The Elders don't have much of value on them, but you do find a key on the leader's corpse.
+2 rapier
+2 heavy flail
Skaar tosses the rapier to his priestess and stows the flail in his underused pack. The key he slides onto the chain alongside Freedom's Bond.
"Things are gunna go sideways the moment we step out there. I hope you've got a speech ready", Skaar says with a wink to Syl. "But I have to believe that some of these people can be steered away from the path these fools had them on - even if most of 'em are half-mad themselves. If it looks like it's gunna turn into another fight, I want you to try to get Ardathanatus's weapon away from him. He's the strongest one out there. If he's beaten, there's a chance the others will surrender."
He pauses as he considers the new key dangling midway down his massively muscled chest. "See any locks this thing might go to?"
Syl contemplates. "It hasn't looked like they have much privacy here, so there's not much need for locks. I don't remember seeing any during our tour, actually. Of course, we were never shown the Elders' quarters...."
After allowing his divine spark to mend the burns from the elder's void fire, Skaar steels himself and steps outside to address the rest of the cultists.
As you'd anticipated, the cultists are waiting for you outside the ritual chamber. They look surprised that the Elders aren't with you.
"Your elders are dead, killed by my own hands", Skaar bellows in his impossibly deep voice before holding up his thickly calloused bloody knuckles. "You can join 'em or, if you've got any sense, you'll hear me out."
The immediate reaction is shock. Then anger. Then fear. Then confusion. Then the cycle repeats. After several tense moments, Ardathanatus makes his way to the front of the crowd. "I'm listening...."
"I challenge each of you to ask yourself, what brought you here? How did you come to be part of this cult? How did you come to call the elders your masters?"
"I'd venture a guess that most of you are here because, like me, you want to see the world remade - better, stronger, kinder. The elders I killed built all this and taught you that the only way to rebuild the world was Groetus's way, with flames and death. I challenge that the only way to truly accomplish that isn't with death but with sweat and toil - that this world can't be rebuilt on a pile of ashes. It's gotta be done piece by piece by hands that are willin' to go the distance."
"But what if the world is beyond saving? Is it really worth putting forth so much effort that will ultimately be fruitless? Our time and energy is much better spent preparing for the inevitable rebuilding. Is that not why the Elders brought all of us together?"
"The world won't be beyond saving until the strong stop fighting for it", Skaar explains. "Your elders were not strong. They were not interested in saving this world. Are you? Are you willing to fight where they gave up so easily?"
As he speaks, the Unfailing Pillar's divine spark lends power to his words.
You see your words reach a few of the cultists, but many remain unconvinced. "If rebuilding anew isn't an option, then how are we supposed to change the world? There is so much evil in the world - and so few of us. And, as the Elders taught us, evil can't be held at bay for long. Even IF someone possessed the strength, he would fail eventually."
"It won't be easy and it won't be quick", Skaar explains. "But change, real change, rarely is."
"But it get's easier - you've just gotta keep at it. And that's why you need each other. Every man and woman should be strong enough to stand against what we're facin' but when that strength fails, and it will, the men and women at your side will hold you up", the Unfailing Pillar explains with a nod at the assembled cultists. "And when that's not enough... I'll be there."
Ardathanatus thinks for a minute before raising his voice to address the rest of the cultists. "Friends, Brother Skaar makes a valid point: the Elders' leadership was good, but there were only three of them. We've become complacent - imagine what we could accomplish if all one-hundred of us put our heads together! We're some of the best and smartest this world can offer, so why do we need a leader at all? Let us collaborate."
This ... probably isn't quite what you'd intended, but at least the cultists don't seem to want to kill you.
Skaar remains silent, content to see the cultists reconsider the path they are on. The crisis dealt with for now, he nods to Syl. "Let's try to find what this key goes to."
While the cultists are busily talking amongst themselves, you slip away to the quarters of the Elders - which is easily accessed via the key you found. Inside, along with all the usual accoutrements, you find a map showing the locations of the other mentioned Shelters and a sending beacon keyed to each location.
The map is cryptic, but you're able to determine three locations of potential interest.
Niswan, Jamelray
Ghenett Manor, Katapesh
Forstor Nagar, Land of the Linnorm Kings
"Once we're done here, what do you think of heading north? Some cool weather would be a nice change", Skaar asks his priestess.
According to the map, you're in Varisia, in the middle of a large lake.
After a time, it seems the cultists have arrived at a consensus. Ardathanatus has been elected Elder, and things are going to continue pretty much as they were before - in terms of procedures and daily routines. As for any long term goals, they're going to take things slow. Your words and actions have shown them that speeding up the apocalypse may not be the best course of action, but they're not entirely sure whether they should simply sit back and wait for it to happen or do something else entirely. There's definitely a reluctance to work toward postponing what they believe to be inevitable (and beneficial), but with the leadership change, it's doubtful that they'll be able to cause much harm for a while - if they decide to take an active role in things.
