The Keys of Telku / Heathen pt. 7 / Eire the 2nd through the 4th, 3592 CE / 7-28-19

In the aftermath of the battle at Harsmad, the Adventurers plan their next steps. Though the blaze is destined to destroy what remains of the village, Roisyll and Fiora use their magic to magically douse the flames, hoping to speed up extinguishing the inferno. As the flames die down, the remaining survivors of Harsmad begin making their way back to pick through the wreckage of their village. Fiora recognizes one of the villagers as a relative, who she calls "Auntie Yrma." The woman states that two men matching the description of Jaryn and his squire D'Jani passed through the village several months ago, promising to end the threat of the Hand of Naraash cultits by defeating the head of their militia, a hobgoblin named Larkazh. When Nari states that their party is also headed for the Pillars of Midnight, Yrma decries the quest as folly. Moss interrogates the bugbear they have captured, learning little other then that Naraash is the cult's spiritual leader, and they seem to respect strength and ruthlessness above all else. As the bugbear is being lead to execution by the villagers, he reveals that he has seen Jaryn, and implies that the paladin may have turned to the dark ways of Anubhak. He then attempts to commit suicide by biting off his own tongue, but Moss casts a heal spell, allowing the villagers to have their justice by executing the cultist. Afterwards, the survivors of Harsmad head south towards Akama, and at Glasur's urging, the party commences the voyage upstream. That night, they dock the Black Snake in the shallows of the river bank in order to rest. Henry and Adrienne scout through the brush and rocks of the river bank to guard their perimeter, and are attacked by a pair of vicious bugbear cultists. Meanwhile, the tiefling D'Jani appears aboard the ship and brutally stabs Sara Djemel, paralyzing her with some kind of insidious poison. Using a magic cloak, he evades and harasses the other Adventurers on board the ship. After Glasur threatens to pull up anchor, Adrienne and Henry, having slain one of the bugbear attackers, quickly make their way back to the shore. Moss casts an entangle spell to further harry the remaining bugbear and D'Jani, who has made his way off the boat after finding himself outnumbered. As Adrienne and Henry pull themselves up, Glasur spurs his eels on, pulling away from the two remaining attackers. After finding safer harbor and completing their rest, Roisyll is able to use her medicinal arts to revive Sara, who is dismayed at D'Jani's betrayal and what it could mean for the fate of Jaryn. She vows to not hold back if the paladin has turned against them. As they reach the end of their river voyage, the party makes plans for their overland approach to the Pillars. They decide that, using the tabards Sara took from the dead cultists in Harsmad, Moss and Henry will disguise themselves as cultists, while Adrienne, Roisyll and Sara profess to be recent converts. Ramha and Fiora will wait outside the compound, and create a distraction after the search party has entered. Nari will turn into her fox form, and accompany Roisyll in the guise of an animal companion. After a day's hike, the party reaches the Pillars of Midnight and puts their plan into motion. The search party is able to dupe the cultists into believing their story, and are dismayed as they begin to comprehend the scope of the cultist's operation, with the Hand of Naraash operating what amounts to a village of as many as 500 fanatics. As they trudge through the streets of makeshift markets and homes, headed for the mountain temple at its center, the Adventurers know they are moments away from Ramha and Fiora enacting their part of the plan.