Sanctum Town
From MoongatesWiki
Sanctum Town is a small and closed-off hamlet in the wild outskirts of Yew's great woodland, overlooking it's craggy northern coastline. It was once the model Avatarian commune, with it's close-knit populace filled with depthless piety and often violent zeal. The Church of Yew once held even greater sway here than they did in the city itself, with every citizen a layman or laywoman of the faith. In those supposed good-old-days, the Daemon Inquisition ruled, overseeing the smallest actions, and listening in to every conversation. Lynchings and wytch-burnings were a daily event, with the brutality of the fanatical organisation shocking even the most hardened Guardsman to silence.
The Daemon Inqisition
The Inquisition came to power during an age of starvation, plague and constant fear, prior to which it had been a small but prosperous area. A dark alliance of orcs, living dead and cultists struck the town even harder than the plague in search of some obscure relic long forgotten in the lands of the living. The battle raged across the surrounding area for several days and nights, leaving most of the townsfolk dead in its wake. Yet the dark host was finally driven back, and the few survivors returned weary to their homes. During the siege the town's Mayor Odo Relgh was struck by a poisoned orcish blade, leaving a splinter lodged deep within his chest. Before the day was at an end, the goodly Odo passed away.
Having no other person to take his place the Wytch-Hunters' Guild, the only other force in the town, grew in numbers taking advantage of the confusion and declared themselves the interim protectors of Sanctum Town. Many of the people gladly accepted their leadership. Under the strict rule of these fanatics, the town changed dramatically. The boats that had previously supplied the village and fished the nearby waters were left ashore, while new vibrant trade routes sprang to life. Willingly or no, the commoners began attending the Wytch-Hunters' sermons on a daily basis, fuelling a religious awaking the likes of which has not been seen since. After each mass they were given combat training, and the safety of the town was finally restored. Bread fed all mouths and there was plenty of wine for the thirsty. More and more people slowly came to Sanctum Town seeking a fresh start and a safe haven. Those that disliked the new rule were cast out by their kinsfolk or tried before the interim protectors and burned as peons of the Guardian.
The Wytch-Hunters, or Inquisitors as they now deemed themselves began to tax the trade routes, dabble in the politics of the area, and slowly amass ever greater wealth and power. Their ultimate coup came in the form of a band of mercenaries, hired to dress as marauding orcs and invade the town – burning outhouses and smashing windows. Using this as an excuse the Inquisition declared martial law over the town, and slowly gained popularity in the eyes of the commoners. The state was made permanent with the support of the townsfolk.
An outbreak of plague and several years of economic ruin signalled the end of the town's prosperity. The Daemon Inquisition would be absorbed into an increasingly centralised Church, while their most violent and fanatical element – the Wytch-Hunters – were either forced to retire, taken into the Templi, or declared outlaws. Bands of these renegade flagellants and zealots would ultimately burn down the tavern and headquarters of the Tel'marian Mercenary Company, who in turn conquered the fanatics' hamlet, putting it to temporary use as their base of operations. By the time they too disbanded and departed it's streets, Sanctum Town had become a trading den for tarif-dodging merchants, shady smugglers, and the lowest folk in Yew. Its dock waters now seeth with filth and waste whilst scattered remnants of abandoned boats jut from the surface. Since the Tel'marian thugs vanished no true authority has existed here, and Militia patrols seldom pass along its cluttered, and often blood-stained roads. The population has long since dwindled to little more than a handfull, and the majority of it's abodes have fallen to decay and ruin.
