Hope Springs Anew

After so many days of research and sacrifice we may have found a means to our salvation. Feylan stumbled upon an old passage in a book discussing a special artifact of Torm. After combing through all our tomes it appears that if this artifact was in the city it could be found in the Church of Dawn located within the Grand Cemetery. Unfortunately, there were no pictures of the artifact so Feylan suggested that I join the group in order to sense the artifact as it is connected to my god, Torm. This glimmer of hope, a glimmer but hope none-the-less may be just what we need to deliver us from this horrible fate.
 
Once the others arrived back to the temple, Feylan and I shared our discovery. I explained that I wanted to join them as this task was of great importance. Luckily, they were not opposed to me joining them. Given their recent outing, I thought it best that they rest and we set out in the morning. Tymora was smiling down on us because we heard a noise outside the chamber. Princess, being the ever vigilant paladin she is, went to investigate with Haelee close on her heels. I decided to listen in a bit before heading out myself. It would appear that a young man had followed the motley crew here to the sanctuary after an encounter they had by the docks. It was beginning to sound heated so I joined the other two in order to meet our new friend. This poor soul looked as though he hadn't eaten in days. His hatred for the gods was on full display and my heart broke listening to him as I saw myself had Kreeg not found me. I'm not sure what happened but I could see how uneasy everyone was so I felt that a good meal and a good nights rest might quell the tension.
 
After dinner, Princess asked to speak to me. It would appear that her companion animal is seeking her out. I find it refreshing to hear good news in these days of woe and it reminds me that hope is always present even in the darkest of days. We also discussed our new visitor and the reason why she had such a wary way toward him. Her revelation that her oath was nothing more than a pact with a devil hasn't helped this disposition, but at least she still has trust in her compatriots and our cause to rescue the city. A good nights rest is what we need.
 
The morning came and we had a lovely breakfast. It is obvious our new friend, Khemed was his name, has some food security issues as he tried to secretly stuff his pockets. I made sure to pack plenty of extra food for the day as I don't know how long we may be out and we must stay vigilant. Our destination, The Church of Dawn in the Grand Cemetery. Torm test our resolve as not only must we deal with the devils throughout the city but a resurgence of undead creatures as well. And as everyone knows cemeteries and the undead are a deadly combination.
 
What I thought would be a simple investigation started out with a bit of confusion. There was something about a portal and then there was a pastry shop and a devil selling keys. I was rather confused as I believed our objective was to find the artifact as soon as possible. This lack of focus and order was overwhelming for me and I tried to create focus for the group. Luckily Erric was able to assist us moving quietly through the city until we reached or destination. I will admit, I was concerned that I would be a burden on the group as I tend to trip over my own feet at times, but Torm's light or Tymora's luck saw me through. We made it to the Grand Cemetery with little to no issues; however, the cemetery was covered in this strange purple mist and full of disturbed gravesites. It was an unpleasant sight, but we pushed on as silently as we could avoiding the waves of undead until we reached the Church of Dawn. At that moment, the others remembered they wished to check up on their friend Gideon, whom they had not seen since the decent. As his home was close by the cathedral I did not protest.
 
I'm glad that we did because we made some startling discoveries. First, we discovered the source of the purple mist. Haelee believed it possessed necromantic properties and was dangerous to be around so we made the decision to avoid it at all cost. We also found Gideon's quarters empty save a chest full of clothing and a journal on his desk. It would appear that Gideon was being seduced by Zariel, the devil that made the pact so long ago. According to Gideon, Zariel is a fallen celestial being. She convinced Gideon that the gods were not helping humanity but the Devils were by fighting the blood war against Chaos. That Chaos being the Demons. Reading his journal detailed his fall into madness and support of this idea that Zariel needed soldiers for the Blood War to protect humanity and that the gods were failing us. Each passage I read made me sad to see a devout follower fall into madness. After reading the passage we found a mirror that had been shattered and blood stained. I didn't think too much of it at first, but that would change.
 
Now it was time to investigate the cathedral. Khemed had the idea to enter from the side via the windows. I suggested we use the clothing we found in Gideon's place to ensure we could safely enter through the broken glass windows. With everyone working together we were able to ender the cathedral. To no surprise, the interior was trashed. All the windows were smashed to pieces save for one. I was drawn to it immediately as it was a depiction of Torm gifting a warrior a helm. Upon closer inspection, I could see that the hero was none other than Lanish Fogul. Then I recalled that Erric identified the statues at the front of the cathedral as statues of Elturelian heroes. I felt that the window possessed some sort of spiritual energy especially the helmet, but my thoughts were interupted by Haelee saying she found another mirror and stain glassed window. (She of course did this telepathically, I'm not sure if she understands that's still very unnerving for those that are not used to traveling with her, but I digress.) The mirror was again smashed and stained with blood. I can't believe this was a coincidence but the stained glass window was our priority.
 
The window was not fully intact, but the center was pristine as the previous one. But instead of Torm, Lathander was portrayed leading lost souls to their final resting place. Again, holy energy radiated from this window. I had a difficult time connecting to it, but Princess was able to tap into its holy energy and Lathander gifted her a mighty great sword. But there was no time to marvel at the miracle that had just occurred. At that moment, the doors to the chamber swung open and two undead husk sounded an alarm to our presence. A battle ensued and we triumphed thanks to a strategically placed spell by Haelee and the brave efforts of everyone. It was a marvel to see these brave heroes in action. Even Khemed was quite skilled in combat despite his diminutive nature. Now that our foes have been defeated we must work quickly to discover as much as we can before the next patrol discovers our presence.