(The “Cult of the Dreamer” case file, volume #8 – “Case Closed” ;18th of September, Year 122 of the Blessed Age; Blüdhafen)
The latest information gained during the last two days of the investigation proved crucial to ending the threat of the Cult of the Dreamer.
After a full translation of the cultist rites, and due to the few unfortunate interrogation incidents that had happened in the first days of the investigation, it was found out that some of the cultists might only be mind-controlled innocents, even though paladin inspections found no arcane residue; meaning the mind control was not arcane in origin.
In a few cases, trying to disrupt the mind control resulted in dangerous incidents. All of those who were successfully released from their delirium were purged by the paladin order, to ensure that they haven’t fallen victims to corruption. Those capable of speech and thoughts were afterwards questioned about what they had remembered, and their recollections only confirmed the suspicion that the roots of the cult were concentrated in small lairs all over the city, finding and dealing with them all would be an almost impossible task without any further intel.
Upon hearing these news, duke Marion de Valle was about to put the city districts into lockdown, order a curfew, and let soldiers methodically sweep through every household, but guard lieutenant Viezmar, who had been leading the investigation into the cult, requested the duke to give him one day, and that he would find the location of these lairs, and his soldiers could then attack these cultists dens without harming civilians.
Lieutenant’s request was granted, and in the next few hours, all cultists that were still under the effects of mind-control, were questioned, declared innocent, and let free. Lieutenant Viezmar then ordered his men to discreetly observe them and to report all of their movements, especially in the night.
Without a single exception, all of these mind-controlled individuals left their homes after dusk, and were seen to be congregating in various buildings across the city.
Upon receiving reports about all of the observed victims, Lieutenant Viezmar relayed the information to the duke, and large assaults were ordered at once against all of the reported locations.
The night ended in dozens of deaths and captures, but most details remain unknown, as reports from the assaulting solders were often very chaotic, and it would seem that what they had seen in these dens proved scarring to their minds. Perpetrators who were accustomed to the dark rituals and who were consciously behind the mind-controlling rites were interrogated and tortured to find all the remnants of the cult, and soon, the Cult of the Dreamer was all but eradicated.
The duke and the paladin order were appeased, and believed that while some cultists might still have escaped justice, they will be caught eventually.
Guard lieutenant Viezmar was commended for his initiative concerning the cult. But was also stripped of active guard duty for disobeying orders, blackmailing a superior, and disregarding authorities, after he ignored the order not to continue in the investigation into the cult; believing that there was something that eluded everyone’s sight.
On the very same night however, lieutenant Viezmar was ambushed in his bed by a lunatic wielding a queer occult dagger, he managed to overpower his assailant, but not without suffering very severe wounds that do not seem to heal properly.
The very next day, it was found out that most of the mind-controlled citizens were suddenly cured of the symptoms of mind control, and once properly examined, they were deemed fit to return to society.
Lieutenant Viezmar was hastily reinstated back into active duty and guard captain Müller was relieved of duty instead, for endangering the populace.
The strange dagger of meteoric iron and strange embedded gems of unknown cosmic origin was deemed dangerous and taken by the paladin order for safekeeping, so that it would never fall into wrong hands. Unless further intel is received, the “Cult of the Dreamer” case is considered closed.
(Addendum by knight captain Dietrich Menge, 12th of March, Year 123 of the Blessed Age: All mentions of the dagger in this volume and all its copies must be erased. We must not repeat the same mistakes again.)