Temple of Mystra (Wheloon)

The Temple of Mystra was a false temple in the town of Wheloon in Cormyr. Constructed in 1374 DR on the ruins of an old citadel on the edge of town, it was dedicated to Mystra, goddess of magic, but was in fact a front for worshipers of Shar, goddess of shadows, and Cyric, god of lies. Under the guise of a holy ritual, they kidnapped, murdered, and sacrificed true followers of Mystra, wielders of magic, and ordinary people who'd become caught up in the snare. This was all part of a plot by Esvele Graycastle and the black dragon Despayr to rend a hole in the Weave of magic. The nefarious scheme was unveiled and thwarted by adventurers in service to Mystra.

Citadel
Well before the founding of Wheloon, a so-called citadel was built on the site. It was later ruined, and nothing more than the crumbling foundations remained by the 1370s DR. The ruins became home to displacer serpents.

Founding
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. In a deal with the Wheloon Jail, the priests recruited prisoners who had repented and wished to commute their sentences by performing holy service.

Operation
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.

In fact, visitors from out-of-town or who were not likely to be missed were being lured into a lengthy, wearying ritual, the so-called Mystra's Sacred Trust, and finally mentally dominated. Those with a knack for magic were smuggled off to a location in the Vast Swamp, while the rest were murdered in various ways. The kidnapped petitioners ultimately became a catalyst in Despayr's ritual to tear a hole in the Weave of magic.

Early on, the priests built a Shadow Gate to more easily transport themselves and petitioners to the Plane of Shadow. However, whether due to inexperience or Mystra's sabotage, the effort failed, disastrously. One of their number, Father Sambar, the first to step through, died horribly, but the guard accompanying him survived as a dark creature. So, the priests sent unwanted petitioners through as sacrifices and their most loyal guards to become shadow guards. A number of disciples and priests who would serve in the Black Rift in the Shadow Plane also passed through here.

Fall
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 local 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.

The last batch of petitioners and victims numbered eleven. These included Durgen Glintstone, a dwarf cleric of Moradin; Kareem Hastith, a paladin of Tyr; Smote, a halfling sorcerer; Tholwick Styles, an adept; and Halish, a cleric of Mystra. With them were Dava, Mendios, and Zephan, three apprentice wizards from Marsember sent by their master to make an offering at the temple. Another was Veera Wavecrest, a sorcerer and pirate from the Vilhon Reach who'd stopped in Wheloon for repairs and visited the temple to pay homage to Mystra. They were joined by Duncan and Kenniwick, two travelling merchants. Amnic Basult was the last of the dominated victims, having apparently been kidnapped separately. Smote, it transpired, was talked into going to the temple and undergoing the rite by his own sister, Smile, who was an assassin in service to Lady Arthas. Halish was sent through the Shadow Gate, and was transformed into a dark creature. Amnic, Duncan, and Kenniwick met their ends in a temple torture chamber, with their heads stuffed and mounted on a wall. and the rest kept prisoner and gradually sent to the Vast Swamp. The last departure was on about Eleasis 28.

At about that time, an itinerant cleric of Mystra, Tunaster Dranik, passing through Wheloon was astonished: he'd heard nothing about a new temple 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 gave 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.

Whether by force, stealth, or trickery, or simply by becoming victims themselves, these adventurers infiltrated the false temple. On Eleint 6, the adventurers discovered the temple to be a front for Sharran and Cyricist cultists to kidnap magically gifted citizens and travelers in some nefarious plot, with the victims sent to the Vast Swamp. They rescued the last surviving petitioner, Veera Wavecrest, from her cell, and her testimony shed light on the kidnapping operation. This time, Wheloon's Purple Dragons fully investigated the temple 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. The War Wizards of Cormyr arrived in a week to safely deal with the failed Shadow Gate.

Location
The temple was set into the western side of a steep-sided bluff atop a low hill standing beside the Wyvernflow River, north of Wheloon. It was built on the crumbling foundation of a ruined citadel that had stood there in past ages, before the founding of Wheloon.

