Inception
The Princes are the creators and leaders of the Cabal, a criminal organization that swept that became a festering boil of activity on Genesaris' face. The Princes' came to Valucre in search of the only enemy to best them in over a decade . . . Faustus Clemens. Donovan Cutler by name to the Princes, but there is no mistaking that foe.
Cain is a puppet-master, malicious in his own right, and is leveraged into a position of subservience to the Princes by way of blood-magic and deception. He becomes their right-hand man. He soon tires of obedience. He knows he can't defeat them on his own, so he seeks the only man he's known to beat them. He seeks Faustus Clemens.
The two men meet. Cain intends to recruit Faustus into the cabal, and entreats Faustus's help in wrenching control of the Cabal from the hands of the Princes. Faustus agrees and provides Cain with a contract he is to sign in blood.
A deal is struck.
Canon:
Reconstruction
Arrival
Faustus, Cain, and no more than five other members loyal to Cain's cause arrive in Muhir. The entire time Faustus is gathering contacts, names and locations that will come in handy in the near and distant future. He steers them towards Veera, where he acquires a defunct guildhall to function as the base of operation. He names the new criminal syndicate
the Dead.
Upon moving into the guildhall Faustus layers the guildhall with powerful anti-divination and identification spells layered one atop the other, interwoven with an intricate illusion so the building doesn't radiate and become a beacon of magic as it otherwise would. Members are inoculated against divination, enchantment, possession and blood magic by way of education, charms and cantrips, pendants and tattoos.
Canon:
Arrival
The merchant goes missing
Fossil meets with an influential merchant (Gerald Irenk), one who has grown fat through his success. Fossil plies for proximity by way of lavishing drink on the merchant and his guest and manages to steal away a lock of the merchant's hair. It is a critical item for a ritual Fossil performs later which replaces the merchant, bit by bit, by a puppet constructed by Cain Rose and to be controlled by him later.
Canon:
The merchant goes missing
A labor leader gets his life looted.
Cain Rose replaces a work-force leader with a flesh-puppet of his making. Through this avenue the Dead have established a presence throughout any face to the city where service workers have access to. Mansions and the houses of noble, government buildings, guildhalls and taverns, police headquarters and so on down the list. At will the work-force leader can sanction any type and amount of labor and send any number of Dead operatives into any number of locations.
Canon:
A labor leader gets looted
Construction of the builder-puppets
Cain, using blueprints of Faustus's personal design, builds a set of thirty builder-puppets. These puppets have six limbs of exceptional dexterity and strength. They are set on the task of creating more builder-puppets. Consequently their numbers experience a large boost in population at first but level out immediately at 360 workers. These puppets do not need to eat, sleep, or use the bathroom; they work tirelessly and without flaw. They are the source of labor which provides the Dead with product for their lucrative perfume and toy industries.
Canon:
Construction of the builder-puppets
Establishing Valucre's first industrial perfume outlet
Using Gerald Irenk as his foothold, Faustus scores an audience with another of Muhir's influential merchants (Normon Howard), and introduces himself as Bertrand Eezel. Faustus gives Norman a sample of a perfume he has titled Elysium, and it takes Norman for a ride. Faustus then lays the terms of agreement.
By going into business with the organization that Bertrand represented Norman, and any other merchant Norman could use his influence to convince to do the same, would make 10% from every sale of perfume. Bertrand's organization would make, advertise and distribute the product; all the merchants had to do was have the product available. And for this they'd make 10% pure profit.
In concert with this meeting, Cain busies himself with constructing the builder-puppets. Faustus promises the first shipment within 3 days.
Canon:
The perfume outlet
Recruitment
Omen is one of the two established generals of the Dead's roster, the other being Fossil; one of two men that Faustus could consider apt for the task. Omen tears through a number of foot-soldiers from local gangs. Those that bear witness to the horrific power that this one man wields are persuaded to throw their chips in with the Dead.
Canon:
Recruitment
Stealing the signet
Bedlam, a captain with the Dead and a recruit from the Cabal that followed Cain to Muhir, is sent to a noble house to lift their signet ring. He is provided information from Dead foot-soldiers that worked inside of the house pretending to be butlers, maids, and carpenters. He knows all the entry and exit points, the number of people inhabiting the manor, the types of locks used, and the location of his prize; the task proves easy for Bedlam. He makes a copy of the signet ring and disappears without a trace. The Dead can now authorize cargo and letters with a seal that allows them to send shipments and letters through express routes that are less likely to be checked.
Canon:
Stealing the signet
Recruitment Mark II
A golem, a monster that is made from the different limbs and pieces of different creatures, mimics the actions of Omen in his own, grotesque way. A lot of graphic detail can be provided upon request (by clicking the link and reading the post). Those that survived and weren't scared out of their wits promptly lined up to join the ranks of the Dead.
Canon:
Recruitment Mark II
The industry takes off
Cain's builder-puppets build seven puppets an hour. By noon, the work-force is at full tilt. After four more hours three-hundred bottles of Elysium, Inspiration, and Serenity were boxed, tagged, and then shipped to their perspective stations to be sold.
The worker-drones begin to sew stuffed animals and blankets with comforting scenes stitched into them for sale.
Canon:
The industry takes off
The toy factory
Faustus meets with Norman Howard for the second time. He wants to begin a toy industry. Apparently they have product already finished, sewn and sized, ready to be moved onto the streets, immersing their target demographic. Like before, all Norman had to do was make the product available. He did not have to sell, did not have to advertise, did not have to hire vendors. He merely had to have the toys in sight at his various stands, and for this he would make 10% off their monthly profit.
Canon:
The toy factory
The brothel
There are men that like to take advantage of the system. Kidnap women, addict them to drugs, traffic them around the nation and so on.
There are men that like to engage the system in mutual growth. Provide services, health facilities, disease monitoring, food and shelter, protection and so on. All for a nominal fee, one considerably less than the pimps of yesterday charge. One such man that engages the system in such a way is Faustus; one such organization that endorses this is the Dead; the main location of their enterprise is the
Electric Chameleon.
'Pimps' take 90%, sometimes more and rarely less, of the profit made by their whores. The Dead take 33% of the money generated by their workers, as precisely to one-third as they can calculate, minus the expense of food, disease cures, and shelter. This leaves the workers with anywhere from 55-58% of their earned profit.
Considerably more than what they might earn with others, and in such favorable working conditions too.
Canon:
The brothel
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