The Fountain of Youth (Introduction)
Not all what happens in Honeyngton originates with the cultists of the Children of the Rat cabal.
This scenario interweaves another nameless cult, the Followers of the Golden One, to the mix. Mara is one of these cultists, pretending to be a blessed one of TSA that is willing to share the secret of eternal youth.
She has partnered with Baltram to provide her with support to conduct her latest scam.
Mara will lure wealthy and influential people to Honeyngton to become their younger self again ( as the youthfulness can only stop aging, not reverse it). While it looks like she is successful as a young vaguely similar looking person will return home from Honeyngton to reclaim their riches, the truth is more sinister:
Once Mara knows who her victim is, while she is stopping their ageing for a couple of months at a time, she will search for a suitable person to impersonate the younger victim, ideally an existing cultist or someone easily manipulated. Occasionally Baltram has helped her finding and conditioning the right cultist and this has established a good working relationship. When everything is in place the victim is invited to Honeyngton and once there is captured and hidden underground. Using torture and manipulation Baltram, Mara and the young cultist will then extract all the secrets that would allow them to reclaim all the riches. Often this is done via a written will made by the victim to benefit his/her younger self.
While the young cultist is then sent back to his/her new home, Baltram prepares the insurance by transporting the still living victim to an abandoned mine. There the poor soul is intended to live to the end of their days or until he is needed for a specific hidden knowledge or to make sure the young cultist stays in line.
Some of the more trusted cultists in Honeyngton are involved in this plot but most are unaware of the connection between Mara and Baltram.
This can actually be a good hook to get heroes from distant shores to Honeyngton if family members of a victim are not buying the story and want it investigated.
Comments