## The Last Attempt at Peace As the confrontation between the heroes and [[Tarquin Belmont]] threatened to descend into bloodshed, [[Cassian]] stepped forward with diplomatic authority. The [[Lords' Alliance]] agent announced that [[Tarquin Belmont]] must be judged by the Alliance itself for his crimes. [[Char]] delivered a similar message, both men encouraging the [[Hellriders]] to put down their weapons and submit to justice. The refugees stood watching, their trust still with the heroes who had exposed the truth. Even after everything, there was a moment where words might have prevailed over swords. Then a look passed between [[Tarquin Belmont]] and his priestess, and the heroes knew. These knights would not surrender. The priestess began to cast, her voice rising in what should have been a prayer. But the Spirit Guardians that materialized around her were not celestial beings or fey spirits; they were tiny infernal creatures, chittering and hissing as they swirled around her form. The corruption ran deeper than anyone had imagined. The [[Hellriders]] attacked. ## Blood in the Camp The refugees did not flee. They had heard [[Lulu]]'s divine condemnation. They had seen [[Mira Thornwick]]'s grief and rage. These people who had lost everything when [[Elturel]] fell understood that the knights were not their protectors but their predators. Rocks flew through the air. Refugees grappled with knights, pulling at armor and weapons. The camp became chaos incarnate, civilians fighting alongside heroes against those who had betrayed the [[Creed Resolute]] itself. Meanwhile, [[Tarquin Belmont]] moved with terrible purpose through the melee. He ignored everyone else, his eyes fixed on a single target: [[Docktor]]. The old knight's sword flashed once, twice, and the cleric crumpled to the ground, blood pooling beneath him. [[Lulu]] shrieked and threw herself over [[Docktor]]'s dying body, her small golden form a shield between the fallen cleric and [[Tarquin Belmont]]'s blade. The hollyphant's wings spread wide, defiant even in the face of certain death. [[Rowan]] charged from behind, his attack striking [[Tarquin Belmont]] hard. But the knight was far more powerful than any of them had realized. His return strike sent the goliath crashing to the earth, unconscious. Two heroes down. The battle looked bleak. ## The Edge of Damnation [[Docktor]] failed his first death save. Then he rolled a natural 1 on his second. Something reached for the cleric's soul—something terrible and hot and unforgiving, pulling him toward an eternity he had never agreed to serve. Something was claiming its due, even as his body still clung to life. But wait. [[Docktor]] had inspiration, earned through his courage and choices. He cashed it in, rerolling that cursed die. A 16. There was still hope. ## The Turning Tide On the northern end of the battlefield, [[Rick]] fought with savage fury. He broke one knight's neck with his bare hands, rage and grief fueling every blow. [[Reya Mantlemorn]] joined the battle, her face a mask of betrayal and determination as she fought against those who had once been her brothers in arms. But the Spirit Guardians threatened to overwhelm them all, the infernal creatures tearing at flesh and spirit alike. Then [[Char]] stepped forward and cast Tasha's Hideous Laughter. The evil priestess fell to the ground, her spell collapsing as hysterical laughter consumed her. The Spirit Guardians vanished. The heroes could finally regroup. [[Cassian]] cast Healing Word, pulling [[Docktor]] back from the brink. [[Docktor]], gasping and shaking, turned and did the same for the unconscious [[Rowan]]. The tide had turned. One by one, the corrupted [[Hellriders]] fell, until only [[Tarquin Belmont]] remained standing. [[Char]] cast Tasha's Hideous Laughter again. It worked. [[Tarquin Belmont]] fell to the ground, laughing like a madman even as he continued to threaten [[Docktor]]'s life. The image was horrifying and surreal—a fanatic so consumed by his mission that even magical hysteria couldn't erase his murderous purpose. The heroes moved quickly, disarming him and binding him with rope. ## Secrets in the Ashes As they searched the captured knight, [[Char]]—with an assist from [[Rick]]—discovered a poisoned tablet hidden in [[Tarquin Belmont]]'s mouth. One bite and the knight would have ended his own life rather than betray his mission. [[Char]] also found a pendant bearing the symbol of [[Zariel]], Archduchess of [[Avernus]]. The refugees watched in stunned silence as the truth became undeniable. The [[Hellriders]] had been compromised. The holy knights of [[Elturel]] served the forces of [[Nine Hells]]. The interrogation began. [[Tarquin Belmont]] was less than forthcoming, but the heroes quickly realized something crucial: he knew that something big was going to happen on "the day that was promised," but he hadn't known that [[Elturel]] itself would fall. He was a tool, not an architect. A fanatic, not a mastermind. When pressed on why he had turned to [[Zariel]], [[Tarquin Belmont]] spoke with genuine conviction. She had the strength to do what was necessary to defeat the evil of the [[Abyss]]. She would bring the war to the demons. She would do what the gods would not. He and [[Docktor]] continued not to get along. ## The Breaking Point The interrogation grew desperate. [[Reya Mantlemorn]], overwhelmed by the revelation that her oaths were built on lies, kicked the bound knight in the face. [[Char]] broke one of his fingers. This was not heroism. This was not justice. This was rage and fear and the terrible need to understand how everything they believed had been corrupted. Then [[Tarquin Belmont]] began to taunt [[Rick]]. He bragged about killing the boy. He described [[Jorik Thornwick]]'s death in cruel detail, his voice mocking and proud. He was clearly attempting to provoke the party's barbarian into