Sept

Sept
Featherhead, the leader of the Seven Seven.
Type	Cult
Leader	Grammaticars
Appearances	Factotum The Corsers' Hinge

A sept is a cult of false-god worshippers or fictlers who revere a specific false-god. Each sept follows its own mutebath or doctrine, which results in division as well as opposition between them. They are led by senior members known as grammaticars. A notorious sept and the only named one to appear is the Seven Brothers of the Seven-mouthed Lord, which worships Sucoth.

Plot

The Corsers' Hinge

Atticus Wells found reference to the Seven-Seven in a book he found at the Foursdike's library titled A Continuing Survey of Marginal Cults in the Grumid States. He marked up the relevant pages for Petuculus Sprawle to read and later showed them to him. This helped confirm that Viola Grey had been abducted by the Seven-Seven and Atticus and his party later battled the Seven-Seven after they rescued Viola from the sept's base of Case Nigrise.

Factotum

The Sloe Sapperling appeared to have an unidentified sept that worshipped it. While trailing the Sapperling, Europe and her party spotted some robed figures wearing white masks who fled before they came close. Near a sunken bowl they came across three rotted posts of wood coated with white lime, between which were ropes of an unidentified substance. The Furrow brothers investigated the area around the bowl and found a broken cup, chest of lime, brush, and knife near the poles. This confirmed for them and Europe that the people they had seen fleeing were fanstaisists.

At Cold Beam Bridge Europe's party encountered two men, one of whom bore an allegory of Sucoth on his left knuckle. More evidence of the Seven-Seven was found at crossroads they arrived at the following day and they also ran into Featherhead himself on the road, although he said nothing but watched them pass. The next day, the party was ambushed at Step Dribble by a motley group led by Featherhead which included a host of Seven-Seven fictlers as well as fistdukes and a sciomane. With Cinnamon and Freckle's help they defeated the onslaught but were all injured and were taken to Orchard Harriet. Europe and Rossamünd Bookchild later met with Gaspard Plume to see if he knew about their attackers. Europe produced Featherhead's mask which she had recovered, and Gaspard immediately recognised who its owner had been, explaining about the Seven-Seven.

Behind the scenes

Septs are a notable example of religion in the world of the Harthe Alle. D. M. Cornish admitted that "religion is probably the least developed area of the HC and the lands beyond; it is probably the most complex and perhaps touchy subject." He later stated that " folks worship any manner of things: Providence (not very common any more), the false-gods, monsters, ancient and potent therimoir swords, the heldins, an idea (re: many of the calendar claves). The most prevalent "religious" position of most Soutlanders is like a humanistic atheistic cross with certain superstitious fears of monsters."