105 - The Way of the Archangel Report

General Summary

Following up on a few leads, Iris and the party makes the journey up to the monastery in search of Iris' grandfather. Along the way, they encounter a strange old man who offers them tea and some vague information. Once at the monastery, the party encounters a group of training monks, one of which stands out, being a female Aasimar named Lily.    The master monk informs the party that the answers they seek lie at the peak of the mountain pilgrimage. Lily volunteers to escort them up the mountain to complete her final training. The party manages to avoid the first encounter, but engages and wins against the other two. Finally reaching the summit, they enter the temple at the peak and find themselves in a mirrored room. Inside, waits the old man from the shack at the bottom of the hill. He reveals himself to be Markiron , Archangel, Champion of Pelor, Divine Executioner, the first leader of the Forgotten Knights. Assuming his angelic form, he challenges the party at full strength. During the fight, the party receives a series of blessings that mysteriously aid in their fight. Eventually, Markiron declares them worthy and in walks a paladin clad in golden armor. The golden paladin then reveals himself to be Iris' grandfather, also an adventurer, which he kept from her.   During the fight with Markiron, his holy energy activates dormant genes in Iris and she sprouts a beautiful pair of wings. So too does Lily, but following the completion of the fight, Lily is nowhere to be found. Warence uses his ethereal vision to see her floating around with the many other lost souls that haunt the ethereal plane in this temple.   With advice from Markiron and Iris' grandfather, the party decides to head to Cafeld to further continue to investigate Lily's disappearance.