Report on Zagreus, the Drunken God of Tyrosh and the Cult of the Masque
Author: Shara Rogare
Subject: Blood Cults of Zagreus and the Nature of the God Himself
Sources: Captive Maenads, Formerly Enthralled Cult Members, Necromantic Interrogations, Yssian Greater Divinations
Introduction: It is our most solemn task as Inquisitors to hunt down traitors, those who would enslave the very souls of mortals not only against the interests of the Imperium but the interests of all sane thinking beings, be they mortal, deathless spirit or other stranger folk. It is thus our natural inclination that upon seeing self-harm, madness, and murder associated with the worship of a god performed in secret to add the name of that god to the list of those proscribed. The most recent case, however, defies such a clear definition, leading to the creation of the current report to illuminate the dark waters of Zagreus worship.
Nature of the Drunken God: From the accounts of his servants Zagreus is a very generous god and one little concerned with games of power. He seeks above all else to encourage self-reflection and understanding through the removal of social constraints that 'blind' one to the truth of the world and of the self. Thus both murder and the enthrallment of others are abhorrent to Him. 'Do as Thee Will, Bind Thee None' appears to be the creed of the Drunken God himself. Alas many of his gifts, ecstasy and freedom also make one more easily bound, just as one might be slaved to the bottle from seeking within only a dulling of pain or loss, or more pertinently for this report, as one might be driven into unwise deeds while intoxicated.
The Cult of the Masque: The one called the Masque was, from what can be gathered of his skull's own cryptic utterances, once an alchemist of no particular note employed in the fetes and entertainments of the Tyroshi elite whom he came to despise for their belittlement of his craft. Around the Sixth Month of the Year 290 AC, after the Westerosi reckoning, he experienced a revelation analogous to other magical awakenings of that time when using water from the Great Fountain, he quickly became favored of Zagreus for his swift understanding and willingness to experiment with philters and potions that brought much entertainment to the god.* He was even graced with the presence of some of his gods' handmaidens passing the veil between the worlds on the day of his most holy festival.
The tale of the cult and its masked leader turned dark when the alchemist suffered a nearly deadly meeting with the Daemons that then stalked Tyrosh, slaying or capturing all the mages who awakened in the city. The alchemist was captured and subjected to many torments conceived to break his spirit and make him fall before the Moon-Pale-Maiden. Though he escaped with his soul untainted after slaying his tormentors, the same could not be said of his mind. Zagreus' inability or unwillingness to save his favored worshiper drove him to bitterness and hate. If the god's love would not protect him then he would gather the power to protect himself.
Using arcane formulae and meditative techniques, he entranced and bound to his will first the handmaidens then his fellow mortal initiates, bar a handful who fled to Westheaven. That was who the Night of Blood was meant to slay, individuals whose names and association with Zagreus was simply lost in the scale of the massacre.
For all the madness and hubris of trying to twist a god's will to his own desires, the Masque was wise enough to not to cause too many ripples after the Conquest, preying mostly upon those who had mocked and used him as a petty distraction, the idle rich and the magisterial families whom he judged imperial authorities would care little for, but in the end his one great outpouring of rage and spite at Westheaven was enough to set up the imperial investigation which ended in his death.
When asked why they believed their god did not save them sooner, the Maenads explained that theirs was not a god of war and that making the 'true faithful' battle 'heretics' would be the first step to transforming him into such a would-be tyrant. However they did not express any hesitation to collaborate with the Inquisition in their own name.
Conclusion: It is advised to observe the Daughters of Revelry as they might still in their enthusiasm cause harm. Worship of the Drunken God itself does not seem to represent any inherent danger.
*Note One: It bears remembering that our sources are for the most part inhuman and detached from the usual perspectives of most of the faith. A mortal worshiper of Zagreus might well describe his god's favor and other aspects to do with his worship in more traditional theological terms. They would not necessarily be wrong.
OOC: Yes, Shara made this report alone. She was the one with the most training in this sort of formal writing and as a result Anya and Mya foisted it on her.
]
