Baldur's Gate : The Sword Coast Chronicles : NWN2 Persistent World

While the Kelemvorite's stand remained in the Eastern District, the young pale woman washed the markings from her face and took to the city knocking door to door to collect any letters remaining from those who could not leave their homes. She began in the lower districts, visiting the sick, ill, and those far too old to travel. Unknowing where to begin, she simply visited those who would answer.

For those who were more inviting she explained the Day of Remembrance for Ulgoth's Beard and offered the supplies to write a letter to honor the dead for the ceremony. She stepped into these homes and began speaking to them about their loved ones, recording their stories patiently in a dark black tome as they spoke. The Kelemvorite stayed as long as they needed, and remained quiet to allow them the breath of their stories. Some were told with smiles and laughter as the recalled them, while others were more bitter. The words came heavy, the smaller pale shepherd offering meek assurances as they held their words delicate like a shard of glass. Elisia served as quiet company for those that hadn't any, and at times a shoulder to cry on. The young Kelemvorite mostly held a long distant gaze as the words of loss were poured over her. She comforted those with the words of the Great Guide, helping some of those she visited in mourning. "Death is not a punishment, or truly the end." She would tell those willing to listen.

The further she went on in the more wealthy districts the more stark the reactions became. While many of the homes continued to let her take down their letters, other houses were less than hospitable. Upon making her way to the eastern district, she knocked on the first few doors and was greeted by the the impact of a slammed door before she could utter a word. The force of the door was enough to startle her back, and cause her to drop a few of the letters in her arms. Nevertheless, Elisia carried on with the work finding herself at the door of a woman named Tiffany, who recently lost one bother to the jails of the Flaming Fist, and then her other brother a Flaming Fist soldier who met his end at Ulgoth's Beard. The woman's sobs could be heard from the door, a recent wound in her heart from the news of her missing cat, Clementine. When the smaller pale woman knocked on the door, and explained her purpose Tiffany quickly welcomed her in. Elisia was quickly shuffled to a sofa in the living room where she sat in silence. The older woman stood up pacing as she recalled her brothers, allowing the Kelemvorite the time to open her book and begin scribing the story of the deceased brother for a proper and more genuine remembrance. Tiffany offered Elisia biscuits and tea while she waited, to which the Kelemvorite nodded faintly. The hours went by as the distraught woman explained how unfair it was that her brother had suffered the indignity of being locked away as a thief. The pale woman sat across from her on the old sofa, and continued to listen patiently, occasionally asking gentle questions to better understand. Her pale aquamarine eyes lingered on the coffee table between them, as she began to wonder if the promised biscuits were ever to arrive. Tiffany continued, long past the letter to her brother. What was a conversation about remembrance had soon gotten away to a one way tell all where the hostess lamented about everything that had plagued her. From how the other people in the market are ripping her off, to how she thinks Maltz is thinking about relocating to the wide. It had become clear to Elisia, that this conversation had long run it's course, but every time she went to stand up, Tiffany would quickly tell her "Wait, I have more to record about him!" The quiet pale shepherd could only sit back down and look on to the table where the biscuits had been promised. It had been over seven hours since she arrived by the time she mentioned. "Tiffany, it is... Late, I... Do need to leave." The hostess became upset with her, to which the Kelemvorite reluctantly agreed to return further on that tenday.


Later in the tenday she made her way through the eastern district where she was accompanied by a taller armored woman with radiant red hair. The two of them stopped at the large iron kept wooden door of a taller two family home. They spoke under just above a whisper as the sounds of somebody ranting could be heard past the door. The quiet conversation came to a halt, as Elisia's features took on a hint of a rosy tone. She shooed the taller woman and remained at the door a while for a while longer until it passed, and knocked on the sturdy wooden door. "Tiffany?", she quietly beckoned the door. The door swung open, as the words spilled out from the door from tanned older woman. "It's about time, I thought for a moment you weren't coming back like you promised! Like you promised me you would!" She reached out the door and pulled the smaller Kelemvorite inside by the arm. The conversation started up again, as the older woman began speaking about her brother who served in the Flaming Fist. The smaller pale woman opened her book again and began scribing and taking down a letter for the usually garrulous woman. It was not long after, Tiffany resumed the vein of her usual rants. When the topic changed to how cats had it better than nobles, Elisia would stand up packing up her things, only to be sat back down by the grieving woman crying and hugging her. Finally, after another six hours of this dance the tired pale Kelemvorite uttered "People... Know where I am, Tiffany. They will... Come looking for me." It was at that moment, Tiffany told her to leave. She shuffled the Kelemvorite out quicker than she let her in. The older woman scolding her guest for talking to much, and complaining about not eating. In truth, the Kelemvorite nearly spoke not a word and never asked for the food promised. The same food that never arrived. Elisia was tired and very hungry.

