The Cull, known elsewhere as the Purge, took place during the Season of Rot in 1163 BS. Nobles, academics, and malcontents of the Empire were arrested and enslaved. There were midnight arrests in which the doors to homes were broken down and the families dragged from their beds. The nobles were shackled and presented before a drunken magistrate and a jury of beggars, thus making a mockery of justice. The suspects were accused of "treasonous scheming". Gamet recalled some of the rumors leading to the Season of Rot and the Cull: