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Prep Notes/Cormyr Kultpolitik Arc Outline.md

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+- During the celebration, the party overhears a discreet conversation between a **well-dressed courier and a cloaked figure**.
+- A Perception/Insight check reveals phrases like:  
+    _“…the House will support your petition in the Court of the Dragon Throne…”_
+- If they follow up, they might discover the courier wears the colors of a **real Suzail noble house**.
+- This immediately raises the stakes: the Cult isn’t just in alleys, it’s in the court.
+
+### Act 1: **Rumors and Whispers**
+
+- Tavern leads → players catch wind that at least one noble house is entertaining strange “advisors.”
+- A Purple Dragon Knight or War Wizard might quietly ask the party to investigate — since official channels are too slow/political.
+
+### Act 2: **Court Intrigue**
+
+- Players get dragged into a **noble ball, council session, or masquerade** where the Cult is lobbying for influence.
+- They might need to duel in wit, politics, or even blades. (This is where your bard shines — persuasion, performance, deception.)
+- Evidence gathering: cultist correspondences, coded ledgers showing smuggling, or dragon-scale tokens in noble hands.
+
+### Act 3: **Stormhorns Tie-In**
+
+- The Cult’s political push isn’t just hot air: they’re **backed by the red dragon** in the Stormhorns.
+- Nobles sympathetic to the Cult argue the dragon can be “appeased” or “bargained with” — but in reality, tribute is already being smuggled to it.
+- The climax could involve a choice:
+	- Expose and ruin the corrupted noble house in Suzail’s court, or
+	- Confront the cultists delivering tribute to the dragon before the alliance cements.