From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 442 War Plan
Karak, sitting at the bar, soon met her idol Jahira again. Besides the harpist responsible for protecting the commander, Jahira was accompanied by two other important figures from the hotel.

They are respectively Floric, the temporary commander of Flame Fist and advisor to Duke Ravengard, and Isobel, the priest of Serene, who created the Moon Shield.

Seeing that each of these leaders had bodyguards standing behind them, Karak seemed to have grasped something. She downed the glass of red wine in front of her, stood next to Ivy with her axe in her arms, and tried to make her already prominent biceps look even more menacing.

“Floric!” Will, the son of the High Duke who hadn’t left with Evil Thought, Leezer, and Minsara, shouted, “It’s so good to see you haven’t been swallowed by the shadows!”

"Good heavens..." The olive-green elven advisor looked Will up and down. "I didn't expect to see you here, Will. But since you're here, it means the mission to save Duke Gao is still unsolved, isn't it?"

“The Tower of the Moonrise…yes…I thought we were about to discuss this…” Will glanced at the people standing in front of the bar and wisely refrained from interrupting.

"In any battle, information gathering is crucial." Seeing that no one else would speak, Ivy immediately began the meeting. "I will go through all the information about the Supreme God, the Tower of the Moonrise, Katheric Som, and the Temple of Shar from beginning to end. You will fill in any gaps."

Seeing that no one had any objections, Ivy nodded: "The Church of the Supreme God is a cult founded by three chosen ones. They use the power of Mind Flayer Tadpoles to control Soul Collectors for their own purposes, and their goal is likely to overthrow the entire world."

“Three voters?” Ivy’s first question had already left the others in the room in disbelief. Jasila’s already weathered face was now lined with even more wrinkles. “We know that Katheric Somme is one of them. Who are the other two?”

“This message is absolutely certain, because it is a mental message sent by the Supreme God to all True Souls,” Ivy did not rush to answer, but confirmed the authenticity of the information. “You know that there are several of my companions who are also controlled by Mind Flayer Tadpoles, and we even managed to reclaim the mind of a True Soul from the Supreme God.”

“We already know two of the three chosen ones. One of them is Katheric, and the other is Crimson Orin, a ruthless assassin,” Ivy continued. “The headquarters of these three chosen ones of the Supreme God is the Tower of the Moon, which holds many prisoners, including the High Duke of Baldur’s Gate, but that doesn’t mean it’s a prison.”

"Below the Tower of the Moonrise is a Mind Flayer colony, where the Chosen Ones nurture new Mind Flayer tadpoles. In other words, the Tower of the Moonrise is where the Supreme God creates the True Souls."

Upon hearing Ivy's words, the advisor Floric turned pale: "They took the High Duke to the Tower of the Moon to make him a puppet of the Supreme God! My God... if we can't rescue the High Duke quickly, Baldur's Gate could be completely taken over by the cultists at any moment!"

As a port city, Baldur's Gate prospered due to trade, but this trade also bred countless instances of corruption. To manage the city's operations, the citizens of Baldur's Gate elected a Council of Four as the highest authority. To prevent a tie among the four leaders in important votes, one of the four, a High Duke, held even greater power.

Will's father, Ravengard, is the High Duke of Baldur's Gate. Several months ago, when the holy city of Eltoril was dragged into Avernas, the first level of the Nine Hells, by Zariel's conspiracy, High Duke Ravengard was visiting Eltoril.

Fortunately, thanks to the self-sacrifice of a paladin, the Holy City returned to the Material Plane. Duke Ravengard was also able to return to Baldur's Gate with his advisors and bodyguards. This is why the High Duke of Baldur's Gate was seen near Greenwoods with a group of Tifflin refugees exiled from his city.

But who could have imagined that he would be attacked by the cult of the Supreme God on his way home? Not only was he taken to the Tower of the Moon, but he was also about to have his brain eaten away and his thoughts controlled by a tiny insect.

It's like escaping one wolf's den only to fall into another.