Defenses
The outer walls were ramparts built of mortared stone and whitewashed over. They were 5 or 10 feet (1.5 or 3 meters) thick in places and stood 25 feet (7.6 meters) high on the outer face. A walkway running around the top allowed two temple guards—archers—to watch for break ins and fire arrows both outside the walls and into the courtyard, and stay protected by the battlements. Two guards patrolled these walls at all times. They had horns to sound the alarm, which would summon three or four off-duty guards from the outside guard post. Priests like Shan Thar and the devout mage Kevrin were also on hand to deal with threats.

The outer doors, leading into the courtyard, were of oak and iron-reinforced. They stood open and unlocked throughout the day and evening, however, and were only closed an hour before midnight. The inner doors, leading to the enclosed middle temple, were the same, but were closed, locked, and barred at all times. A coded knock was required for the guard inside to let people in.

If investigated or besieged by adventurers or enemy agents, the priests took a proactive approach to defense. Preferring to keep their criminal activities secret, they preferred not to get Whelunian authorities involved; however, if authorities were brought in by rivals, then the priests tried to turn them against their accusers. Lady Arthas would hire the assassins Londal Fen and Smile to deal with them, whether it meant luring them into an ambush at 23 Impil Street or burning down the Wheloon Watch House with them inside. If the temple personnel were whittled down in battles, they would hire new guards and bring in more priests from the east, and so on. They could replenish their number in a matter of days. If enemies discovered and exposed too much of their operation, then the priests would abandon their operation and flee east.

Structure
The temple comprised an outer walled courtyard, open to the sky and standing outside the bluff. Set inside the bluff were a colonnaded middle temple and an inner temple. Beneath them, buried underground, was an extensive dungeon level and subterranean river access. A freestanding guard post stood just south of the temple itself.

Inside the temple, the inner walls were constructed of mortared stone, standing 1 foot (0.3 meters) thick, and had wooden doors. Ceilings were uniformly 15 feet (4.6 meters) high, regularly held up by pillars. Most areas were illuminated with hanging lanterns, but some areas were naturally kept in shadow.

The temple had an extensive sewer system, with all its privies draining into either an octagonal chamber with a circular dais in the center, buried deep beneath the temple, or a subterranean branch of the Wyvernflow, which ran through the chamber, reconnected with the river, and carried waste away. The key to the door to the passage leading to the sewers had been lost, and the priests did not sink to cleaning up their mess, so the whole system from privy to sewer was disgusting. They kept an amphibious otyugh in the channel to serve as an aquatic guardian.

Entrance
From the northern outskirts of Wheloon, a cobbled pathway led visitors a distance of about 200 yards (183 meters), with a gradual ascent up the low hill, to the bluff and the outer walls of the temple. The outer walls of the temple were whitewashed, so they gleamed brightly on a clear day, especially at highsun. The main entrance was a pair of heavy oaken doors, which stood open invitingly during the day and evening.

To the left of the path, outside the doors, stood a large statue of a woman, carved all of stone. It was uncolored and minimalist by design, with no features to identify it bar a headband, affixed to which was a wide disc painted with the holy symbol of Mystra: a circle of seven blue-white stars, with red mist flowing through the center. (The church of Mystra typically did not employ idols, but had no commandments against it.)

To the right, south of the temple, was a small, freestanding cottage built of stone, intended as a guard post for those who defended the outer temple, though the guards usually left the door unlocked. There were basic cots here for six people, each with a small wooden chest for clothes and personal effects. Guards typically spent their off-duty hours here playing cards or dice, drinking, or sleeping. There were also supplies of food (not fresh) and a none-too-clean indoor privy.

Outer courtyard
The outer courtyard was the temple's public face. It was walled but open to the sky, enabling the evening astronomy shows. Reflecting the night sky above, the floor was tiled with obsidian slabs inset with star-shaped white stone tiles.

The space was wide but dominated by two large stone statues of a woman, similar to the one standing outside the temple. These faced each other with hands raised towards one another, nearly forming an arch. In each of the four corners of the courtyard was a small altar to Mystra, with donation bowls in which the faithful deposited coins.

During the day, this area was usually populated by a few curious visitors during the day, a temple guard, and the priest Shan Thar. In the evening, during the astronomy shows, there were up to ten devout visitors, Shan Thar, and Kevrin. The area was vacant from midnight to dawn.

