Scene 25: Morning in the Singing Creek Tavern

The hearth is still warm from last night’s fire, and the smell of bread and smoked fish lingers. Tavish leans on the bar, polishing a mug with a rag that’s seen better days. His eyes narrow as Branwen mentions the shrine and the “Abandoned Zealot.”

Tavish’s Tale

“Ah, so you’ve heard whispers of that old ruin, eh? Folks call it the Half-Buried Shrine, though my grandfather swore it was once a temple to Shelyn herself — before the forest swallowed it. Some say a priest there turned bitter when the town stopped listening to his sermons. He prayed for beauty but found only silence. They say his devotion soured, and he cursed Willowshade for forgetting him.”

• On the Zealot:
  “The Abandoned Zealot, aye. Some call him a spirit, others a restless shade. He’s said to rise when folk stray too far from the old ways. My da claimed he saw lights dancing in the trees, like lanterns carried by unseen hands. Could be the Zealot’s watch, could be foxfire. Hard to tell.”
• On the Shrine:
  “It lies half-buried in moss and stone, somewhere past the Singing Creek itself. Hunters avoid it — say the birds fall silent there, and the air feels heavy. But if you’re looking for answers, that’s where you’ll find them.”
• On Lark Pendal:
  “As for young Lark… well, there’s talk her family’s bloodline ties back to the old priesthood. Pendals were caretakers once, keepers of the shrine. Maybe that’s why the girl feels the pull. Maybe the Zealot sees her as a bridge between past and present.”

“Some say the Zealot demands a song, others say a sacrifice. I say, best not to find out unless you’ve steel at your side.”

Scene 26: Morning outside the singing creek tavern.

Question. Does anything happen to the party when they step outside the tavern in the morning? Yes and..
Eldrin Greendale, Farmer and Village leader stops them in the street.
Question. Has Eldrin heard about the altercation with Elric the Merchant the evening before? No.

The morning air is crisp, the creek babbles nearby. As the companions step out, a wiry man with weathered hands and a worried brow hurries toward them. Eldrin Greendale, a farmer known for his stubborn streak, wrings his cap in his hands.

Eldrin Greendale:
“Beggin’ your pardon, strangers. I heard tell you dealt with Elric and his lot — good riddance. I’ve troubles of my own, though. My goats, three of ‘em, gone in the night. No tracks, no blood, just vanished. Folk say wolves, but I’ve seen no sign. I’d wager something unnatural’s afoot.”

He pauses, realizing his problem may not interest adventurers, then adds:
“Still… if you’re chasing old ghosts and shrines, maybe I can help. My family’s kept the village records for generations. Dry reading, mostly births and marriages, but there might be mention of the Pendals, or priests from long ago. You’re welcome to look.”

Scene 27: The Records

Eldrin leads them to a small annex near his farm — a timber shed lined with shelves of parchment rolls and bound ledgers. Dust motes dance in the light. The records are mundane but evocative, with occasional oddities.

The records are mostly written in common detailing births, marriages, crop yields, livestock tallies, and occasional notes about festivals or temple rites. They are easy to read in the main and do reference the Pendal family’s long-standing presence and occasional references to “caretakers of the forest stones.

The deeper shelves contain brittle parchment and bound folios written in older tongues. These records are fragmentary, often poetic or ritualistic rather than straightforward.The Records

Eldrin leads them to a small annex near his farm — a timber shed lined with shelves of parchment rolls and bound ledgers. Dust motes dance in the light. The records are mundane but evocative, with occasional oddities.

The records are mostly written in common detailing births, marriages, crop yields, livestock tallies, and occasional notes about festivals or temple rites. They are easy to read in the main and do reference the Pendal family’s long-standing presence and occasional references to “caretakers of the forest stones.

The deeper shelves contain brittle parchment and bound folios written in older tongues. These records are fragmentary, often poetic or ritualistic rather than straightforward.