“That’s right. By manipulating the High Duke, they can then control the entire Baldur’s Gate. This is the plan of the Supreme God and his three chosen ones.” Ivy nodded in affirmation. “So if we want to save the High Duke, we must immediately attack the Tower of the Moon. If we lag even slightly, the person we are trying to save will join forces with the enemy to fight us.”

“It seems my original plan won’t work…” Advisor Florik said anxiously. “I was planning to go to Baldur’s Gate to seek reinforcements… Not long ago, the Council sent a carrier pigeon saying that Baldur’s Gate was also threatened by the followers of the Supreme God, and the Iron Guardians were holding the line. I intended to ask Lord Gotash to send some Iron Guardians as reinforcements… after all, those mechanical constructs are not affected by the Shadow Curse. But now, it’s too late…”

“Gotash?” Will couldn’t help but interject. “Environ Gotash? Wasn’t he originally just a low-ranking nobleman in charge of matters related to the sewers?”

“Many things have changed since you left Baldur’s Gate. Will Gortash has gained considerable influence in that time.” Floric sighed; the changes in the world had left even this elf, known for her longevity, feeling exhausted.

“Gotash is not trustworthy!” Karak, who had been acting as his bodyguard, couldn’t help but say. “He’s the one who sold me to Zariel! And he got a huge sum of money from the devil in return! Anyone who colludes with the devil is not trustworthy!”

"Wow..." Will couldn't help but touch the curved horns on his head, "They're really sharp..."

Floric didn't react much, simply saying casually, "Compared to the Supreme God, the devil's threat to us is still far away..."

"Is there any good news other than further increasing our concerns, Master Doom?" Isobel, who had been silent since joining the meeting, suddenly spoke up.

This priest of Serene is also a half-high elf, just like the priest Shar in Ivy's party.

Her skin was pale, as if she hadn't seen the sun for many days. This was a common ailment among scholars and monks; prolonged indoor time could indeed cause such changes in the skin. Her shoulder-length white hair contrasted with her black makeup, adding to the priest's mystique.

Her moon-white robe, a symbol of her faith in Serene, was interspersed with silver and dark gray, creating a soothing effect like a moonlit sky. Yet, these cool tones did not make Isobel appear monotonous or unapproachable. A shy, gentle smile always graced her face, and her eyes, filled with black eyeshadow, radiated a tranquil light.

Everyone who meets her gaze feels at ease. Unlike Shadowheart, who is prickly yet pure and lovely, Isobel represents a different kind of charm.

Ivy suddenly felt a little relieved that Yingxin had taken a bottle of wine and left first.

“We do have good news.” Ivy hadn’t forgotten that the strategy meeting was still in progress. “First, there’s my comrades. Although they also have Mind Flayer tadpoles in their heads, they are protected by the relics and won’t lose themselves to the power of the Supreme God.” “So we can use this to get a head start on understanding the situation at the Tower of the Moonrise, and we might even consider rescuing the Supreme God’s prisoners!” Jahira excitedly slammed his fist on the table. “I told you you were the star of hope!”

“This mission is extremely dangerous, but it seems there are no other candidates besides you, Will.” Florick looked at his superior’s son. “It’s a tragedy that I have to watch my son and father enter the same hellhole…”

“Even if Duke Gao hadn’t been trapped in the Tower of the Moonrise, I would still have had a reason to go there.” Will held out a hand, stopping Floric from saying anything more.

“Before you head to the Tower of the Moonrise, you can come to me for a protective spell that can ward off the Shadow Curse…” Isobel said with a smile. “However, with Master Doom here, you might not need my help. When you arrived, I could sense the steadfastness and joy emanating from that golden shield from a great distance.”

“I’ll have to trouble you with this matter, madam.” Ivy shook her head. “I won’t be going to the Tower of the Moon with them. I have more important things to do—repair the Adamantite Golem.”