Off to the side, an internal stairway (also used for storage of mundane supplies) led up to the battlements. A key to the door was in the possession of one of the guards on duty. Opposite was a small room used as quarters by Kevrin and Shan Thar, containing their books and alchemical equipment, respectively.

Middle temple
The middle temple was a private temple, restricted only to the priests, approved temple guards, and petitioners who sought Mystra's Sacred Trust by undergoing the three-day-long rite held here. It was a colonnaded chamber, that is, with series of columns supporting the ceiling. It was built within the bluff itself, with no sources of natural light and lit only by torches in sconces one each column. The floor was tiled with obsidian slabs, and the ceiling was black as pitch but set with glitter, giving another impression of the night sky. An unadorned stone altar stood near the center of the room.

This area was where the petitioners, typically a few at a time, underwent the Mystra's Sacred Trust rite, listening to Starweaver Deinyn Fembrys give sermons. Two or more temple guards were on duty here at all times.

On one side were the quarters for petitioners, with sixteen small cots among four alcoves, and wooden chests for personal belongings. Beside it was a guardroom for the middle temple–stationed guards. These were much the same, but better quality. The guards enjoyed a dice game in which the dice were rolled and arranged in a maze-like "dungeon".

On the other side was a storeroom, a vestry for the identical black robes that petitioners were expected to wear, and a sacristy with closets and cabinets containing the vessels, vestments, and gold liturgical items (cup, pitcher, plate, bell, and staff) Fembrys employed in this sermons. There was also a copy of Fembrys's own book, Preparing for the Sacred Trust.

Finally, there was a privy and a set of showers nicknamed "Mystra's Rain".

Double doors—barred from behind—led to the inner temple.

Inner temple
After the three days, petitioners were herded into the inner temple, where the ritual culminated and they were presented with the Starry Gnosis. This chamber was all in black, with the obsidian slabs covering every surface: floor, walls, the high ceiling. It was lit only by torches on the two columns that only illuminated the front of the room and left the back pooled in shadow, including the dark stone altars and statues. The Starry Gnosis was stored in a secret, locked compartment within the altar.

Two shadow guards skulked in the darkened areas, hiding in the shadows.

Another barred door led down to the dungeon level.

Stoneyard
A stairway led down to the dungeons beneath the temple, passing statues of a woman similar to those on the surface yet carved of coal-like stone. This led first into the "stoneyard", an area of great sacrilege, with burned holy texts, broken vessels, and shattered statues. To support their sham temple, the false priests had bought up much religious paraphernalia from local merchants and dealers in religious supplies, yet had no use for much of it, especially that which was dedicated to a rival goddess, and so they destroyed it. Yet they could not break one statue of Mystra, which rebuilt itself each night and produced a light that unsettled creatures of darkness, and stood in mute defiance of the desecration. Dwelling in the rubble heaped around was also a dark earth elemental.

Adjoining this area was a library in a similar state, with books and scrolls kept in no kind of order, even dumped on the floor. These were all beginner's works on Mystra, such as would be given to newcomers to the faith, but the false priests studied these to better mimic real Mystran priests, and kept them to refresh themselves. Hidden amongst the papers were several real divine spell-scrolls.

There was also an antechamber, wherein the false priests relaxed or conferred, with doors leading to the quarters of Father Sambar (the first to pass through the failed Shadow Gate, and the first to die), for which the key was lost, and to the quarters of Deinyn Fembrys. This last held the stuffed and mounted heads of petitioners who either had resisted the Starry Gnosis or did not use the Weave of magic. Fembrys was an avid taxidermist. Nearby was a privy, and a door leading down to the sewer system, but the key had also been lost.

Hallway of Night
From the stoneyard, a hallway led deeper into the dungeon complex, lined with six dark stone statues of a woman. This area had a mechanical alarm that hit a gong in the next area to warn of intruders or petitioners. This passage opened into another corridor called the Hallway of Night, plain in appearance yet ending in a massive ring of purple containing a void of chill darkness (in fact, an illusion given by a permanent image spell), which one had to step through to continue on. This was, of course, a subtle rendition of Shar's unholy symbol.

Leading off from the Hallway of Night was a guardroom for the shadow guards and a storeroom. Another room here Fembrys had claimed as a torture chamber, containing a rack, iron maiden, and all manner of other instruments of pain, as well as the possessions and headless bodies of the dead; Lady Arthas held the key to restrict Fembrys in his "hobbies". On the other side, Arthas kept her quarters and study, with fine and luxurious furniture and various treasures and artworks.

