The Cradle
A secretive and elusive organisation that has drawn the attention of Sneid Arkmos, a bounty hunter who has pursued them for years.
Overview
Very little is known about The Cradle. According to Sneid Arkmos, the group is extremely secretive and hard to track. He has hunted them for years with little success, suggesting a highly disciplined or magically protected network.
Sneid’s interest is not merely professional — it is deeply personal. The Cradle killed people close to him, driving him to pursue its members relentlessly.
Known Activity
- Robyn, a member of the Black Senate, was one of Sneid’s targets. Sneid believed Robyn had information about The Cradle and tracked him to an Abandoned Tavern in Drar.
- Before Sneid could fully interrogate Robyn, Dristuul killed him.
- Robyn had apparently given Sneid some new details before dying that might prove important.
- In Session 66, Aldric Voss — a former imperial soldier — recognised the name when Korin raised it, tying The Cradle to something called The Intake and to a past Empire problem of missing children. He could not recall the details, but it is the first hint that The Cradle is connected to the Empire.
- In Session 74, Sneid Arkmos asked about The Cradle at The Brass Kettle Inn in Dravenmere — innkeeper Marik Varn knew nothing of it.
- In Session 76, a mage captured in the Riverworks — after interrogation and torture by Dristuul — revealed that the group’s members belonged to an organisation connected to the mysterious symbol found in Peltin’s house, and that he had heard them mention “The Cradle.” This is the first direct link between The Cradle and activity beneath Dravenmere.
- In Session 77, the party confronted The Cradle directly in the Riverworks — defeating a band of ranged and magic fighters and killing their presumed leader Peltin. A note on Peltin’s body, stamped with the mysterious symbol, identified the kidnapped Edrin Halvek.
- In Session 78, Sneid Arkmos revealed the truth behind the children The Cradle steals: the kidnapped children are not actually humans. They are shape-shifters whose true faces lack features and who transform into what they see — one of them, from Sneid’s own village, was the man Kailas killed.
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Connections
- Sneid Arkmos — A bounty hunter who has dedicated years to tracking The Cradle.
- Robyn — A Black Senate member who had some connection or knowledge of The Cradle.
- Black Senate — Robyn’s affiliation. The relationship between the two organisations is unknown, but Sneid does not consider the Black Senate relevant to his hunt.
- The Intake — A term Aldric tied to The Cradle, linked to the Empire’s missing children.
- Antamian Empire — Possibly connected to The Cradle through “The Intake” and a past wave of missing children.