The Keys of Telku / Heathen pt. 2/ Vish the 22nd through the 25th, 3592 CE / 4-28-19

In the aftermath of the battle with the Death Squad, the party attempts to take stock of the damage done. Two of the newcomers who accompanied Sheriff Umbak to the scene quickly move to inspect the two now-dead spellcasters among the killers, while the Sheriff and his men take care of their fallen brother, Bones. The two newcomers are Emesha, a paladin of Ishtalar, and Sara Djemel, a cleric of Tarmul. Their third companion is an elven paladin of Cabrael named Falador. Emesha and Sara retrieve two holy symbols from the bodies, revealing that one of the killers was a cleric of Baal, and the other worshiped an unidentified deity that employs a skull with a dagger through the eyes as a holy symbol. When Moss asks the newcomers if the symbol could be related to the worship of Anubhak, they grow tense, and state that they should speak more later, before moving among the injured and dying refugees in order to provide relief. Nari also cajoles Coron into leaving the library in order to bestow the blessings of Accuris upon their party and the injured refugees. Kraegar informs Nari that a tribunal will be held in the morning, and that as witnesses to the attack, her party will be expected to be in attendance.   The party makes plans for the evening, with Moss going back to research with Coron in the library's sub-basement, and Nari purchasing additional pigs from Yeshka the butcher in order to help feed the guards and refugees. Afterwards Nari, Henry and Roisyll go to check on Adrienne, as the sun sets. Henry and Roisyll observe for the first time what happens when the lycanthropic curse overtakes Adrienne, as she transforms into a rabid gill-wolf within the jail cell in which she voluntarily chose to be incarcerated, while Archie the dog looks on worriedly. Nari, Henry, and Fiora volunteer to stay at the jail. Roisyll heads to one of the lecture halls, which Portia Ferrantia informed Fiora was the only place left for the Adventurers to sleep, with every other accommodation currently being taken up by refugees. When she gets there, Roisyll finds that the newcomers are there as well. They introduce themselves formally, informing her that they belong to an order calling themselves the Light of the Sun, crusaders from Ahsaratt who travel the Southlands fighting evil deities and their followers. They wish to parlay with Roisyll's team, and so eventually everyone is gathered in the library for a meeting. The party reveals their research into Anubhak and the purpose of their quest. In turn, the Light of the Sun reveals that though they came to Ferrantia pursuing the Death Squad, that is not their mission. They explain the Death Squads are agents of the Church of Baal, using terror attacks in the Southlands to break the will of the nomadic tribes of the Sighing Plains. Though the Light of the Sun sought to stop this particular Death Squad, they came to this region seeking one of their own, a paladin of Jeda named Jaryn, who was seeking a cult called the Hand of Naraash. Jaryn thought the cult's base was located somewhere in the Grey Mountains in a place called Etrigan's Rest. Nari recalls that Etrigan was the name of the mythical hero from the fairy tale she had discovered while researching the Pillars of Midnight. Emesha tells the group that the cult is called the Hand of Naraash, and that they are exploiting the terror of the Death Squads in order to gain more converts. She says they also worship the deity Anubhak. Seeing that this quest may align with the Adventurers' research into the Pillars of Midnight and their pursuit of the 3rd Key of Telku, a possible alliance is discussed between the two teams, but both agree to make no further plans until after the tribunal hearing in the morning. The team returns once again to their plans for the evening, with Nari and Henry back at the jail, and Moss convincing Roisyll to spend the night researching with him by way of a Keep Watch spell. That night, with the aid of Coron, Roisyll discovers another important fact regarding the strange holy symbol they found on the dead priest. A tome titled Cult of the Death God reveals that worship of Accuris dates back to the Ancient Empire, but that in some regions, a variation on the religion referred to the god of death as Kholum, and his symbol as a skull with a dagger through the eyes.   The next morning, Nari is alarmed to discover that Adrienne and Archie are both mysteriously vanished without a trace. There is little time to investigate however, as the tribunal is commencing and her presence is required, along with those of her companions. In the tribunal hall, Portia demands a solution to the refugee crisis, stating that due to the terrorist attack within their walls, housing the refugees in Ferrantia is no longer tenable. The Light of the Sun offers to escort the refugees the rest of the way safely to Liem, but only if surrogates can be found to complete their quest to locate their missing comrade. The Adventurers volunteer for this duty, some more willingly than others.The Light of the Sun offers them a map showing the last known route into the Grey Mountains that Jaryn was believed to have taken in his search for the Hand of Naraash cultists. In addition, Sara Djemel, the cleric of Tarmul, offers to accompany the Adventurers on the quest. They set out the next day, travelling west through the Sighing Plains, and observing with dismay several villages that are now burnt out husks. They also note with interest that scattered among the corpses of the villagers are the occasional body of a hobgoblin. On the second day of their journey, the Adventurers reach the hamlet of Erstlin, where they are greeted by a village elder named Perren Auldwyl, who offers to let the party stay in his home overnight. Nari and Roisyll gain knowledge from the some of the locals which indicates that Jaryn and his party did indeed come through this area. The party settles in for the night, anticipating the adventure ahead.