For years, the cult of madmen that worship Zodank of Madness kept mostly to themselves. They would come into the city occasionally to try to recruit people for their demented rituals, many of which involved blood sacrifice. They did not kidnap or forcibly convert, though, so the king was content to leave them be.
That changed when Gimdal Braineater became lead priest.
His name was no jest. Zodank had given him a vision of glorious madness, veil-piercing clarity of purpose. To ascend to new heights, he and his fellow priests must consume the minds of the sane- only then would they be allowed to partake of the most holy rites of Zodank. They started with the most recent members of the cult. They then went on a mighty new recruitment drive, with all members going straight to the dining room. When this proved insufficient, they turned to harassment and intimidation, bullying people until they joined. Still they needed more.
The kidnapping started with street people, those who wouldn’t be missed. Soon it was unsafe to walk the streets of the city at night. A pair of guardsmen, hearing the cries of another victim, tracked the attackers back to the Cloisters. Upon watching, they were horrified at how the victim had her skull cracked open and her very brain ripped from her head.
They returned the next day with the king’s army, and all were put to the sword. The building was torched, and the entrances to the cellars blocked. Gimdal himself was hung on a pole outside the building, and left to serve as a warning. All thought the nightmare was over.
Still, though, the area remained unsafe. Reports of terrifying screams, echoes of the victims, were reported in the vicinity. People who ventured near returned traumatized, telling stories of horrors still remaining below. It seemed contained to the area, though, until the son of the army captain who slew Gimdal disappeared from his room. The mark of Zodank was emblazoned on his wall.
The king put out a call for a party of adventurers to explore the area fully and ensure all threats were disposed of. The reward is a pile of gold, plus any plunder still remaining in the cellars below, where the source of the terror is rumored to be. You have signed up for this adventure, whether for noble purpose or for personal gain. But now, you are in the cellars, and the voices are whispering around you. Someone... or some few... are working against you. They lurk within your group, and are working toward your downfall. You must root them out before you are all destroyed.
Can you survive the Cloister of Zodank, God of Madness?
Day 1 has begun!
Day 1 will last until Thursday, 3/28 at 11 PM EST.
There are six items in the public pool.