once a member of
the church of the God of Knowledge, but was recruited
to the brotherhood after Xyrades met him in the great
library. Joseph had a greater thirst for knowledge than
most in the church and wasn’t too fussy about how he
gained that knowledge, so Xyrades had an easy time in
binding his loyalty. He is currently working under Gallus
in the translation of the shards, something he finds
unsettling, but necessary, to prove his loyalty to the cult.
Background
“Blackjack” perhaps has more to lose than most members
of the cult. His father and his grandfather before him
were both members of the Knowledge God’s temple,
and inevitably Joseph followed in their footsteps. He has
strong family ties to the priesthood, and if he ever were to
be disgraced, his family would fall with him.
On entrance to the temple, he greedily sought
knowledge of the magical arts that had eluded him so
far, yet he was never truly satisfied with what he learned.
One “flippant” comment about demon worship from
Wanderer's Rest
his peers was enough to drive his research underground. Starting as an archeological dig on the flanks of Mount
It was also enough to attract the attention of Xyrades, A’Val, in the five years since they started work, the
who approached him not long after. Eager to widen his complex of tunnels serving as the cult’s base has become
experience, Joseph threw himself into the research that slightly more homelike. After the Great Green Fire had
the cult leader had given him. It was easy to take that been tamed, the Brotherhood found their base was now
last step and join the Brotherhood in all of its excesses. only a few hundred yards from the great rift that opened
The ironic thing is that if Joseph had been a little more up during that cataclysmic event. The entrance to the
selective in his choice of friends at the temple, he might complex is hidden in a loose scree of ash and volcanic
have found a cult right under his nose. rocks, and is flanked by scrubby bushes. Members must
brave Burnlings (see Pirate’s Guide to Freeport page 207)
Personality and worse dangers in their comings and goings, as well
Joseph is a driven man, so driven in fact he is able to as remaining hidden from meddling members of the
work alongside Gallus. Joseph figures only by showing Reclamation Project, who survey the area on occasion.
a willingness to do as he is told will he be able to rise
within the Brotherhood’s ranks. He is willing to do Features and Defenses
almost anything to gain the knowledge held within the
Wanderer’s body, but he is not unnecessarily cruel. The single, rather cramped entrance to the complex
opens into the cave system that is home to the
Appearance Brotherhood. The dimensions of the rooms contained
Joseph habitually wears blood-red, ankle-length robes. within vary greatly. The entrance chamber, the unfinished
This is to not only to hide a growing paunch, but also to barracks, and the dormitory have all been widened and
give him an air of authority he feels he lacks. Hair turning heightened by many hours of labor to present a uniform
to silver at the temples frames a pockmarked face that has environment for the brothers. These chambers are ten feet
seen better days. He licks his lips constantly. high and well lit with oil-burning lanterns. The floors

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 Chapter VIII The Obsidian Brotherhood

have been leveled and the walls chiseled into shelves and those who activated them, leaving them easy prey for
ledges. Further into the complex, things aren’t quite so the cultists.
comfortable. All of the remaining chambers are roughly As well as these potent wards, the Brotherhood has
hewn, their ceilings shored with bracing timbers which a multitude of spell-wielding members to call upon in
creak alarmingly on occasion, and the floors are uneven defense of the stronghold. If the complex is invaded, then
and rough. The height of these chambers varies between Xyrades and Torvey organize the defense (Gallus stays in
seven and 12 feet. Burning torches ensconced into the the translation room). The cultists fight in teams of four
rough walls provide light for the deeper recesses of the spellcasters at each major intersection or doorway. Not
complex. The approach to the Wanderer’s rest is the only being too inclined toward physical combat, Xyrades is
area that does not need artificial lighting, as the glow unsure as to the effectiveness of this plan and has decided
coming from the inert body of the Wanderer is adequate to bring in some sword-wielding mercenaries to beef
for navigating through the gloom. On occasion, magical up the defense. Once he has finished the barracks and
light illuminates or magical darkness darkens the whole bought himself the services of a mercenary group, four
complex, depending on the need. warriors will back up each team of spell casters, resulting
A number of magical defenses safeguard the lair, each in a fearsome force to confront prospective invaders.
of which Xyrades and adept priests and mages place
and maintain. The entrance has a special ward; if anyone Key Locations
enters and does not first say the words, “The Wanderer
has returned,” the dome suspended in the Planartorium All of the following locations are found in the cult’s lair.
will chime loudly. There are also glyphs inscribed onto
1. Unfinished Barracks
the beams shoring up the ceiling and supporting the
walls at the entrances to each chamber. These runes are This chamber is still being hewn from the rock of the
triggered when passed, unless someone in the group is hillside and is a work in progress. Eventually, Xyrades
carrying a shard. Once triggered, these glyphs befuddle hopes to house guards for the complex here. At present,