Upon the next morning she traveled along her way stopping by some of the remaining houses on the route. Her bag had become heavier upon each visit, as she collected the many letters of the people. The tired young woman continued throughout the day, entering homes and meeting with each of those willing to take the time to hear about the service, or speak of the new Lord of the Dead. As she went to the upper districts again, the open doors became less and less until her work for the tenday was finished.

Elisa finished her her last house and dragged her tired feet out the door. It was late that evening, as she watched the candle light go out in the house she left behind. The tired Kelemvorite picked up her lantern from the cobble stone walkway, and carried the large bag of letters along with her. It wasn't far from the room she had rented, so the walk in it of itself was no trouble. When she arrived she dropped off the letters, and sealed them away. Her absent aquamarine eyes looked to the bed with a hesitation to obey it's call. She remained for a short while before walking down the same stairs she had just came up. The shepherd continued on until her silent steps took her to the graveyard past the city's gates. The crickets chirped in the spring night air, as she looked upon a tall angelic grave. "I'm.... Sorry I'm late.." Said the Kelemvorite, as her hollow gaze stared half-lidded. She remained as quiet as the graves themselves, and let her form sink to her knees sitting below the tall overreaching statue. Her pale tattooed hands set the lantern between herself and the statue. When the flame was anointed with sage and angelica, she lowered her head and prayed into the night.

While tending to his daily task of returning the restless dead to their graves, Stanrick came across the body of a fallen adventurer. The nameless man appeared to be a faithful of Lathander, ally of Kelemvor through their mutual endeavor to put an end to undeath. Without any means to revive the would-be hero, the burden of last rites fell to the Kelemvorite paladin.

"Kelemvor, Lord of the Dead and Judge of the Damned, accept the soul of this unknown warrior into your charge. May his spirit know peace and restfulness amidst the golden dawn and evergreen fields of Morninglory. In your name I pray."

After his prayers, Stanrick dutifully and reverently carried the warrior's remains to open ground within the cemetery and dug a fresh plot. He removed the man's gear and wrapped the body in a burial shroud, and after covering the grave with dirt he consecrated the ground to at least allow some temporary reprieve from the undead curse that permeates the cemetery.

Once all was done, Stanrick returned to his task of dispatching the undead.

2 Mirtul 1361

The Wall of Remembrance had seen a lot of action beyond prayers during Daeum in the past few days. A dark force tried to overtake the shrine, but Kelemvorites Elisia and Afendaria stood firm and fought off an attack until the evil force and its aura of undeath had disappeared from the Mausoleum. It was unclear what the dark power had wanted but it had brought undeath to the sacred place, and the Kelemvorites furiously set the undead enemies back to rest and then brought dignity to their remains. There was an uneasy feeling within the both of them, however, that this enemy to their shrine would one day return.



//Thanks DM Faith for the interaction.

A few days prior to this attack, the new Kelemvorite clergy woman Afendaria stood before the Wall of Remembrance, lighting incense and praying to the Great Guide. When she had finished a set of prayers, she was suddenly confronted by a shadowy, mysterious figure.

" I guess you're a priestess now. " - Came a gruff, feminine voice from the darkness.

" . . . If you're a Troglodyte speaking Common, well. . . you are still getting the hammer!"


Wary at first, the new Kelemvorite clergy woman patiently and calmly tried to ascertain the identity of this individual that hid in the shadows. During the conversation that began the voice started speaking of grievances against what she called the "unfair" judicial system and authorities in Baldur's Gate. Unable (and perhaps unwilling) to offer much guidance or insight regarding the first few topics, Afendaria mostly just listened patiently, asking only simple questions on the matters discussed. However, when the mysterious figure brought up her fear of death and requested her burial and final rites be performed specifically by Afendaria, the Kelemvorite had much more to say.



