Unhallowed Grounds

The heirs make their way to the teleportation circle, but are stopped by one of Zepharos's soldiers who reports about an armored individual at the gates. They all move to investigate, and find a dark plated soldier wielding Dragon's Bane. With one movement, the soldier unleashes a devastating blast of magical energy, severing the protections Zepharos's gate had, and allowing the cult to storm in.

The heirs retreat with Zepharos, using the teleportation circle to flee to his villa. Before the magic takes place, the same soldier fires another attack, badly damaging Zepharos's arm, though thankfully not killing the dragonborn.

Arriving at Zepharos's villa, Marik scouts ahead and finds the cult are waiting for Zepharos's return. As the heirs launch an attack, they soon discover that some of Roquette's pirates are among the cult. The enemies are slain but one pirate is kept alive for Xanthe to question.

They learn that Roquette has joined forces with the shepherd, with her and most of her crew making their way to Solebreuve in order to launch a heist to steal a draconic lantern. Some were left behind in order to capture Zepharos should he return here. After gaining a bit more information, Xanthe executes the pirate.

After a night of rest, the group makes their way to Solebreuve, traveling along the Knight's Road and seeing numerous shrines and items dedicated to various knights. They also come across one shrine in particular that has been vandalized with cruel words and black paint. The shrine belonged to Aurelius Blackflame. The story is told of a grand tournament of knights from Ederia, Solebreuve, and even the Nornathi. The prize of the tournament was the Roi De Solei's daughter's hand in marriage along with a greatsword used by many past heroes. Aurelius was already betrothed to the woman and vowed that he would win the tournament and prove his worth.

Aurelius made it to the finals where he faced off against a Nornathi warrior. Despite losing to the Nornathi warrior, Aurelius couldn't stand the idea of the woman he loved being used like a bargaining chip. So when the Nornathi went to claim his prize, Aurelius stabbed him in the back and killed him. He was found guilty of murder and burned at the stake. Aurelius found this to be a just punishment.

The group rides to Solebreuve in silence, the somber air of the story taking over.

Meanwhile, back in Crown’s Rest, Talon and the Council speak of the need for a new Treasurer to be officially appointed. Many names are suggested, but the council argues against each one and they seem to be going in circles around one another. They are interrupted when a messenger informs Talon that Solani Serpentbraid has arrived to speak with him. Talon dismisses the council, suggesting a good night's rest to reflect on their options would be best.

The conversation starts pleasant enough, discussing trade routes and guard patrols, wanting to find a morally and ethically good option for all involved. Before departing though, Solani makes a request to discuss something personal: of Senua and Talon's time in the Serpent's Grove.

She question Talon as to why if he was on a diplomatic mission, that something was stolen from Zazrus's tomb. Talon denies knowing anything about a stolen item, but Solani continues to press him, saying the wards of magic surrounding it were untouched until Talon arrived in the Grove. Talon warns her against making an accusation against him, and demands her to leave. She warns Talon that his children should know the truth of the shadows that he casts, warning him that the truth would come one way or another. A look of genuine fear crosses Talon's face.