134 Cults of Freeport

The Obsidian Brotherhood Chapter VIII

it holds little of interest except for mining materials and ceiling in readiness. Half a dozen cultists can normally be
wooden beams. found here.
2. Dormitory 6. Xyrades's Sleeping Chamber
This well-ventilated, yet rather shabby-looking room Attached to the Planartorium is Xyrades’ bedroom. It is
is where those brothers staying at the dig sleep. Rough a rather drab and nondescript chamber; the only features
wooden cots are evenly spaced against the walls around of note are a huge four-poster bed in one corner and a
the room and small footlockers stand at the base of many wide, shallow copper bowl on the floor. However, Torvey
of them. Six to eight brothers are likely to be here at any insists that there is a treasure trove of items Xyrades has
time during the day resting, eating, or studying quietly. not revealed to the cult hidden somewhere in the room.
The more boisterous and depraved of the cultists’ activities There is certainly a secret door running from this room
are kept away from this room. No one likes to sleep in a to the Conjuration Room. This may reveal why Xyrades
midden heap. requires such a large bed. He is very rarely present,
however, as he is normally more interested in research or
3. Translation Room translations elsewhere in the complex. Once he retires, he
Large benches rest against the walls of this chamber, is left alone by the cultists, except in emergencies.
and piled onto them are a veritable hoard of scrolls. Some
are leathery and old, while others are freshly penned.
7. Chamber of Awakening
One or two awakened shards can normally be found here Second in depth only to the Wanderer’s resting
awaiting translation, along with half a dozen cultists using place, this small, intimate chamber reeks of death and
the cult’s library working at the task. No naked flames are defecation. It is here victims are brought for the ritual
allowed into this room, so light spells and magic items are that awakens the shards. In the center of the chilly room
the normal means of illumination. There is activity here stand two robust wooden stakes nailed together to form
at all hours of the day and night and some brothers even an X; manacles trail from the upper and lower sections
sleep here, slumped over their work. of the stake, and the old wood is stained brown by
spilled blood. Around the perimeter of the chamber are
4. Conjuration Room clay pots, ceramic bowls, and copper kettles. These are
This octagonal chamber holds incense, braziers, scrupulously clean. A selection of scalpels, saws, screws,
powders, and other paraphernalia associated with and leather cords hang from nails in the wall by the
summoning magic. Pentagrams are inscribed into entrance. Pride of place, however, belongs to a dagger
the chamber floor to enable quick conjurations, and whose blade is so transparent it is difficult to see. Closer
shackles are attached to the floor and walls of the inspection reveals a razor sharp blade of an unknown
room to facilitate immobilizing summoned creatures, material.
or sometimes victims and prospective inductees. An
incongruously out-of-place addition to this room is a
8. The Wanderer's Rest
large and soiled bed in the north corner. This has seen A soft glow emanates from this chamber; the glow can
some use as Xyrades’ initiation rites have become more be seen long before the chamber is reached, and it can be
depraved and the inductees more promiscuous. felt almost before it can be seen. On entry, the room is
found to be perishingly cold, cramped, and the custodian
5. The Planartorium of a thing from nightmare. Laid out on the floor of the
This large, echoing chamber holds strange devices made, chamber is the form of the Wanderer from which the
bought, or stolen by the brothers. Most of the equipment fiery red radiance shines. Pieces of his inert body are laid
here has been produced by following instructions unearthed out next to shards that have been successfully awakened
from the shards, and they are continuously experimented and joined to form a blazing mosaic. Half of his head has
on to divine their use. The ranges of possible uses for the been assembled and the whole of one arm, yet its chest
items found here seem infinite and strange—tubes, glass and abdomen is only partially complete. One foot stands
bowls, and copper headbands are tossed carelessly about at the base of a leg of unattached shards, while the other
the scarred wooden tables. Torvey the Flea is collecting leg has a complete shin.
materials for a ritual called the Rite of the Riven Sun, and Crystal growths have been extending from the walls
plans to conduct this ceremony as soon as he has all of and ceiling of this chamber since the Wanderer has been
the required ingredients. A particularly magnificent blue in residence, crowding the chamber’s interior as they grow.
and white ceramic orb hangs suspended from the domed Pointing like jagged swords at those who enter.