"If you die I will try to see to your requests for your burial are met. Death - It may seem scary, hm? Kelemvor's teachings are still new and many are still ignorant, believing death is shrouded in mystery and darkness . . . Know though that it is now clear and in the end you will find a new beginning. Death is something that must happen and we should not be afraid."

Afendaria used the opportunity to gently explain that in death only the wicked, the false, and faithless truly have to fear Kelemvor's judgement, that death was a necessity to start the new chapter promised by Kelemvor, and finally that she would see that this mysterious figure's requests for a burial be met should death come. The masked figure opened up with a tearful embrace and started pouring out her life story to the Kelemvorite clergy woman, who patiently listened to every word. By this time the ginger haired Kelemvorite had already figured out who she was speaking to and she agreed to keep the masked individual's identity secret. She also agreed that she would accept a box of trinkets the next day to keep for the hooded stranger. Afendaria intended to use these items in a funeral service or during remembrance if the masked person were to die, and then simply return them if there was no death. But the mysterious figure did also say that she hoped Afendaria might use the items for trials or other purposes outside the use of a funeral, something that Afendaria perhaps missed or did not think through in a moment of over zealousness or excitement to practice teaching someone the dogma of her new faith.

Sometime before this meeting had ended Elisia had shown up to pray at the shrine. Afendaria, worrying about possible conflict arising and the safety of the fellow member of her faith, quickly and abruptly ordered the other Kelemvorite to leave, something she would regret doing later. Her guest also soon left and Afendaria finished her duties. Later that day Afendaria would speak to Elisia and realize that she had made a mistake in dismissing another faithful, promising herself she would not let her worries or her own concerns of safety for the living ever interfere with someone practicing their faith again.

The very next day, the masked person showed up with a box. Afendaria accepted it at first, but when the masked figure reiterated that she hoped Afendaria might make use of it for other purposes beyond the use at a funeral and that one should be careful with them incase Afendaria might get herself implicated for being part of whatever scheme the mysterious figure had coming, the new clergy woman of Kelemvorite decided to refuse the items. The masked woman stormed off, angry and cursing over this perceived betrayal. Afendaria tried to reassure the mysterious woman that in death she would do all she could to try to make sure the masked one was buried with dignity, or try to further comfort her if she was feeling loss over another's death, but it was too late. The woman in shroud vanished into the shadows and Afendaria did not hear from her again that day.

The evening began as uneventfully. The pale quiet Kelemvorite approaching the Wall of Remembrance for the Dauem beside the taller armored crimson-haired faithful. They spoke quietly there, where candlelight traced glimmering reflections around the cold damp crypt. The discussion was brief, cut short by the sense of something looming. A dense fog began to roll through and rise from between the cracks of the cobbled floors of the catacombs, where the two became quiet and everything became still.




Through the dense mist, a figure began to emerge. Its cruel skeletal form manifested through the shadows, standing on the bridge just past the humble shrine to Kelemvor. The two faithful began to step forward, determined not to allow the creature to come any further. The undead abomination said not a word, standing as sacrilege among the worship of the Judge of the Damned. Eventually the silence was broken. The two devout could be heard throughout the crypt caverns as they shouted to the creature in the distance. Questions of who or what it was or what purpose it had was quickly cast aside as the forsaken one began summoning a legion of undeath. The cruel magic gleamed through the tombs, casting a haze of crimson across the stone walls as bones were contorted to soldiers bound to its will.

Discussion long broke down then. The crimson maned soldier's wig rippled in the fury as she charged it with a hammer, just as the eerie figure disappeared leaving behind it's brood of undead horrors. The fight for the shrine had begun, and the smaller Kelemvorite was soon to follow. Bones broke and scattered across the floor as the hammer struck true, while the other skeletal soldiers were struck apart piece by piece by the blessed estoc. The crowned commander of the legion appeared and reappeared bringing forth more skeleton soldiers and mages. Minutes nearly marked an hour, as the two combatted beside one another tearing apart any who would bring such a blasphemy before the Dauem.



