Cries of the Pained

Our rest in Theo's tiny hut -- in the darkness of Nostalii -- was much needed.
 
"I'm so fucked," is all Steel could whisper to himself. With that in mind the Vanguard moved on to the next room. It seemed very similar to the first trial room, circular with a plush red carpet in the middle. But instead of potions this room held five large chests. One was stocked with treasure, the rest assorted in design and construction. And unlike the first room, the stone monument in this room was blank and unmarred.
 
It was Theo that could make sense of the blank stone outcropping. With Icarus' magic sight the wizard spotted not words on the stone surface but a circular impression. Peerind further he called out: "It's a button." So Steel pushed the button. The middle of the rug glowed, and as if the fabric were unsewing itself the carpet came apart -- to reveal a trapdoor and padlock. Murg passed Steel to kneel down at the trapdoor. A quick grunt, and the padlock was removed from the trapdoor. Inside was a small glass diorama of , completed with miniature robed figures holding coins that only turn to dust. Looking on still, the diorama is of the very room the Vanguard stood in, and this stone had (tiny) writing in the giants' script:
 
"Thy glory shall be in penance,
Thy kingdom shall be in hermitage,
Thy reward shall be in humility."
 
Musing, Theo took one of his own coins to throw into the chest full of gold and treasure. Nothing happened. Murg chuckled, moving to open the most destroyed of the chests. The bugbear had to pick through the splintered wood, finding a secreted hole beneath full of treasure. As he reached out to touch it all other chests faded from view. Smelling of vinegar an ancient wine flowed into the cubby full of gold -- and to the surface rose a locket. Inside was an inscription --"Let us be fishers of men" -- and a hook-key identical to Bettam's hook the Vanguard had started with. Taking the locket Murg dug out the treasure from the old wine before turning to follow the group.
 
Murg addressed the group as a whole once all had left the second trial room. In a long-winded diatribe the bugbear voiced his intent to call upon Abadar and the most divine. The cleric wished to cast planar ally and hopefully gain assistance for our "meeting" with Cain.
 
Silently the group agreed, and all rested for a moment while the bugbear took out his quill and inks to prepare "the necessary documents". As he wrote the common script the document transmuted to the language celestial and began to glow softly.
 

An ally in the darkness

Within ten or so minutes only the cleric heard the voice of Abadar, reminding Murg to pay what is due. Then, with a great flash of light a being made itself known to the party. Covered in with fur the creature could only be described as a grean winged lion, gold stripes running across its forehead and the tips of its magnificent wings. A soft aura of light and a faint halo marked the lion as the divine being it was.
 
It knew instantly of Cain when Murg addressed it, known to it as "the servant of Samiel". It accepted no payment Murg could haggle for; it broke his offers with Abadar's request: Murg must face Cassania, the fey queen, to resolve his fey pact.
 
He agreed. "By Abadar's gaze."
 

"Let's kill Cain..."

So with their new divine ally the Vanguard approached the main door to Cain's temple. A mirrored relief of two fisherman marked where the hook-keys were to be inserted; an inscription warned of the "sinful will be burned by fire". Theo and Murg each offered a prayer to their divine host; Steel hefted the Claw; and Jojen cracked his knuckles wordlessly.
 
The door sank slowly to the floor, resting flush against the entrance. As it descended the party looked inside: the temple opened to a vestibule. It held a desk and four prison cells, and onward was the double doors to the sanctuary. There were only skeletons in the cells, but also two of the spirit-mushrooms the Vanguard had freed. These were cloyed by a moldy corruption and nearly consumed.
 
Everywhere the ground was broken up by a green rot. It appeared like a fungus that impossibly cracked the stone it ran through, and assailed the nostrils like a weapon itself. Theo used magic to guard his sense of smell but all reeled from the odor.
 
Theo addressed the closest soul, the mushroom in the nearest cell. It wanted none of Theo's talk for justice against Cain, but still acted... cordially. Called Aman, it could tell of Theo's connection to Selune -- and hated it "just like Cain". It followed Samiel, the god known as Entropy's Shadow. Aman considered Cain a heretic like Aman saw all others, when Cain connected himself to the Lord of Hunger, an ancient god long-forgotten. Aman credited himself with leading Cain through his early years in devotion, but long since abandoned that relationship. In the present Aman did not think he could pass on (like the other spirits had), choosing to stay in this life instead of entering the empty abyss of an afterlife Samiel prescribed.
 
