- "The Outsiders are back in business and they're planning on returning to Araluen. Just as soon as they've got Hibernia under their thumb."
- Halt explaining shortly the cult's climb to power in Hibernia
The Insurrection of The Outsiders Cult was a silent but violent ousting of political power within Hibernia lead by a malevolent cult known as The Outsiders under the control of Tennyson, instigated as part of the false religious cult's plan to return to Araluen. Beginning with the re-emergence of the Cult, the Outsiders waged a violent campaign across the Hibernian communities, eventually claiming unofficial governance over the kingdoms of Derry, Traloon, Dromorth, Mourne, Clare and Galwegh.
The Outsiders shot to topple the political powers of the Hibernia monarchs and subjugate the island-kingdom to their underground rule, with the eventual goal of bringing the criminal religion back to the shores of Hibernia's neighbour, Araluen, the sight of their previous crushing defeat. Will Treaty, one of the most accomplished of the Ranger Corps, took an active role in crushing the insurrection alongside Halt O'Carrick and Horace Altman.
History[]
Prelude[]
Formation and Scattering of the Outsiders Cult[]
The cult that came to be known as The Outsiders were initially based in Araluen, operating within the countryside apparently sometime during the early years of King Duncan's reign (perhaps, like the art of Moondarking, forming in the years of chaos that marked Morgarath and his followers silent ousting of power from the ailing King Oswald or in the lack of a fully firm hand in the months coming up to and stretching through the First Civil War). Though they portrayed themselves as a peaceful religion, the Outsiders were in fact a cult of thieves and criminals who used the 'religion' to scam simple-minded villagers into giving up their valuables. The cult's way of gaining wealth was quite ingenious; first, the Outsiders would arrive at a isolated village or hamlet bearing small gifts for the children and leaders of the communities that they would arrive in. They would ask only for a place to worship their all-loving 'god', Alseiass, and made no attempt to convert the locals, citing Alseiass' tolerant nature as their reasoning. The Outsiders would thus live in harmony with the locals for several weeks, but things would then quickly start to go wrong. It would begin with cattle dying mysteriously, sheep and household pets being found crippled, crops and houses setting alight, armed bandit groups appearing frequently and robbing remote farms and water sources being contaminated, but then eventually escalate to attacks on the villagers themselves, with village leaders being found dead, murdered in their beds, and trouble began occurring with the village's main source of product. Unbeknownst to the villagers, the criminals committing these crimes were in cahoots with the Outsiders and were part of a plot. As the village seemed to fall under siege, the Outsiders came forward and proposed that the bandits who were responsible for the attacks were actually followers of Balsennis, Alseiass's dark brother, who loathed Alseiass and all he stood for. In order to expel the bandits, the Outsiders would construct a shrine and alter using the villagers' gold and engage in prayer. The longer the villagers hesitated to submit, the worse the attacks would become.
Eventually, the villagers would relent, the shrine would be built, and the Outsiders would pray and fast and chant. In actuality, the shrine would be mostly wooden, painted with a gold veneer while most of the actual gold was hidden underneath, and the Outsiders would only be pretending to fast. Overtime, the attacks would begin to lessen, eventually fading into nothing. Only then would the Outsiders show their true nature and flee, taking with them all the wealth the village had to offer.
The Outsiders actions would eventually draw the attention of the Ranger Corp during 632 C.E. Oppose to the popular Ranger saying, 'one riot, one Ranger' it took the combined efforts of Halt, Crowley, Berrigan and several other experienced Rangers to best the Outsiders, who's poison has spread deep into the heart of the countryside. Finally, the Rangers (with some apparent assistance from Lady Pauline and the Diplomatic Corps) were able to successfully destroy the Outsiders' hierarchy, break their influence and scattered its members, with many of its uncaptured members either going into hiding in isolated areas of Araluen or fleeing the kingdom all together. Several of these escapees fled across the western strait of sea between Araluen and the island-kingdom of Hibernia, where they eventually began regaining strength, recruiting Hibernians to their cult.
