Out of the Frying Pan

Eilibh begins to grow suspicious of Vorana’s behavior, noticing her subtle interactions with Yanna. Quietly slipping away, Eilibh eavesdrops on a heated conversation between Vorana and Yanna at the door to an inner chamber. During the exchange, Vorana reveals her true intent: she brought the party to Yanna under the guise of safety, planning to have them detained while she escapes with the stolen package she took from Eilibh. This revelation leaves Eilibh stunned but resolute. Returning to the group, she discreetly reports what she overheard, igniting tension as they realize Vorana’s betrayal and the looming danger.

Before the dinner, two of Yanna’s henchmen inform her that someone in the group was responsible for interfering with her heist of the Dark Pearl, the item she had sent her operatives to retrieve. They recount how Duruk noticed a third figure—an accomplice to the ruse staged by the fake High Acolyte Ithan and Raimon the Rhymer—picking pockets during the commotion. This figure was searching for the Dark Pearl, using the distraction created by Ithan and Raimon to complete the theft. However, Duruk’s sharp eye caught the thief in the act, leading him to alert the guards. The heist was disrupted, forcing Ithan, Raimon, and the pickpocket to flee empty-handed. Upon hearing this, Yanna realizes that Duruk not only foiled her plans but also cost her the Dark Pearl, heightening her rage. With her fury now simmering beneath her calculated exterior, Yanna adjusts her plans for the evening, viewing the party as both a threat and a tool for her revenge.

As the poisoned dinner unfolds, Vorana finds herself at a crossroads. Having overheard Yanna’s full plan to incapacitate and possibly eliminate the party, she wrestles with an internal conflict that has been growing since their journey began. On one hand, her original mission to retrieve the stolen package remains paramount—a job she’s done countless times without hesitation or remorse. Yet, traveling with this ragtag group, sharing danger and narrow escapes, has stirred something unfamiliar: a sense of camaraderie and guilt. For the first time, she questions whether her loyalty to the shadowy networks that employ her outweighs the bonds she’s begun to form.

Beyond the shadows of the Undercroft, the relentless Arcane Prelature continues their pursuit. Their search is methodical and calculated, spreading through the labyrinthine corridors and hidden chambers with a cold, unyielding precision. While they have not yet caught up to the party, their presence is an ever-looming threat, marked by the faint echoes of inquisitors’ commands and the flicker of magical wards being deployed to track residual arcane signatures. The party knows it is only a matter of time before the Prelature closes the distance, their resolve fueled by the belief that justice—or retribution—must be served. Every step the party takes feels weighed against the silent chase advancing just out of sight.