Perhaps that is enough for now. Changing the world was never the role of the Unfailing Pillar - it is lending strength to mortals with the will to do it.
Satisfied that the cult is in a better place for now, Skaar prepares to leave. He meets with Ardathanatus one final time before departing for the next leg of his quest.
"I'm confident you'll succeed in workin' with your brothers and sisters to find the best path forward in forgin' a better world. Learn from the mistakes of your late elders. Any plan to a better world built on blood will always fail in the same way. Build a new world with strength and the strong will rise to the occasion. Remember what I showed you and you'll figure out the rest."
"I will do my best. You've shown me two things: that true power comes from within, and that leaders can't be effective from the shadows. You're welcome back any time."
After giving Ardathanatus a final nod farewell, Skaar clutches Freedom's Bond hanging from his neck and wills himself and Syl returned to his refuge in Kaer Maga.
The world blurs, and when your vision clears, you find yourself in the foyer of your estate.
Skaar is glad to be someplace familiar but quickly goes back to work.
"See if you can get in touch with the scholar we left in the House of the Beast. I wanna know if he's been able to learn anything else from the library we found underground. I'm gunna pick up supplies for our next trip."
It takes a bit, but by the time you've managed to gather all your supplies , Syl's able to get a report. Your gnolls have kept to themselves for the most part, although they've been growing restless at the lack of action. A few members of the tribe have begun discussing forming a raiding party, but fear of your prowess has kept that from happening ... for now. "The Strong One's been gone for a long time. Perhaps he's dead."
As for the writings, they're written in an ancient dialect that's all but forgotten. Resources for translation - even magical aid - make minimal headway. Nontheless, you'd hired the best, and your scholar seems to find the project an interesting challenge. Thus far, he's been able to piece together a partial outline. It seems to be some sort of (heavily-biased) creation story - or stories. The Destroyer, naturally, features heavily and seems to have destroyed many worlds. There are multiple scenes where He is imprisoned, but He always breaks free at some point.. There're also multiple references to a 'Creator' a 'Facilitator,' and a 'Link.'
"Thanks Syl. We'll need to stop by the House of the Beast soon - to check in on 'em and make sure the scholar's got everything he needs."
"In the meantime there's another site I need to visit, in the north. I got these furs for you. I can't have you freezin' to death!"
-------------------------------------------------
Once you've resupplied, all that's left is deciding how to undertake this newest journey. Forstor Nagar is quite distant from Kaer Maga, and while your map is detailed enough to travel their with (hopefully) minimal difficulty, it will take quite a bit of time. Of course, magic offers a multitude of ways to decrease this time - depending on how much you're willing to spend.
With his supplies in hand, Skaar plies Kaer Maga's streets in search of a spellcaster willing to send himself and his priestess on their way north.
"I used to have a strong following in the North", he explains to Syl as they search. "We should keep an eye out of my shrines if this trip brings us up into the mountain peaks."
In a city as large as Kaer Maga, you're able to find a mage of sufficient power without much difficulty.
Unfortunately, Forstor Nagar isn't a particularly well-known location, but your mage has heard of it before. While his casting isn't quite on-target, you soon find yourselves atop a rise a few hours walk from your destination. The quickest route, the mage explains before teleporting away, is through a nearby series of ice tunnels. Following his directions, you eventually find yourselves by an ice bridge spanning a channel in a massive glacier. Forstor Nagar, presumably, is on the far side. Unfortunately, however, the gate is sealed by what appears to be artillery debris.
From your current vantage point, you can see a pitched battle occurring on a small ice shelf to the northwest. There, you see a few beached fishing vessels and a small catapult. On your side of the bridge (but far above your position) is another artillery post with its own catapult. The two seem to be engaged in a race to see who can strike the other first. The defenders seem quicker, getting off a shot that streaks up at the attackers. With a crash and a whistle, that catapult misfires - the shot streaking toward the far side of the bridge and smashing into the glacier wall behind the bridge's arch. You can see the smoke from the attacker's emplacement, and there is a terrible screech as one more shot issues forth from the lip of the glacier before something explodes. The attacker's last gasp flies true, and the defender's catapult shatters into kindling.
Suddenly, the defenders begin pointing in your direction. Glancing to your right, you see a skiff is making a beeline for the ice shelf, its sails unnaturally billowed. Ballistae and marines crowd the decks, and it appears set for a crash course with the ice shelf.
Skaar considers calling the wind to slow the coming vessel but first he tries to learn what he can about the battle he's wandered into.
The attacking ship flies a blood-red banner depicting the skull of some sort of horned beast. The defenders, meanwhile, are wearing ice-blue and depicting a white dragon
Not recognizing either of the banners, the Unfailing Pillar chooses to watch and learn for now. Amidst the sounds of battle, he listens for prayers or oaths that might help him understand who or what the two sides of the battle represented.
"Do those banners mean anything to you?" he asks his priestess.