Efficiently evil, I suppose.
Ellery shrugs and makes some hand signs
Mara related the plight of the missing villagers to Winter, and asked for her advice about how to bury the remains that could be found, given the likely difficulty in identifying which remains belonged to which individual.
She also asked her, "Would you like to use the Confabulation Plates to talk to the spirit of Accuser Omari? Perhaps she had some notes about her investigation."
Winter advised Mara on how best to deal with the dead townsfolk. And suggested that she would instruct the new priest in a letter about the situation.
Winter looks surprised at Mara’s suggestion, ”I don’t like the looks of that device. I’m not sure what it does to a person’s soul. So while I can forgive the use of it for someone not initiated into ways of The Lady of Graves once especially on one so villainous, I cannot condone its further use.” She looks around, ”I can’t stop you if you insist.”
Mara replied to Winter, "Very well, I will defer to your wishes. I will leave the matter of contacting Accuser Omari's spirit in your hands."
She hesitated for a moment, and then continued, "There is another matter that I wanted to speak to you about. The patient Loic, from the asylum, had a sister, Sara, who died when she was young, around twenty years ago. I don't think her soul has passed to the Great Beyond, but is instead tied to Loic's consciousness and the Dimension of Dreams. During the events at the Asylum, our world and the Dimension of Dreams intersected, and Sara manifested physically for a time. She found me, wandering in a daze, and saved my life by hiding me from the shapechangers.
"The ritual in Chain of Nights — the one that Dervak wants performed on him to remove the Dark Whisperer — could also be used to removed Sara from Loic's consciousness, and bring her permanently to the material plane, giving her another chance at life. I would very much like to do that for her; however, as you know, there are risks involved.
"To ensure the ritual's success, the ideal thing would be to study it further, and gain more experience before attempting it. However, we're going to be leaving Thrushmoor in a few days, following Count Lowls, and it may be quite some time before I return (assuming I survive whatever is to come). If Loic were to die before I got back, Sara would die with him. How good is his health? Obviously, I wouldn't perform the ritual without his consent, and we're going to conduct the procedure on Dervak first."
Winter frowns, "His health is fine for a man that must constantly be medicated. You may return to Thrushmoor later but York and Dr. Elbourne were making arrangements to have the worst cases sent to other facilities as soon as there is space available. Loic will be among them."
"Mara, remember what we are talking about," says Dervak. And who we are talking to, he thinks.
"Sara's spirit might be freed to travel to the Great Beyond and be judged by Pharasma as it should be. We don't know what will happen. If Pharasma judges that Sara should return for another chance at life, that is Her decision. I have heard there are cases where Pharasma allows the dead to return to life but it is always with Her agreement."
He looks nervously at Winter as he says this. Even among the savage Kellid tribe of his father, they knew the Lady of Graves was not to be trifled with or mocked.
Mara tried to judge Winter's reaction to the idea of the ritual to bring Sara to the material plane.
Winter hesitates, ”I will pray to Pharasma for guidance.” After a minute of meditation and burning expensive incense Winter finally says, ”The Lady of Graves is silent on this matter. Either it does not concern her or she’s testing me to use my own judgement. Given this information I think it’s best if Loic accompanies me to Caliphas. If it's true that his dead sister’s soul has become attached to Loic then Mother Thestia should know what to do. I will send word to the temple in Cassomir if there are any developments.”
Mara feels that Winer is conflicted about the whole affair and is very uncertain about what to do.
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Theophilus seems quite supportive to Mara's ideas.
Mara tried to convince Winter, "I think it would be a good idea to take advantage of this chance to give Sara a normal life. She died so young; she deserves to experience what the world has to offer.
"Besides, the strain of carrying her consciousness in his could be hard on Loic."
Theophilus bows low, sweeping grandly his magnificent hat.
Sins of others should not compel punishment on an innocent.
Dervak hurriedly adds, "We will honor Pharasma, and will not go against the wishes of the Lady of Graves. No matter what this ritual might allow. Pharasma decides if Sara deserves another chance at life. Not us. We just want to ask Pharasma for that chance."
His words are not terribly persuasive. He glares at Mara.
Winter smiles sheepishly and holds up her hands, "Ok ok, I can tell you feel very strongly about this. If you don't plan on doing the ritual soon then we can have it both ways. I'll take Loic with me and see what the Church can do for him, then when you think you're ready come to Caliphas. Besides it will give you a reason to visit."
Theophilus smiles brightly.
Shall we go pack?
"Very well," Mara replied to Winter, judging it to be counterproductive to press the matter.
She suggested to the others, "Let's see what we can find of Lowls' research notes. We need to get a better idea of what, exactly, he was doing."
She made her way to the count's study, and started sorting through the papers again.
Winter leaves feeling as if she has betrayed a good friend.
Many of the books you have collected contain marginalia written in Lowls' handwriting. That added to his notebooks and letters could provide a clue to his plans. It will just take some research.
Mara switched back to her crone form and started pouring through historical volumes and notes.
Mara works into the night pouring over the collected tomes and paper.
