Ali once more speaks in the dark language, and once more seems surprised.
Cautious about the flames, she seems to speak the dark tongue to Naught as she readies her walking staff for a solid roundhouse against the first fiery skeleton to come near her. If one does, she is sure to cautiously step behind the cover of the corner for added protection from its fiery strikes...
"If I'm speaking the language of dreams," she wryly remarks to Naught, "You'd think Desna would understand me."
Naught chuckles weakly.
Naught bashes apart the first skeleton that approaches her. Aliseya swings at one of two skeletons that attack her but is unable to hit. Zelda backs into the hallway and stabs around the corner at one of the skeletons attacking Aliseya - and lands a glancing blow.
You each note that the flames burning around the skeletons have a surreal glow and appear to not give off any heat.
Both skeletons attacking Aliseya miss her. Two skeletons move up to Naught - one wounds her slightly .
Cellawyn moves up to engage Naught. "Do you remember how we danced that moon lit night in the forest? Did you enjoy killing that farmer? Will you kill your friend also?"
She lunges at the barbarian with her rapier and nick's her face .
As you fight you are momentarily overcome by an intense vision. Instead of being surrounded by skeletons, you are surrounded by oil covered, burning prisoners. The prisoners shriek as the last moments of their lives are consumed in flames. Their anguish and agony resonate with you.
; Aliseya
; Aliseya
; Naught
; Naught
"Shut... up! Just, just shut up!" Naught growls out at the possessed elf while swiping at the skeletons, headless of their flaming bones. After her assault she'll step back towards Zelda, hoping that she and Aliseya can get behind her.
Aliseya looks on with dread horror as the skeletons approach. She appears unresponsive as she glances around at the room with an intense, wide-eyed gaze.
She then suddenly seems to snap out of it, as she blinks a few times and takes notice of the skeletons closing in to her right. One of them gets a stick upside its skull as she carefully steps back into the previous room. As she steps in, she grabs her sling from her belt.
She calls out to the distraught storyteller in the dark tongue...
Naught again crushes another skeleton before stepping backwards. Aliseya hits a skeleton hard with her staff before withdrawing, but the undead warrior remains standing. Zelda steps up to Naught's flank and wounds the same skeleton that Aliseya attacked, but she finds that her piercing weapons are unable to destroy the creature.
Cellawyn steps up and attacks Naught while a skeleton behind her flanks - both miss the barbarian. The remaining skeletons flank Zelda - one is able to nick her with its rusty scimitar .
;Naught
;Zelda
;Zelda
;Zelda
"Go back! Get Ali out of here!" Naught pleads with Zelda as she swipes at the skeletons flanking the rogue.
Fear in her wide-opened eyes, Ali whirls a lead sling bullet at the skeleton near Zelda. She screams dark syllables once more as her two friends are surrounded by the undead and her possessed friend.
Alas, the bullet goes high. It smacks the ceiling, causing a trickle of dust to drift to the ground.
Naught misses with both her claws, as does Aliseya with her sling. Zelda is able to destroy the skeleton that she previously wounded.
One skeleton steps between Naught and Zelda and attacks the rogue. Another skeleton attacks Zelda from around the corner - both miss. Cellawyn and one of the remaining skeletons continue to flank Naught, but are unable to hit her.
;Naught
;Zelda
;Zelda
Naught continues to swipe at the skeletons attacking them.
Once Zelda steps into the room Naught will also take a Five foot step back to block the undead from entering into the pool room.
The fear in Aliseya's red and green eyes now gives way to anger. Her head cocks to one side, and a wicked and wrathful grin replaces her formerly quivering lips.
"G'TAGN!!"
Swiftly curling her free arm into her chest, she tightly grips her fist. Just as suddenly, Ali then jets it forward, opening her palm to face the passageway of her backing-up friends and their pursuing skeletons. Her bonier-than-usual fingers are widely outstretched in a halting gesture... and one can almost feel the nearly-tangible release of a most... unnatural power, issuing forth from her palm, and towards the undead...
For a brief moment, the lead skeletons before the ladies suddenly stop in their tracks. And they do so at the precise instant Ali hollers that horrid and commanding word. Coincidence? Perhaps so... or, perhaps, one can only hope...
Yet as the farther skeletons nearly bump into the front liners, the latter very soon snap out of their moment of hesitation. They now continue to pursue Naught and Zel, as if nothing had just happened.
Ali just as suddenly snaps out of her sudden shift in mood. With her previously fearful and dire sense of urgency about their predicament returned to her face and body language, she releases her final sling bullet at the lead skeleton.
Naught crushes another skeleton. Zelda hits the skeleton attacking her, but she finds her short sword blade to be ineffective. The skeletons hesitate as Aliseya shimmers in and out of a dark transformation before destroying Zelda's skeleton with a sling stone.
Cellawyn takes notice of Cellawyn's momentary control of the undead.
The elf then lunges and cuts Naught with her rapier . The remaining two skeletons move up, but are unable to hit Naught or Zelda.