"I offer you this: pray for my soul to your gods, you and the big one. Then I will tell you what I know."
 
Theo agreed. Aman clarified some of what the Vanguard already knew: Cain is/was a priest of Samiel who sought answers. He had stolen some of Hrothamari's work, finding a fragmented prophecy on the end of the world. This was the foretelling of the Living Gate opening, and with that knowledge Cain positioned himself to use the chaos of the opening event to "become a dark god himself". To everyone's surprise, except his own, Cain failed.
 
Currently Cain is interred in the temple's throne room, protected by his (and Samiel's) most loyal followers.
 
And so it was done: prayers were said, and what was left of Aman faded into the void itself.
 
While the two religious were uttering their words Jojen had moved to the other mushroom, who in life watched over the desk. This spirit was the first to have humor at its condition; once named Jerome it knew now that he and the rest of Nostalii had died. He wanted Cain dead and wished the Vanguard luck on their upcoming fight. The spirit indirectly explained that Aman had been Cain's right hand man, and both were guilty of crimes too many to count. Cain was the one to destroy the entirety of Nostalii in one magical blast -- and the mushrooms that sprouted after were some kind of aspect of Samiel, Entropy's Shadow. Mentally Jerome felt that he had "died" inside long before his body was destroyed; wanting to live for just a moment he asked about current times "up there".
 
Jojen did his best, admitting that he wasn't up on the most current news. He settled to recount tales from his own life. If any of the Vanguard could have heard the conversation, the monk recounted the Vanguard's previous fight against Argyle in the tainted Bezian sewers. Jojen spoke in the third person, mentioning only Theo, Steel, and Murg.
 
As Jojen relayed the entire conversation Steel's ears twitched in thought.
 
Aman was pleased by Jojen's story. All else the spirit had to say was how much hate Nostalii harbored for Cain -- and picking up on Jojen's reservations Jerome wished the monk peace.
 
 

Except: Dark Gifts

Theo and Murg readied up what last spells they needed, the cleric breaking open the last surviving crates. One held jerky and other dried foods, another was sealed tightly -- and a third was marked with a numerical blood curse (that Murg avoided). Theo was called over, and after some experimentation and guessing he conjectured the curse required blood (and something to do with counting one to ten). Immediately repulsed, it was Jojen who offered to "donate".
 
The process took several minutes, Jojen smearing a drop of blood on each of the blood runes in order. There were forty in total, and the monk was winded by the time he finished the first side of ten. Moving anti-clockwise he tried to continue but the cursed runes refused, the blood sloughing off.
 
Theo objected, worried about the black magic within. Steel grumbled -- "And this is the worst thing a mage has done in the name of the arcane" -- but compiled as the faithful two refused. Asking Abadar's icon of law Murg agreed to the transaction.
 
And finally once Theo had donated blood the curse lifted from the box, each number counting up with a glow as the box lid popped up. Steel, with the help of Murg, searched inside. The box contained a huge black satin pillow embroidered with a skull. It took up most of the box, and atop it sat several items:
 

A foot tall statue of a humanoid, encased in some kind of arcane protections -- as it was made entirely of snow and ice. Jojen, then Steel, realized what it was: the base component of the simulacrum spell.

A box-shaped reliquary, magnificently gilded and adorned. The sides were open, and inside a gilded receptical held some kind of liquid. On inspection the container held an ointment, the cover bearing a stylizing eye icon. Later, Murg explained what the reliquary's use: holy aura, and the ointment for true seeing. "Different from the gavel -- Abadar be praised -- but similar too."

A clear bag, obviously arcane, that contained a sparkling red dust. Ruby dust, the only material it could be, anointed with an expensive-smelling incense that Murg recognized. Theo guessed it was for the statuette, by the similarity in design, and therefore also for simulacrum.

 

Fratricide

All readied with their spells and abilities; then at Theo's behest an enlarged Murg kicked open the double doors to the dark priest's sanctuary.
"CAIN!"
 
