The months preceding Valnuary of 456 AF brought few visitors to the vast
archives of the Lucretian Athenaeum, so the arrival of the xoran
Silvanus immediately captured the attention of Maejin, the apprentice
archivist. Silvanus bore a box of assorted parchments unearthed in the
reconstruction of New Thera, most faded and illegible. Two letters,
however, had been partially preserved, describing an edifice of great
religious significance near the Black Forest. Signed simply with the
moniker "Lucky," the words suggested that the building had been
destroyed during the Black Wave.

Maejin suggested they seek out an old acquaintance of hers for
assistance in deciphering the clues that had been unearthed, and the
pair met up with Duris, a scruffy, unshaven man, then hunched over the
roulette table in the Ace of Spades Casino.

"I've had enough of false leads and dead ends," came the slurred reply
as they explained their find. "I'm not getting drawn in again!"

Despite this unexpected response, Maejin and Silvarus pressed the man
for his assistance and much needed expertise. At last the
archaeologist's curiosity overtook his sour nature, and he agreed to
review the papers, promising nothing to the eager Archivist and her
companion.

As he examined the documents, Duris' demeanour made a notable change.
Growing more excited, he pointed out that "Lucky" had been the nickname
of renowned architect Lantis DeGage, whose public works included the
Shunai Bridge and the gates of Ashtan. Johanna Fischer-Gale, a colleague
of Maejin's from the Athenaeum, soon joined the small party. Poring over
the documents, she made the same observation as Duris, and the two
quickly agreed that the location in question must be the long-lost
Chapel of All Gods.

For centuries, little was known of the Chapel of All Gods, leaving
inquisitive minds teased and tortured by only a few clues: the chapel
once stood not far from Thera, and it had been destroyed by the
devastating forces of the Black Wave. These letters added to the
mystery, revealing that the chapel had been built as a refuge by the men
and women of Thera, inspired by Nicator's prophecy of the events that
eventually consumed it.

Armed with this knowledge, the small troupe headed west of the Black
Forest, searching for anything that might indicate a route to the lost
chapel. As they followed a faded path westward into the mountains,
eagle-eyed Silvanus spotted a narrow crevice in the rock, hidden behind
decades of accumulated undergrowth.

Through subterranean caverns the group moved, collecting an assortment
of strange keys and vanquishing a gigantic spider before they confronted
an iron door deep within the caverns, held fast by a complex lock.
Joined by Madelyne Ech'lir, the group puzzled out the working of the
lock and its three keys, pushing the door open on rusty hinges and
proceeding into darkness.

As they emerged in a desolate storage room, the group froze with bated
breath. Their eyes adjusted to their surroundings, beholding piles of
bones and the diminutive skeletons of children that covered the ground
at the base of a crumbling ruin. Picking through the charred and rotting
remains of what could only be the Chapel of All Gods, the party lamented
the massacre that had taken place.

Possessed by great fervour, Duris began to inspect the area, carefully
examining all he encountered and making notes on a small clipboard. In
the midst of this investigation, a set of footsteps echoed ominously
from the outer cavern, preceding the entrance of the Ashtani architect
Lukia DeGage, a direct descendant of the Chapel's own architect.

"You can't just some traipsing through a place like this!" Duris
exclaimed indignantly, but his cries fell upon deaf ears. Lukia,
unconcerned with Duris' preservation work, demanded that the Chapel must
be restored to its former glory. Provoked by this proclamation, the
archaeologist and his companions insisted that the site's history was
far more important than any rebuilding efforts. Clearly outnumbered in
the argument, Lukia reluctantly agreed to postpone the restoration of
her ancestor's work until Duris was able to finish excavating the site.

From within the nearby city of Ashtan, Duris issued a public plea for
financial assistance. The following days would find a variety of workers
and craftsmen journeying to the excavation site, with aid promised to
Duris by the mhun of Moghedu, dwarves of the Siroccians, as well as
local Therans, who held a vested interest in the Chapel's history. The
restoration of the Chapel of All Gods had begun.

Penned by My hand on the 5th of Mayan, in the year 471 AF.