Taking Underground Control of Hibernia[]
- Basically, taking control of the country. When we chased them out of Araluen, some of them made it to Hibernia. They've been waiting there, gathering strength and numbers and gradually undermining the six kingdoms. They've almost completed that task. They've got control of five of the kingdoms. Only Clonmel is left - and that's due to go soon. […] They create chaos and fear throughout the countryside. When the king is too weak or self-centered to protect his people, they step in and offer to solve the problem. […] Pretty soon, they're seen as the only people who can keep the peace. They gain power and influence. More and more converts join their band, and from there it's a short step to taking control. […] The leader of the Outsiders is a man called Tennyson. And he's been clever enough not to oppose any of the kings directly. He lets them stay on the throne - but he effectively takes control of the kingdom. He assumes all the real power and influence and money.
- The tactics utilised by the Outsiders as they silently took control
Sometime afterwards, the Outsiders fell under the command of a man named Tennyson (although it is currently unknown if Tennyson was an Araluen Outsider who fled to Hibernia or a Hibernian who found and joined the remnants of the Cult after they were scattered) and, sometime around 649 C.E., the Outsiders set their sights of taking control of Hibernia to use it as a foothold to return of Araluen. Tennyson surrounded himself with the Outsiders true members, who become his priests and inner circle. These "priests" were not unique in nationality to Araluen and Hibernia, with two members of Tennyson's inner circle named Gerard and Killeen originating from an archipelago of islands off the west of Hibernia. Under Tennyson's leadership, the Outsiders began undermining the country, causing havoc and then stepping in to save attacked towns, earning them the support of the people. Tennyson, however, knowing that, should he attempt an uprising, he would be unable to draw enough support to oppose the Hibernian kings, instead, allowed the Kings to retain their position while he became de facto ruler of six of the seven independent Hibernian kingdoms, assuming the true power and money until only the Kingdom of Clonmel was left free of Outsider control by the time of 651 C.E., which the Outsiders were already undermining. Proceeding the cult's march on the final free kingdom, Tennyson sent several spies beforehand to inform him of the kingdom's current monarchy's status. These informants verified that, like the other Hibernian Kings, King Ferris O'Carrick of Clonmel was a weak and unpopular ruler who was too terrified of one of his fellow rulers undermining him to successfully look after his people, leaving his people easy prey for Tennyson's manipulation.
While the Outsiders made their move towards Clonmel, Tennyson, who was planning to regain the Outsiders foothold in Araluen, sent two groups of Outsiders to the independant fishing village of Selsey and the northern settlement of Willey's Flat within the bounds of the fiefdom of Norgate under the command of Farrell and Barrett respectively to establish the cult and seize control.

Tennyson, sensing that he might require the services of people who could perform assassinations with subterfuge also hired a trio of Genovesan Assassins to protect him and carry out any dirty work he needed done in secret. Tennyson, his Outsiders and their bandit allies also used faked displays of power to convert hundreds of villagers to his cause, with the bandits savagely attacking minor villages (such as Duffy's Ford, Carramoss, Dell, Clunkilly and Rorkes Creek), killed and scattering the villagers and burning the hamlets to the ground while pretending to plan to attack large settlements the Outsiders were currently residing in, only for Tennyson and his followers to "magically drive away" the bands before they could do any damage, making it so the Outsiders power appeared real and converting hundreds to their side. The white-collar criminal Outsiders were also not all thieves when they joined and Tennyson was apparently able to convince several converts, such as Nolan, Dirkin and Kelly, to turn away from their honest lifestyle to a life of crime. The Outsiders continued to move through Clonmel, "saving" villages and gathering hundreds of hopefuls under Tennyson's band, boosting the Outsiders numbers as Tennyson prepared to politically remove the king's power and become de facto leader of all of Hibernia. Tennyson furthermore proceeded to leave pockets of Outsiders within villages he had already visited in Clonmel to convert more and await his signal to re-join the main band. The band's power grew until they had assumed unofficial command of the south of Clonmel, holding sway over areas such as Ballygannon. The cause was added by Ferris's weakness and indecision, the King of Clonmel refusing to sent his troops to hunt down the terrorists, garrison any of the larger settlements or even make a public statement promising to act and denouncing the enemy's actions, further implanting doubt within the minds of his subjects of his right to rule.
