Jade Sceptre
Deviants and Decadents
Slaanesh
Not counting famously lewd Bretonnian cities, there is hardly anywhere in the Old World where a cult of Slaanesh has as much political clout as it does in Middenheim. Power and politics don’t normally matter to the followers of the Prince of Chaos. After all, the cultists argue, since we’re all due to be subsumed by Chaos in the end, the important thing is to have a good time while we’re waiting.The Jade Sceptre
The cult of the Jade Sceptre recruits from among the city’s idle rich with the promise of indulgence in endless forbidden pleasures. The cult itself is named for the rod which Slaanesh is often depicted holding in votive art. The young rakes adopt other names to help cover their tracks, and often style themselves the ‘Deviants and Decadents’.Recently the cult has undergone a tragic setback with the loss of its most energetic adherent: Anika-Elise Nikse of Nordland. The cultists are not quite sure how the young lady, only 23 years of age, died. Anika-Elise was its only toehold on the ladder of political power, for their leader had been none other than the vivacious second wife of Graf Boris himself. Some believe that a Witch Hunter infiltrated the group and assassinated her on orders from the Graf. Others maintain that she died of natural causes.
Whichever version of Anika-Elise’s death is true, none of the cultists have been charged or persecuted. In fact, the death of a noteworthy influencer did not worry the cultists as much as the loss of an enthusiastic and creative sybarite. The cultists soon got back to living as decadent a lifestyle as their pockets could stand. And things would probably have continued in this vein had it not been for Gotthard von Wittgenstein, a protégé of Anika-Elise herself.
The von Wittgenstein line has been developing progressively worse mutations for generations, and none had left their barony in over 70 years. But young Gotthard was bored in the family’s crumbling Reikland castle. He was tired of the same old faces and there was nothing for a young, ambitious hedonist to do. When he stumbled across an old journal that mentioned the existence of a Slaaneshi cult in Middenheim, he decided to chance the city. On arrival in Middenheim, Gotthard soon contacted the cult. Introduced to Anika-Elise, he made a great impression and was rapidly promoted to Deviant Master.
Realising the need to hide his real origins — the depth to which the von Wittgensteins had sunk was bound to be uncovered sooner or later — Anika proposed that he adopt the name Gotthard Wallenstein. Given that young Gotthard was blessed with a natural talent for swindling people, Anika saw him as the ideal person to infiltrate the Merchants’ Guild. Within six months, thanks no doubt to Anika’s influence, Gotthard became not only chairman of the Merchants’ Guild, but also Covenor of the Kommission for Commerce, Trade, and Taxation.
Type
Secret, Occult
Leader
Parent Organization
Related Professions
Notable Members
Related Ethnicities
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