12 - 10/10/24 : Dark Conspiracy

"Oh Lady of Truth, we lay before you the evidence of this mortal court, and beseech your wisdom upon your servants who consider it. Guide our thoughts in the ways of Truth, Let us acknowledge Duty and Honor, and Temper our Knowledge of the Law with Compassion for those wronged. Should we err in our Judgement, do instruct us so that Justice may prevail, and that none may fear the Law, save those who have wronged it."

Traditional Prayer to Muir

Prior to their escape attempt, the Wayfinders spent their morning tending to last-minute tasks. Korra and Vesper went to pick up her newly enchanted axe, now named Cyclone and imbued with the power to harness Korra's storm auras, while Raija and Arueshalae went to purchase the map of Foere from the Guild of Cartographers and Explorers using the funds Xiaoyu provided. Raija also inquired about how they could get the Crystal Rose to the guildmaster if they happened to find it before Cantelburgh's lockdown was lifted; de Nerac informed her that it could be delivered to any of the guild's outposts throughout Foere if necessary.
After finishing their preparations, the party put their plan into action. Vesper and Arueshalae coordinated sleep spells to put the guards at the entrance of the Basilica tomb to sleep, and the party proceeded into the secret passage below.
The Wayfinders explored the tomb carefully, ensuring to not act disrespectfully towards those entombed in the space, and observing what rituals they could decipher on their own. Of particular note was the tomb of Saint Oerson, whom the Basilicas itself was named after; his burial chamber contained a fountain of endless holy water, which the party took some of without further disturbing the tomb.
At the eastern end of the tomb, the party encountered a gathering of the faithful of Muir, led by an elderly Justicar, Sir Aldus Northmere. Although initially skeptical of the party's intrusion, Sir Aldus was convinced to allow the party inside after hearing their story told succinctly and convincingly by Raija.
Sir Aldus explained that he and his followers were soon-to-be rebels; devout faithful of the Muse, who intended to strike back against the Mitran Inquisition for the terrible crimes they had afflicted on the faithful of Cantelburgh, both through the burning of the Basilica and the executions of suspected 'cultists'. Aldus' goal was nothing less than the death of the Constable.
The Wayfinders understood and sympathized with the Muirans, but they had their own errand to pursue and Vesper's mission of peace to see to first. Aldus understood and invited them to pass and use the secret tunnel nearby; however, a barrier had been erected by the Inquisition not long after the lockdown began, and priests in his service were hard at work dispelling it.
There would be no time to wait, however; the meeting was soon set upon by a squad of guards and inquisitors led by Constable Vyllahna herself. Vyllahna took the clandestine gathering as proof of apostasy and witchcraft by the Muirans, and condemned them and the party alike, sentencing them to death on the spot. Battle soon ensued.
The Wayfinders joined the Muirans in defending the chamber, holding the entrance as a chokepoint to limit the Constable's forces from pouring in. The Constable herself wielded powerful magic that seared the mind and overwhelmed the willpower of her victims, stunning them or even forcing them to obey her commands; despite injuries, the Wayfinders were able to resist the worst effects of her abilities, partly thanks to Sir Aldus and Vesper coordinating their beacon of hope and aura of vitality spells, respectively. Arueshalae's own hypnotic pattern rendered many of the Constable's fighters ineffective as well.
The Muiran priests were able to collapse the barrier during the fight, but more Inquisitors laid in waiting beyond it and set upon them, slaying the priests and advancing on the party from another angle of approach. Sir Aldus urged the party to depart and leave the party to them, but Korra insisted on staying and slaying the Constable before departing. Raija and Arueshalae diverted to handle the Inquisitors to the south, while Korra waded into the initial force led by the Constable along with the Muirans.
Cutting a bloody swath through the opposition, Korra was able to cut down the Constable with Cyclone and claimed Vyllahna's flametongue shortsword as a trophy for the affair. Raija, Arueshalae, and another of the Muiran knights were able to overcome the inquisitors attempting to flank them, opening a path to the tunnel.
The battle calmed for a moment, but Aldus soon heard the approaching of more forces from above. He urged the Wayfinders to flee while they had the chance, and to leave the coming battle to them. The party agreed and departed, trudging through the long tunnel out into the Foere countryside. A few Asclepius agents awaited Yilani and the party on the other side, and Yilani parted with the party on good terms, urging them to seek Asclepius should they ever need aid. The party was given four horses to make their future journeys swifter, and Asclepius departed soon after.
With the matter of the Crystal Rose still at hand, Vesper suggested the party take a detour to its general location as noted in de Nerac's dossier - the eastern foot of the Broken Mountains west of Cantelburgh - as a means of laying low, since the affair in Cantelburgh was sure to stir up attention in the general area, likely making further travel difficult.
As the Wayfinders and their charge journeyed west, Raija and Korra noted that Arueshalae managed to speak to Vesper alone for the first time without any emotional outburst or anxiety related to her demonic condition. The two conversed about Vesper's past as a Lolthite and her leaving the religion, and Vesper encouraged Arueshalae to keep trying regardless of her past sins; after all, the time would pass anyway.
The party continued west, foraying into a deep forest at the foot of the Broken Mountains…