Selsey Failure[]
Meanwhile, while Tennyson prepared to seize full power in Hibernia, the two Outsiders group he had sent to Araluen beforehand made landfall. While Barrett and his followers made their way north to Willey's Flat, Farrell and his group settled in Selsey, a secluded fishing village that was independent of any Baron's authority and began undermining the small town using the normal Outsider tactics, eventually convincing the Selsey inhabitants to give them the wealth the Outsiders 'required' to 'built' their 'alter'. These events eventually drew the attention of Halt (who was a Hibernian himself), who had aided in destroying the first outbreak of Outsiders, prompting him to travel to and observe the fishing village. The Outsiders were also able to convince several Araluens to join them, such as Colly Deekers of Horsdale and Morris.
After the villager leaders refused to donate any more gold the the alter to Alseiass, Farrell ordered the bandits working with them to set two of the fishing boats alight, as they were the village's main source of wealth. However, Halt was able to interfere and prevent such a catastrophe and alert the village, although the Outsiders were able to escape. Despite the band's attempt to hunt down and kill the Ranger, Halt was able to escape and, the next day, interrupted a meeting between Farrell and the Selsey leaders as Farrell attempted to placate the villagers, who were suspicious of the Outsiders possible involvement in the attack on their ship's and informs Wilfred and his fellows of Farrell's true agenda. Despite Farrell's attempt to deny this by pointing out the 'weight' of the alter the cult had apparently constructed to pray to Alseiass, Halt reveals that the alter was nothing more than plain wood covered in a thin coating of gold paint, and, although the villagers initially desire to deal with Farrell themselves, Halt uses his Ranger authority to take Farrell into his custody, leaving the cult leader's comrades to the tender mercies of the villagers. Halt proceeds to interrogate Farrell and, from him, learnt of the Outsiders current operations in Hibernia and their plans to return to Araluen. Halt also arranged for a group of armed warriors from Redmont Fief to round up and arrest the Outsider's bandit cohorts, ensuring Selsey's safety. However, Barrett and his followers remained free and unknown and continued to establish the Outsiders in the north, eventually converting more than a hundred farmers and Willey's Flat inhabitants to the religion.
Hibernian Troubles Continue[]

The highlands of Clonmel, the last kingdom to fall
Meanwhile, within Hibernia, Tennyson and his followers, unaware of their Selsey comrades' defeat, continuing the conversion of the Clonmel countryside, forging their way eventually north towards Dun Kilty along with the chaos the cult was bringing. The many raids continued to spread fear and uncertainty, with the outlaws often sparring one or two of their targets' inhabitants. Among these raids was a attack on a unnamed farm, which Tennyson beheld from the distance, which left all but two children, Seamus and Molly, who the criminals left alive to spread word (Tennyson having already made his way to the farm and "warned" it's inhabitants of the marauding bandits) dead. As terror rose, farmers grew to fearful to plow their fields, let alone leave their property to remove the rotting carcasses of animals killed by the rampaging evils that called themselves men. Tennyson eventually sent a messenger to King Ferris to ensure the king would not make any attempt to stand in the Outsider Cult's way, promising that Ferris would remain king, although, in truth, when Tennyson was finished, Ferris would be nothing more than the false priest of Alseiass's puppet while Tennyson became the power behind the throne, which Ferris accepted, believing Tennyson to be his country's only hope of salvation. Among the villages attacked by the bandit gang of the Outsiders was the hamlet Duffy's Ford, which the bandits struck violently and suddenly, ruthlessly cutting down four villagers, including a innocent 12-year-old girl and scattering the other inhabitants before burning the buildings to the ground, taking whatever they fancied and leaving the village half-burned, the fire extinguished by the sudden rainfall.
