Roz's Writeup

*Chapter 6: Revolution and Rumors*

*Horimandeaus* Bathe: A Succinct History of Stormgate

As with all moments of political dysfunction, the rumors and whispers of the city consumed all, some stoked by the regime, some inflamed by their attempted repression. Printed in paper, passed person to person, or purely appearing in the minds of the people, soon it became hard to distinguish what was fact, and what was fiction. No class, no group, no person was spared from this storm of salacious scandal. It is hard to perfectly capture the almost anarchy which gripped the social scene at this time; but imagine that everything you heard someone you know believed. Then imagine that 90% of it contradicted something that someone else you knew believed, and that only the remaining 10% you knew to be true was true, and all the others were idiots. Except it wasn’t, and they weren’t, any more than you.

Some rumors I’ve managed to collect, namely those ones that made it into the paper record include:

1.      That Commissar Tarkus was involved in a love affair by mail with Brunhilda of Oathstone, and the failings of his government were attributable to this distraction. This was of course her purpose, and some good men of the Dominion need to wake him up from the (often very real) spell she had cast on him.

2.      That under the city lay another city comprised entirely of goblins and those nobles who had escaped the deluge, who were plotting their revenge. Evidenced by increased rats, raided store houses, etc.

3.      A woman in Old Town claimed there was a towering demon, with two glowing white eyes, that ran amongst the roof tops at night. The rumor grew so wide spread that some residents started putting up nets to catch the Old Town Runner, as they called it.

4.      An unending number of nobles believing in conspiratorial plots amongst their own number, who then acted accordingly and started reporting on their fellow members movements.

5.      The Stormguard had teamed up with notorious serial killer The Goblin Hai to murder merchants who offended the regime, or who were loyal to it, depending.

6.      The Blue cloaks all were Eunuchs

These are all well and good, except they are all easily disproved when the facts are known. In order:

1.      Commissar Tarkus had a crack team of mages, if he was under any spell they would have immediately detected it, and neutralized it. Further, while Brunhilda is a humorous target of his affections, similar rumors existed about nearly every notable woman or man (to this day we do not know the Commissar’s preferences), up to and including his *dog*.

2.      There are goblins under the city, but they do not possess anything close to a city themselves, and the idea that the nobles would team up with them is absurd. Additionally there was a prolific turf war among criminal factions as members escaped the prison (see chapter 4) that they were held in. Things got worse because of crime, not secret goblin kings.

3.      Most people took this rumor as a joke; to this day old town still has a multitude of nets “to catch the demon as it runs”. It has never caught a demon, though it has created a variant on stormball called “old town rules” which can be played without the need of the gale.

4.      These ones are true. However most of the conspiratorial groups were in fact countering other, counter revolutionary conspiratorial groups. Sprinkled throughout this were some individuals who saw this happening, and decided to join in on the fun. One Lord Borisen wrote to his wife :

“The other day that fool Jeb came up to me talking about how Guildmaster Hodges and his troop were on the move, and asked if I knew anything about it. I didn’t of course, but I told him that Hodges (for whom I am a confidant if you recall) had just purchased a surprising amount of flour. He paused for a moment, and then thanked me profusely, before running off muttering about storehouses and combustion. Just this morning Hodges comes knocking on my door asking what Jeb and his Jebesian society was doing buying up all the flour his bakers needed; he had heard that he had talked to me recently and just afterwards began his purchasing. Of course I pretended to be aghast and bewildered; I told dear Hodges (who don’t worry, I remember the insult he paid your mother, though after this you must forgive him), that I had merely mentioned how much good the Bakers Guild was doing for the Dominions Blueguard by providing them with breakfast each day. Further that he was a good friend of the dominion. Hodges, immediately incensed, started ranting about loyalty, and just needing the proof to get that bastard. He asked me to testify on his behalf, but I pointed out that there was no crime discussed, and that buying flour wasn’t one in of itself. Nor did I want to become a target of the rapscallion! He seemed saddened but understanding; I then offered him the idea of retaliation, Jeb has some interest in the dairy business if I recall. Hodges did not know this, and immediately swore never to buy any milk or butter from him, nor would any of his fellows ever again, I then directed him to your brother for alternatives. This is all a long way of saying that your uncles and brother’s farms owe me quite a bit for shooting up the price of flour and for the business of the Baker’s guild. They should both buy you the largest and most gaudy jewelry your heart desires; I miss you, come home soon.”

