Session 8: Cyric, Mother of Deceit Arc 1

Without more tracks to follow that night and concerned as to what their next step would be, the group to some time to honor Susana's memory, by taking her mangled body to her parents, so she could be properly laid to rest. The parent’s heart could be heard breaking across the living room when they brought her in, and after some time all the preparations were ready, and the pyre was set ablaze, in the hopes of freeing Susanas spirit. The father, with his eyes feeling up with more rage than sorrow, heard the story that the adventurous had to share attentively. He heard of the catacombs and the garden in the Bowels of the mountain, and how she was found in that sorry state, left on the ground like a worthless rag. He then read the book that was on her daughter's person on the moment she died. He shed one more tear, but this time it was of joy, as he understood why she went to the mountains. Such a brave and inquisitive mind, he thought, for she had already unveiled the nature of the monster that torments this village, and of the fiend that murdered her.

The book he was holding was an old compendium depicting most of the known demons to have been seen walking this earth at some point in history. One of the pages was marked by bloody fingerprints, a purposeful clue left by her daughter, indicating the first page of a chapter dedicated to the follower's of Cyric. This particular brand of demons was known to manipulate and feed off their victim’s pain and sorrow, seeking to soil and corrupt their spirits by exposing them to meticulously planned tragedy of their own making. Said creatures were in line with the famously known succubus and changelings, creatures whose flesh bent and morphed to coincide with their nefarious intentions, also commonly known to wield magic to deceive the senses of mortals.

This description seemed to appropriate to the nightmares plaguing Blackstone Village, both the ones dreamed and lived alike. Susannas father started to become concerned about the missing body pieces from her daughter’s frame, a trait shared with the other known victim. He quickly came to the conclusion that a ritual was at foot, that of building a vessel, a manufactured body, powered by the tortured souls of the unwilling flesh donors that compose the homunculus, one powerful enough so that a great demon may inhabit it, so they can freely travel to the land of the living.

The entire group, hearing of this became plagued with dread, except for Valsali, whose ignorant and relaxed demeanor lifted a bit of the height of this situation, but also allowed him to focus on a particular but important detail, that of the aforementioned Cyric. Both parents of the first victim explained with concern in their voices, that Cyric was most likely the first contestant to inhabit the twisted flesh doll, for her story ends with an unfinished family rivalry.

Cyric was once an angel, and the twin sister to another. This other's name was lost in time, but what is known is that she ascended to godhood, and is known today as the Raven Queen, the lady of destiny and the strings of fate, with domain over every living being destined death. Cyric, the jealous child, wished for this mantle for herself, but did not possess the responsibility to wield such power responsibility. Nonetheless, she tried to steal this mantle for herself and ended up falling from grace in the process. It is believed that she became a powerful demon lord, with a much appropriated title under her twisted wing, the Mother of Deceit and Manipulation, who will stop at nothing until she has her vengeance.

With all this new evidence at light, the group decided to retire for the day and ponder their next course of action. This time, it was decided to rest at Caz's house, for the group was still unsure what to do to him. Should they deliver them to the authority of Neles and make him face punishment for his crimes, or should they protect him from both the law and the dark influence that compelled him to shad blood.

Thus followed another night poorly slept, plagued with nightmares of the past, a tool that was beginning to be felt heavily, especially by Rhyia and Cats. When they woke up something felt different, a void present in their chests, like a twisted mark left by the advance of the corruption of the now known follower of Cyric, Mother of Deceit.