Cults of Freeport 135

 Chapter VIII The Obsidian Brotherhood

or enemies in this type of campaign, helping characters

Using the Obsidian to distance themselves from the cult or hindering them,
should Hobson feel threatened.
Brotherhood
The Obsidian Brotherhood can be introduced
Beginner Adventure
in a number of ways. Perhaps they are looking for
adventurers to collect rare components and ingredients A rash of strange killings in the city cause panic and
from dangerous lands? Maybe an acquaintance of the the PCs are asked to investigate. The latest deaths are
PCs becomes a victim in a Ritual of Awakening. A in Scurvytown, where death is not an uncommon caller,
strange assassination in the city can lead the characters but the wounds found on the bodies are very jagged,
to the Shrikes, and they can then slowly unravel the suggesting an animal may have caused them or that an
added layers of the organization behind their activities. unusual weapon was used. Investigations with smiths
The Rite of the Riven Sun may be second only to the suggest that a wavy-bladed dagger or even one made
reawakening of the Wanderer in danger, plunging the from stone could cause such wounds, while dog handlers
PCs into a race against time to avert catastrophe. Given quickly rule out animal attacks as the cause.
the planar knowledge the cult uncovers, there are almost Searching the docks for likely suspects, the PCs notice
limitless schemes that can arise from Xyrades’s depraved a crate bearing the device of an obsidian dagger being
mind. loaded onto a ship called the Dark Desire. Speaking to
Another alternative is for the characters to see the Captain Malachi is risky, but other crewmembers are
cult from the inside. What begins as an innocuous job happy to tell the characters who the shipment came from,
researching information for the cult leads to more and and that it is being shipped from the city to unknown
more dangerous exposure to forbidden knowledge, until parts.
the characters find themselves trapped in Xyrades’ web. Lord Vendon ships this crate on behalf of the cult.
After initiation, they could wholeheartedly join with the When he becomes suspicious of the PCs sniffing around,
cult in its aims, or else join Gallus in his attempts to pervert he contacts both Xyrades and Hobson. The Shrikes are
the rituals that are unearthed. The Shrikes may be allies ordered to eliminate the PCs. In the following set of
ambushes and assassination attempts, the PCs learn the
Shrikes are the ones responsible for the murders. They
should be able to discover the Shrikes’ base in the city, and
gain documentary evidence of a link to an organization
called the Obsidian Brotherhood.

Experienced Adventure
At high noon, an unearthly bell rings out across Freeport,
ear shattering in volume and bowel loosening in intensity.
The source of the cacophony is unknown, but it is heard
throughout the city. As the volume rises to unbearable
levels, it suddenly stops and in its place is utter silence, the
silence of the grave.
In the uproar, a group of heavily armed men bearing
the insignia of the Obsidian Brotherhood march to
the docks and stand waiting, looking out to sea. Two
large ships quickly move into view and a briny breeze
follows them into port. As the vessels dock, the ships’
complement becomes clear. They are all drowned sailors
returned to life. The sailors start to cause havoc on the
docks and no weapons can touch them. (The infamous
Winds of Hell under Captain Kothar the Accursed would
make a memorable encounter here. Details on this vessel
and its captain can be found in Pirate’s Guide to Freeport
page 208.)

