The Keys of Telku / The Temple of the Apocalypse pt. 10 / Balen the 10th through the 14th, 3592 CE / 3-1-20

The Adventurers, having survived their ordeal in the Moathouse, camp in the nearby wilderness before preparing to head back to Magepoint. They are joined by Cymria of Celadon, a member of the Magepoint council and right hand to Archmage Manzorian, the town's guardian and benefactor. Cymria is disturbed by the tale the Adventurers spin of their battles with forces of evil in the catacombs beneath the Moathouse, and even more disturbed by the sigil, an upside down red triangle on a black background, displayed on the breastplate of their prisoner, Lareth the Beautiful, the vile medusa who appears to be at the center of the plot that lead to the attempted kidnapping of Leah Baylon and the murder of her parents. Insisting that they get the prisoner back to Magepoint post-haste, the party leaves at first dawn and rides hard. Though Lareth has been temporarily rendered helpless by Cymria's sleeping poison, when they reach town and deliver the medusa to Capain Kennit and the town guard, Cymria insists that no one interact with the prisoner but herself and other council members. The party meets once again with the town council, comprised of Cymria, Jaroo Ashstaff, Werner Jacks, Vorcan, and Drace Kennit, in order to debrief their mission. They are also joined by the Baylon's caretaker, Gunthar, and Leah Baylon, who is overjoyed to see Waldo is safe after he saved her from being kidnapped. After Gunthar takes Leah away, the council discusses the ramifications of the Lord Baylon's apparent betrayal and Canon Terjon's disappearance, and Cymria reveals that the sigil worn on Lareth's breastplate is that of the Temple of the Apocalypse, which she and other adventurers fought to seal off twenty-five years ago. The party receives the key to the Temple of Knowledge as promised, and proceeds to the now abandoned structure to seek the knowledge they came pursuing. But due to the suspicious nature of the disappearance of the library's caretaker, they first search the building. Moss and Henry look in the basement, where they find a storage cellar, and then a series of crypts where the priests who lead the temple back when it served a religious purpose have been interred. Henry notes with interest that the newest crypt dates to twenty-five years prior, and that the more recent ones are marked with the symbol of Vespera, but crypts dating older than two hundred years ago are inscribed in Ancient with a symbol representing stars. Searching the living quarters, Roisyll and Waldo find that Canon Terjon appeared to have packed and left in a hurry, while Uli spots the remnants of a burned note in the fireplace, indicating the librarian may have absconded to Divvers with a book at the behest of someone known as "K." After the party compares notes from their searches, they begin researching using the library's resources. Uli and Adrienne search for the missing book, while Coron and Waldo search for information on the Keys of Telku. Meanhwile, Roisyll assists Moss in learning more about the Rod of Law, and Henry focuses on his own interests, mainly, learning more about the extraplanar entities known as Azata and Proteans. After two days of searching, Waldo and Uli come to the dismaying conclusion that the missing text is in fact the library's only book concerning the Keys of Telku. Leaving Moss, Roisyll, and Henry to their continued research, Waldo spends the third day using his abilities at crafting to make a new magical item for the party, while Uli, Adrienne, and Coron decide to check on the status of the prisoner, Lareth the Beautiful. They grow concerned when the guards state they have not seen Cymria or Captain Kennit recently, and decide first to stop by Werner Jacks' farmhouse and see if Leah Baylon is safe. After verifying that the little girl is fine, they confide their concerns to the former guard captain, who decides to accompany the heroes back to the guard tower. There they make a disturbing discovery, opening up Lareth's cell to discover that she has been replaced with the now deceased Captain Kennit. The council, now also missing Cymria who has returned to the Moathouse to search for more clues, agrees to Adrienne's request for a sailboat, so that the Adventurers can quickly travel to Divvers to track down the missing book and possibly Canon Terjon. That night at the All-Seeing Eye, Henry is attacked and almost killed in his room by an assassin claiming vengeance on behalf of Lareth. Hearing the sounds of battle next door, his companions rush to his rescue, felling the villain, who Moss saves from his own self-imposed demise from a poison capsule. Before he loses consciousness, the assassin mutters a single word: "Tharizdun."