Faith's Fortune — The Sanctus Crisis

Faith's Fortune — The Sanctus Crisis

Spoilers
GM only. Players should not read below. It will damage your game experience.

Arc Focus: The trial of Alhazir of the South Wind and the looming fate of Buonaccorso Sanctus threaten to shatter the Twelvefold Covenant, draw in House Ellvarr, Halcrist, and Meridante, and spark foreign entanglement with the Caliphate of Sahrim. At the heart stands Archdeacon Abramuccio Sanctus, beloved but tested — forced to weigh family against faith.

Act I – The Heretic’s Trial

Location: Hall of Golden Judgment.

Participants:

  • Deacon-Justicar Joseba Doyenarte (judge, impartial but devout)

  • Inquisitor Liuthold von Mohringen (zealous)

  • Deacon Andreuccio Petaccia (moderate sympathizer)

  • Praetor Lucienne Dravonne (Crown oversight)

  • Alhazir of the South Wind (heretic preacher)

Events: PCs may attend or influence Alhazir’s trial. His testimony links the Moon Judge to Kaelith, strengthening Buonaccorso Sanctus’s claim.

Choice Point:

  • Execution: Sets the Covenant on a hardline course. Buonaccorso becomes a martyr figure.

  • Exile: Weakens inquisitors but emboldens southern enclaves.

  • Pardon with Penance: Risks Crown suspicion and Ellvarr outrage.

Act II – The Council of Deacons

Location: Hall of Embassies.

Participants:

  • Deacon Stadius Latinius (pragmatist)

  • Deacon Romoalt D’Onston (sympathizer)

  • Deacon Folduin Erhorn (zealot)

  • Inquisitor Napolino Zibello (cold inquisitor)

  • Count Tristan Ellvarr (territorial lord)

  • Baroness Maescia Halcrist (emerald viper in the chamber)

Events: Debate over how to handle Buonaccorso Sanctus’s enclave in Ellvarr lands. Abramuccio is pressed to denounce or defend his son.

Choice Point:

  • Denouncement: Covenant aligns with inquisitors and Ellvarr, House Halcrist maneuvers in the background.

  • Dialogue: Shows mercy, but paints Abramuccio as weak and possibly complicit.

  • Defiance: Defending his son openly risks schism in the Covenant.

Act III – The Fragrant Enclave

Location: Vale of Fragrance, Buonaccorso Sanctus Enclave

Participants:

  • Buonaccorso Sanctus (prophet of the Thirteenth Dawn)

  • Followers of the Children of the Thirteenth Dawn

  • Count Tristan Ellvarr’s agents

  • PCs (if dispatched to parley, investigate, or purge)

Events: PCs encounter the enclave firsthand. Its syncretic shrines and fervent pilgrims reveal growing support for Buonaccorso’s message.

Choice Point:

  • Negotiation: May persuade Buonaccorso toward compromise.

  • Suppression: Drives him underground as a rebel-prophet.

  • Support: A shocking alliance that may fracture the Covenant.

Act IV – Serpents in the Desert

Location: Crescent Mirror Shrine, Zarithan Oasis (Caliphate).

Participants:

  • Elwin Eilceran Halcrist (spy-scholar, Buonaccorso’s teacher)

  • Caliphate scholars divided on Buonaccorso’s teachings

  • Count Arnulf Drachenwald’s emissaries (Halcrist vassals with frontier ties)

Events: PCs may uncover Halcrist manipulation. Elwin’s lessons were meant to bind Tarsus closer to Sahrim — evidence of foreign treachery.

Choice Point:

  • Expose Halcrist plot: Strengthens the Crown but risks war with the Caliphate.

  • Conceal it: Allows Halcrist leverage to grow unchecked.

  • Exploit it: PCs may try to play both sides for their own faction’s benefit.

Act V – The Crown’s Shadow

Location: Capital politics, Hall of Justice, or noble courts.

Participants:

  • Grand Duke Malcolm Meridante (ambitious rival of King Theodore)

  • House Ellvarr (angling for loyalty rewards)

  • House Halcrist (maneuvering for alliance with Sahrim)

Events: The Crown takes an interest. Meridante factions push Abramuccio to resolve the heresy swiftly.

Choice Point:

  • Strengthen Crown: Aligning with Meridante or the King suppresses sects, bolsters unity.

  • Empower Halcrist: Allowing Halcrist’s influence risks Caliphate footholds but weakens Meridante.

  • Faith First: A dangerous refusal to yield to nobles, risking schism and political collapse.

Act VI – The Archdeacon’s Choice

Location: Spire of Twelvefold Light, Sanctum of Harmony.

Events: Abramuccio Sanctus must decide — father or Archdeacon. The PCs may be witnesses, envoys, or even the deciding influence.

Outcomes:

  • Execution of Buonaccorso: Abramuccio sacrifices his son for the Covenant. Faith survives, but the man is broken.

  • Exile or Penance: Buonaccorso lives but schism festers, creating an underground movement.

  • Acceptance: Buonaccorso acknowledged — fracturing the Covenant, but opening doors to Caliphate unification.

🎲 GM Notes

  • Abramuccio Sanctus: Anchor him as a beloved, competent leader, torn between duty and blood. His crisis is the heart of the drama.

  • Faction Opportunism: Halcrist plays the long game, Ellvarr wants quick solutions, Meridante maneuvers pragmatically.

  • Buonaccorso’s Role: Keep him compelling and sympathetic. He’s not a mad heretic, but a prophet whose teachings could reshape the pantheon.

  • The Inquisitors: Provide the “easy solution” (execution), but their zeal risks backlash and martyrs.

  • The Caliphate: Not monolithic — some clerics might secretly admire Buonaccorso, others condemn him.

🎲 GM Tools

  • Agency Above All: The fate of Buonaccorso must remain in player hands — martyr, reconciler, or prophet.

  • Faith as Weapon: Always consider how faith is wielded politically. A sermon can sway armies as much as a battle.

  • Serpents in the Grass: Keep Halcrist present as shadowy manipulators — the true villains behind the schism, using Buonaccorso as their pawn.

  • Foreign Pressure: The Caliphate’s reactions should shift depending on trial outcomes. If Buonaccorso is executed, they may threaten war. If he thrives, they may seek alliance.

  • Crown vs. Covenant: Let the tension between faith and crown authority bleed into every trial, debate, and verdict.

🌒 Adventure Seeds

  • The Trial of Alhazir: PCs can sway the trial toward mercy, execution, or exile — setting tone for Buonaccorso’s fate.

  • The Silver Scale Shrine: Infiltrate or protect Buonaccorso’s enclave in Ellvarr lands.

  • The Serpent’s Mentor: Unmask Elwin Eilceran Halcrist’s manipulation at the Crescent Mirror Shrine.

  • The Drachenwald Divide: Brothers Karl and Heinrich Drachenwald pull PCs into frontier politics tied to Halcrist ambitions.

  • Meridante’s Hand: PCs may be courted by Grand Duke Malcolm, Princess Helen, or King Theodore to shape the Covenant’s stance.

  • The Archdeacon’s Reckoning: Witness or influence Abramuccio’s final choice, with ripples that could redefine the pantheon, crown, and realm.