When the summoning had ended they caught their breath in the deafening silence of the tomb. Whatever this cursed skeletal necromancer was, it was gone at that time. It's looming unsettling presence disappeared, and was cautiously set aside to focus on the sanctity of the shrine. The two Kelemvorites returned to the shrine and spoke their prayers for the remainder of the night. The makeshift shrine of candles and symbolism was blessed and consecrated by the two faithful, and yet there was still work to be done. The bones of the undead remained laying across the tomb floor. The indignity of allowing them to remain casted aside was too much to bear, these were once people. Their forms were twisted and contorted this way, as much victims as those their jagged blades had met before this day.



The shorter hooded woman quietly spoke to the taller priestess. The conversation was short with a shared agreement. There wouldn't be any time for recovery until these bones were laid to rest. They set off for a shed out in the graveyard where the quiet pale woman kept her supplies. When the door gave way to the multiple shoves from her narrow shoulders, a sheet of dust drifted out and the sounds of shovels clanged against the stone ground. After a brief rummaging through the supplies, stacks of simple wooden boxes were laid outside of the door to begin the collection.

One by one, bone by bone, the two did what they could to keep the skeletons together with the correct sets of bones. Elisia paid close attention to the consistencies in aging as well as the size and proportion to the bone, while the taller Afendaria helped carry the heavier filled boxes. The recovery lasted hours throughout the day. Each of the skeletons were laid inside of the simple wooden boxes, and marked with the symbol of the Great Guide.

In time, each of bones were laid to rest upon an empty shelf, a solemn tribute within one of the mausoleums that still had a gate. When the day had come to an end, the two stood exhausted outside of the resting place of the many soldiers sacrificed to the necromancer's cause. The gate of the newly homed bones was sealed with a new lock, and consecrated. Elise looked up to Afendaria knowing more work had to be done, and the two parted for the evening attending to their duties. Quiet prayers at the wall throughout the morning, while the tired pale Kelemvorite reached the market buying more boxes and candles for the following day.

Somewhere in the city of Baldur's Gate remained the pale Kelemvorite and Graveyard local. She remained locked away in silence, on occasion standing up to watch the city from the window. While she was usually seen around the city in the markets picking up candles and supplies, she hadn't for the couple of nights. The candles usually lit by the wandering pale young woman would remain dark throughout the days as her absence lingered in the coming days. While the crimson crowned Kelemvorite could be seen just days before quickly performing prayers across the grounds, she too seemingly disappeared.


The graveyard remained festering with undeath as it had before, absent of the two Kelemvorites. The dim burning vigils that had become so common missing from the misty cemetary.

The stoic paladin Stanrick made his way toward the cemetery for his nightly daeum when he encountered a small group of individuals, two of whom he had expected - Watcher Elisia and the newly-anointed cleric Afendaria - as well as several others he had not anticipated. He joined them in silence as they made their way from the grave of a girl that Elisia often visited toward the mausoleum, battling new and frightening undead spirits both above ground and below. Upon reaching the shrine of Kelemvor underground, those of the church of the Lord of the Dead stopped to offer prayers, with Stanrick remaining behind to stand as sentinel in the dark depths beneath the graveyard.

17 Mirtul 1361

On this day a group of five Kelemvorites accompanied by Sir Sean Ansen and Layla Zaisis went to the Ducal Palace in Baldur's Gate to have an audience with Herald Narlhelm in order to seek out a seat in the Ducal court's Temple representation for the Church of Kelemvor. After the Kelemvorites had introduced themselves to one another and after a short wait while talking to Quincy the Palace Receptionist, the group was ushered into a room to meet Herald Narlhelm.



There with the recommendations of both Layla and Sean, each of the Kelemvorites spoke before the esteemed Herald Narlhelm. The five Kelemvorites present (Paladin Stanrick Rolston, Watcher Elisia LeGande, Priestess Afendaria, Mortarch Nathalie, and Protector Korwin Vhoss) each had a chance to introduce themselves and speak on behalf of the Church of Kelemvor where they expressed the tenants of their faith, their hopes and goals for the City of Baldur's Gate and the undead infested cemetery, and the divine mission and dogma of the newest Lord of the Dead, Kelemvor the Great Guide.