Archive Findings

Branwen (Perception, Fail)

• Result: She finds a dusty passage about “conflict between factions in the village centuries ago.”
• Narrative Impact: Though vague, it mirrors the current strife between Brother Cress and Elara Moonshadow. Branwen’s discovery reinforces the idea that Willowshade has always been divided between tradition and change.
• Foreshadowing: The Zealot may be a manifestation of this ancient discord, not just a single spirit.

Lini (Perception, Critical Success)

• Result: She uncovers the crucial entry: “Larkus Pendal, keeper of the rose spiral stone pendant, to deliver it to the shrine where Brother Althar would perform the ritual.”
• Narrative Impact: This ties directly to the pendant found yesterday, confirming its ritual significance.
• Foreshadowing: The ritual was never completed. The Zealot’s attempt to seize Lark may be an echo of that unfinished rite, seeking closure through her bloodline.

Nyra (Religion, Success at DC 20)

• Result: She identifies the second priest with antlers as a Shrine Skelm (Bestiary 3, p.240).
• Narrative Impact: This is a chilling revelation — the Order may have harbored something monstrous disguised as a priest of Shelyn.
• Foreshadowing: The Zealot’s corruption may not have been solitary; the Skelm’s presence suggests the shrine was tainted by deception and predation long ago.
• Roleplay Hook: Nyra’s faith is shaken — how could Shelyn’s temple have been infiltrated by such a creature

Renka (Occultism, Fail but Partial Discovery)

• Result: She finds a fragment of parchment in an ancient tongue, similar to the one given by the Crow Whisperer. Though she cannot read it, she notices the fragments resemble lyrics or verses of a song.
• Narrative Impact: This ties directly to Tavish’s tale (“Some say the Zealot demands a song”) and Elara’s advice that Renka may hold the key.
• Foreshadowing: The ritual may not be one of sacrifice, but of performance — a song to appease or release the Zealot.
• Roleplay Hook: Renka now has a tangible role in the unfolding mystery, even if she doesn’t yet understand the words.

The companions take their finds to Eldrin and attempt to enlist his help to get Brother Cress to allow them access to the temple, Lark and find out what Cress knows.

Lini and Renka both try Diplomacy to get Eldrins help and fails, Diplomacy checks of 15 & 18 against DC20.
Nyra trys the Religion option, she gets 21 against a DC22, close but still fails.
Branwen tries a Social check but rolls 18 against DC 19, again close but still a failure.
Because they came fairly close to success I think Eldrin will reluctantly agree to help them speak to Brother Cress but only if they swear to protect Lark and if they involve Elara, though they must keep Elara’s involvement from Brother Cress and also they may have difficulty getting Elara to help.

Eldrin’s Reaction

Eldrin listens to each plea in turn, his weathered hands tightening on the edge of the ledger table. He sighs, the sound heavy with years of leadership and compromise.

Eldrin Greendale (reluctant, measured):
“You’ve come close to convincing me, closer than most. But I cannot simply hand Lark over, not with shadows stirring and the Order divided. If you are to speak with Brother Cress, you must swear — swear on your honor — that no harm will come to the girl. And one more thing: Elara Moonshadow must be involved. She is the future of Willowshade, whether I like it or not. But Cress will never allow it if he knows. You’ll have to keep her part hidden from him.”

Scene 28: Back at the Temple and Brother Cress.

Brother Cress’s Revelation

Tone:

• Gruff, cautious, but softened by Eldrin’s presence.
• He speaks in fragments, as though each admission costs him dearly.
• His protectiveness of Lark is obvious — he glances at her often, as if weighing whether to speak at all.

What He Reveals

  Brother Althar’s Fate:
“Althar was no monster. He was devoted, too devoted perhaps. When the Skelm came among us, disguised as priest, it twisted the Order. Althar sought to banish it with a ritual of song and beauty. Larkus Pendal was to bring the pendant, the key to the rite. But Larkus never arrived. He was slain before he reached the shrine.”

