5.06 - The Cultist

The Sagespire monks led Anneleigh inside and sat her down in an area that looked very much like a kitchen.  It had a closed in feeling, rather unlike the open worship room she had been welcomed into earlier.  She got the impression the monks wished to be a little more secretive with their next task.

“This report was discovered on the corpse of a Shatterbone Cultist.  Inside, it gives evidence of a Shatterbone spy within The Sagespire.”, said the first sage. 

Anneleigh would have guessed he would be the first to speak.  Taller than the rest, he had an air of command that none of the others showed.  They looked to him for direction.  The first sage held out a missive.  It was clearly written in a simple code.  Between the spaces of the original text, the sages had broken the code; their translation reading on every other line.

“The information in this Report is most disturbing!” said a second, more agitated, sage, “I cannot believe someone here would violate our trust – our confidence!  Worse, an enemy in such a position could bring great harm to the work we do here.”

Anneleigh stood, ready for action. “Finding this agent must be our highest priority!  Stop the leak before it is too late.”

“Be at peace, Anneleigh.  The Vigil smiled upon us.  He was not able to cause real harm before we discovered him.” said a third sage in a calming voice, “The harm he will cause, as it happens, will be the information he gave to us, not the information he passed on.”

“We will be vigilant in the future against further attempts.” said the first.

Anneleigh frowned slightly.  “Then what do you need me to do?  You’ve already caught the deceiver.”

“The imposter passed information to the Shatterborn, but he was also privy to some information of his own.  When he was caught, he confessed the cult has aligned themselves with the Endless Court.  It is only a matter of time before they attempt to destroy the shrine we protect.  With the help of the Vigil, we will stop them and remove their stain from Scarwood.”

“We’ve learned the identity of their leader,” piped in the second sage, “but we can’t reach him without incurring heavy losses.  However, I’m sure he’d be quite informative to a member of his own cult.....”

“You want me to disuse myself as a cultist, sneak into their camp, and speak with their leader?”

“The cultists do not know you have come to us.  Hiding your ears, wearing their clothes, painting out your face – it will be a more complete masque than any one of us could achieve.”

Anneleigh agreed and she and the monks of the Sagespire set to work acquiring all of the items she would need for her transformation; a white pasty makeup made of Drake Eggs, a brilliant red dye from Thornbranch Berries, and a dark wig to hide her blond hair and elven ears. 

“Now all you must do is enter the camp and steal a uniform.  If you are careful, you should become completely hidden before anyone is the wiser.” said the first sage as he straightened her wig.

“We will see you to the boundry wall,” said the second sage, as she walked out of the Sagespire in their protective custody. “Remember to remove your costume before you return, or you may be killed on sight.  Go with the grace of the Vigil.”

Anneleigh hurried down the mountain side, eager to escape the view of the Sagespire guards.  As she approached the camp, she found many tent, hopefully unoccupied.  She pulled up the rear flap of one, checked to be sure her entry was not seen, opened the footlocker, and retrieved a uniform.

As she picked up the items, she nearly laughed out loud.  What these cultists believed would protect them in battle was a joke.  It was little more than leather straps that bound around the waist and ribs, with two very small triangles attached for modesty.  She dressed quickly but discovered a flaw in their plan.  Though her face was pasty white, her body remained the dusty color it always was.   She quickly attempted to remove some of her white face makeup, smearing it instead on her body, but found it was dry to the touch and would not rub away. 

She took several deep breaths to calm herself and found a mirror.  Her reflection was no different than any other cultist she had met.   Trusting in the anonymity of the cult, she left the tent through the back flap and entered the swarm.  To her great relief she found every other cultist had the same white face and tan body.   The cultists chose to wander between the camps, engaging in idle chitchat and one-on-one duels.  They paid her little attention as she walked towards the platform of High Justicar Vigman.

When she arrived, he seemed to be in conference, but the person to whom he was speaking was obscured by purple smoke and lights.  Anneleigh chose to stay by the edge of the platform, kneeling towards the middle, mimicking the other foot-soldiers. 

“Very good, Justicar.” Said the voice from the purple haze.  “We shall soon have an army of abominations to serve our will, and Telara will fall to the Endless Lord.  The hour of your own dark ascension is at hand.” 

High Justicar Vigman bowed to his guest who vanished, leaving nothing but purple rune markings etched into the wooden platform.

Anneleigh waited, as the Justicar circled to each group on the platform.  One by one they returned to their tasks, until Anneleigh alone was left.    He approached her.

“What do you command, my Lord?” She asked him, in as dry a voice as she could manage.

“I don’t recognize you – are you one of Ko’sheen’s captains?  It makes no difference.  Doctor Visek has commanded us to redouble our taking of prisoners for his experiments.  Ready raiding parties, and pass the word that we may soon be turning on the elves of Greenscale.”

“I hear and obey.”  Anneleigh said.  She bowed and left the platform, walking as fast as she dared.  As an afterthought, she did spread the word about the elves; she hoped they would turn their forces against each other and be their own destruction.

Anneleigh returned to the tent, changed quickly back into her hunting clothes, used the basin and water jug to wash the white makeup from her face, and ran from the tents into the safety of the hillside.  

“The deference the cultists give this Doctor Visek worries me,” Said the first sage when she returned, “and the mention of abominations reminds me of accounts from the Mathosian War.  At that time, the Endless Court chiurgeons were perfecting the creation of abominations.  We may be in more trouble than I’d thought.”

“There were abominations in Lords Hall as well,” Anneleigh said, remembering the two-headed creature that terrorized the young soldier.  “Perhaps they are connected in some way.”

The third sage took her hand and began to walk inside.  “Your help against the Shatterbone cult has been invaluable.  I think we have a handle on things here now, and Sasha Nikadon has asked to speak with you.” He said.  “I believe he has something for you, Anneleigh.”