After each had a chance to speak Herald Narlhelm was convinced the Church of Kelemvor was worthy of being recognized as a Temple Organization. The Kelemvorites elected a speaker amongst the five gathered, and soon Narlhelm declared:

"Let it be known then, that on this seventeenth day of Mirtul, 1361, The Church of Kelemvor is formally recognized as a Temple organization within Baldur's Gate and thus carries all the rights and responsibilities of a faith within the city. Further, Afendaria has been chosen as Speaker for the Temple of Kelemvor."

After the meeting, the excited Kelemvorites spoke to one another informally, each looking forward to serving in their duties now that they were supported and recognized by the Ducal Court's Temple Organization.


//Thank you DM Mimic for setting up the event!

Flyers have begun to appear across the city. They rest in neat wooden boxes outside temple and inn doors, public billboards. Each stack is orderly, as if placed with reverence — no litter, no haste.

But at the gates of the Baldur’s Gate cemetery, there are no boxes. Here, a crude wooden crate sits among leaning signs and weather-beaten posts. The crate is clearly meant to be seen. Whoever placed it wants the mourners to know.

HE IS NOT YOUR JUDGE!

Armed Kelemvorite cultists roam these lands! They preach that Kelemvor judges all souls. THIS IS A LIE.
Kelemvor is not the Judge of the Faithful.
He is the warden of the Fugue Plane, the Judge of the damned, the faithless, the false.
Kelemvor oversees the transition of all souls in the Fugue Plane, but he only judges those who are not claimed by a deity.
He has no power over souls claimed by their rightful gods.

Your faith is your shield.
Your rites are your right.

Do not submit to these heretics.
Do not let them steal your afterlife.
Do not forget who you are.

Hidden: show

THEY WALK AMONG THE DEAD

You cannot hide.
The cultists roam this cemetery—armed, fanatical, and watching.
They uncloak mourners and shame the faithful for not bowing to their twisted creed.

They walk among the dead.
They pray among the dead.
They hunt among the dead.


Do not be fooled by their robes or soft words.

They are not guides.
They are not judges.
They are criminals with blades and hammers!

Their SPEAKER: A known Auriltie who is known to be murderer of elderly women. She has sacrificed them to Auril?? She assumably converted to this faith to get laid with their leader! (I mean, I can respect that...)

Their DOOMGUIDE: Brought the dead here! His family is behind the walking dead! This is why there is no peace in the graveyward!

Their LEADER: IS NO CLERGY! She is a cut-throat who spreads unturth of Kelemvor and intends to stab other clergy representatives who may disagree with the untruth!

Run for your life. Protect your soul.
Your god sees you.

— A Soul Who Barely Escaped

Hidden: show

Laughter is BANNED.

Be advised: armed Kelemvorite cultists patrol these grounds.
They are led by a zealot unaffiliated with clergy - hostile to all faiths but her own. Her followers enforce silence with violence.

If your rites involve laughter, joy, or remembrance through humor, know this:
You will be mocked, shamed, and possibly attacked by cultists.

Tread lightly. Mourn quietly.

/// EDIT and OOC note: Due to being on the receiving end of a warning, certain parts have been removed by me to meet guidelines. In light of this, all further conflict-related roleplay with the Church will be suspended. #???cantsitwithus

The days following the meeting at the local Tavern grew busier for the familiar white-maned Kelemvorite. After the previous night's gathering of masons, gardeners, and grave diggers had concluded, the younger priestess made her usual rounds but did not linger. A new collective had been agreed upon for those responsible for paying the final tribute to the dead. There was a great promise that those residents of the cemetery would receive the joined benefit of a single union. One that would allow for a greater gathering of resources, and a joint effort to those who have met the end. It would seem for the tired Kelemvorite that she should be happy or excited, and yet she was not.

