Animist Cult

The Animist Cult was an organization of animists that operated in the Caribbean archipelago in the 1630s. It was led by the Dark Teacher, a mysterious figure devoted to worshiping the devil.

History In the 1630s, the cult members sowed chaos and fear in the Caribbean, using their ship, the Mefisto, to sink at least one ship, a barque owned by a certain Alistair Garcilaso, and to carry out an operation to kidnap several children from the Dutch colony Douwesen for a dark ritual the animists attempted to initiate in a cave near the shores of Isla Muelle.

Their operation distressed the children's three mothers, who pleaded the governor of Douwesen, Reynard Grueneveldt, to rescue them. During a visit to the colony, the English Captain Nathaniel Hawk learned of the crisis after a conversation with the mothers. Although reluctant to initiate the task, as he thought it was solve the problem as the vast size of the archipelago made it difficult to locate where the children would be by then, the Governor allowed Nathaniel to undergo the task of investigating the case, in the hopes of finding out the kidnapped children's location and rescuing them.

Eventually finding out from various sources that the animists' lair was located in a cave near the shore in the Spanish-controlled island of Isla Muelle, and that Father Gareth priest in Redmond church and assistant to the church's]] main priest, Father Bernard, was in cahoots with the cult (who then proceeded to attack Nathaniel but was slain as a result), Nathaniel set out in a quest to retrieve the children, with the aid of an experienced Maltese knight, Joaquin de Masse.

Duel at Isla Muelle Cavern
Nathaniel and Joaquin then set out to the cave where the animists' lair was located. In a lengthy, bloody engagement, they managed to slay all the henchmen. Nathaniel then sought out to find the leader; encountering in his room, Nathaniel and the Dark Teacher himself dueled each other to the death; although the Teacher possessed an extremely deadly sword, the Falchion, and had masterful swordsmanship skills, he was ultimately outwitted by Nathaniel and finally slain.

Battle at Isla Muelle Shore
After the swordfight, Nathaniel finally managed to retrieve the children and set out to sail back on his ship, the Victory; little did he know that the animists' ship, the Mefisto, was already out there, waiting to battle the Victory. In a ferocious engagement, the Victory managed to either sink, or board and capture the powerful frigate. This resulted in the ultimate defeat and destruction of the band of animists, and their terrible reign over the seas of the Caribbean finally ceased to exist. Nathaniel then was able to bring the children back to their mothers in Douwesen, drastically increasing his reputation in the eyes of the mothers and the inhabitants of the archipelago, including the Governor of Douwesen, and received a large reward from the Governor Grueneveldt.