The Wayfinders

Korra - A leonin warrior known for her inability to ignore those in need, Korra has sought the Fairhaven Frontier in her pursuit to learn the heroic craft from the Fairhaven Four & company. She has a strong sense of honor, enjoys the thrill of battle, and has sworn to never ignore a sidequest.

Raija - A young djinn with storm giant ancestry hailing from the Plane of Air. Exiled and stripped of the greatest of her powers by the ruling noble djinni, she now wanders the Material Plane, seeking a cause that will help her prove her worth and someday give cause for her return to her homeland.

Arueshalae - A beautiful, melancholy succubus who has forsaken her demonic nature and has embarked on the road to redemption. She has dedicated herself to Desna, and longs to atone for the horrors she committed before her awakening. She is terrified of physical touch and the temptations it brings to her, thus she tends to watch others curiously from a distance.

---

NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS

Vesper DeVir - A dark elf paladin, Knight of the Rose, and member of the adventuring party known as the Moonlighters. She is a chosen of Desna, and seeks to liberate her people from the oppressive grasp of Lolth. She is an associate of the Fairhaven Frontier after working with its leaders during an excursion to The Undermountain, and seeks their help once again for her religious pilgrimage, the Tranquil Voyage.

Yilani Deniz - A yuan-ti pureblood druid from the deserts north of Revelmoore, as well as the founder and leader of the politically neutral aid organization Asclepius. A hero of the Dragon Heist of 3531, she now travels the world with her followers seeking to aid people harmed by disaster and war; a goal that has found her trapped in the City of Cantelburgh alongside the Wayfinders.

Toronna Aspenfrond - A half-elf smith and devout follower of ​Mitra who owns the Anvil of Right in Cantelburgh. She furnished Arueshalae with a new bow and Korra with a new axe, though the party remains wary of her religious fervor.

Guildmaster Percival de Nerac - A half-elven explorer who is the head of Cantelburgh's Guild of Cartographers and Explorers. He is fiercely proud of his family's longstanding royal commission and service to the crown, and dislikes adventurers for their reputation of looting ancient ruins without a care for the history contained within. He has offered the party a massive reward for the retrieval of a lot artifact known as the Crystal Rose, said to have been lost in the old Hyperborean ruins of Foere.

Constable Vyllahna - A half-elf who serves as constable of Cantelburgh. A loyal servant of the Crown Princess and an exacting exectuor of the law, Vyllahna put Cantelburgh in lockdown while she and her inquisitors prowled the streets, seeking any evidence of supposed cult activity.
In her righteous fury, the constable clashed against the Muirans lurking below the ruins of Saint Oerson's Basilica, and was slain by Korra. Her death is certain to erode the rule of law in the troubled city and draw the ire of Crown Princess Jeanne Foere.

Justicar Aldus Northmere - An old paladin and justicar of ​Muir, Goddess of Virtue & Truth, as well as an old brother-in-arms of the legendary Sir Hanfred Vel in times past. Stationed in Cantelburgh and charged with protecting Saint Oerson's Basilica in his twilight years, the burning of the Basilica by the Mitrans serving Constable Vyllahna drove him to pick up arms and turn to violence to defend his flock.
Although the constable was slain, the old Justicar still had many more guardsmen to fight as the party fled the catacombs beneath the Basilica, leaving the old warrior's fate unknown.