Murder Trial and Cataclysm

Arvien and Grunyar found themselves in the the throne room looking at the translucent bodies of their fellow adventurers.  After examination they found no injuries on their physical form and Arvien had her prepared spells still at her disposal.  As they looked into the mirror all they saw was the green lush forest that was previously reflected there.

Meanwhile the rest of the party was still in battle with a band of ogres.  Varrid was trying to insert herself between Isolde and Soth, who was still at battle with the ogre leader.  Baru and Ralom had joined him in attacking the leader while Seglun and Drovic were battling any other ogres that still stood.  Swiftly the battle came to an end as the last ogres fell.  Soth delivered a death blow with his mighty sword to the leader.
After a moment to catch their breath Soth ordered Sirs Mikel and Kay to return to the carriage to check on Gladria and Paradur.  Off two knight sped back to the east.  Lord Soth dismounted and came to check on the elven maidens.  As Isolde moved to greet Soth she was blocked by Varrid from approaching him.  Soth looked away from this sight saying "Sweet though you may be, lady, I an bound through marriage to another."  Just then Sir Mikel returned swiftly and catching Soth's attention whispered to him.  Lord Soth and Sir Mikel sped away back to the carriage.  The rest of the party the knights and the elven maidens followed on foot.
When the party arrived at the camp site, Soth was on his knees sobbing beside the body of Gladria.  She appeared to have been killed by ogres.  Isolde looked at him with tears in her eyes.  Sir Kay plucked Peradur from under a blanket and brought him to Soth.  The Lord took his son in his arms and thanked Paladine for his safety.  He then ordered the party to prepare to move out, heading for Palanthus where Paradur would be blessed.  Isolde and her maidens followed since they were headed there, where Isolde would become a priestess of Paladine.  The knights wrapped Gladria's body in cloth and the pilgrimage became a funeral procession.
Varrid is shocked that the elf maidens did not have any protectors in their party.  They assured her that Paladine would protect them.  Varrid attempted, weakly, to keep Soth and Isolde apart but since he was no longer bound by marriage vows it was obvious that Isolde would steal his heart.  By the time they camped the first night, the passion was obvious.
As night stared to fall in the throne room, Varrid and Grunyar decided to return to the dragon shrine to spend the night.  They certainly did not want to be in the tower whilst the Banshees began their nightly singing.  In the morning the two returned to the throne room where soon the rest of the party regained their bodies and all  were together again.
Baru and Arvien speculated that Soth was trying to redo history, reclaim his good name, possibly to escape Sithicus or never be dragged there in the first place.  It seems that he had already successfully changed his interaction with Isolde, since Gladria had been killed by ogres not under his own order.  But then what was the meaning of Paradur?  Wasn't he Isolde's son, maybe Magda got the history wrong.  Never the less they looked into mirror two, a hallway with military standards, banners, a red carpet and angry voices emerging from beyond an open door.  Arvien related this to Lord Soth's trial for the murder of Gladria.
Into the mirror they moved and found themselves in the middle of a long hallway lined with military standards and banners.  An oval of utter blackness hung a few inches off the floor.  It was about six feet tall and three feet wide but had no depth, and it is only two-dimensional.  Ahead, a plush red carpet, patterned with swords, crowns, kingfishers, and roses, leads to a partially opened door.  From behind the door came the sound of angry voices.  Looking at each other the party saw strapping youths, dressed in plate mail embossed with kingfishers.  The only way to identify each other were the weapons held or sheathed by their sides.  Seglun and Arvien moved toward the open door when from inside the room, a woman's voice rose above the rest.  It cackled with authority.
"Squire Caradoc, you have been found guilty of the murder of Lady Gladria, wife of Lord Soth.  Your sentence is death.  In accordance with the Measure, the execution shall be carried out tomorrow morning with your own sword."
A man's voice cried out in response, "No! I'm innocent!  I wasn't the one who killed her!"
"Then who did?" the woman asked.
"I cannot say," the man replied in a dejected voice.  "I am bound by my Oath."
"Very well then," the woman replied.  "Guilty as charged.  Guards!"
The door opened fully and the party saw a Solamnic Knight, clad in plate mail and wearing a surcoat embroidered with kingfishers.  "You there!" he hissed. "You squires!  See to your duties and take the prisoner to his cell."
Arvien, Seglun and Ralom entered apace followed by the others.  Inside was a table, behind which three knights in plate mail were seated.  Two were male, with drooping mustaches.  One wore a surcoat embroidered with a crown, the other a surcoat with the emblem of a sword.  The third knight was a woman with dark curling hair and blue armor.  Her surcoat was embroidered with red roses.
