>>24788546The possibility of an underground cult manipulating the townspeople into following them through fearmongering is a scary thing to think about, like some sort-of mad reverse-on-reverse psychology. You haven't been in this world for quite long though, so you shouldn't jump to conclusions just yet (even though you're incredibly infamous for doing so). As such, Dio's suggestion remains conjecture until there's proof that can give it weight.
"Hey, for what it's worth, I /did/ meet this one kid! He seemed pretty not-brainwashed!" you announce, wanting to assure him that not everybody in town is as whackadoodly as Booooooooooooooooooooooober.
"That so? And what did 'this kid' have to say about the state of the community?"
"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...." you scratch your chin, turning the other way. "Weeeeeeeeeeell... I didn't exactly get to talk to him for long, cause see, we kinda got separated on the way down here.. He's a little eccentric, actually. But the 'grown-ups' around here don't like him getting into places he shouldn't be, it's sorta strange, but maybe they're just overprotective of the next generation?"
"Or, the less the 'next generation' knows,
the better.""O-Or that.. that works too."
