The Ruined Church

Campaign: Entwining Flames

Chapter 8 / 2-1

The Ruined Church

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Clad in Crimson

Summary

After the party rescues the believers from an assassin named Alex, Elisanne explains a split in the Church that arose from a dispute over something called the Scrolls of Perdition. The party then pursues Alex into the volcano to stop her from claiming any more victims.

Dialogue

Okay, we're at the church. Are the survivors all right? Hear me, good people! I am the Paladyn Elisanne, and we have come to answer your call for aid! Lady Elisanne? THE Lady Elisanne?! She's really here?! Oh, wonder of wonders, we're saved! Hmph. You are saved from nothing. What the...?! No! Who are you?! You have my gratitude for leading me here, Elisanne. It made my job of finding these fugitives considerably easier. All the creatures of this earth are my eyes and ears. My divine punishment is inescapable...and will be your end. If you would invite hope into your heart, you also invite despair along with it. Alex! It WAS you who attacked Valkaheim! Hey, why does that lady seem familiar? Oh, WAIT! She's the chick from the woods! From when we first met Elisanne! — Flashback — Would you PLEASE listen? I have no quarrel with you! I care not. Now hold still and prepare to die.

You're the assassin that was chasing Elly! The hell's your damn problem?! These folks didn't do nothin' wrong, and yer tryin' to kill 'em like fiends! ...Nothing wrong? Do you actually believe these people to be true adherents of Ilia? Hear me well: These people are traitors who trample upon the goddess's teachings! And your dear comrade Elisanne is no Paladyn at all! She has cast aside both her goddess and her faith! She is a breaker of vows, and I name her heretic! Wait. Elisanne ISN'T a Paladyn? Bullcrap! If you keep wagging your tongue like that, I'm gonna nail it to the wall! Ah, but is a Paladyn's duty not to protect the bishop and believers of the Church? Yet this one has abandoned her duty to cast her lot with you! There can be no clearer proof of my words than this. Nnng... Make no mistake, I am a servant of the goddess—her right hand here on earth— and I SHALL see her will executed! By my blade, Elisanne, will you know Ilia's final love. Now DIIIE! That's not happening! How did you parry that blow?! ...No, it matters not. If you would defy the goddess's judgment, traitorous prince, then you shall share in Elisanne's fate. Lady? I ain't much for math, but I'm pretty damn sure we got ya outnumbered. Oh, I recognize my disadvantage, sir. That is why I shall finish you all off one by one at a time of my choosing. For now, I must deal with those lingering in the depths of these tunnels. Farewell! The heck?! Where'd she go?! Hey, Elly? I don't wanna be a nosy Notte, but what's with all that junk she said about betraying the bishop or whatever? I had hoped to never speak of these things to all of you. Do you know anything about a rift within the Ilian Church? Or have you ever heard of the Scrolls of Perdition? No on both counts, I'm afraid. Why don't you fill us in? ...WAIT, WHAAAAAAT?! Okay, hang on. Yer sayin' these things— these Scrolls of Perdition—claim that the evil god Morsayati is Ilia's KID?! That is exactly what the scrolls claim. And were there any truth to this, it would be the ruin of the Church. Thankfully, the documents are clearly false. Yet even so, there are many who chose to believe them. This has led to a split in the Church between those who believe the veracity of the scrolls and those who deny it. As a believer of the Church, it shames me to see how many people accept this obvious fabrication. This is what led me to leave the Church— an act that subsequently caused Alex to name me a heretic. But before she could kill you, you were saved by Euden, yeah? I'm super glad to hear you're a Paladyn and not some kind of Pala-DON'T! ...Point for Notte! Zing! ...... I know I said the scrolls were lies, and yet they also contain an element that I find...difficult to ignore. They are affixed with the seal of the archbishop from that time—which is one reason so many believe them to be true. Do you think there's some connection between the unrest in Valkaheim and these Scrolls of Perdition? I don't know. The Church has known peace for ages now, yet suddenly Alex has struck. Something may have happened. Something big, that has upset the Church's balance. Well, we won't know the truth of all this until we can make our way to Valkaheim. For the moment, though, let's get the survivors to safety. Actually, m'lord, this isn't all of us. There are several people who took refuge deeper within the Forsaken Way. What kinda idiot goes DEEPER into this hellhole?! They were bewitched by a dark haze that poured forth from the tunnel depths. They walked inside as though under a spell, their minds no longer their own. Oh? Well, THAT is a piece of bad news. Do you know what's happening, Mym? I've sensed a VERY strange vibe in these musty old tunnels since we first entered. We heard they abandoned this place when it was overrun by lava...but that may not have been the only reason. You think there is some sinister force waiting down in the depths? OH CRAP! What is it, Luca?! Don't you remember what that Alex lady said earlier?! She said she was gonna "deal with" some people in the depths of the tunnels! There's so much going on at the moment, it must have slipped right past me... Right. Come on, everyone! We have to go save those people!