As the party thought about it, they suddenly all saw in their minds a vision of Elfrich, who said to them: "Sentinels from Olath coming to apprehend you, dead or alive. Elane will protect you. Get out now. Meet us in Flamekeep." (Olath in a city a few hours journey away.)
The party decided to heed his warning and made the several hour journey to Flamekeep, arriving there that evening. They found the headquarters of the Church of the Silver Flame, and were there guided to a chamber where Elane and Elfrich were waiting for them.
Elane explained that political circumstances are conspiring against the party. Thrane and House Deneith were cracking down on past enemies, so the warrants for Taumir and Edge were being actively pursued now, and Azeri was still wanted in connection with the incident at Askelios (the victims had forgiven Azeri, but the law of course did not know that). Elane said that she wanted to help and protect them - she was very grateful for the work they did in bringing down Zelian. She proposed giving them new identities and sending them away from Aundair and Thrane. The party though this was a good idea, so they followed her to the outskirts of Flamekeep, to the church that they had launched their first expedition from.
Before leaving Flamekeep, Elfrich begged their forgiveness for his part in their troubles, and they frankly forgave him.
As they walked to the church, Elane seemed quiet, pensive. When she finally decided to speak, she said she had a confession to make.
"I think, considering the circumstances, that I should be honest with you. The day we met at Reita's home, well, that wasn't the first time I'd heard of you. You see, it was me who brought you all together in the first place. The day you all met in Passage - I had arranged for you to meet and come together. I knew what Zelian and House Deneith had done to your people, Taumir, and to your friend, Tselem, and to you personally, Edge, and I wanted to bring you together to defeat him. I had to let you come to your own realizations of why he was your enemy of course, since none of you knew."
The party was surprised by this revelation, but not concerned. They asked a few questions, and continued their journey.
When they reached the church, to their alarm. the doors came open and about a dozen creatures of fire and stone stepped out. The party immediately realized that Elane had double-crossed them. She did not even attempt to deny it. "You understand, of course, that I can't have Zelian's death linked to the Church of the Silver Flame, or me. I am sorry. But after all, you are all wanted criminals and a [racial slur for changelings]."
And with that, Elane stabbed Elfrich through the heart, killing him instantly, and began walking away.
The creatures rushed at the party, clearly intent on their destruction. Azeri and Tselem threw up magical barriers that slowed their approach, and sent forth several blasts of magical power that took out multiple opponents at once. They also weren't about to let Elane get away that easily either. The over-confident cleric was brought down under an overwhelming attack, and began to bleed to death there on the field. As the party dealt with the more serious opponents, Elane was bound and brought back from the brink of death. The treacherous churchlady proved to still be an annoyance - even bound, she managed to strike at Azeri a few times.
Within short order, only two of the attacking creatures remained, and the party was beating them down. Still, the creatures were not done yet...
Rewards
(Nothing yet, encounter is still ongoing)
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