In order to make a display of the apparent power of Alseiass, Tennyson ordered the bandit gang to make what looked like an attack on Mountshannon which the Outsiders' (the majority of whom were currently based there) would seem to drive off before launching a real attack on Craikennis as a fresh example of what would happen to villages who did not stand behind the Outsiders. The plan was for Lieutenant Driscoll to lead a force of thirty men to Mountshannon, claiming when challenged that the band were followers of Balsennis and numbered to eighty, only for Tennyson and his acolytes to 'drive them away' with a chorus that seemed to summoned Alseiass's powers to defend the village. The gang would proceed to meet up with a larger band of fifty lead by Captain Padriag and march on Craikennis. While the faked attack was successful in its aim, with Tennyson appearing drive away the attackers, gaining him the fervent gratitude of the people of Mountshannon, Craikennis had been forewarned and was prepared.
Battle of Craikennis[]
- Main article: Battle of Craikennis

The 'Sunrise Warrior' against Padriag's band
Having been alerted by Will, who had penetrated the camp housing those of the Outsiders who were open in their life of crime, of the gang's next intended target, the Special Task Force (consisting of Will himself, Halt and Horace Altman) set out for Craikennis to warn them of the impending attack. Though uncertain of the trio's intentions, Conal, Head of the Town Watch, agreed to ready the town for battle and the criminal war party arrived, they found not the sleepy town they were expecting, but instead a battle-ready defence force. Aided by the expert archery of the Rangers and the the sword skills of Horace, who, under Halt's instructions, was posing as the legendary Sunrise Warrior, the battle that should have been a important piece in the puzzle of Tennyson's endgame instead resulted in the deaths of Padriag, Driscoll and a vast amount of the raiding party, the majority of their leaders included, and the capture or scattering off the band, leaving Tennyson without a large collection of his bandit band, with the majority of members either being dead, captured or scattered beyond repair.
March on Dun Kilty[]
Fearing that news of the 'Sunrise Warrior's' appearance at Craikennis would plant the seeds of doubt in his converts minds after learning of it from Kelly the Squint, Tennyson chose to march for Dun Kilty instead of following his original plan of making a victorious march through the countryside, collecting the Outsiders' other converts. The mass of criminals and country-folk proceeded to set out for the Clonmel capital, reconnoitring with bands of other converts lead to re-join the main group by Tennyson's acolytes and leaving Mountshannon and (presumably) the other "saved" settlements near-deserted, save a few townspeople (primarily the elderly) who retained their belief in Hibernia's own religion, believing that a God that promised everlasting happiness would always expect something in return.
Despite Tennyson's apparent successful efforts to quell the roams spread by the people of Craikennis at Halt's request of how the Sunrise Warrior had saved their town from a force of 250 marauders, the "priest" of "Alseiass" was unable to fully silence the tales and rumours eventually reached the capital earlier that the cult. Meanwhile, Halt and Horace made their own way to Dun Kilty to confront Ferris while Will infiltrated Tennyson's camp under the guise of a singer. The Ranger and knight thus meet with and Halt reveals his identity to his treacherous brother and tries to convince his twin to stand against Tennyson. Despite his best efforts, however, Ferris eventually refuses to turn against the priest and Horace thus knocks out the King and has Halt assume the identity of his younger twin with the aid of Halt and Ferris's nephew, Sean O'Carrick, who served as King Ferris's loyal steward before learning of his maternal uncle's usurpation of the throne.
