The Last Word — Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing
The Raven, Gridania’s leading tabloid, alights today, bearing words as dark as its wings. Serial abductions have been reported in Gridania, leaving citizens caught in the vice-like grip of fear.
Intrepid reporter Kipih Jakkya has picked up the scent of the culprits, and writes to us with the findings of her investigation.
Our ordinarily peaceful community has been racked by a series of abductions. Upon learning of these heinous crimes, most folk would be quick to suspect the hand of the evil Empire, and this reporter was no exception. In the course of my investigations, however, I have come to the conclusion that a doomsday cult calling itself the Lambs of Dalamud is the likeliest culprit.
Those familiar with celestial lore will know that the lesser moon Dalamud is held to be the loyal hound of the goddess Menphina. As might be inferred from their name, however, the Lambs of Dalamud have taken him as their lord and savior. Religious hardliners will doubtless cry heresy, but such trifles will keep—there are far more pressing matters at hand.
Cults have been on the rise of late. This comes as no surprise to scholars, who explain that the current climate of uncertainty renders folk vulnerable to the offer of salvation touted by entities they would otherwise spurn. Naught is new about cults—they have existed since antiquity, and are harmless for the most part. Every so often, however, one will emerge whose unsavory ambitions threaten to plunge society into disarray. And by my reckoning the Lambs of Dalamud is such a cult, capable of committing unspeakable evils in the name of their fanatical beliefs.
Now, I must confess that the case against them remains inconclusive. Nevertheless, I shall relay to you what I have learned, that you might form your own opinions on the matter. First of all, no sooner had the Lambs of Dalamud arrived to propagate their faith than the first case of abduction was reported. From refugees to war orphans, people from all walks of life began vanishing without a trace. To further implicate the cult, there is a man who claims his daughter was taken in front of his very eyes by a mob donning robes of crimson in a sick imitation of Dalamud’s bloody hue.
As if all the talk of the Seventh Umbral Era did not cast a dark enough shadow over our lives, folk now durst not leave their homes for fear of the cult; only the gods know what horrible fate awaits those taken. Are there no brave souls out there who would arise to put an end to this waking nightmare?
Our world grows ever more perilous, gone are the days when a citizen could walk through a lonely lane unmolested. Till next time, do take all care, and may the Twelve keep you.
Kipih Jakkya