Shadow Gate
Behind the mock portal was the true sanctum of the temple, an echoing and cavern-like chamber housing an obsidian altar. It still bore no holy symbols, bar the purple ring that those who entered must pass through, and in a secret compartment within the altar a +1 returning chakram, a favored weapon of Shar.

The prime feature of this room was the failed Shadow Gate, two black pillars before the altar that framed a curtain of darkness. The bones of the victims of the gate lay where they fell, piled about the altar, all flesh misted away. They were mostly human, with a few dwarves, elves, and halflings as well, including Father Sambar, guards who did not survive to become shadow guards, and petitioners the Sharrans experimented on. They saw all these deaths as sacrifices to Shar. Some fifty bodies would lay here before the priests were stopped.

Three displacer serpents nested in this chamber, having dwelled in the ruins since before the temple was built. They'd offered their service to the Sharrans, and now gnawed on the remains.

River Access
From the Shadow Gate chamber, a long corridor led down to the subterranean river access. This was a dank and cold chamber through which the post-sewers tributary rushed, spanned by a stone bridge. On either side were iron-barred cells for holding the dominated prisoners and a storeroom with live seafood for the otyugh. It also contained the slovenly quarters and workshop of Mhair, the boatman who transported prisoners, together with his catamaran, kayak, and maps.

The subterranean river rejoined the Wyvernflow at the southern end of the bluff. This exit was concealed by a cluster of logs and branches, which could be pulled aside by a rope lying underwater.

Standing guard here were usually a pair of shadow guards, while an amphibious otyugh lurked in the river, which also served as the sewer outflow.

Activities
Mystran religious services were held in the outer courtyard each evening, from dusk to before midnight, beneath her seven-star holy symbol, except in rain, snow, or other poor weather. These services involved an impressive astronomy show, in which the sorcerer Kevrin cast silent image to create illusions of much brighter stars in the night sky and pictures of the constellations that moved and flew about. The priest Shan Thar officiated, naming and revering each star and constellation. This was a standard ceremony known to priests of Mystra, though most would consider the display ostentatious. Nevertheless, it drew in spectators.

The priests provided blessings and healing of injuries and ailments in exchange for "very competitive donations". The temple received monthly supplies from Rallogar Hardware.

All visitors, whether pious or merely curious, were welcomed into the temple by priests like Shan Thar, while Lady Arthas was said to be too busy with temple business to speak to common visitors. Those with a mere passing interest were encouraged to pray to Mystra as they wished. Those with an especial interest and were travelers passing through or local folk not likely to be missed around town,  received much attention from the priests and were invited to earn the so-called "Mystra's Sacred Trust".

Mystra's Sacred Trust
"Do you deserve Mystra’s Sacred Trust? Some of you do not, and you'll be asked to leave during the three days you'll spend in the petitioner’s quarters. I won’t lie—the next three days will be hard. You may get bored, you may get hungry, but if you persevere, you might just earn the Starry Gnosis, the secret knowledge. If you can't commit to three days, leave now. Father Shan Thar will return your donation. If you're staying, put your belongings in the petitioners quarters, and change into the vestments you'll find there. Stay there until you're called, contemplating obedience to the goddess."

- Starweaver Fembrys

Mystra's Sacred Trust was billed as a three-day-long service conducted in the middle temple, requiring a 25 gp donation. It was claimed to make one part of the temple and reveal greater knowledge of Mystra and her Weave, yet no proper cleric of the goddess had ever heard of such a rite, not even at the very highest levels of the church. There was some basis in faith nonetheless: during the Time of Troubles of 1358 DR, the former goddess Mystra asked Midnight (who would be the next goddess Mystra) to "keep safe my sacred trust", which was manifested in the form of a pendant containing her godly power.

Folk accepted to undergo the rite—known as petitioners—were invited into the middle temple as darkness fell, where they were welcomed by Starweaver Fembrys. Petitioners were required to wear ceremonial black robes and stow all their possessions in the chests provided in their quarters (the priests did not take the items away, to avoid drawing suspicion); those who refused were asked to leave, even forcibly ejected by guards. This made petitioners both less dangerous and more psychologically pliable. Over the three days, they were required to bathe daily under "Mystra's Rain" and were fed scant food.