5.      The entirety of this rumor stems from an attack that occurred in Coinbiter’s row. Besides its on face ridiculousness, the only reason this rumor spread at all was because the regime needed to spread it. The sole witnesses were one mercenary and a cadre of bluecoats. The house was exploded but every member of the family and family guards had their throats slit. Even had these facts somehow lined up internally, it still didn’t make sense. With respect to the Regime’s propaganda unit; their own analysis had determined the Stormguard to be *elite*, and yet here they are teaming up with serial killers to kill a merchant who was just connected to the regime. Poorly, it might be added (the merc claimed to have downed three of them, had one of their number abandon their allies in fear, and then still managed to have lost *every* single one of them*). The facts just simply do not match Storm gate’s modus* operandi, the only fact worth baring is the accurate description of members who were not publically known yet. Still, internal documents show active anti-regime actions across the board, the regime was just capitalizing on knowledge it had gained somewhere else. No this was targeted rumor; it’s just a pity the Dominion felt the need to butcher an innocent and allied family to do it.

6.      This one existed before the revolution, and considering just that some were women it was false. The artistic descriptions of the rituals however, became far more involved and believable. A personal favorite involves repeated dunking in Boars blood while reciting the fourteen tenets of the Storm. Where these tenets came from or what they were varied from source to source, but imagining willing archwizards sputtering out an oath of loyalty between being dunked in pig blood before being castrated is hilarious, especially if you happen to know an archwizard.

Still, rumor is a powerful tool in the fight aga….

*Chapter III: Blood that Boils*

*Stromthurd* Lecturn: The People’s History of Stormgate.

Hatred of something naturally comes to those who are denied
by that thing, and the Dominion had certainly given the Stormguard plenty of reason to hate. After the Prison Break the Stormguard shed their disguise as adventurers and do-gooders and
fully devoted themselves to the destruction of the Dominion. As you are no
doubt well aware, they were not constrained but modern standards of decency,
morals, or a respect for innocent life. Yet at the time, people were still unaware
of their nature and preferences.

The first incident that awakened the public to the threat of
the Stormguard occurred in Coinbiter’s Row. For reasons escaping comprehension,
but not a surprise looking back, they allied themselves with notorious serial
killer the Goblin Hai. They sunk into the Row, and killed an entire family down
to their year old daughter. Argyle Swint was an established and accomplished
business man, the largest merchant in Stormgate; true friend of the city and
well loved by his peers. He had association, as would all men of his station,
with the Dominion on things as varied on proper trade policy, to taxes. It was
for this, being successful and having knowledge that he had to die, his family
slaughtered, and his house combusted to cover their tracks.

The Stormguard burst into his home and slaughtered his
guards, except for one Kurt Blackridge. Blackridge, a towering six-and-eight
foot dragonborn of stoic disposition and a reputation for honesty and efficient
work, had been hired by the Swint’s to protect him for sizeable coin, and for
good reason. Blackridge began his career 30 years before as a sword for hire on
ships as anti-piracy forces at the young age of 14. He quickly established
himself a prodigy; he had more commendations on his record from the merchant
marines within 8 years than most men had over their entire careers. He led the
assaults that took back the Lusitania, the Clasped Heart, and the Hound’s
Pursuit from Captain Rackham “Shark Eyes” Merrows, which made his name known
throughout the city. A local legend through and through, and he placed two
members of the Stormguard, Ray and Howell, at the scene of the attack.

Blackridge managed to down most of the Stormguard he
encountered, a feat of no minimal notice. He reported two others; a kobold
spellcaster and an elven fighter. These were the first reports of these
individuals, but certainly not the last. By his own report he managed to down
the Howell, Ray, and the lizard, and the elf fled from him. An unknown human
spellcaster teleported in, and before he could see what was happening they used
their magics to revive the others and flee the scene. Yet distracted as he was
with them, the Goblin Hai snuck past him, and killed the Swints; to cover their
tracks they proceeded to detonate the house but he survived.

In all the Stormguard had killed a baby, a child, a wife, a
merchant, eight guards, and possibly more for reasons that escape
understanding. And this was only the beginning.