The late (?) Alistair Curtain - Grand Master of the Seattle Necropolis, Overlord of the Silent Legion - was a legend amongst the Statists of the Cabal. Not only was he able to assume control over the Necropolis, but he was able to hide his Chapterhouse in plain sight, and have the Cabal go about its business, without anyone ever suspecting a thing. If he'd made it through the 6th Great Maelstrom he might now be the Grand Master of the Order of Seven, courtesy of his plans to spread his rather novel ideas from Necropolis to Necropolis through the Silent Legion.

Seattle was unique in terms of its Hierarchy's organization. Rather than have each Legion attend to its own needs, the duties for the entire city were split amongst the seven political Legions. Most of the Legions were given duties well in keeping with their natural strengths - the Grims were assigned patrol duty, for example - but the Silent Legion was given the job of maintaining morale. It was assumed that this was some kind of macabre joke, meant to send their rather dour Anacreon off to Stygia for a terminal review. But after a few months, no one was laughing.

The Silent Legion had always possessed the potential to be the most numerous - and therefore powerful - in the city, given the high number of suicides in Seattle. However, suicidal Quick make for fairly suicidal dead, and the number of "double-jumpers" was fairly high. This kept the Legion's rosters in a state of total flux, and made certain that they were always surpassed by the Grim, Emerald and Skeletal Legions.

So the Silents needed a way to keep their own morale as high as possible. The answer was presented by a fresh-faced Marshal transferred in from Stygia - Alistair Curtain. He personally trained what he called "the Happiness Patrol": units of Silent Legionnaires who would wander the city, looking for fellow Silents who didn't seem to be having a good time. With a unique blend of pop psychology and morale-boosting, they would chase away the blues, or else take the fellow in for private, "special counseling." They also maintained a rigorous schedule of social events for the Legion to enjoy, on the theory that a busy Legionnaire didn't have much time to moap around.

After a short month of having the Happiness Patrol, the Legion had cut its "double-jumping" rate by nearly 4/5ths, and morale was at an all-time high. Marshal Curtain was promoted to Regent for his good work, and then given a further promotion to Overlord once the Legion was given morale duty for the entire Necropolis. He doubled patrols, used the Necropolis' coffers to sponsor parties and other social events, and saw to the placement of morale-building signs all over the city. And the results were pretty spectacular, at least in terms of overt morale.

Of course, there was something rotten underneath that smile of his, but no one ever caught on to the great secret: the entire operation was rife with Solicitors. His Happiness Patrols were - like him - all entitled to wear the Blindfolds of Justice, which hid the fact that most of the cheer they foisted on people was courtesy of Intimation, rather than genuine happiness. The "Be Happy" signs all gave off a low-level command to smile and think pleasant thoughts. The parties were all training grounds for new Solicitors, who tried to get wall-flowers out and into the action with the subtlest means possible. And as for what went on in the "special counseling" sessions...

Best of all, anyone who started digging too deeply into the Patrols' methods - or generally became a pest - could be accused of being "unhappy," and then dealt with. Between that, and the de facto control the Legion assumed once it had the numbers it was due, the Silent Legion ruled Seattle. Those who knew something was awry kept it to themselves, or were either done away with or - in the cases of higher-level Hierarchs - scheduled for a "friendly talk" with Alistair. It was a dream scheme for the Cabal, and they were quite happy to see the idea of a Happiness Patrol considered by Silent Anacreons in neighboring Necropoli.

Unfortunately, the 6th Great Maelstrom struck. As far as the Cabal knows, Overlord Curtain was lost to its outbreak. Most have no idea that he and the remnants of his Chapterhouse pulled a more overt - and frankly sloppy - coup over what remained of the Anacreon Council once things went to hell. They were thwarted by a meddling Circle of Hierarch and Renegade Wraiths, and Curtain was last seen being carried off into the storm by a horde of ravenous Doomshades.

But then, Seattle was always a little strange. Even now, the hands of Fate and Memory conspire yet again to wipe away the past and start yet anew. What part Alistair may have to play in it has yet to be seen, but no Solicitor with any sense of the area should count him out of the game just yet...