;Naught
;Zelda
Afterwards if she has room after Zelda moves the storyteller will also step back.
Out of bullets, the gypsy tries another prayer-like gesture while speaking the dark tongue. This time, she appears to have been more successful. She places a hand upon the trapsmith's shoulder as the latter continues to wield her blades to devastating affect.
Zelda feels a subtle but notable upliftment in her spirits as she fights on.
Ali also stows away her now useless sling.
Naught misses her skeleton but Zelda shreds the skeleton in front of her. Aliseya says a prayer and imbues Zelda with Pharasma's divine guidance.
Cellawyn and the remaining skeleton continue to flank Naught. Cellawyn
again thrust and lances the barbarian with her rapier . The elf laughs maniacally in triumph.
Ignoring the pain from her friend's rapiers Naught focuses on the last skeleton.
Ali sees a way in and focuses her attention on the possessed elf. The evil spirit's dark words at last sink in. She replies in the same speech...
...and take a swing at Cell's head.
Zelda and Naught combine attacks to destroy the last skeleton. Aliseya moves up to Naught's flank and attempts to subdue Cellawyn with her quarter staff, but is unable to connect with the magus.
Cellawyn growls with frustration as the last skeleton falls. "You'll have to kill her to stop me! What are you waiting for?"
She continues to engage Naught but is unable to hit her.
"Ah shuddup, you make Cello look inelegant." Naught growls as she paws at the possessed elf.
Ali continues to try and knock out their friend's possessing spirit as well.
Together you are able to club Cellawyn into unconsciousness. Once the elf falls, silence returns to the Harrowstone dungeons.
You see that Cellawyn had been using the blood of Ysmerelda to spell the letters "V E S O R" on the dungeon wall.
"Okay, step one! We tie up Cello. Step two! Give Ysme back her blood. Step three! Find ghost and beat his undead ass back into normal dead." Naught frantically says, a little unraveled.
"Simple!" Naught announces enthusiastically while lifting up a finger, eyes wide. "We get a rag and mop it off your sword and this room and then we squeeze it back into her and then we stuff the wound with the rag so it stays inside. She'll be good as new!"
With her mouth ajar in bewilderment, Aliseya blinks for a few brief moments, while she begins catching up with what Naught and Zelda are speaking about.
She steps forward. With a brief prayer to Desna for her healing aid, the gypsy's hands do not glow. She appears stunned, then kneels beside Cell to check her pulse and stop any more bleeding.
Alas, the blood does not immediately stop. "Help her," she weakly calls to her friends.
"Am I speaking normal again?" she asks Naught.
"Yes, you're longer dreaming." she replies to Aliseya, her tone much calmer.
Aliseya checks for a pulse on Cellawyn. It takes a while, but she finally finds the right spot and, with a sigh of relief, "She's alive."
Ali quickly unbelts Cellawyn's sheathe and replaces her fallen rapier into it. Handing it to Zelda, "Wrap this around your waist. For now... you'll need both hands." She then begins to lift Cellawyn's upper body off the floor before announcing her plan.
"Let's get Cell, and Ysme's... body, out of here. Immediately." Looking down at Cell, "We should find and get help from Bolo," then looking sadly to Ysme's lifeless body, "for both of them..."
Naught, now less animated, solemnly nods before walking over and scooping up the felled paladin.
After much effort you are able to get both Cellawyn and Ysmerelda up to the first floor. Looking outside, you see that the fog has lifted and the snow has tapered to whispy flakes.
You then begin the long trek back to Ravengro in the fading light of the frigid, late autumn evening.
Aliseya, Naught, Zelda and Cellawyn trudge into Ravengro as the failing light of dusk gives way to the brooding darkness of evening. The town is strangely devoid of life. The falling snow muffles all sound except the whistle of the north wind and the occasional forlorn howl from the surrounding woods. Only the slivers of light emanating from shuddered windows and the thin columns of pale smoke rising from chimneys give proof of life that the town still yet survives the darkness.
Ahead of you the Cathedral of Pharasma looms. From the heights of the rampart walls gothic angels gaze down at you in silent judgement. With trepidation, you enter the halls of the Lady of Graves.
A priest in a heavy black cowl leads a sermon to a handful of parishioners. ”All who live must face her judgement …”
He stops in mid-sentence and regards you for a moment. When he finally pushes back the cowl you realize that the priest is Bolo.
He nods solemnly and walks to you. ”You have escaped death. There may still be hope.”
Bolo pauses upon seeing the pale corpse of Ysmerelda in Naught’s arms. ”This one has departed her mortal body … but somehow I sense that her soul is troubled. Bring her to the alter. Perhaps dawn’s rose may yet bloom again in the darkness of the night.“
He now turns to you intently. ”Listen to me now. Kendra is missing and feared dead. The sheriff’s deputy has three people in custody at her home and is preparing to hang them. Go to her house at once!”
Govannan peaks his head out, looks around nervously, and withdraws.