The Circle of Release
Salt in Wounds Criminal Faction
The Circle of Release is (or was) a group of adventurers and others operating covertly in the City of Salt in Wounds with the stated goal of ending the Tarrasque’s imprisonment. Their reasons for doing so vary depend on the telling but the most common belief involves restoring the natural balance upset by the current state of affairs. This cabal is (or was) primarily comprised of evangelical druids, rangers, and their converts. Al-most every other power block in the city denounces and actively opposes the Circle of Release; with the House Militias and God-Butchers hunting down, torturing, and executing any individual suspected of be-longing to the circle. In addition to acts of intimidation, terror, and economic sabotage for which the group claims credit, much of the populace believes that the 12th Meridian Crisis and resultant devastation of the Tail Stones district is the result of an (un)successful plot by the group. There is also a small but vocal minority in the city that believes that the Circle of Release does not actually exist, but is instead only a ruse used by the aristocratic houses and guilds to terrify the citizenry and thus increase their power and control. The symbol for the Circle of Release is a stylized Tarrasque maw bursting through a broken chain. They often leave the mark as a calling card (applied with magic or mundane paint) to claim credit for their operations. Members are extremely unlikely to carry this symbol on their person and it is far more common for it to be planted on a nonmember in an attempt to frame enemies of the cause.
NOTABLE FORMER MEMBERS OF THE CIRCLE OF RELEASE
Erraya (Deceased):The elvish founder and first leader of the Circle of Release denounced violence, preferring to pursue the group’s ends via lobbying and cultural change. She and all of her known followers were killed during the Night of Cleavers.