Cain's sanctum was entirely covered in the fungal rot. Where the corruption was not green it appeared red, like thick blood coagulated from the living. An onyx door sat in the middle of the room protecting a stone mausoleum -- Cain's body.
 
A whip cracked before four creatures left the sanctum, the magical darkness within preventing any sight behind them. Ghastly and skull-faced, they were (again) addressed loudly by Murg:
"The apostles of Cain, face your doom!"


 
Jojen and Murg surged forwards to be met with blades of shadow and Cain's grim students. Abadar's agent followed, bounding and gliding over the Vanguard to join the fray.
 
A whip cracked again from within Cain's sanctum, and a ear-shattering pain overcame Murg and his divine ally.
 
Cain's minions fought fervently, running directly into the Vanguard to attack. One reached the gigantic Murg, a black claw glowing with green energy to dispel Theo's great big spell. But a flash of light too quick for the Vanguard to see intervened; Selune would not have her faithful assailed by agents of chaos.
 
Seeing Murg surrounded by dark priests Steel took aim. On pulling the Claw-trigger the crossbow failed to immediately fire. Instead it glowed a fire red, increasing to a dangerous intensity before the magic was released in a three-foot wide cylindrical shotgun blast. The arbalest narrowly missed Murg, but the priest attacking his backside was immolated instantly.
 
One priest ran to cover, chased by the winged lion. It made for a cubby behind the mausoleum out of the lion's reach, but Steel raced after him to take the priest out.
 

Damned

With all four dead the onyx door to Cain's mausoleum opened. He lounged casually, standing up from his throne on seeing "visitors". Clad in dirty gold chains and jewels the priest held the notorious whip in one hand and a leash in the other, striking the attached creature with it violently.
 
He showed himself more than a match, parrying Jojen's strikes with ease and nearly knocking him to the ground.
 
His victim was worse though: despite the Vanguard trying to avoid it with their attacks it lashed out, ravaging Jojen's unprotected flank.
 
"Roi!" Murg called. The cleric backed up from Cain's sanctum as a light shone from behind the throne. A figure materialized: a robed humanoid with the head and wings of a divine griffon. With a nod to his supervisor Roi produced a gavel from his robes to engage the dark priest with. And as he hit Cain a light moved from Roi to the nearby Jojen, surrounding the monk with brilliance.
 
Cain saw himself surrounded, and too all in the temple his fate was clear. He moved closer towards the thing and struck it harder than before. Another ear-splitting scream reverberated in the temple louder than ever before. Jojen could feel the strike assail both himself and his allies, and turned to look back when he felt the threads of life snap. Murg and Steel lay collapsed on the ground, Icarus flying around them anxiously.


 
It was over. Amidst the chaos Cain backed up towards his throne. Jojen leapt around the dark priest's tormented pet, holding the leash slack. His spiritual strikes followed, and when Jojen was able to see Cain once again his body lay broken on the ground.
 
And then it wasn't. The creature that Cain had been whipping was still alive. And still screaming. Steel woke to see the light of day, only to fall unconscious on hearing the cries again. Slowly the creature advanced on the party, and all tried to slowly back away. Theo attended to Murg, who attended to Steel. A few words in tabaxi and Steel pulled the magic of his people to hold the creature midair. Theo followed up, polymorphing the creature into a baboon.
 
Abadar's lion had one last valiant action, pulling the baboon-creature to the other side of the temple before a scream took the last of its willpower. "Tell Murg to remember," it called out as it shimmered out existence. Theo peeked his head out from behind his hiding spot to point at a place in the air next to the the shrieking creature. Flames burst into existence from that spot, and when they disappeared ash fell from where the creature last was.
 
Every member of the Vanguard let out a sigh of relief. The air was silent then, all looking over their own wounds and their friends'. It was broken by a hiss in the back of Cain's sanctum: the large flame protecting a back door fizzled out to reveal a dim passage.
 
But the Vanguard's attention was back in Cain's mausoleum. Above the dark priest's throne a giant skull appeared in a whoosh of smoke. Green eyes stared angrily at the Vanguard, and hate emanated in waves that didn't take Jojen's telepathy to feel. Silence filled the temple once more as each party stared on.
 
Eventually, the skull spoke first: "Then it all as Lawrence predicted. All shall come to pass."