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Message: <blockquote data-quote="(contact)" data-source="post: 1151" data-attributes="member: 41">29-- Looking Into the Face of the Goddess, the Goddess Looks Back.Elita sighs with relief as the group slips through a secret door and into a deserted corridor.  "That door, there," she says.  "That is our sanctuary in this place."The group enter into a series of dungeon rooms inhabited by a dozen clerics and followers of Palatin Eremath.  The party was expecting drow, but the multi-racial composition of the shrine's inhabitants would put any adventuring group to shame.  The high priest introduces himself as Malwyn, a former cleric of Tyr who was converted when he came into the presence of a holy artifact of the Goddess, here in Undermountain.Elita anxiously takes Gorquen into a side room where she shows her a statue of an elven warrior-woman brandishing a bastard sword.  "This is an ancient hero of Palatin Eremath," Elita explains, "This statue predates the elven schism.  We found it when we recovered the great artifact."Gorquen examines the statue, a look of wonderment on her face.  "She . . ." Gorquen trails off for a moment and looks at Elita, who has tears in her eyes.  "That's my . . . that's an Ahk Velar fighting stance," Gorquen says."And look at her birthmark," Elita whispers.  "Gorquen, this statue is you.""Palatin Eremath," Gorquen says, "she is Ishlok!"-----Malwyn explains that he was a high-cleric of Tyr and came down into Undermountain with a half-dozen of the faithful hoping to loot treasure to fill the church's coffers.  However, what he found was better than any gold.  They discovered a secret series of rooms that were once the hideout of a lost cult to a forgotten Elvish goddess.  In the main room was a shrine with a reliquary statue that struck Malwyn and everyone viewing it with the full majesty of Palatin Eremath.  He was converted on the spot, and became the first modern true cleric of Palatin Eremath in the Forgotten Realms.His companions were likewise converted, and over time, they have shown the relic to other dungeon inhabitants.  Without fail, all those viewing the statue are either destroyed or instantly transformed into good-aligned worshippers of Palatin Eremath.Palatin Eremath is the name of an elven goddess, a member of the racial pantheon.  Her portfolio seems to relate to battle and honor.  How her worship came to be lost is a mystery, and the goddess has chosen not to reveal her history to her new worshippers.Gorquen and Elita return from their discovery, and Gorquen explains the doctrines of Ishlok to Malwyn.  He agrees that the two faith's teachings agree on every major point: All souls must find their way to a state of Goodness as a sort of cosmic inevitability.  Thus mercy and redemption are more than merely moral values, they are the immutable basis for all reality (and unreality as well).  The only concept from the Ishlokian faith that startles him is the pasoun, the process where souls are folded back into living bodies that they might complete their transformations.Malwyn concedes that the pasoun clarifies several visions and sendings he has had from Palatin Eremath of late.  He declares that Taran, Thelbar and Gorquen are messengers and Champions of the goddess, and must be taken before the relic immediately.  Keltie is also anxious to see such a wondrous thing, particularly when its Champions fight so well.Elbis politely declines the offer, but is convinced by Taran at swordpoint to attend the viewing.After the affair, none of those viewing it can truly recall what they saw, save that it seemed very old, was definitely elven, and seemed to occupy the entirety of one's attention, regardless of what else was going on around it.The four Mistledale adventurers leave their audience with the artifact unchanged, save for a powerful sense of Ishlok's divine presence, but Elbis is a new man.  Tears streaming down his face, Elbis explains how his selfish views and mistrust of others have been holding him back.  He begs the group's forgiveness for plotting to murder and rob them at his first opportunity, and swears off politics for good.Malwyn asks the former cleric of Bane if he would like to come into the divine service of Palatin Eremath, and Elbis gratefully accepts.The cult of Palatin Eremath has two major issues before them: First, they need to get the great relic out of Undermountain, and second, they must retrieve another artifact known as the Fallen Star of Palatin Eremath, a sapphire of unusual quality.  The Fallen Star was stolen from the ancient shrine, but the cult does not believe that it has left the dungeon.The party proposes that they help in this way:  Gorquen can shepherd the faithful and the relic to the surface, while Taran, Thelbar, Keltie, Elita and Elbis search for the Fallen Star.  This would allow Gorquen to explore the mystery of her markings and get the cult to safety, while leaving those more suited for dungeon-crawling work behind to scour Undermountain.The next morning, Malwyn leads a small service of investiture, blessing Taran, Thelbar and Gorquen as Champions of the Goddess Palatin Eremath, and asking her favor for their endeavors.  Gorquen shares a few terse words with her companions, and wishes them well before she leaves.As the faithful and their caravan are trundling toward the exit, Taran laughs.  "Gorquen sucks at saying her good-byes," he says.  "That was the prickliest hug I've ever gotten, even from a stone cold killer like her.  C'mon Elbis, let's go find this Star."</blockquote>

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