After the battle at the Kessian Temple (see KA22. The Forger's Lair, Part II), the party were greeted by Solera Natsu, the high priestess. She thanked them for their assistance, and asked them why they had come. They explained that they were in pursuit of Tyken Roslof; the priestess confirmed that the shifter had visited the temple earlier that day, and directed them to proceed down into the vaults to find Gianna Volpes, the novice that had been showing him around.
Heading down the stairs that Solera Natsu indicated, the party found themselves in a library deep beneath the lake that the temple was built over. There they saw a young gnomish woman being attacked by several strange other-worldly creatures. They charged in, with Elias Minch immediately killing one of them, but as they got closer to the gnome they saw a larger creature off to one side, hovering over the ground using its wings. Arc tried to neutralise the threat by turning the winged creature into a frog, but was unable to hold concentration on the spell for long, and it reverted back to its gruesome form. A brutal battle ensued, with Elias Minch briefly being charmed by the creature, while Arc struggled to withhold fear of the smaller creatures. Smith held up the rear, using his shield to push back any that advanced on him. Elias Minch briefly succumbed to an onslaught of talons, slipping into unconsciousness, but was rescued by Arc.
Eventually they were able to defeat the creatures, and the gnomish woman thanked them. Introducing herself as Gianna Volpes, she sobbed uncontrollably as she explained how she thought that this was all her fault. Her mother was deeply ill, with a sickness incurred towards the end of The Last War; Tyken Roslof had offered her 20,000 gold to go towards her medical debts to House Jorasco. In return, Gianna Volpes had given him a pair of dragonshard daggers that had been stored within the vaults of the Kessian Temple. He had then absconded, and a few hours later the creatures had started appearing through tears in the air. She knew that he was angry at the nearby town of Vathirond; Tyken Roslof had a brother, Brellac Roslof, who had died in the streets of Vathirond and nobody had come to his assistance. Tyken Roslof was taking the dragonshard daggers to the nearby dam. Elias Minch surmised that he was going to destroy the dam, flooding the town.
The party then debated what to do about the gold that they had been sent to recover. Elias Minch argued for letting Gianna Volpes keep it, while Arc thought that as stolen gold she had to return it all. In the end, they compromised, and let her keep half while taking the rest to return to Palavan. Gianna Volpes then pointed them down a corridor, which she said was used as part of a trial for the initiates graduating to be full priestesses. This would be the quickest way to the dam. The party decided to take the opportunity to take a rest, before heading down the corridor.
The first room that they reached was a square room that was filled with a mural of every type of person that the party could possibly conceive. An arcane barrier blocked the exit, and as they entered three crystals above the door lit up blue. They spotted on one wall was written the words "Beauty is in the Eyes of the Beholder". Elias Minch stepped forward first, and searched the mural for a shifter of the same background as himself. As soon as he found one and touched it, the crystal over the exit turned green. Arc was next, looking for a changeling in their natural form, dressed without elegance. This too caused a crystal to change colour. Smith was last; as the mural clearly predated the invention of the warforged, he satisfied himself with an automaton wielding a large arm cannon. When all three had made their selection, words appeared on the opposite wall to the existing writing, saying "The Heart Desires what the Heart Desires", and the arcane barrier fell.
The next room was similar, but the mural was of a harvest. The words read "A Farmer's Greatest Tools are Time and Patience". The ceiling immediately started to descend, and the doorway to the entrance slammed shut. But realising that this was a trick, the party chose to lie on the floor and do nothing. Sure enough, when the ceiling reached them it was an illusion; as soon as it touched the floor, the arcane barrier lifted. They followed the corridor to another flight of stairs, and followed them up to a small altar set amongst a forest. A river flowed nearby, and they could see the buildings of Vathirond in the distance. They decided to follow the river, and see if it took them to the dam...