In front of the table stood a young knight with handsome features and elegant clothes.  The front of his tunic was embroidered with and emblem of a rook.  His ankles were encased in shackles.  The woman knight picked up a black rose from the table in front of her and hurled it at the shackled man, who hung his head in shame.  "Take him away," the woman said, a crooked smile on her lips.
Behind the young knight were a series of benches, set up to face the table.  On one of those sat a broad-shouldered man with blonde hair and a long, neatly trimmed mustache.  On his surcoat was the emblem of a red rose.  His lips were curled in a faint smile.  He eyes were hard as stone.
Arvien and Seglun moved forward to escort the young squire, he pulled them toward a door leading out of the judgement room.  Ralom detected evil but found none in the room.   The rest of the party followed into a prisoner holding room.  Another door led to the area of the cells into which the party placed Caradoc.  Two other guards moved through into a guard quarters.  Ralom entered the cell with Caradoc and began questioning him.
Caradoc revealed that he had become Lady Gladria's paramour, which enraged Lord Soth.  He saw Lord Soth kill Lady Gladria with his own eyes, the murder weapon was Soth's sword.  He is utterly loyal to Soth and refuses to testify against him, or even to speak ill of him.  "I blame myself for Galdria's death, had I not encouraged her to break her marriage vows, she might be alive today."  He showed that party a ring Gladria gave him as a love token, "I will die with it on my finger!"
Baru perused that history had been changed here also, maybe they had to enter mirror six, it was possible that Soth was having difficulty changing history there.  Trying to reason with Caradoc to throw the guilt on Soth only made him withdraw into silence.
After a short while Seglun stared to explore finding a hallway with entrances to the judgement room and an outside door.  Grunyar determined to head back to the black oval and soon the whole party headed that direction.  Before he left Ralom opened a door that led into a sunlit atria.  In the middle of the atria as a bloodstained stone abutment.  With a slight shiver, Ralom headed to the black oval.
Back in the throne room Baru suggested going into mirror six but was overridden by the party as they wanted to go in order.  Mirror three emitted joyous chanting, which was encouraging.  The red star could the cataclysm referred to in Magda tale.  The Kingpriest asking the gods for power to eradicate evil.
So into mirror three the party headed.  They stood inside a wide hallway that led to open double doors.  In the opposite direction were closed double doors with sturdy locks.  Hallway led north and south.  Chained by its leg to a bird-stand in the north hall was a rook.  "Through," it cawed.  "Through."
Hovering in the air in the middle of the hallway was the familiar black oval.  As the party gazed at each other they saw young acolytes wearing multi-colored clerical robes.  Each had a fanatical gleam in his or her eye.  Through the open double doors, they could see blue sky.  Just to the right of the sun, a second light hung in the sky -- a bright red star.  From somewhere behind the open door came the sound of joyous chanting.  The the crowd fell silent and a man's voice was heard.
"People of Istar!  O ye of the faith!  Today we command the gods themselves.  Today we banish evil from the face of Krynn.  Join with me in solemn prayer as I prepare to conduct the final part of my holy ritual.  Grunyar peered out the doors, along with Arvien, a man in an ornate headdress stood on a portico.  He wore robes like the party.  Below him was a flight of stairs.  At the base of the stairs, thousands of people in an open space had raised their hands toward the sky.  They were chanting in unison:  "Kingpriest, we hear your word.  Kingpriest we do your will."
A commotion broke out in the crowd as a young dark-haired female knight clad in blue armor tried to climb the stairs.  Hands held her back.  In one hand she held something that looked like a black stick with a knob on one end.  "Kingpriest!" she cried.  "Heed the warning signs.  The gods are displeased.  Look!  All the flowers in Istar have turned black!"
An angry growl swept the crowd.  Hands pulled her back and she disappeared beneath the mob.  "Paladine's champion will save us all," she cried.  "The black rose is the symbol of your downfall and the sign of our deliverance!"
Grunyar loosed an arrow at the Kingpriest, Arvien called down a fireball on the Kingpriest and guards while Drovic threw acid darts and others moved out on the portico, determined to stop the Kingpriest.  Guard leapt into action attacking the heroes as Lord Soth flew down the hallway onto the portico demanding the Kingpriest turn from his course.  The Kingpriest refused and both attacked the other.  The guards were easy fodder but the battle of the Kingpriest, Soth, Seglun, air elementals drawn forth by Ralom and Baru was more difficult.  As the battle simmered flaming debris began to fall from the sky.  The crowd panicked and turned into a mob trying to disperse from the area.
When the Kingpriest fell, Soth calmed the mob and explained that the Kingpriest had called down a flaming mountain that would destroy Istar.  His eloquent words swayed the people and they soon praised him as their savior.  The party found themselves once again in the throne room.
On to mirror four, a narrow street filled with dark smoke.

DM's Notes:  No XP were earned tonight.