Despair Meter

With the Queen's Hand yet to arrive in Kantaria, it falls to the Hellfire Heathens to find a way to drive out the Glorious Reclamation. Outnumbered, outgunned and with virtually no allies, they find themselves facing a challenging situation.

A late night meeting with Razelago, Azrael speaks, explaining the foolish death of Wyran Thrune. Taken aback and quite shocked, Razelago listens to the story as well as the explanation that the Queen's Hand is long overdue. He travels back to Archbaron Fex, returning an hour later via teleportation, with a letter.


"The news of Wyran's death is as unexpected as it is enraging. However, we cannot allow this to stop our plans. My pupil has studied The Art and can provide sage counsel. Heed his advice as if it were my own. It is most auspicious that one Thrune's death is timed so closely to another one's arrival. The Thrune house holds great favor amongst the Lords of Hell, and perhaps the divine Prince of Darkness had a hand in how these events played out.

Until your situation changes, you will need to wage a war of sabotage and subterfuge against the Reclamation. Do not overplay your hands and get yourselves killed. You must breed fear and mistrust amongst them to foster dissent. Dissent will be your shepheard's crook to lead the flock to despair and once they despair, they will turn back to the only thing they know, the secure yolk of House Thrune."

DESPAIR POINTS

In the previous chapter, you were trying to slow the accrual of rebellion points as much as possible, in order to slow the timing of events. In chapter 2, Wrath of Thrune, you are trying to earn as many despair points as possible, in order to undermine the Glorious Reclamation. To date, The Glorious Reclamation secured the city of Kantaria with little bloodshed, and they have turned the town into a place of peace and security. They rule with a velvet gloved hand, and make few demands of the citizenry. They have rounded up Thrune loyalist, ensured commerce remains normal, and have helped feed and clothe the poor and downtrodden, all earning the respect of the people. The Hellfire Heathens must undo all of this as covertly as possible. The price of failure is capture or death, depending on the severity of the offense. 

The book has numerous events that occur that will provide the OPPORTUNITY to earn points in order progress the story. I strongly encourage each of they players to take their characters class, items, and abilities, and personality into consideration and develop your own individual plans in order to cause fear, dissent, and despair in the folks of citizenry. KEEP IN MIND - The Glorious Reclamation is the overwhelming presence in Kantaria. Should your plan be poorly thought out, it may lead to capture or execution. 

Despair Rating: 33

The Devil of Kantaria, The Life Leech, and The Peasant Basher have unarguably carved a serious wound onto the psyche of the Kantaria citizens. People no longer feel safe on the streets - travel in the city stops well before dusk as people huddle in their house. Families large enough post their own sentries, strong men and youths to watch the door, should something evil come knocking. A feeling of paranoia has begun to worm itself into the minds of the Reclamation troops, as they begin to suspect everyone of possibly working against them, and their once helpful attitude towards the citizens is now one of slight suspicion. Guards have been pulled from Hardships Hearth to fortify patrols, whistles handed out to better be heard should they run into trouble, and stores of magic items have been given to select lieutenants and even sergeants to aid them. A few trusted townsfolk have been recruited into the Nightwatch Militia, to even further their strength.
Goods remain 20% more expensive.
Due to the number of people leaving the outskirts of Kantaria and entering the city proper, attempting to stealthily travel at night will now require a stealth check made for each hour out, and impose a -3 penality due to the sheer number of eyes in the city alert for signs of trouble. 

The townsfolk of Kantaria whisper that an organized insurgents oppose the Glorious Reclamation. Rumors persist that the most outspoken opponent is a powerful wizard, The Devil of Kantaria. His mark, that of a horned skull with a snake twisting through orifices is easily recognized. It is believed that his attacks on the Reclamation has allowed for other evils to surface, including "The Peasant Basher", a murderer who tortures workers in the outlying areas around Kantaria, and "The Life Leech", an unknown killer believed to be some sort of monster, who chooses his victims indiscriminately and saps their body of all their life energies. 

Concern for the future is on the rise as smart merchants fear the possibility of civil unrest - the price of ALL goods increases by 20%. All Reclamation patrols are being reinforced by additional units.  

Inspired by Oppian's speech, the townsfolk of Kantaria grow emboldened to action. There is a 30% chance during any public encounter against obvious evil forces that a human mob will form to try and deal with the threat. 

• Making use of posters booby-trapped with explosive and fiery runes to harm random citizens +3 Despair. The Glorious Reclamation has taken steps to inform the citizens, who now are careful not to look at the posters.