Meanwhile, Tennyson, having arrived, organizes a open gathering within the market grounds to gain support from the citizens of Dun Kilty, honeying the choice to attend with offers of free food and drink while the attendees listened to Tennyson, who spoke from a mounted platform. Beginning cheerfully before allowing his words to darken as he described the evils perpetrated by the marauding brigands, describing the results of their attacks in horrifically exaggerated detail and assuming an air of righteous indignation as fear swept through the Dun Kilty crowd as Tennyson seems to confirm the spreading rumors and describes how the killings, attacks and burnings (which he all blames on the followers of Balsennis) were carving a path north, words his "priests" voice supposed conformation. As Tennyson's speech draws cries of discrimination against King Ferris from the crowd, began by his disguised cronies and shouts of conformation to his "saving" of Moutshannon from his converts, the newly-recruited Hibernians begin a shouted chant for Alseiass and Tennyson, which the Dun Kilty citizens echo. As Tennyson attempts to claim that Alseiass had saved Craikennis, however, Will, who had infiltrated the crowd, begins a shout of praise to the Sunrise Warrior, setting alight the distant rumours seeping in from the south of the Craikennis victory, swiftly incapacitating one of the Genovesans when they attempted to annihilate him and begins shouting praise for the legendary swordman from different points of the crowd. As Tennyson attempts to denounce the Warrior as a myth, however, "Ferris" (aka Halt), Horace, Sean and a platoon of soldiers arrive and, with the aid of Will prompting the crowd, force Tennyson to settle the matter of true deities with a duel of single combat between the Sunrise Warrior/Horace and his twin retainers, Gerard and Killeen. Tennyson attempts to cow the person he believes is Ferris, but it ends in the priest himself gaining a flicker of fear. As the two leaders agree to schedule the trails by combat to take place in three days time and Ferris/Halt return to the castle, the people of Dun Kilty begin chanting their king's name.
Duel of Deity Representatives[]

Castle Dun Kilty
Three days following the rally, the public duel commences, with the Outsiders and their followers up the eastern seating while the Dun Kilty citizens (the majority of whom lay with their king's representative) taking up the stands to the west around Ferris's royal box. The outcome of the duel would decide the truth of the matter of religion and it is declared that should Horace emerge victorious over the Champions of Alseiass, Tennyson and his followers would submit to the will of Ferris and vice versa should the opposite occur. A sword-wielding Horace and Killeen, who is brandishing a Mace and Chain, proceed to engage in combat to the death and in a sudden turn of events, Horace beheads the giant and wins.

A Genovesan Crossbow, the weapon that killed a king
Fearful that, should Gerard join his brother in death, he would lose his hold over his covert followers, Tennyson sent Luciano to drug Horace's water supplies, insuring an easy win for the Outsiders and the possible destruction of the faith the Dun Kilty citizens possessed in their king. Horace is nearly killed by Gerard, but at the last moment, Will, who had captured Luciano as the Genovesan attempts to dispose of any evidence connecting the cult to Horace's turn of fortune, shoots Gerard in the hand, halting the brute. When Tennyson attempts to declare an Outsider victory by default, Will accuses the priest of violation of the laws of combat and tricks the assassin into believing the glass he held contained a sample of the drugged water, seemingly confirming his guilt what Luciano purposefully spills. To discover who is lying, Will challenges the assassin to a duel, his longbow against the Genovesan's crossbow, which Ferris accepts. Knowing he was defeated, Tennyson and most of his inner circle escape, leaving a Tennyson-lookalike to fool his foes and sending Luciano's confederates to assassinate Ferris. Meanwhile, unaware of the criminals escape, Will and Luciano face off, Genovesan firing first but missing by about a meter; Will instinctively aims his arrow slightly to the left, sensing Luciano will try to dodge at the last moment. Indeed he does and Will kills him with one shot. The victory is sodden seconds later by the discovery of Tennyson's escape and Ferris's assassination, which leaves Halt and Sean the only possible candidates to the Clonmel throne.
- "Now, Sean, I have one condition, before I formally renounce any claim I might have to the throne. We've broken the back of the Outsiders' movement in Clonmel. But they're still entrenched in the other five kingdoms. I want them rolled up, disbanded and their leaders imprisoned. With Tennyson out of the way and discredited, it shouldn't be too much of a problem. A bit of firm action and they'll collapse like a house of cards. And I'm sure the other five kings won't object."