136 Cults of Freeport

The Obsidian Brotherhood Chapter VIII

Wrath of the Mages! Wizards Declare War on Shrike Assassins

— T he Shipping News

Then, the bell starts ringing again and the noonday sun This is going to be a slog for most groups, and eventually
starts to fade and panic really sets in. Do the characters one that fails. The ritual is completed and the Wanderer
try to repulse the undead invaders, intercept the warriors stirs. Things get very confused and strange occurrences
bearing the Brotherhood’s device (who seem to be of no happen, some good, some bad. It becomes apparent to the
interest to the sailors), or try to find the location of the PCs that the Wanderer is very bad news, as all kinds of
bell that seems to be driving this phenomenon? body parts emerge from his now sky-dark, star-spangled
Tracking the bell leads to a derelict building where body to attack anyone close. Scaled hands grasp, fire boils,
Torvey the Flea has completed the Rite of the Riven Sun. and tails slap from the void of his body.
Killing the wizard or shattering the bell stops the eclipse To survive, the PCs must travel through the void of the
and the invasion. Characters learn that the brotherhood Wanderer’s body and confront the horrors on the other
have otherworldly aid, magic at their command, and plans side!
for the destruction or conquest of the city.
Endgame Adventure
Advanced Adventure
Once the characters have jumped into the Wanderer’s
Warned of the power of the Brotherhood, the PCs starry from, they experience a dislocation of time
track them down to their lair in the hills. This requires and become disoriented. They emerge into a strange
some strong-arm tactics in the city and may bring them world of color, noise, and sensation totally at odds with
up against either the Shrikes once more, Lord Vendon, normal experience. A mind-bending trip, the PCs may
or Captain Malachi (or some combination of the three!), become unhinged from the weird environment and the
depending on how they go about their investigations. inexplicable creatures that inhabit this bizarre reality.
Chances are Xyrades learns of their interest, but even if They are not alone however; strange amalgams of
he doesn’t, they are in for a surprise. For this very night creatures found in Freeport roam here, constantly engaged
is the night that the final shard is to be joined to the in conflicts over territory, or the strange globes of violet
Wanderer’s body and he will be awakened from his eons- light that scamper here and there. Should the PCs survive
long slumber. encounters with the strange beasts here, they become aware
The PCs face any remnants of the Shrikes that have of a disturbance in the air of this bizarre place. An inverse
survived previous attacks, as well as a complex full of vortex forms, at the center of which lies a colossal blazing
experienced wizards and clerics. If the cult’s squad of being. It appears to be dreaming and twitches constantly,
soldiers survived the previous dock fight, they will prove gigantic moans emerging from his mouth. This is the real
to be a more direct threat. PCs need luck to reach the body of the Wanderer. This is where he resides while his
conjuration room and attack Xyrades; however, Gallus astral body roams the planes. Does one awaken a sleeper,
may help them if they do not instantly seek to destroy or does one try to slay him? Both carry great risk, and a
him due to his undead nature. possible confrontation with a being alien to the characters
experience. How will he react to either tack?

Cults of Freeport 137

 Index

140 Cults of Freeport

 Index

Index
A F
Abaddon the Destroyer........................................ 75–77 Father Cadiccen.........................................................81
Dogma....................................................................... 76 Felder Michaelmas.....................................................55
Rites and Rituals....................................................... 76
Allies G
Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign.................................... 13
Gallus Vickers.......................................................... 130
Charnel Children....................................................... 96
Goals and Motives
Esoteric order of Starry Wisdom.................................. 65
Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign.................................... 12
Lost Souls of Yarash.................................................... 51
Charnel Children....................................................... 95
Obsidian Brotherhood............................................... 128
Esoteric order of Starry Wisdom.................................. 64
Priesthood of Yig......................................................... 33
Lost Souls of Yarash.................................................... 49
Scions of the Destroyer................................................ 80
Obsidian Brotherhood............................................... 126
Society of the Velvet Whip......................................... 112
Priesthood of Yig......................................................... 32
Andwad Foustaff........................................................16
Scions of the Destroyer................................................ 79
Society of the Velvet Whip......................................... 110
B Gross........................................................................ 101
Billy Eggbert............................................................ 101 Gulimar Do’ana........................................................ 115
Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign............................. 5–26 Gummer Ghurtz........................................................52
Brother Remigio....................................................... 116
H
C Hannibal.....................................................................82
Captain Silas Gantry..................................................53 History
Charnel Children............................................... 91–105 Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign................................ 7–10
Charnel God........................................................ 91–92 Charnel Children................................................. 93–94
Dogma....................................................................... 92 Esoteric order of Starry Wisdom.................................. 62
Rites and Rituals....................................................... 92 Lost Souls of Yarash.............................................. 47–48
Cleaves Home.................................................. 102–104 Obsidian Brotherhood............................................... 125
Crawling Chaos.................................................... 60–61 Priesthood of Yig................................................... 28–30
Dogma....................................................................... 61 Scions of the Destroyer................................................ 77
Rites and Rituals....................................................... 61 Society of the Velvet Whip................................. 108–109
Crimson Weal.................................................. 118–120 Hobson..................................................................... 132
Horrible.................................................................... 100
D
Dragon, the.................................................................54 J
J’ness...........................................................................39
E Joseph “Blackjack” Simonen..................................... 133
Edwina Lilybridge......................................................71
Enemies K
Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign.................................... 13 Kenneth Regrant........................................................68
Charnel Children....................................................... 97 K’San..........................................................................36
Esoteric order of Starry Wisdom.................................. 66 K’Stallo.......................................................................34
Lost Souls of Yarash.................................................... 51 K’t’Kah................................................................. 38, 39
Obsidian Brotherhood............................................... 128
Priesthood of Yig......................................................... 34 L
Scions of the Destroyer................................................ 80
Lady Elise Grossette................................................ 117
Society of the Velvet Whip......................................... 112
Lamarak Blacktusk..................................................... 83
Enochia Bowstring.....................................................68
Leanna St-Martin.................................................... 113
Esoteric Order of Starry Wisdom........................ 60–74
Lexington Fillory........................................................51
Euglenus Cleaves........................................................97
Lost Souls of Yarash............................................. 45–59