"This is another piece of good news we have brought. Advisor Floric is right, the mechanical structure is not affected by the Shadow Curse. And the adamantite golem in my possession comes from the adamantite forge; it is the construct that guards the Shah followers there. Every part of its body is made of adamantite, making it indestructible. If I can repair it, this one adamantite golem alone will be enough to fight against the army of the Supreme God."

“The good news keeps coming!” Jasira’s wrinkles finally smoothed out, but then she remembered something. “But there’s another problem that we urgently need to solve: Katheric Som’s unusual immortality. We must find his secret in order to have any chance of completely defeating the Order of the Supreme God.”

“We also have some leads on this matter,” Ivy continued. “Katheric sent two teams to search for the Temple of Shar. One team, led by the drow elf Ninner, went deeper underground from the adamantite forge. The other team, led by his necromancer advisor, Balthazar, went from the Somme family tombs to the Temple of Shar. Their goal was the same thing: an artifact hidden within the temple.”

"Meanwhile, the mage Lorokan from Baldur's Gate has offered an exorbitant sum to an adventurer, hoping that the adventurer can bring him the artifact 'Song of the Night' from the Temple of Shar." Ivy looked around, lingering particularly on Isobel's face for a moment.

To Ivy's disappointment, the priest of Serene did not show any unusual behavior.

Ivy remembered this part of the plot: the so-called Song of the Night was actually an angel, the daughter of Serene, and also Isobel's lover.

The gay couple will join the camp after the end of Katheric Som and have some very uncomfortable conversations—they're so sticky they practically want to stuff each other inside each other.

“…Therefore, we have reason to believe that the so-called Song of the Night is the relic that Katheric is looking for,” Ivy continued.

"What kind of relic could possibly grant Katheric the ability to be almost immortal..." A worried look appeared on Isobel's face.

“Whatever kind of relic it is, we must sever its connection with Katheric after we have completed our war preparations,” Ivy continued. “The Supreme God is gathering a large army day and night. Although the Shadow Curse has limited the forces within the Tower of the Moon to some extent, we still cannot rule out the possibility that Katheric will mobilize a large army to defend the Tower of the Moon after losing his immortality.”

"Therefore, we must act quickly. Once we remove Katheric's immortality, we must immediately launch an attack on the Tower of the Moon. Before the Supreme God's army can react, we must completely paralyze their command center," Ivy concluded. "The plan's success rate is low, so we must do everything we can to increase our chances of winning."

“No, Ivy. It’s high enough.” Jasmine reached under the bar and groped around, but found nothing, because all the red wine she had hidden had been stolen by Evil Thought.

"Go get a bottle of wine!" she ordered a harpist, then turned back and continued, "Before you arrived, we were practically waiting to die. But now? We not only have sufficient supplies, but also a perfectly feasible plan for victory! Almost every member of our harpists is a bard, and bards are best at boosting morale!"

The perceptive harpist not only brought a bottle of fine wine, but also thoughtfully prepared wine glasses for everyone.

Jahira grabbed a glass of wine and raised it high: "Let's drink to victory! To sending Som and his damned Supreme God back to hell!"

"cheers!"

The harpist and the Flame Fist at the End of Light Inn desperately needed encouragement. They had been fighting for a long time in the darkness, and hope seemed far away until Ivy arrived with his team.

The commanders' toast was quickly known to everyone in the inn. They all knew that the commanders had a plan that could lead to victory, a plan that could take them back to Baldur's Gate.

"By the way, we also found an unconscious Flame Fist in the shadows. Perhaps he has some additional information on him," Florick said before the meeting adjourned.

"The Duke's guards?" Will confirmed. "No, I don't want to hear how those cultists tortured him."

“No. The letter of appointment for that Flame Fist came from Duke Iltan.” Floric refuted Will’s conjecture.

“How is that possible? Duke Iltan lived a hundred years ago! What kind of person could linger in the Shadow Curse for a hundred years?” Will still didn’t believe it.

But Archdruid Halsin became interested: "It might actually be possible... but I need to confirm it further. Maybe I can find a way to end the Shadow Curse from him!"

(End of this chapter)