- - Halt's final request before he officially stepped down
Torn by frustration, Halt sends Will and Tug ahead of him and a quickly-recovering Horace to track down and follow the corrupt prophet and his disciples, although with explicate instructions not to tangle with the remaining assassins. Meanwhile, Halt has Sean and the Royal Guards round up and secure Tennyson's other followers, although, bar the eighty or so white robes who had been Tennyson's true acolytes, the vast majority of the false religion leader's supporters were let loss, having been simple duped Hibernians who had been alienated by the revelation of Tennyson's true colours. Halt proceeds to renounce any claim to the throne and Sean thus takes his maternal uncle's place as King. As his last condition before he abandoned his claim, Halt asked for Sean to break the power of the Outsiders still-entrenched in the other Hibernian kingdoms, discrediting the power of Alseiass to their converts and rounding up, capturing and imprisoning their leaders and those of their members who had been aware of the cult's true nature, a task that would not require much force without Tennyson to hold the Cult together. Sean is initially reluctant, unwilling due to the fact that such a course of action would leave Clonmel without an army to defend it. Halt however, offers to reinforce the Clonmel military with a force of Araluen knights, men-at-arms and archers that, after the Cult had been destroyed, would return peacefully to Duncan's kingdom, which Sean accepts.
Chase to Araluen[]
Knowing that his time in Hibernia was over, Tennyson and his remaining followers made for the western coast and the smuggler village of Port Cael, where they planned to flee across the strait to Araluen. They were eventually able to employ the services of a feared pirate named Black O'Malley and his ship The Claw. To Tennyson's displeasure, however, the smuggler would only transport the cult remnants to his already-plotted destination; Craiskill River in the wild country of Picta and demanded an exorbitant fee from the criminals. Having no option, the priest agreed and was transported with the Hibernians and Genovesans to Craiskill, convincing O'Malley to provide them with supplies after a great deal of haggling, and when opened after the Outsiders made landfall, more than a quarter of the sacks contained spoiled food. Tennyson and his band (which now consisted only of Tennyson's fellow criminals), who's loyalty to Tennyson was now tenuous due to the lack of profit that was the reason for their allegiance to the cult, set out for the border, unable to rebuild the cult in their present location due to the Scotti's violence intolerance towards new religions. Subsequently, they planned to rendezvous with Barrett and the Outsiders of Willey's Flat and begin regrowing the organisation with Barrett's converted followers, who's numbers had been bolstered to hundreds, albeit only after the cult's bandit band had brought death to several villagers.
As they forged towards the mountains that cut between Picta and Araluen, the Outsiders encountered a small but prosperous farm and, after the Pictan crofter refused to barter words with the cult leader, Tennyson ruthlessly and wickedly ordered Bacari and Marisi to cut down the farmer and his wife, unwilling to leave them to raise the alarm to their friends within the neighbouring farms and hamlet. After completing the evil deed, the Outsiders ransacked the farm, slaughtering one of the cattle and raiding the well-stocked garden. Finally, in an act of sadistic pleasure, Tennyson had his minions set the barn alight, trapping a pair of cattles inside. The cult continue through One Raven Pass and on into the countryside of Norgate, sending out raiding parties to isolated farms the Outsiders passed that brought back not just food, but also equipment to make their camp more comfortable – canvas, timber and rope to make tents, and furs and blankets to keep out the chill of the cold northern nights.
Unbeknownst to the cult, however, they had become part of a fearsome, silent race, with the Outsiders in the front and Halt, Horace and Will behind in hot pursuit, determined to stop the Outsider prophet and his remaining followers before the outlaws make their way across the border into Araluen. Will has defeated one of Tennyson's Genovesan Assassins in Clonmel—but there are still two left alive carrying out Tennyson's bidding.