• The disappearance of Wakko, Yakko, and Dot, three halflings who ran a small fishing business near the Sedna River. +2 Despair. The townsfolk question the decision on putting three recently freed slaves on the outskirts of Kantaria by themselves. The Halfling population upset that the three were not offered better protection. The Glorious Reclamation launches full investigation, but lead suspect Nicolae Umbra has ironclad alibi.

• The savage murder of Jayblin Blackcreek, the man who operated the grain mill along the Sedna River. Rumors say that he was strapped to his own mill's waterwheel and faced repeated water torture before he was murdered - his entire head brutally bashed to a pulp, down to the shoulders. +2 Despair. The Glorious Reclamation has pledged a full investigation. It is unclear if this was related to the disappearance of the three halflings.
• The murder of various townsfolk, with the only common thread being that their exists no obvious method. +2 Despair. The Glorious Reclamation initially suspects powerful illusion magic, which has been known to be used in the past to kill it's victims in bloodless ways. However, clerical spells granted by Iomedae allowing communion with shades of the victims reveals that they witnessed no bizarre images or monsters in the last moments of their life, only an intrusion into their minds followed by the whispering of an unknown being. Reclamation leaders now suspect the use of incorporeal undead.
• The Oathday Massacre- Whatever bloodlust that washed over the citizens of Kantaria that drove them to such madness was never identified, but the day will forever be remembered as the bloodiest day in the towns history. An unknown force swept through the joyous event, driving hundreds of the citizens to turn on each other, in a full out assault, doing their best to kill each other. Those who resisted the urges had to fight for their lives against their murderous countrymen. Several other factors made the event significantly worse, including visiting dignitary of the Trox people of Mount Rinia, Stone Lord Krixis Two-Ton Boulderfists, who waded through the citizens with his warhammer as if they were bugs, a trained ape being attacked by his gnomish master and then driven to fighting for its life, several large horses amidst the crowd, and armed members of the Torag faith having to defend themselves from rioting peasants. Citizens were found dead throughout the surrounding area - in total, 183 died in the riots.
  
  +6 despair for the Massacre itself.
  +1 Despair for the death of the two hound archons who were suppose to protect the Oathday Market and are seen as failing in their duties.
  +1 Depair for the death of several notable and loved members of the town, specifically "Dingy", "Brewbelly" and Lindel the Butcher.
  +2 Despair for the death of The Twins, lesser leaders of the Reclamation.
  The Glorious Reclamation declares martial law for 2 days as they launch a thorough search throughout the area to try and determine some sort of source for the violence. Finding none through mundane methods, Governor Oppian Nevilindor has pledged to spend a week in fasting and prayer in an attempt to beseech Iomedae for insight - meanwhile lower ranking clerics will use all divination spells at their disposal to find answers.
• With the total destruction of the Kantaria Docks, the town faces a major loss of revenue as boatsman travel elsewhere to do their business - it is simply too difficult for merchants to unload heavy trunks and chests from boats on to the steep, muddy banks of Kantaria. Additionally, the man most qualified to help solve the problem - Sancho Reikman - was killed in the fire caused by The Devil of Kantaria. +5 Despair for the destruction of the docks. +1 Despair for the death of a lesser leader of Kantaria. The Reclamation immediately seeks out skilled carpenters to begin rebuilding the docks. While able to locate workers skilled in woodwork, none of them are as skilled at dealing with the problems of water as Sancho would have been. It will be quite some time before docks are rebuilt. 
• A grizzly murder is discovered at one of the outlying farms of Kantaria. The Guldwhey family was assaulted in their own beds. The children were tied and left in a root cellar, while Berrick and Galina Guldwhey were savagely beaten, and then nailed atop makeshift crosses among their wheat fields in grizzly effigy to scarecrows. The bodies were not discovered until two days after their murder, by passing Reclamation soldiers. The children have survived and have been sent to nearby Longacre to live with family. +2 Despair. Believed to be related to Jayblin Blackcreek's murder, the Reclamation is unable to quell rumors about the two events, and the name "The Peasant Basher" is being attributed to a murderer who is targetting townsfolk with sadistic torture then murder in a way that relates to their vocation, with their mouths being smashed in by a blunt object. 
• The Voice, the assimar woman responsible for many of the called outsiders that serve in Kantaria was slain, presumably by The Devil of Kantaria, while traveling outside the city walls. An ear piercing tone was heard throughout the city, as each of the summoned allies cried out, their connection between the Heavens and Golarion briefly thrummed in the ripple effect. Although not easily spotted, the archons and angels that now patrol the streets are ever-so slightly less robust than before, and a little quicker to find themselves full of righteous fury at the citizens for minor infractions. +1 Despair for the death of a lesser leader in Kantaria. While not publicized, the loss of Sinderbos spreads through the Reclamation. The former hammer of Tychus Groat was to be purified into a tool for the forces of good, to be used to craft shining armor for the Reclamation troops. It's loss weighs heavily on Iomedae's soldiers, but none feel the loss so acutely as Oppian Nevilindor, Groat's old friend and killer. +2 Despair. 
• Brazen attacks on the Glorious Reclamation patrols left dozens dead, as devils were summoned from Hell to slay them. How will the Reclamation protect the townsfolk, if they cannot even protect themselves? +3 Despair. The Reclamation responds by strengthening their patrols with more seasoned soldiers previously stationed at Hardships Hearth, and assuring the people that the Reclamation is now fully prepared to deal with The Devil of Kantaria. 
• The third grizzly murder, this time of Reberto Mondavi, a Chellish man who kept a humble vineyard, and crafted sweet spring wines to make a living for himself and wife. Rumors are that the pair were forced to gorge themselves on their own grapes and wine to the point that their elderly stomachs were near to burst - and as with the other murders, their heads violently caved in by blunt force. +2 Despair. Many of the peasantfolk in the area outside take leave of their homes, either traveling into Kantaria or leaving for elsewhere, as their is little safety out in the rural areas. With few places to stay, many households are forced to sleep in the streets. Stealthily traveling at night becomes difficult, imposing a -3 penalty due to the sheer number of people now in the city.  
• The arrival of a horse carrying the dwarven corpse of Kalcyra the Just, an inquisitor of Torag, and a binding force between the Glorious Reclamation and the dwarven followers of The Smith. Within two hours of her body arriving, those who followed Kalcyra to Kantaria have their worldly possessions packed on mules, and are leaving, leaving behind many smoldering forges, that once rang with the sound of hammer crafting out weapons and armor for reclamation soldiers. Between the destruction of the Tychus Groat and the Moloch worshippers and the Torag smiths, the number of capable smiths in Kantaria can be counted on one hand with fingers to spare. Not only will the reclamation suffer, but so will the townsfolk as their metalworked tools and household items fall into disrepair. +6 Despair. 