The next day she wandered the city, making stops along the market. Her somber gaze remained low as she forced each step across the cobbled streets. She visited those of the flower stands, wine stalls, and produce. Soon after she put the care packages together, which took her most of the morning and afternoon. She took several breaks throughout, and seemed to get lost in a haunting thought. As the sun began to set, she began delivering each of them personally to those who attended the meeting. When the visits were complete, the pale ghostly woman wandered the lantern lit roads. She walked the length of the city slowly, wandering without a word. When her feet would carry her no longer, she sat down on a bench and remained hollow until morning came.

8 Kythorn 1361

Over the next few days the novice priestess Afendaria would find herself busy dealing with all sorts of matters not only within Baldur’s Gate, but often down south in Nashkel as well. Many scrolls of teleport were consumed as she travelled between the well known city state and the northern most settlement of the Merchant’s Domain. Often she could be seen in both location’s cemeteries where she would pray over headstones during the morning’s Remembrance, consecrate graves, clean up any undead presence, and would faithfully attend Daeum each evening with at least one other member of her faith. Special attention in Baldur’s Gate was given to one particular little girl’s grave that featured an angelic headstone while in Amn she often honored and prayed over the memorial dedicated to the War in the Cloudpeak Mountains.




On one of these days early in the morning Afendaria was on route to consecrate the grave of the little girl when a woman with light gingery hair (the hair not too dissimilar from Afendaria’s own) rushed by in a hurry. This woman was weeping and crying as she hurried through the streets. After inquiring what was wrong with the woman, Afendaria discovered that the weeping woman was rushing home to tend to her dying, elderly father who had been injured.

Afendaria requested that she be taken to the woman’s home to perform the Passing, which is a call to Kelemvor to inform the God of the Dead that a soul’s essence would soon leave the body of the dying and would require safe passasge to reach the afterlife. Without delay Afendaria was brought into the home where she was taken to the bedside of the dying man. Afendaria determined the man was too old and had sustained far too great an injury to be saved. There she quickly asked for the man’s name, what he did in life, and what gods he had served. The dying man’s state worsened and Afendaria proceeded to get right into the ritual. She began to pray and chant over the dying man. As it was her first time performing such a ritual she did her best to base it upon what she had read from Doomguide Evendur’s writings that she had received.


After her chanting and prayers were over, Esbern Strongarm died there in the arms of his two children. The two children wept bitterly and Afendaria the novice priestess, not yet used to offering comfort in loss or really understanding what to do next, just stood there and said nothing and watched the Strongarm siblings weep bitterly over their dead father for two straight hours. Finally, when the son of Esbern Strongarm was able to fight back his tears and speak again, Afendaria offered to go and speak to the local Lathandites at their shrine in the Wide to see if other Lathandites could come and prepare the man’s body to properly follow Lathandite tradition. Feeling generous (perhaps because she felt her first Passing was important), Afendaria offered to pay for all funerary expenses on behalf of Esbern Strongarm. Everything was arranged with the Lathandites and Afendaria returned to the Strongarm siblings to relay the news. During a later day's Daeum she would (with the guidance of Elisia LeGande) record the name of Esbern into a book that contained the names of the deceased.

Esbern Strongarm. Passed at the Appointed Time. 7 Kythorn, 1361 DR. Faithful to Lathander, Labourer of the Gate. Survived by two children who loved him. May they find comfort knowing it is not the true end for Esbern Strongarm.

The very next morning Afendaria found herself back down in Nashkel where she was on her way to pray for both Aurilites and Helmites who fell in the War of the Cloudpeaks. There she ran into an old employer, Director Natalia Fernanda of the Golden Wheel Company. Natalia informed Afendaria that recently the Goldenwheel Company had acquired the Nashkel Mines and were looking to start up a morgue for miners who may perish during the dangerous work involved with mining, and that Natalia, having overheard Afendaria praying during the past few days, thought to set the new priestess to the task. Afendaria happily and readily agreed to the offer of being Head Coroner of the Nashkel mines and set out immediately after her Remembrance prayers to see where would be best to set up the future morgue.
//Thank you DM Faith for providing the event and NPC name for the Passing!

Delivery for Priestess Afendaria

At the next day, during the afternoom time, a young lanky (human) guy is searching for Afendaria.

He was a courier with instructions to give her a small sachet. It was made of simple fabric and waxed, as it seemed.
A greenish cord hold it closed.