Skirmish in the Drowned Forest[]
- Main article: Skirmish in the Drowned Forest

The Drowned Forest
After briefly breaking of pursuit to halt a Scotti Cattle Raid, the Task Force continued onwards, but are spotted by a patrolling Marisi, who returns to inform his employer. Tennyson subsequently orders Bacari and Marisi to dispose of the trio and, under the promise of extra payment, the group lay a purposeful track through The Drowned Forest. Halt and Will start to track their foes into a forest where they plan to kill both the Genovesans, but when Halt is relying on Will to kill one of them and he kills the other, they make the mistake of shooting at the same one. While Marisi is killed, Bacari sends a crossbow bolt at Halt and escapes. The cut on Halt's arm where the bolt scratches him is superficial and at first none of the party suspect that anything could be wrong, only discovering the next day as Halt grows delirious and then collapses, forcing the group to halt. After learning from Malcolm, who Will has brought from Grimsdell Forest that the poison tipping the crossbow bolt causes symptoms identical to another poison derived from another and, if treated with the antidote to the wrong poison, will kill Halt. To discover the correct poison, the three pretend Halt has perished and dig a false grave, fooling Bacari, who is spying on them, into believing Halt is dead. Will subsequently sets off in pursuit and finally captures the Genovesan before he can reach Tennyson's camp. They successful force the assassin to divulge the required information after exposing Bacari with his own poison. Later on, when the Genovesan makes his escape, Will kills him in a duel of knives, leaving Tennyson to believe the last of his mercenaries had simply fled the country to preserve his own life, having seen how their enemies had struck down his two compatriots.
While his assassins both die at the hands of the three, Tennyson sends Dirkin to contact Barrett and deliver orders to the Outsider lieutenant for him to reconnoitre with his followers. Before leaving, the Outsiders and their converts ransacked Willey's Flat and joined with Tennyson next to the nearby Sandstone Cliffs. Unbeknownst to the vast majority of the Outsiders, Tennyson had no intention of rebuilding the cult in Araluen as he had originally intended due to the Outsiders presence within the kingdom was growing increasingly tenuous after their comrades in Selsey, and now Hibernia as a whole's, defeats, planning to rile the converts into the religious frenzy before absconding with his closest followers and the Willey Flat citizens' gold for a foreign country such as the unstable lands of Gallica or Teutlandt to rebuild.
Meanwhile, the Special Task Force, who's number had been added to by Malcolm, make their way to the nearby walls of rock and catch sights of converts taking in air and returning to camp from a hunting expedition, thus confirming their prey's presence. Knowing that, should they simply kill Tennyson, another will simply replace and martyr him, building on the uncertainty of the gullible farm folk that followed him and that taking him into custody for a public trial would give the false priest the forum he required, the group plan to discredit the Outsiders power in front of their gathered supporters.
Outsider Cavern Rally and Destruction of the Cult[]
- Main article: Tennyson's Cavern Rally
With their followers gathered, Tennyson put his plans in place and moved the band to a hidden cathedral-like cave, where Tennyson, surrounded by the Hibernian and Araluen criminals that made up his inner circle, 'preached' to his followers, asking multiple questions that each heralded the same word; Alseiass, false Golden God of the Cult. As Tennyson recounts how the villages 'misfortunes' had ended since Willey Flat had taken the cult's religion as their own, which the crowd agrees. As Tennyson goes on to declare how it was time to give their deity the alter he desired, the crowd cries out, though with slightly less enthusiasm, in agreement after prompting from the White Robes. Unseen, however, the Outsiders and their followers were being spied upon by Will Treaty, who brought news of the Outsiders location and numbers to his former teacher, Horace and Malcolm.
The next evening, Tennyson holds the rally, with the Outsiders erecting their typical false alter that the charlatan priest announces the Golden God's supposed love for the villagers, giving rise to fervent cries from the fanatics. To further cement this belief, Tennyson, using a hidden, mirror and lantern-holding member of his acolytes, makes false displays of holy light. The cries of fervent adulation are disturbed, however, by the ceasing of the flashes of light caused by Will knocking out Tennyson's helper. As murmurs of slight-suspicion begin running through the crowd, Halt (who is disguised as his fallen twin) appears in a flash of sound and light caused by one of Malcolm's mud bombs, which a superstitious Tennyson believes to be the shade of the Clonmel king risen for revenge, letting slip in his fear that it had been him who had killed (or more precisely, ordered the killing of) the Hibernian monarch. Halt subsequently challenges Alseiass and, when nothing occurs, reveals Tennyson's lies and his own identify (a Araluen legend) and reveals the presence of Will (who was, in the country citizens eyes, a local hero) and gives the farmers the chance to leave, which the crowd accepts, fleeing the cavern and leaving Tennyson alone with his criminals and enemies.

