Temple of Mystra (Wheloon)

The Temple of Mystra was a temple in the town of Wheloon in Cormyr, constructed in 1374 DR on the ruins of an old citadel on the edge of Wheloon. This false temple to Mystra turned out to be a front for worshipers of Shar and Cyric.

History
In around Ches of the Year of Lightning Storms, 1374 DR, the priestess Naedaenya Arthas met with Lord Sarp Redbeard to request the construction of a temple of Mystra in Wheloon, the first in the whole kingdom of Cormyr. She persuaded him that it would open a market for magical items, spell components, and lore, and boost the city's economy. She also paid hefty bribes to Redbeard. He approved the proposal, and granted the priests tax breaks during the construction. He told Whelunians it would bring in more people and trade, that the priests would spend a good deal on supplies, and that it would make Wheloon important. But he could not know how important it would become.

The temple was sited on the crumbling foundation of a ruined citadel that lay on the northern edge of town. Using magically assisted construction techniques, it took only a few months to build. It was Cormyr's only temple to Mystra, but many Whelunians had little need to worship the goddess of magic, and it became only a local curiosity. Many locals came to look around then left, not sure what to make of the place but otherwise satisfied and accepting their lord's approval. Priests of the town's more traditional religions received cool welcomes, however: Katriana Donohar felt but not exactly friendly, while Orlenstar Thirthorn found one patronizing and insincere. Most put this down to simple big-city temple rivalry. In time, some Whelunians complained of strange noises and weird lights at night—not unusual with the use of magic. The local Purple Dragons investigated, but found nothing untoward.

The temple was in the final stages of construction by the autumn of that year. Nevertheless, Arthas was requesting an extension of the tax breaks, and seeking to negotiate better rates on monthly supplies from Rallogar Hardware.

The bookseller Amnic Basult visited the temple and took a pamphlet, but doubted whether the goddess Mystra truly supported the priests there. Early in the month of Eleint, Amnic went missing, with signs of a scuffle in his shop.

At that time, an itinerant cleric of Mystra, Tunaster Dranik, passing through Wheloon was astonished: he'd heard nothing about it from fellow priests, nor of the Lady of Mystery Naedaenya Arthas. Visiting, however, the local clerics gave him a frosty reception, barring him from the inner areas and keeping him waiting for an hour for an audience with Arthas. In the end, he was met by Starweaver Deinyn Fembrys. Something about him looked so strange and off to his eyes that Tunaster turned and fled from the temple. Priests and guards have chase, even firing arrows, but Tunaster escaped back to town. Later, one of the priests, Shan Thar, played down the incident and spun his own version, suggesting Tunaster was crazed and ranting. To quell his suspicions, Arthas secretly ordered Tunaster to be killed when they found him.

Tunaster contacted Constal Maximanus Tholl of the Purple Dragons contingent, but had a hard time convincing town authorities of his concerns. Thus, he recruited some adventurers to investigate the strange behavior of the clerics. Meanwhile, he journeyed to the next, true temple of Mystra—the Tower of Mystery in Saerloon, Sembia—seeking an explanation or assistance.

On the 6th of Eleint, the adventurers discovered the temple to be a front for Sharran cultists to kidnap magically gifted citizens and travelers in an effort to create a rift in the Weave. Wheloon's Purple Dragons investigated the matter and Constal Maximanus Tholl brought the adventurers to an audience with Lord Redbeard, who requested they continue their investigations and follow the cultists into the Vast Swamp. Redbeard, Tholl, and the Purple Dragons remained in Wheloon to guard the city and the temple.

Activities
The temple received monthly supplies from Rallogar Hardware.