A little message is attached at the cord:

I hope it will highten your soul and ease your burdens a little bit.
~ Naer'eanque

If Afendaria would be brave enough, to open the sachet, she would find a fine selection of honey glaced nuts and of dried sweet berries in it.

1 Flamerule 1361 DR

Afendaria was in the middle of lamenting the start of Flamerule, the month of the year she dreaded the most because of how hot the Swordcoast would become. She also didn't like the name "Flamerule". While she was complaining internally Afendaria was surprised when a young, lanky human male found her just outside the Baldurian Graveyard and delivered a small sack to her. She thanked the man, tipped him a Danter—an Amnian-minted gold coin—and then sent him on his way.

She examined the green cord, then spotted the message. Reading it aloud to herself, she stumbled over the signature at the end.

“Narenque...? Narenkee...? Narqun...? Is this Elven?!” she exclaimed, clearly unable to pronounce the Elven name.

After several more failed attempts to pronounce Naer’eanque’s name correctly, she gave up and opened the sack. Inside, she found honey-glazed nuts and dried sweet berries. She gazed down at the assorted goodies for a moment before promptly wrapping the cord back around the bag. Without taking a single nut or berry, she carried the gift into the cemetery’s mausoleum and left it at the Kelemvorite shrine.

Later that evening, after Daeum, Afendaria mentioned to another Kelemvorite, Elisia LeGande, that she had recently been in contact with some elves over a church-related matter. She also revealed that she had delivered a strange message to those same elves—a message that had been passed to her by a mysterious speaker she’d encountered in the Cloudpeaks. As she spoke of the elves, Afendaria remembered the bag of nuts and berries she had been given and handed the entire gift over to Elisia. Afendaria had not eaten a single nut or berry from such a thoughtful offering.

" I try not to eat Elven food. You can enjoy this on the road. "

Over the next few days, there was no sign of Elisia LeGande—or the bag of nuts and berries. However, each evening, a Kelemvorite in armor, wearing a dark blue cowl over her gingery hair, could be seen lighting lanterns in Elisia’s place and setting them in front of an angelic grave somewhere in the cemetery.

With one less Death Clergy present over the next few days, Afendaria could be seen hauling lanterns and candles from the Wide to the Graveyard at the start of each evening. Most of these lanterns and their replacement candles were placed before a certain angelic gravestone, which seemed to draw much of Afendaria’s attention. She cleaned this grave, removed the weeds growing around it, and consecrated it—along with the surrounding graves—multiple times. At one point, she even brought a painting and read poetry to the grave, then once while resting she fell asleep against this gravestone.



The angelic tombstone was not the only grave she focused on each night. Every evening, she would also choose a different blank, nameless gravestone, place a lantern beside it, and pray during Daeum over the selected tomb. Her prayers were short and to the point, and after each prayer she took time to remove any moss or vegetation that had begun to grow on or around the grave.



Oddly, however, she did not enter the Mausoleum once during those days. Instead, her focus remained entirely above ground. When it was time to rest or continue with her other daily activities, she was nowhere to be found in Baldur’s Gate. She could only be found briefly, waking around between the Wide (where she would be restocking lanterns or selling off trinkets, taken back from wherever she had gone during the day) and the cemetery. Those who spoke to her would find she was especially quiet and tired, and not too keen on saying many words. Additionally, her prayers and songs during morning Remembrance were offered elsewhere outside of Duchal lands.

5 Flamerule 1361

Afendaria returned to the graveyard to relight the lanterns she had been tending when she discovered a trail of defeated undead corpses leading to an open tomb. Armed with her warhammer she ventured down into the crypt. Inside, she encountered two adventurers attempting to breach a sealed door. After confirming that the pair (Gunnar, a genasi, and Cass, a poverty stricken tiefling) were hunting undead, and not robbing graves, she joined forces with them. Using her more than moderate strength she smashed through the sealed door with her warhammer and broke through what seemed to be some sort of barricade.