Oppian Nevilindor sends word out the same day that Kalcyra the Just is slain - he will be giving a speech to all of Kantaria at the southern Sword Tower. Bread, and stew, and wine will be provided for all who attend, the meeting to be held at dusk.
True to his word, Oppian is at the Sword Tower at dusk. The middle aged man kneels in prayer before the statue of Iomedae that sits beside the tower's heavy oaken door. His armor is immaculate, and shines even through the coming night.
Channeling healing energy into the statue of Iomedae at the base of the tower, causes the entire 50 foot stone sword to illuminate brightly. While not unseen by most of the townsfolk, the display of magic is still a sight to behold for the common folk.

"Citizens of Kantaria - I come to you not as your governor, or a military leader," He begins, his voice magically amplified so that the hundreds in attendance can hear, "but as a fellow citizen. I stand not on a platform speaking down to you, or from the balcony of Valor's Fastness speaking up to Iomedae in holy exaltation, but I walk among you, speaking to you as a neighbor. Like many of you, I was born and raised here in our town. All my life, I have lived under the threat of House Thrune, knowing that should I stray far from liturgy permitted by the Crown, that my very soul would be gifted to the 9 Hells on a silver platter. Yet, I followed the path of The Inheritor, praying each day for the courage to maintain my conviction. And there has been no lack of trials to test my faith. The constant threat of Thrune, the presence of fiends in our city and the terrors they have inspired in us. I have had to put my own friend to the sword, a man I would have called brother once, who I could not sway from his beliefs any more than I could be swayed from mine. And through it all, my courage has not left me. It has seen me through these times, and gives me the strength to carry on, to lead the Glorious Reclamation. Our movement is more than just about reclaiming Iomedae's sword she wielded as a mortal - it is about shaking loose the yolk of tyranny that is Thrune, about breaking the bonds that would bind us to Hell. I have lost more friends these past few months than most people lose in a lifetime. And you have an equally pressing burden - the loss of family, of children, and husbands, and wives, and mothers and fathers. House Thrune would rob you of all these precious things and more, they would settle your souls as currency to garner favor in Hell and further their own station. I plead with you, as a fellow countryman, be courageous and draw strength to oppose these tyrants - if not in body, then in mind. Do not allow them to cow you in your homes, do not allow them to push you into a pit of despair - together, united, we are the swords of Iomedae, and we will drive out these wretched fiends, and show them the Inheritor's wrath!"

The citizens find solace in Oppian's speech - while not overwhelmingly successful, the cleric does manage to inspire some confidence in the citizens of Kantaria. Over the next few days, their fervor will spread to others, as citizens begin to take a more active role in driving out the Devil of Kantaria and his ilk. -8 Despair.