Each day, Starweaver Fembrys delivered solemn sermons to the petitioners and led them through regular chants, with the common phrase of "Knowledge lies between the stars," and each night he conducted ceremonies. These were all hard to follow, even incomprehensible, and and dense with religious iconography symbolism, through the use of the liturgical items and Fembrys's book, Preparing for the Sacred Trust. The general gist, however, was the claim that magic was born between the stars—the points of known magic shown on Mystra's holy symbol—and that the space between the stars held yet more secret knowledge that Mystra would only reveal to only the most promising.

At the end of the three days, Fembrys led the petitioners (or else they were herded) into the inner temple for graduation. Once assembled, he presented them with the Starry Gnosis, a black crystal ball whose baleful dark light bewitched and dominated their minds as he chanted. After three days of mentally and physically wearing and indoctrination, most fell easily to its influence.

Kidnapping operation
After exposure to the Starry Gnosis, the dominated petitioners were ordered to retrieve their belongings and go down to the dungeon level, where they were divided and processed. Those with no knack for Weave magic—whom the priests' superiors had no use for—and those who'd somehow resisted the bewitching effect, soon met a grisly end. They were fed to monsters around the temple, forced to pass through the Shadow Gate as sacrifices, or else stolen away by Fembrys to be tortured for information or for sport in his private torture chamber. Once dead, he cut off their heads, and stuffed and mounted them in his quarters as sick trophies.

Those who could use magic were sent on through the temple. Some, like Halish, were also sent through the Shadow Gate, and either died, survived unchanged, or became dark creatures. The captives were kept in cells in the river access area, with orders to remain quietly, not to try to escape, and obey all the false priests and shadows. Fembrys reapplied the domination effect every eight days; it wore off in nine. Finally, once a month, they were given a last dose of the Starry Gnosis and eight were loaded onto the catamaran, the remainder left behind to await the next month. Under cover of night and when the coast was clear, Mhair transported them out of the temple and across the Wyvernflow, depositing them on the opposite bank. He gave them a map and orders to travel as quickly as they could to the Lost Refuge in the Vast Swamp, and to meet with Bestra, whom they were to obey just the same. They were also instructed to act normally and reveal nothing to anyone they encountered. Occasionally, against orders, he also robbed them of some valuables.

Inhabitants
The head and founder of the false temple was Lady of Mysteries Naedaenya Arthas. Beneath her were Starweaver Deinyn Fembrys, who conducted the Mystra's Sacred Trust rite; and Shan Thar, who served as the temple's public face. Another was Father Sambar, who met an early and grisly end.

Guards
The priests employed nine temple guards to defend and assist their activities. Some appeared to have been recruited from the Wheloon Jail, those who chose to repent and perform holy service in exchange for their sentences being commuted. Most trusted the priests, and some became pious followers of Mystra, ready to risk their lives for the temple, not knowing its sacrilegious secret. They patrolled the walls and stood watch in the outer courtyard and middle temple areas, and didn't talk to visitors. They spent their off-hours drinking and gambling in the outside guard post. Guards who proved especially obedient, unquestioning, and uncurious were promoted to duties deeper in the temple, being responsible for feeding and managing petitioners undergoing the Mystra's Sacred Trust rite and for maintaining the middle temple. Told to ignore strange noises, they remained oblivious to the true activities of the inner temple.

Those who were especially obedient and pious underwent Mystra's Sacred Trust themselves and passed through the Shadow Gate, and gradually became shadow guards. Feeling first abandoned by Mystra then understanding how their faith had been betrayed, they became callous and cold-hearted, and believed they must now serve the false priests and their true dark god. They would fight to the death for them. The shadow guards stood silent watch in the inner temple and dungeon areas, controlling access between each part, defending the priests should trouble arise, and guarding the duped and dominated petitioners.

Monsters
The false temple was the lair of a few displacer serpents, which had dwelled in the ruins before its construction, and an amphibious otyugh kept as an aquatic guardian.

Rumors and legends
Outrageously, the false priests claimed that their temple was one of the earthly homes of the goddess Mystra.