The trio stepped past the mess of wood planks and pieces and into a maze of tunnels that spread beneath the graveyard. Along the walls of these caves sat empty wooden coffins, clearly moved from the graves or crypts where they should have been. How the coffins had got there would soon be answered: suddenly they were attacked by Graverobbers. After the three had fought off a few groups of Graverobbers (Afendaria was particularly merciless) they came to a room and were suddenly in battle against waves of skeletons and undead under the control of a Necromancer. In the first encounter, the Necromancer seemed to have escaped. The frustrated Kelemvorite priestess urged the other two forward and soon they ran into the same Necromancer in a different chamber.





In the second battle Gunnar and Cass focused on the undead forces the Necromancer had brought to arms while Afendaria focused on the Necromancer itself. The Necromancer hurled spells at her but she shook them all off, until one of Bigby's hands came out and held her in place. Enraged that she couldn't move, she threw her own version of a Bigby's scroll right back at the mage, and the two were suddenly locked in a battle of who could break out of the raging magical hands first. In the end, it would be Afendaria who broke free, and then she showed no mercy. Her hammer went straight to the wizard's head and with a final mighty blow, she crushed the necromancer's skull inwards. With the death of the Necromancer and the defeat of the other undead, the three picked themselves up and began to clean up and search the area. Afendaria let the other two claim the Necromancer's treasures in thanks for their hard work against fighting undeath, while she would take the dead necromancer's animate dead scrolls.

However, a far more powerful and dark Necromancer known to Afendaria appeared, and summoned a vampire that injured Gunnar. After destroying the vampire, the curious, brave, and foolish tiefling named Cass tried to approach the dark figure, but the Necromancer severely wounded Cass with a blast of red, sinister light. With two injured and knowing who she was up against and would be outmatched on her own, a frustrated Afendaria let the enemy go on by to collect what the necromancer had called a "bounty"—likely the corpses of the undead and graverobbers - all of which, of course, later vanished without a trace. Afendaria then helped the injured adventurers Gunnar and Cass and escorted them out safely, warning them about the dangers of confronting such powerful foes in that cemetery in the future.



Afterward, Afendaria met with Doomguide Evendur at the Kelemvorite shrine, where they discussed the recent dark encounter, Afendaria's concerns, and matters of faith. It had been days since Afendaria had come down to the shrine and the place was already starting to collect dust. Reassured by his counsel, she stayed behind to clean the shrine after Evendur took his leave and later burned the animate dead scrolls she had taken, reaffirming her devotion to her sacred duty.


//Thank you DM Faith for the adventure!

Several nights before the two Kelemvorites could be seen leaving the Wall of Remembrance in the early hours of the morning. The warm rays of the sunlight only served to illuminate the grey and silver clouds drifting across the overcast sky. The two walked along the long dirt road passing gravestone after crumbling gravestone. Their conversation was quiet and brief, matching the scattered bird chirps of the early hours. Then just before they passed through the gates to leave the cemetery, Elisia quietly asked the taller Kelemvor priestess if they could stop and say a short prayer for the deceased. When the two of them agreed they began their way up the muddy hill to a familiar angelic gravestone.


The two stood before the tall gravestone of Tamia Silverbell. After a short moment of reflection, the shepherd in black knelt down in grass soaked in the morning drew from the night before. She worked open the lantern placed there. When it finally budged it's rusted hinges let out a squealing squeak. The quiet Kelemvorite proceeded to crack away the melted wax, and replace the former candle. The new candle burnt bright, and the lantern was set back at the base of the angelic gravestone.


As the quiet white crowned woman began to pray before the grave, a number of undead marched forward to attack her. Each of their rotten bodies were quickly dispatched by the readied swing of Afendaria's gleaming war hammer. As each of the zombies and skeletons were beaten and broken apart, Elisia continued the prayer of remembrance for Tamia and the other residents of the cemetery. As the prayer continued forth, The lantern had stirred with quiet magic, blooming into a soft golden light that cascaded from the grave in front of them.


The two Kelemvorites stood in awe as the undead all around them began to burst into flames. Their cold desiccated bodies burnt away through the eruptions of an unknown seemingly sacred light. The prayer was followed by a grateful long moment of reverence as they took in the moment. Elisia looked on to the glowing lantern longer than she intended with a mark of disbelief. After the short while, the two eventually left the cemetery to carry on to the morning.