The Inquisitor Horror
Description
DescriptionThe devastating truth about Inquisitors—that they are created by killing and transforming those with celestial blood into enslaved weapons—recontextualizes everything the Heroes thought they understood about the crown's supernatural enforcers. Thalara's discovery that her mother and sister are among these creatures transforms personal grief into burning purpose. This revelation connects to the systematic elimination of divine bloodlines and sets the Heroes on a collision course with Lady Daratharis, architect of these abominations. Session 13 update: The devastating truth about Inquisitors—that they are created by killing and transforming those with celestial blood into enslaved weapons—continues to drive Thalara's quest. This session brings direct communication with her transformed family, revealing they retain fragments of consciousness and desperately wish for release. The prophecies they offer suggest that powerful enough divine truth could grant them death and transformation, offering Thalara both a goal and a terrible burden: she must become strong enough to free her family by killing the monsters they've become. Session 15 update: The devastating truth about Inquisitors—that they are created by killing and transforming those with celestial blood into enslaved weapons—becomes horrifyingly personal this session. Thalara's cursed wound is the Prophet's transformation taking hold, the same process that claimed her mother and sister. The edges of her flesh harden to stone while the center glimmers gold, marking the early stages of becoming an undead servant of the crown. This transformation connects directly to the systematic elimination of divine bloodlines: kill those who carry celestial heritage, resurrect them as weapons, and ensure they can never threaten the established order. The party's desperate race to the Great Fruist is a race against Thalara becoming another tool of the very system that destroyed her family.
Key Figures (8)
Timeline
The Death and Transformation of Truth
Prince Vis reveals the process: Aasimar are captured, killed, then transformed into Inquisitors. The three created five years ago—the Listener, the Beguiler, the Messenger—are Thalara's mother, sister, and potentially husband. She wants Lady Ruben dead.
Sanctuary Among Thieves
Thalara asks Harpy the question that has haunted her since learning the truth: 'Do they make inquisitors down there?' Harpy's confirmation that 'special cases' with powers like Thalara's golden light are taken to the Prison's depths for transformation adds urgency to keeping her celestial heritage hidden. The knowledge that she would be killed and resurrected as an enslaved weapon—like her mother and sister before her—makes every moment of exposure a mortal risk.
Truth's Echo
After defeating the Witness, Thalara finally communicates directly with the Inquisitors—particularly the Listener, her transformed mother. The creature delivers cryptic prophecies about 'truth forgiven' bringing death and transformation, and 'strong truth shall gift death.' Thalara embraces the monster her mother has become, receiving both warning and implicit request: powerful enough truth can free them through death. The Beguiler's joyful humming when forgiven and the Messenger's arm-linking gesture suggest these creatures retain enough consciousness to recognize love despite their monstrous forms.
A Plea for Revolution
Sister Lydia explains the nature of wounds that resist healing—holy wounds, curses, or transformations. The clinical description frames what's happening to Thalara in the same terms as creating Inquisitors.
The Prophet's Curse
Prince Vis confirms the devastating truth: Thalara is in the early stages of the Prophet's curse, the same transformation that creates Inquisitors. The process that turned her mother and sister into enslaved weapons is now claiming Thalara herself. This personal horror drives home what the Inquisitor system truly means—systematic elimination of divine bloodlines through death and enslavement.