--- **Overview** The Red Massacre of Grenth Hollow stands as one of the darkest mortal tragedies in the history of [[Hexa Landing]]. It was not a single event but a slow-burning purge carried out under the guise of heresy trials, blood-tax enforcement, and vampire house feuds. What began as a suppression of suspected rebel activity spiraled into a full-scale extermination campaign that left thousands dead or disappeared—and forever changed the course of mortal resistance. --- **Timeline of Events** - **Day 1–14:** The Red Ink Guild, acting on “[[Vein Law]] irregularities,” began arresting members of the Hollow Cross and Lanternhood cells suspected of spreading anti-vampiric doctrine. - **Day 15–22:** House Ivalto declared Grenth Hollow in breach of blood quotas. Blood-harvesters and Night Judges were dispatched. Public executions began, with entire tenements drained and marked with crimson glyphs. - **Day 23:** [[The Crimson Accord]], a rarely invoked emergency law, was declared. All mortal protections in Grenth Hollow were suspended. The Queen did not intervene. - **Day 25–40:** The Covenant of Broken Dawn, then a scattered philosophy, attempted a failed extraction of clergy and elders. Only a few escaped. - **Day 41:** Cassien Rael, then known as Inquisitor Rael of the Hollow Cross, was found buried alive beneath the charred altar of Saint Thera. He emerged days later changed—and silent. --- **Death Toll and Aftermath** - **Estimated Deaths:** Over 12,000 mortals. - **Disappeared:** Hundreds more taken to unknown sanctums, rumored to be used for experimentation or sacrament. - **Current State of Grenth Hollow:** The district is walled off and cursed. No mortal resides there. Blood rains fall seasonally, and no light fully penetrates its fog. Locals call it “The Hollow Mouth.” --- **Legacy** - **Cassien Rael’s Rebirth:** His survival and silence afterward became the foundation myth for the Covenant of Broken Dawn. Some claim he died that day and what walks now is no longer mortal. - **Shift in Mortal Resistance:** The massacre radicalized many factions. The Lanternhood became more violent. The Hollow Cross fractured. Even Queen [[Callidora]] is said to have changed her court laws in private response. - **Symbolism:** The phrase “red hollow” has become a coded curse and rallying cry—both a mourning and a call to vengeance. --- **Ongoing Myths** - The blood rain is said to be the screams of those who died, liquefied and eternal. - Some believe Grenth Hollow is still inhabited—by ash-drenched spirits, or by vampire lords too monstrous for the public eye. - [[The Crimson Accord]], once seen as an obscure tool, is now feared by all mortal factions.