Content warning: Descriptions of violence, including against children.
Another one? This is the third in a week. I wish they'd be more discreet about it.— A city guard, upon the discovery of a 'displayed' Koushan Mai body
Whilst
Koushan Mai worship is punishable by death in
Caillah,
Serukis has no such law. For some, this is an oversight, and one that they need to rectify by taking the law into their own hands.
This group is known as the Red Hand.
The Red Hand
The Red Hand are not an organised group. In general, they hold no meetings and have no leader. Instead, they are united by a hatred and distrust of the Koushan Mai people. In some towns, however, the Red Hand are a more formal and overt presence, with elected leaders and occasional meetings.
No one is sure when the Red Hand first began to appear in Seruic society, just that it happened after the
law against Koushan Mai worship was passed in Caillah.
When interacting with Koushan Mai, members of the Red Hand tend to cover their faces to hide their identity. This is more to protect themselves from potential social censure than fear of legal consequences.
Messages and Murder
This is our land!— Carved into the chest of a Koushan Mai victim
The goal of the Red Hand is the eradication of the Koushan Mai from Serukis. They believe that Serukis is their land and that the Koushan Mai are invaders - although the Koushan Mai are actually the natives of northern
Caia.
Members of the Red Hand will often follow people they have identified as Koushan Mai and wait for them to do something that can be construed as worship. Whether it is actually an act of worship is irrelevant; this is merely an excuse for them to pass judgement. This judgement is usually fatal.
Some members of the Red Hand do not bother to stick to their farce of judgement and punishment. These members will often kill Koushan Mai on sight.
Often, a bloody handprint is left at the scene of these crimes as a calling card. This is intended as a warning for other Koushan Mai in the area to get out of town.
Crimes against Koushan Mai - including murder, rape and assault - are not often investigated in Serukis. If they are investigated, arrests are not often made. The Red Hand use this fact to operate without fear of punishment.
In some cases,
guards have been known to walk past an attack in progress without acknowledging it.
Very good balance of detail in this article. A tough one to get right, but I think you've done just that. Hard-hitting, it gets over the brutality, fear and tensions that exist. I also like the contrast in how the group operates / what form it takes in different locations - showing how this could develop/escalate in the future with appalling implications for many. Really well written, filled with tension and foreboding - a thumbs up from me :)
Thank you very much. I really wanted to try to tackle this topic with sensitivity, particularly with the state of the world right now. I definitely feel as though this group has the potential to grow much more dangerous in the future. Thank you again <3
I could feel the sensitivity in the article - partly through how descriptions while haunting, were not overly graphic - you handled that exceptionally well. And at the same time, this stuff happens so you have to be true to it and not sugarcoat it. I think you are a really skilled writer - I'd gladly read your books.
Thank you. That means a lot <3