ending his life. It worked. [[Rick]] blew past [[Char]], [[Docktor]], and [[Reya Mantlemorn]] to deliver his version of the People's Elbow directly onto [[Tarquin Belmont]]'s neck. The knight would have died if not for [[Docktor]]'s timely use of Spare the Dying, pulling him back from death's threshold. The heroes made a deal with the dying fanatic. They would allow [[Rick]] to kill him if he explained why he had murdered [[Jorik Thornwick]]. ## The Truth Revealed [[Tarquin Belmont]] spoke, his voice steady despite his broken body. [[Aetan Morrow]] had given him orders that moved him and his men outside of [[Elturel]] on the day it fell. He was to kill any surviving [[Hellriders]], members of the [[Order of the Companion]], or others who were connected to those pledged to the [[Creed Resolute]]. After a few more insults hurled at [[Rick]], the knight was killed. His body erupted in flames. The fire consumed him completely, burning with infernal heat that had nothing to do with natural combustion. As he died, [[Tarquin Belmont]] promised [[Rick]] that he would see him again. His final words echoed across the camp: "For her glory." [[Char]] rolled a natural 20 as he watched the burning. His knowledge of the [[Nine Hells]], the [[Abyss]], and the [[Blood War]] suddenly made everything clear. [[Tarquin Belmont]]'s soul hadn't simply died. It had gone to serve [[Zariel]] directly. No resurrection. No speaking with the dead. Just gone to [[Nine Hells]] to be remade as a devil in her infernal legions. The threat to see [[Rick]] again wasn't empty bravado. It was a promise. ## The Aftermath The entire scene left the party shaken. [[Docktor]] and [[Reya Mantlemorn]] stood together in stunned silence, both wondering how their order had been so thoroughly compromised by followers of [[Zariel]]. The refugees were disturbed, their trust in the [[Hellriders]] fundamentally broken. [[Rick]], for his part, sought out [[Mira Thornwick]]. He consoled the grieving mother and made a promise: they would find out what happened to [[Elturel]]. They would discover the truth. [[Mira Thornwick|Mira]] looked at the barbarian with haunted eyes and shared her desperate hope: her husband [[Corwin Thornwick]], a [[Hellriders|Hellrider]] who had been in [[Elturel]] when it fell, could still be saved. She believed he was alive. She believed there was still hope. ## Arrival at Rivington With heavy hearts, the heroes continued their journey to [[Baldur's Gate]] with the refugees in tow. Eventually, they arrived at [[Rivington]]—a river village of weathered mills and fishing docks where the smell of the [[Chionthar]] mingled with sawdust and gutted fish. The locals did not greet them with sympathy. A woman pulled her children inside as the refugees passed. Men watched with calculating, suspicious eyes. Conversations died mid-sentence. The villagers stepped back from the travelers, maintaining careful distance as though the refugees carried some contagion. Beyond the village, the massive spans of [[Wyrm's Crossing]] rose over the water, and beyond that stood [[Wyrm's Rock]]—the fortress with red-and-gold [[Flaming Fist]] banners snapping in the river wind. The refugees were not welcome. They were seen as contaminated by [[Elturel]]'s fate, carriers of whatever darkness had claimed the holy city. ## The Dwarf Mage's Questions The [[Flaming Fist]] checkpoint at [[Wyrm's Rock]] halted the refugee column. The fortress rose from an algae-slick islet, its sheer walls bristling with arrow slits, the tunnel through its heart clearly designed as a killing ground. [[Gardak Horn]] emerged—the fortress's Mage Defender, a dwarf wizard with a homunculus perched on his shoulder and calculating eyes that studied them with unsettling intensity. [[Flaming Fist]] veterans blocked the tunnel entrance while Horn pulled the heroes and [[Reya Mantlemorn]] aside. "You lot—inside." He began to question them about [[Elturel]]'s fall, but [[Cassian]] interrupted. The [[Lords' Alliance]] agent had just rolled a natural 20 on his knowledge of [[Baldur's Gate]], and memories came flooding back—not just academic knowledge of the city's layout and politics, but personal connections. [[Cassian]] had ties to one of [[Baldur's Gate]]'s most powerful figures: Duke [[Thalamra Vanthampur]]. [[Thalamra Vanthampur|Vanthampur]] was the cunning matriarch of a patriar family, one of the four rulers of [[Baldur's Gate]]. Born into poverty, she had spent years in obscurity repairing the city's ancient sewer system before clawing her way up through the bureaucracy to become Master of Drains and Underways. Through decades of political dealing, blame-shifting, and strategic bribery, she had eventually secured election to the Council of Four. Though she had served the shortest time of any council member, Duke [[Thalamra Vanthampur|Vanthampur]] was widely regarded as the most politically savvy among them—known for her acid tongue, shrewd mind, and aggressive tactics. [[Cassian]] shared that he had important news about [[Elturel]] but would only speak to [[Thalamra Vanthampur|Vanthampur]] directly. [[Gardak Horn]] was doubtful. He conferred via sending spell, his homunculus's eyes glowing briefly. When the response came, Horn's expression shifted. Duke [[Thalamra Vanthampur|Vanthampur]] wanted to meet with [[Cassian]]—and just [[Cassian]]—immediately. The refugees, Horn added, would be directed to [[Outer City]] camps. No entry to [[Baldur's Gate]] proper without proper documentation. The heroes immediately objected. They all needed to go. They each had different parts of the story to share. This was bigger than one person's testimony. [[Gardak Horn]] reluctantly agreed, clearly unhappy with the deviation from his instructions. The heroes entered the city while the refugees remained at [[Rivington]], their next destination the imposing [[Vanthampur Manor]] in the [[Upper City]].