Flames of the Faithful
General Summary
Venturing to Velnoya, the party meets with the Order of the Ochre Eye to gather magical supplies and research the contents of Raul Hasdrubal's journal.
Below is a summary of the events, as recorded by Mesca.
Resistances: fire, light
Weaknesses: slowed by extreme cold, weakened by intense sound
Abilities: manipulating fire and wax, blinding light, disorienting smoke
In the interest of getting to the point, know three things: (1) the mages of the Ochre Eye were unfamiliar with "divine motes," (2) this creature was another "failed experiment" like Raul Hasdrubal, and (3) we were profoundly unprepared for this battle. Without anything to show for the expedition, we agreed to escort a young priest back to his home in Cresthill. He was transporting expensive candles made from firestinger beeswax, and Jane was quick to suggest that we negotiate payment from his church for our help in moving such valuable cargo. The priest Jandar described a community largely run by his order, the Church of the Imperial Solar. Feasts were common, outsiders were welcome, and the beloved archbishop recently experienced a divine vision elevating him to pontiff. As we approached Cresthill, I noticed passivity from wildlife, as well as feelings of increased euphoria and hunger within our group. At the time, I chalked them up to latent divine energy or the power of this pontiff's station. Upon entering the town, not only did our intrusive feelings grow more intense, but we noticed more strange behavior from the townsfolk. Unwavering positivity. A certain vacancy in their eyes. All were pleasant, but, as our unease grew, we only encountered two people who confirmed or shared our suspicions. Willow: Inquisitive young girl. Noticed the pontiff acting differently. Her father was chosen as "enlightened," and she hasn't seen him since. Lorenzo Pastuli: Blind musician, who was once saved by the pontiff. Recently forbidden from playing the organ. Shunned by the townsfolk, because "silence is the path to enlightenment." Despite attempts to resist our cravings, we entered into the pie eating contest. Our ravenous hunger outweighed all reason, and I ate much more than feasible. As the festival drew to a close, our party, Jandar, Willow, and Lorenzo were chosen to enter the cathedral for enlightenment. Here, in the heart of the church, the puzzle pieces finally fit together. Pontiff Cyril was no man at all, but instead a strange waxen creature. Enlightenment? Rather literal, as the elemental demonstrated by rendering the fat from one of the chosen, molding him into an array of lit candles. The creature commanded wax constructs, wielded blinding flames, and summoned noxious smoke clouds. I will spare the details of a very bloody battle. We were ill-prepared and only survived because of Jandar's early sacrifice, Lorenzo's bardic magic, and tenacity outweighing recklessness. The elemental's death revealed what we surmised was a divine mote, which opened a portal to the Elemental Plane of Wax. We narrowly escaped through a shattered window and watched as the cathedral overflowed with still-hot wax. With Willow's help, we explained the situation to the horrified townsfolk. Unsurprisingly, they wanted nothing to do with candles and gladly left us the wax, provided we could haul it back to the caves. A problem for another time. With much of the clergy dead, Lorenzo was appointed as the new archbishop and promised to help Cresthill rebuild and overcome this sordid part of their history. Finally, after investigating the pontiff's chambers, we found a strange note mentioning both Raul and the wax elemental, both of them "failed experiments." The elemental was an attendant of the church for decades; after being imbued with the divine mote, it replaced Cyril and interpreted "enlightenment" literally, fattening up acolytes for potential wax and outlawing anything that could harm it, such as Lorenzo's organ music. As for the experimenter, Creo, not even the late pontiff knows where they went. Between this ordeal and the latest hunt, I feel we'll be seeing more of Creo's handiwork soon. Note: Let this "victory" be a reminder to be better prepared in the future. We need to deal in information at least as much as we do in raw resources.
Waxen Pontiff Dossier
Creature: wax elementalResistances: fire, light
Weaknesses: slowed by extreme cold, weakened by intense sound
Abilities: manipulating fire and wax, blinding light, disorienting smoke
In the interest of getting to the point, know three things: (1) the mages of the Ochre Eye were unfamiliar with "divine motes," (2) this creature was another "failed experiment" like Raul Hasdrubal, and (3) we were profoundly unprepared for this battle. Without anything to show for the expedition, we agreed to escort a young priest back to his home in Cresthill. He was transporting expensive candles made from firestinger beeswax, and Jane was quick to suggest that we negotiate payment from his church for our help in moving such valuable cargo. The priest Jandar described a community largely run by his order, the Church of the Imperial Solar. Feasts were common, outsiders were welcome, and the beloved archbishop recently experienced a divine vision elevating him to pontiff. As we approached Cresthill, I noticed passivity from wildlife, as well as feelings of increased euphoria and hunger within our group. At the time, I chalked them up to latent divine energy or the power of this pontiff's station. Upon entering the town, not only did our intrusive feelings grow more intense, but we noticed more strange behavior from the townsfolk. Unwavering positivity. A certain vacancy in their eyes. All were pleasant, but, as our unease grew, we only encountered two people who confirmed or shared our suspicions. Willow: Inquisitive young girl. Noticed the pontiff acting differently. Her father was chosen as "enlightened," and she hasn't seen him since. Lorenzo Pastuli: Blind musician, who was once saved by the pontiff. Recently forbidden from playing the organ. Shunned by the townsfolk, because "silence is the path to enlightenment." Despite attempts to resist our cravings, we entered into the pie eating contest. Our ravenous hunger outweighed all reason, and I ate much more than feasible. As the festival drew to a close, our party, Jandar, Willow, and Lorenzo were chosen to enter the cathedral for enlightenment. Here, in the heart of the church, the puzzle pieces finally fit together. Pontiff Cyril was no man at all, but instead a strange waxen creature. Enlightenment? Rather literal, as the elemental demonstrated by rendering the fat from one of the chosen, molding him into an array of lit candles. The creature commanded wax constructs, wielded blinding flames, and summoned noxious smoke clouds. I will spare the details of a very bloody battle. We were ill-prepared and only survived because of Jandar's early sacrifice, Lorenzo's bardic magic, and tenacity outweighing recklessness. The elemental's death revealed what we surmised was a divine mote, which opened a portal to the Elemental Plane of Wax. We narrowly escaped through a shattered window and watched as the cathedral overflowed with still-hot wax. With Willow's help, we explained the situation to the horrified townsfolk. Unsurprisingly, they wanted nothing to do with candles and gladly left us the wax, provided we could haul it back to the caves. A problem for another time. With much of the clergy dead, Lorenzo was appointed as the new archbishop and promised to help Cresthill rebuild and overcome this sordid part of their history. Finally, after investigating the pontiff's chambers, we found a strange note mentioning both Raul and the wax elemental, both of them "failed experiments." The elemental was an attendant of the church for decades; after being imbued with the divine mote, it replaced Cyril and interpreted "enlightenment" literally, fattening up acolytes for potential wax and outlawing anything that could harm it, such as Lorenzo's organ music. As for the experimenter, Creo, not even the late pontiff knows where they went. Between this ordeal and the latest hunt, I feel we'll be seeing more of Creo's handiwork soon. Note: Let this "victory" be a reminder to be better prepared in the future. We need to deal in information at least as much as we do in raw resources.
Rewards Granted
Gifted by Cresthill
2 x Bloodwax1 x Arcanowax
Cathedral's worth of wax
Crafted from the Waxen Pontiff
Candlelight MitreCharacter(s) interacted with
Report Date
26 Aug 2023
Primary Location
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