• The Skelm’s Deception:
  “The Skelm wore the robes of Shelyn’s faithful, and many trusted it. I was but a boy then, but I remember its antlers hidden beneath a hood. It whispered that Althar was dangerous, that his ritual would doom us. And so the village turned against him. When Larkus fell, Althar’s spirit was left waiting, abandoned.”
• The Ritual’s Nature:
  “It is not sacrifice the Zealot seeks. It is remembrance. A song to bind sorrow into beauty, to turn grief into harmony. That is why he waits — for the pendant, for the bloodline, for the song. Without all three, he cannot rest.”
• His Fear:
  “But beware. The Skelm may yet linger. If the ritual is attempted, it will not stand idle. It will seek to corrupt or silence the song again. That is why I keep Lark close. Better she live in ignorance than die completing a ritual whose end I cannot foresee.”

Question- Does Brother Cress allow Lark to go with the companions? Yes and…

Brother Cress, after a long silence, places a hand on Lark’s shoulder and looks to Eldrin and the companions:

“I cannot keep her locked away forever. If Althar waits, then perhaps it is time. But know this — if you take her, you take me as well. And if the ritual fails, it will not be the Zealot who bears the blame, but all of us.”

• He believes Renka’s shamisen can carry the melody where he cannot.
• This confession makes Renka’s role absolutely central, and adds poignancy to Cress’s guilt.
• He admits that he has long known the fragments of the song, but cannot sing them — his voice falters, his faith is broken.

Scene 29, Elara’s Reluctance

The companions left the quiet hush of the village temple behind them, Eldrin leading the way with a tension in his shoulders that hadn’t eased since dawn. Willowshade felt different now — as though the air itself held its breath — and every step toward Elara Moonshadow’s dwelling carried the weight of what they were about to ask.

Elara lived on the edge of the village, where the lanternlight thinned and shadows pooled like ink. The Fetchling mage was already waiting outside when they arrived, arms folded, silver eyes reflecting the companions as if they were strangers she was still deciding whether to trust.

She listened to Eldrin’s plea without interrupting, her expression unreadable. When she finally spoke, her voice was measured, each word chosen with surgical care

“The Order is fractured, Eldrin. You cling to the past, and Cress would see me cast out. Why should I risk myself for a village that mistrusts me?”

On the surface, it was pragmatism — a simple question of loyalty and cost. But even Renka could sense the currents beneath her calm exterior. Elara wasn’t just reluctant. She was afraid.

Not of the ritual itself, perhaps, but of what it might reveal.

There were rumours, half‑whispered, that she knew more about the Skelm’s lingering influence than she ever admitted. And the shrine’s ritual… it demanded truth. Not power, not sacrifice — truth. The kind that stripped away masks. The kind that left a person exposed.

For someone like Elara, who wore composure like armour, that might be the greatest danger of all.

She tilted her head slightly, studying them as though testing their resolve.

“You ask for my aid, yet you do not know what it costs. The shrine does not demand power — it demands truth. And truth is dangerous. Perhaps you should ask yourselves if you are ready for it.”

Her refusal wasn’t a door closing. It was a challenge.

Again Lini and Renka make Diplomacy checks, 21 and 22 against DC 20, so both pass, just. I think at this point, Elara will reluctantly agree to accompany them.

Lini stepped forward, voice steady despite the tension. . Renka followed, her words carrying the quiet conviction of someone who had already decided she would not let Willowshade fall. Their diplomacy was earnest, unpolished, and exactly what Elara needed to hear.

Elara folds her arms, her expression unreadable. For a long moment she says nothing, as though weighing the companions against the risks. Finally, she exhales, her voice calm but edged with caution:

“You speak with conviction, and that counts for something. I will go with you — but do not mistake my presence for blind loyalty. The Zealot is dangerous, and if the ritual fails, Willowshade may fall. I will stand as your shield if need be, but the song and the pendant… those are not mine to wield.”

“So the companions step into the next chapter with song and sorrow at their side. The shamisen, forged from grief, and the pendant, unearthed from silence, are now bound to Lark’s bloodline. The shrine awaits, the Zealot waits, and Willowshade holds its breath. What truth will the ritual reveal? That is for the next session.”