“During the recent undead uprising in the Poor District, a Diamond Legionnaire and paladin of Galvandt, Lieutenant Deverin Stark, was on guard duty outside the infested area. Stark and his men were ordered to remain at their post and prevent any undead from getting past their position until ordered otherwise. This task was difficult for Stark on more than one level. Not only did he have to hold the line against multiple waves of undead, but he also had to watch the horror that was unfolding and accept it while he remained at his post. This, I fear, proved to be his undoing.
“During a particularly long and difficult siege, he spotted some civilians fleeing the Poor District. They had been squatting there, despite the dangers of the undead, for lack of anyplace else to truly go, and in part out of sheer pride. It was clear that they would not escape without help. Stark had a choice: he could stay at his post and help his unit maintain the line, or break from his position to try to save the civilians, knowing that doing so might doom his unit, and allow the undead to break through to the city beyond the Poor District.
“Having weighed the odds, he chose to maintain his position, realizing that to do otherwise would probably unleash a greater threat than the loss of a few civilians. He and his unit tried their best to encourage the citizens’ flight to safe territory, but the undead were everywhere, and the civilians were killed before they could reach the Legionnaires. Their dying screams echoed loud and long in his ears, and in the end, I believe, it broke his heart.
“Stark got through that day and others that followed, and performed his duties as befits a Legionnaire. But the choice he made haunted him, even though it was, in many ways, the only reasonable choice to make. Certainly his superiors agreed with his conduct and found no fault with his choice. But he began to question his judgment and his ability to perform his duties, both to the city and to his god, Galvandt. Thus began his long, slow slide into depression.
“Stark’s change in attitude did not go unnoticed. While he had always been serious about the execution of his duties, he was of good spirit and had a fairly positive attitude. His friends and fellow soldiers noticed the change in him: he was dour and grim, rarely showing emotion. While his service was still professional and efficient, he seemed to be almost mechanical in his functioning, going through the motions of his job without any sense of zeal or enjoyment.
“Once the chaos of the Uprising had passed, his superiors tried to help him. He received clerical counseling to deal with his mental trauma, but nothing seemed to really help. There were few spells that could cure a crisis of faith or depression, and those could only help by removing the memory of what had caused them…a measure deemed too desperate to take, and morally questionable besides. In the end, to avoid potential danger to his fellow officers due to his emotional decline, the Diamond Legion transferred Stark to desk duty - but this only hastened his downward spiral.
“Perhaps the matter would have ended there, but the Gods have a way of interfering in the ways of mortals when it suits their purposes.
“Around this time Stark began having a recurring dream. First there would be an image of a glistening, gleaming diamond resting upon a stone altar, with a near-infinite number of facets, shining like Sorena’s Orb itself! Then a hammer came down upon the gem, shattering it into millions of tiny shards, extinguishing the light. Everything went pitch black, save for a pair of eyes, crying tears for the loss of the precious treasure. These eyes were present from start to finish, first admiring the gem, then helpless to do anything to save it.
“Kunis Veritas, a cloistered cleric of our Lord Galvandt, had been visiting Stark regularly and trying to guide him out of his depression. At Stark’s request, the cleric cast a divination to help him determine what the dream meant. The result was far more dramatic than either of them could have hoped, for Kunis received this message:
One threat to the Jewel of Raia has ended, but another shall come. In that time of need, Deverin Stark shall play a critical role in her defense. Without him, Amthydor shall surely fall. The city’s future hinges upon his recovery.
Heed the words of Lord Vigilance well, for if Deverin Stark falls, so shall fall the city. He must seek the path to duty once more, though what form that path may take, he must discover for himself.
“The cleric reported this to me, and I discussed the matter with the upper echelons of the Quorum of Faith, the Diamond Legion, and the Lord Monarch and his aides. It was clear to all that Stark’s recovery is now a matter of highest priority, for we know not the form this threat will take, or when it will come. But…how to help Stark find his way back to himself?
“After lengthy debate, it was decided that a holy pilgrimage to a monastery and sacred shrine of Galvandt, located in the Delambir Mountains south and west of Amthydor, was the best course of action. Taking the South Gate exit west will lead you to the path up into the mountains. Since Stark is not fit to defend himself, or likely to complete such a quest alone given his condition, he will need guides to gently (but firmly) encourage him in his task, to defend him should the need arise, and to set an example to inspire him.
“This is the task I present to you. Are you prepared to accept it?”