Cults of Freeport 141

 Index

Lowyatar.......................................................... 106–107 Simon Midwich........................................................ 100

Dogma..................................................................... 106 Slim............................................................................99
Rites & Rituals........................................................ 107 Sly. ........................................................................... 100
Lucinda Penmark..................................................... 100 Society of the Velvet Whip............................... 106–122
Structure
M Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign.................................... 11
Charnel Children....................................................... 95
Matches......................................................................85
Esoteric order of Starry Wisdom.................................. 63
Membership
Lost Souls of Yarash.................................................... 49
Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign.................................... 11
Obsidian Brotherhood............................................... 126
Charnel Children....................................................... 94
Priesthood of Yig......................................................... 31
Esoteric order of Starry Wisdom.................................. 63
Scions of the Destroyer................................................ 78
Lost Souls of Yarash.................................................... 49
Society of the Velvet Whip......................................... 110
Obsidian Brotherhood............................................... 126
Symbols and Signs
Priesthood of Yig......................................................... 30
Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign.................................... 11
Scions of the Destroyer................................................ 77
Charnel Children....................................................... 94
Society of the Velvet Whip......................................... 109
Esoteric order of Starry Wisdom.................................. 63
Mendor Maeorgan.....................................................13
Lost Souls of Yarash.................................................... 49
Obsidian Brotherhood............................................... 126
N Priesthood of Yig......................................................... 31
Nyssal.........................................................................37 Scions of the Destroyer................................................ 78
Society of the Velvet Whip......................................... 109
O
Obsidian Brotherhood..................................... 123–137 T
Organization Tarmon.......................................................................66
Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign.............................. 11–14 Temple of Yarash.................................................. 56–57
Charnel Children................................................. 94–97 Temple of Yig.............................................................40
Esoteric order of Starry Wisdom............................ 63–66 Thorgrim....................................................................66
Lost Souls of Yarash.............................................. 49–51 T’lother......................................................................34
Obsidian Brotherhood....................................... 126–129 Torvey the Flea......................................................... 131
Priesthood of Yig................................................... 30–34
Scions of the Destroyer.......................................... 77–81 U
Society of the Velvet Whip................................. 109–113
Unspeakable One.........................................................5
Orrin Feeney..............................................................70
Dogma......................................................................... 6
Rites and Rituals......................................................... 6
P Upjohn Drowne.........................................................66
Priesthood of Yig.................................................. 27–44 U’Rahn.......................................................................18

R W
Reapers’ Hall......................................................... 86–89 Wanderer’s Rest................................................ 133–135
Recruitment Wanderer, the................................................... 123–125
Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign.................................... 12 Dogma..................................................................... 124
Charnel Children....................................................... 96 Rites and Rituals..................................................... 124
Esoteric order of Starry Wisdom.................................. 64 William the Pleaser....................................................99
Lost Souls of Yarash.................................................... 50 Wizards’ Guildhouse............................................ 71–73
Obsidian Brotherhood............................................... 127
Priesthood of Yig......................................................... 33 X
Scions of the Destroyer................................................ 79
Xyrades..................................................................... 129
Society of the Velvet Whip......................................... 111
Regina Meyer.............................................................14
Y
S Yarash.........................................................................45
Dogma....................................................................... 46
Saffron House...................................................... 19–22
Rites and Rituals....................................................... 46
Scions of the Destroyer......................................... 75–90
Yig. .............................................................................27
Semphi Tiersten.........................................................17
Dogma....................................................................... 27
Silver Shrike, the...................................................... 132
Rites and Rituals....................................................... 28

142 Cults of Freeport

 Index

Them That Dies Will

Be the Lucky Ones!

Buccaneers of
Freeport
spring 2008
Cults of Freeport 143
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