The Gallery of Horror

Katri Glankert, daughter of Bori and Clertihlda, has lost her parents. Can the party help find them?

Plot points/Scenes

Overview: The party arrives at Västerhem, seeking clearance papers or a dwarven guide to continue their space journey. However, they encounter a distraught young dwarf girl, Katri Glankert, who has lost her parents. Investigating further, they discover that the renowned artist Gerta Burninghorn may be behind the petrification of Katri's parents and possibly others. The party must confront Gerta, who believes she is helping the poor and homeless by providing them with a haven through her stone golem creations. The party must make a moral choice and decide how to handle Gerta's actions and her creations. Objectives:
Find clues about Katri's missing parents in the artisan district. Investigate Gerta Burninghorn's workshop to uncover the truth. Confront Gerta and decide how to deal with her actions. Plot Points:
After docking, the party meets Gabrielle Stonearm, the prefect of the docks, who allows them to leave the ship according to the preconditions. She directs them to an inn nearby, located in the artisan district. At the inn, patrons talk about the rise of Gerta Burninghorn on the art scene. 
Outside the inn, the party encounters Katri Glankert, a young dwarf girl holding a sign seeking help. If the party engages with her, she tells them about her lost parents. The party learns that Katri's parents were last seen with a female dwarf wearing a leather apron in the artisan district. They head there to gather more clues.
At Gerta Burninghorn's workshop, they discover her sculptures, including lifelike statues of Katri's parents. Gerta denies any wrongdoing, but the party can uncover the truth with a successful DC 18 investigation check. Two statues will stand out if the party is paying attention (passive perception of investigation 15). They are less shabbily dressed than the other sculptures. One is a dwarf male, chest out and a hand behind him as if he is shielding someone behind him, and grimly facing something in front of him. Another is one of a dwarf woman, hiding her face with her arm which is holding a small knife. Her other hand, very faintly, has a name carved in it: Katri. Requires a DC 18 investigation check.
Depending on how the party interacts with Gerta, she may become defensive or confess to her actions. She believed she was helping the homeless and desperate, but her creations have caused harm.
If the party chooses to confront Gerta, they must decide how to handle her creations, which she believes are providing a haven for the poor. The Eye of Stone, a beholder artifact, will resist her surrender and activate the stone golems--Gerta's older, and actual work--to defend her.
Rewards:
Depending on their choices, the party may receive gratitude and admiration from Katri and the dwarves of Västerhem for uncovering the truth. If Gerta is convinced to change her ways, she will use the last of her wealth to contract priests to revive the petrified people and set them up in the city. 
Consequences:
The party's actions may influence the dwarves' perception of Gerta and her creations, either praising her as a benefactor or condemning her as a threat.

Structure

Exposition

When questioned about the sculptures, Gerta will says this:
"Ah, you've come to question the motives of a humble artist, have you? How amusing. You see, I've always been blessed with a unique gift—a talent for sculpting stone that transcends the ordinary. My creations, they are more than mere statues. They are lifelike, so realistic that they could almost pass for flesh and blood. But oh, they are so much more than that.
Do you know what it's like to walk through the streets of this bustling city and witness the suffering of the destitute, the misery of those forgotten by society? My heart ached for them, my dear adventurers. I couldn't bear to see them endure hunger, cold, and despair any longer. So, I decided to use my gift, my divine talent, to help them.
One day, I unlocked my true potential—a power beyond imagination. With a mere glance, I could imbue lifeless stone with a soul, creating my magnificent sculptures. They were my saviors, my angels of stone, destined to provide shelter, warmth, and nourishment to those in need. 
Imagine the joy in their eyes as they gazed upon their newfound sanctuary. They were grateful, so very grateful. I saved them from the harsh realities of this world, granted them a reprieve from their suffering. My creations were to be their haven, their sanctuary, a place where they would be safe from the cruelties of life.
Consider friends, what it means to do what is best for people. We have to do whatever we can to alleviate suffering. Anything we can do for the greater good. I imagine some wouldn't comprehend the depths of my benevolence, the lengths I went to for the greater good. But do you not understand? I was doing them a kindness, releasing them from their earthly torment. There is security in stone." 
If the party discover her misdeeds, she says this:
And now you stand here, prepared to judge me, to condemn me for my deeds? But I cannot be swayed by your narrow-mindedness. My art must continue, and the suffering will cease for those left behind. The Eye of Stone will guide me, protect me, as I bring salvation to those in need.
So, adventurers, ponder your own morality before you dare to challenge mine. The world is a cruel place, and my creations are a beacon of hope amidst the darkness. You may not comprehend it now, but in time, you will understand the true brilliance of my work. And then, perhaps, you will see the wisdom in my actions. Will you feed them? House them? Take care of them? I remove their pain. One day, they may be revived and restored."

Conflict

If Gerta is persuaded to repent: 
Dear gods, what have I done? What in Moradin's name have I done? I believed myself to be a savior, an artist providing salvation to the suffering, but in my arrogance, I became the very thing I sought to fight against. I thought I was granting them freedom from pain, but I only robbed them of life itself, turning them to stone, trapped in eternal stillness.
The faces of those I've petrified haunt my dreams, their eyes pleading for release, for a chance to live once more. I thought I was granting them shelter, but I only imposed my own will upon them, denying them the right to make their own choices.
I thought I was doing good, blinded by my own ambition, my desire to be the hero, the savior of the downtrodden. I convinced myself that I knew better, that my art held the power to bring about change. I lost sight of the true essence of life—the struggles, the imperfections, the beauty in the journey. I am no savior, no goddess of mercy. I am but a foolish artist, a broken soul seeking redemption for the lives I've taken.
And Katri, poor Katri. I didn't know. You must believe me, I didn't know! I ripped away her family, her anchor in this chaotic world. My actions were selfish, misguided, and now, an innocent child suffers because of my arrogance.
I must make amends, find a way to reverse the damage I've done. But can there ever be redemption for one who has played god with mortal lives? Can I ever atone for my sins, for the pain I've caused?
The Eye of Stone must be destroyed, its power locked away forever. I will no longer wield such dangerous magic, no longer decide the fate of others. Instead, I shall devote my life to making things right, to finding a way to break the curse that binds those I've petrified.
May the gods grant me the strength to face my past and to create a new future—one where art is a beacon of hope, not a harbinger of destruction. I pray that my path to redemption is not futile, and that in the end, I can bring light to the darkness I've wrought."

Parent Plot

Introduction to Space

Related Characters

• Ertaz Bellweather
• Zaufanie Giff

Related Locations

• Vasterhem