Will, who killed Tennyson and ended the Outsiders's attempted return once and for all
As Halt offers the White Robes a chance to flee, Tennyson, before any of his subordinates can desert him, riles his followers into a desperate charge. As the four engage his henchmen, Tennyson attempts to make his escape, intending to head for the Continent and lawless Gallica with several bags of gold and more valuable jewels and setting of for a secret back entrance, scrambling up the far wall. Will, however, notices their enemy's disappearance and catches sight of the priest. Desperate not to let him escape, Will, to Malcolm's late warnings, throws the whole box of Malcolm's explosive mudballs at Tennyson. This caused not only a deafening noise and a huge plume of smoke, but also makes Tennyson step backwards, over the edge of the lip of the tunnel he was trying to run away into and fall to his gruesome death, crashing into the rocks below. The vibrations also cause the cavern, already unstable, to begin caving-in, filling the cave with clouds of dust. While the Task Group successfully finds the tunnel leading to the upper world and safety, Tennyson's loyal followers, in a last, fatal, mistake, flee in the opposite direction and disappear into the dirt clouds. As Malcolm, Will, Halt and Horace escape by the skin of their necks, the cavern collapses in on itself, burying the wealth of Tennyson's converts, Tennyson's broken body, the false alter of Alseiass and the true members of the Outsiders beneath it, presumably crushing the criminals and obliterating the cult for good.
Aftermath[]
Following their escape, Halt confronts and addresses the ex-converts of the Outsider Cult, lecturing them on the need for suspicion towards those who promised them heaven-on-earth in return for wealth, which the shamefaced farmers and villagers accept with embarrassment before being dismissed back to their farms and hamlets, although Will suspects they shall soon return to dig up their buried gold and both Halt and Malcolm are unconvinced that the event will do anything to warn the villagers against future preaching charlatans. While Will escorts Malcolm to his forest home, Halt and Horace travel on to nearby Castle Macindaw to bring arrangements for a troop of soldiers from Macindaw under the command of Ranger Harrison to hunt down and imprison the Outsider bandit gang that had been plaguing the area around Willey's Flat, a task that was presumably completed. Furthermore, upon returning the Redmont, Halt made good on his promise to write to Duncan with the request for Araluen reinforcements to the Clonmel army to aid his nephew in disbanding the Outsiders implanted within the 6 remaining kingdoms of Hibernia. Subsequently, all active criminal members are either dead, on the run from the law or incarcerated, where they will live out the rest of their day's behind bars.
However, while the groups of Outsiders within Araluen and Hibernia were the only known organised bands of the cult, there may still be members of the scattered remnants of the original organisation. It is never clarified whether or not the entirety of the criminal religion group that escaped the Rangers' clutches and fled Araluen made their way to the nation's west neighbour, as Halt states only some of the escapes settled in the Hibernian kingdoms and would be less than logical that the escapees, no doubt fleeing, crippled and in disorganised chaos, would have been unified enough to remain together as they fled and crossed the Strait of Hibernia. Thus, members of the cult - though shattered and likely so scattered that they will never be rise to strength ever again - may still exist in hiding within foreign kingdoms.
His ordeal with the Outsiders also proceeded to give Horace a taste for adventure, leading to King Duncan, to the chagrin of Cassandra, sending the young knight to Nihon-Ja, which cumulated to Horace being present during Senshi warlord Arisaka's uprising against Emperor Shigeru.
See Also[]
- Outsider Cult
- Outsider Religion
- Battle of Craikennis
- Tennyson's Cavern Rally
- Special Task Group