A figure lingered in the heavy, humid night, the air thick with the scent of damp earth and aged bourbon. Beneath flickering gas lamps, the faint glow revealed a clenched fist, wrist pulsing with a dull, relentless ache—an echo of last night's torment. The nameless man felt the shadow of his tormentor close, too close for comfort. The narrow alley, littered with broken glass and discarded syringes, bore silent witness to the unspeakable agonies that had transpired. No cries pierced the heavy air, only the soft, cruel cadence of whispered threats and the faint scrape of steel. This was no ordinary street scuffle; it was a calculated act meant to remind the city’s restless souls that the darkness is never far behind.

Since this harrowing incident, fear has rippled through the community like a slow poison. The Sheriff’s office has intensified patrols, raiding known haunts where whispers of unnatural rituals and secret deals have long lingered. Local residents, once skeptical, now clutch talismans and cross themselves upon hearing the tales of blood-red moons and vanished informants. Some claim the night itself bleeds with old magic, a volatile superstition that some factions exploit to unnerve and control. Indeed, the recent disappearance of a key informant from Sheriff’s custody overnight has only fanned the flames of panic and speculation.

The Silent Serpent Syndicate seizes this moment of chaos to tighten its grip on Port Laveau. Under the shadow of the Blood Moon, lieutenants known only as Baptême and Red Magdalene wield old symbols and darker rites to bend the city’s will. Their whispered promises and brutal enforcement mask a deeper plan: resurrecting a pact forged in darkness to command not only flesh but spirit. What began as an act of violence near Laveau is now the spark igniting a dangerous resurgence of power—one the Syndicate claims is the only true path to order amidst the creeping shadows.