Cult-run town

[hennasmith]

In my current (first) campaign, the first session my players fought against a cult in a town. It's a medium-sized harbor town, doing moderate trade. They initially wiped out three priests, and several worshipers/townsfolk, and the town butcher (that one was an accident, but was pretty hilarious).

Now, they discovered that the mayor was not part of it, but was pretty ineffectual at her job, and the town was pretty much being controlled by the captain of the town guards. They didn't meet him, instead skipped town. They do plan to return to Blue Harbor soon, as soon as the wizard has completed his geas, and I'd like to have turned the town upside down.

Basically, I want the guard captain to enforce martial-law, and the place be crawling with cultists. I'm thinking of instead of the cult being in a basement/catacombs that they have the main sacrificial table in the town square, with mandatory attendance for townsfolk. Does this sound reasonable? Any suggestions to help fill in details?

I've got a couple sessions before they get back there (I think, unless that darned wizard completely blows through everything I've got planned out), but I just feel kind of stumped on details.

ETA: The cult is to Scahrossar, from BoVD. Think black leather masks, whips and chains, and torture on the sacrifices that lasts several days.

[Kansaschaser]

The town should be run like The Village (directed by M. Night Shamalamadingdong). All the adults should be in on the secret, with the children being slowly indoctrinated over time until they become an adult.

Instead of Martial Law, the town should try to "appear" as normal as possible. They don't want to draw attention to themselves, least they be destroyed by a powerful church, militia, or adventuring party. If someone visits the village by themselves, the cult can kidnap them and use them as a sacrafice.

If anyone comes to town looking for this lost person, everyone can tell them that they just passed through.

[hennasmith]

If someone visits the village by themselves, the cult can kidnap them and use them as a sacrafice.

If anyone comes to town looking for this lost person, everyone can tell them that they just passed through.

THANK YOU!!!! This actually provides me the perfect lead-in for them as well!

I do like "The Village" type setting for it as well. Perhaps a small black token of some kind in a window of each building, to signify their devotion?

I think there will be a stricter-than-normal guard presence in the town, but having it be more a-secret-that-everyone-is-in-on will make logistics a little easier for me.

[Jeff the Green]

For mechanics, you might check out the Commoner Handbook. It has a great deal of information on how to make villagers devoted to some evil being.

There's also the horror movie Black Death, which was liked by most people using 'nyms other than "Jeff the Green," that offers an... interesting take on pagan cults in the middle ages that one might adapt to your concept.