In Thy Blood

The Baptist Altair is dead, killed in Lucatore, an Anabaptist stronghold in the Purgan Alps. Yet this mountain village is much more than a crime scene, it was his seat of power: The man who guided the fate of the Anabaptists together with seven brethren was born in Lucatore. Here in the mountains, his stellar rise through the ranks of his Cult began. For decades, he guided its fate, made history by leading the Anabaptists onto the Adriatic battlefields, only to negotiate the long-desired peace with his former enemies, the Jehammedans, in the end. His efforts united his family, the Benesato Clan, like a noose that ties together a bundle of twigs until they finally fully merged with the Anabaptist Cult. Finally, his Cloister came up with the recipe for the Elysian oils. But now, everything has changed within a day — a cowardly killer’s hand has struck down the powerful Neognostic in his own hometown. While Lucatore is stunned, Scrapper broadcasts, outriders and courier pigeons spread the word of the crime. From all corners of the known world, a cry of outrage rings out. The Anabaptists are deeply terrified—they have lost a man who was almost a messiah to them. But the other Cults are shocked, as well. Someone dared to attack a leader of a Cult. The fragile balance between the various factions is threatened; false accusations might lead to new wars. Lucatore itself is unique to the followers of the Broken Cross. Its Oil Mills produce the Elysian oils – core element of their rites and war implement of the Anabaptists. But Altair’s death makes the mountain village the center of attention for various factions. The Spitalians want to find out who killed the dignitary. The Cult has fought the Jehammedans in the Adriatic Basin together with the Anabaptists. They need to know if this murder threatens their alliance. But the widow of the deceased man opposes an investigation and insists on keeping up the time of mourning, no matter what the cost. The Chroniclers insist on seeing things for themselves. Secretly, they activate an undercover agent in the mountains. While the Fragment Modus and the Council of Emanations calculate the potential effects of the murder in Cathedral City, the spy tries to get a firsthand impression of the events that occurred. The Hellvetics whose nearest bases are only a few kilometers from the site of the events are worried. They have pacified the area around Lucatore. Important trade routes run close to the village. Major changes are unwanted, just as political firebrands are.