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Dervak sits down and begins to read. He recalls his history lessons from the aged priest of Sarenrae who raised him.
Thank you Mulgar. I will try to do you proud. As you said, not all problems are solved with a sword. Sometimes understanding is the key.
Dervak is not the fastest reader, but through dogged persistence he finds a few clues to help Mara.
Lowls’s notes indicate that his journeys occurred in the Dreamlands, a vast and relatively stable section of the Dimension of Dreams. He marvels at the fact if he’s injured in the Dreamlands it doesn’t affect his real world body at all. But he does speculate that mental afflictions would continue to affect him. He goes on to speculate that if he were to die in the Dreamlands he wouldn’t die but awake suddenly and traumatically, potentially causing madness.
He found that when entering the Dreamlands his dream-self would have anything on his person. The reverse doesn’t happen but if he picks up something in the Dreamlands but it would reappear in subsequent dreams.
Dervak puts down the books.
His head hurts. His eyes water.
"Can we pick this up again tomorrow? Reading too much probably isn't good for you."
The warrior yawns.
"Maybe down to the cellar to grab one of those fancy wines, then back to the sitting room or the library to enjoy it? I think we can stay here tonight."
Theophilus absently sips a neat Bourbon, flipping through pages and pages of absolutely fascinating and intriguing knowledge!
I am a bit concerned about the whole possibility of madness thing...
The White Rabbit drops his neat bourbon!
Mara closed the book she was studying and stretched. "Yeah, that's enough for me today! My brain is full!"
She went into the kitchen and made herself a snack. "We need to do something about the bodies tomorrow, or they'll start to stink. I know a spell to clean Nemira's corpse down to a skeleton, so it'll be easier to move."
Mara is correct Iris Hill reeks of death and other things. But you've grown accustomed to it and you sleep soundly. Between the late night and the drinking everyone wakes up later than usual.
"Well Theophilus, we just have to not die in the dream-world and then we won't go mad in the real world. I think. I don't think I am mad now. But there are things I can't remember. Maybe if we find this Mad Poet we can make him give us our memories back. Lowls sacrificed us to him in the Dreamlands and that's when we lost our memories. A 'foog state'? That's what it was called?"
---
Dervak didn't over-indulge last night - he was aiming for "gentleman of the manor" and not "town drunk." Pretending to be classy.
So he rises relatively early and gets to work cleaning what he can for a bit, until the others are up and it is time to hit the books again.
"I can follow along with the histories okay. And some of the magic parts. But all those different planes and how they work, I get them mixed up."
Mara had a restless night's sleep in the Lowls manor house. She was half-expecting Nemira to somehow reappear and haunt them somehow.
In the morning she meditated with her ancestor dolls.
Orisons: Detect Magic, Light, Guidance, Read Magic
1st lvl: Ant Haul, Cure Light Wounds, Decompose corpse, Liberating Command, open slot
2nd lvl: Barkskin x3, open slot
3rd lvl: Heroism, Sleet Storm, open slot
4th lvl: Threefold Aspect, open slot
She recited a couple of prayers to prepare herself for the day's work ahead.
After breakfast, she proposed, "Let's investigate the hole next to the carriage house, and then deal with the bodies."
When Mara and company peer down into the dark hole they see a natural cave 30ft down. It was once illuminated by a large floor lantern but that has long run out of oil. The cave extends from east to west, slightly ascending from a pool of water to a raised shelf. The only clue as to what transpired here are two barrel shaped impressions and a single set of footprints from and to directly beneath the hole.
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Theophilus gets drunk! He and the White Rabbit are seen at the bar, seated at a large table, filled with a variety of the best foods, beers, and bourbon. The gentleman and rabbit are furiously playing cards. Each have a stack of coins in front of them. Theophilus occasionally accuses the innocent (fuzzy and cute too) rabbit of cheating; which, of course, the White Rabbit vehemently denied (although one may think otherwise when one notices a few Aces on the floor under its chair).
At the stroke of midnight, each simply ceases their activities, rising from the table, and retiring for the night.
After sleeping in until two hours after Sun up, they are seen downstairs, enjoying a bit of breakfast, a carafe of coffee, and a friendly card game.
Mara cast her Daylight spell on her axe to get a better look at what was at the bottom of the hole. She asked the others, "If we're staying here for a few days, I think we should make sure nothing's down there. Do you want me to meditate and memorize a fly or levitate spell first, or are you comfortable just lowering a rope and climbing down?"
Ellery in response pulls out a rope and starts looking for a place to secure it.
I can turn invisible and just fly down and take a peek?
After securing the rope, descending down, and throughly searching the cave no hidden secrets are revealed. Whatever took residence here has fled.
When dealing with bodies the druid Daridela's is missing.
"Where did she go? Did... did Xhamen-Dhor take her?"
Dervak is unnerved.
He looks for tracks around where her body used to be.
"Let's get on with the other thing. Today if possible."
Dervak sees bits of mold patches lead up the stairs but they taper off, and he's not sure where she went in the manor house. There is a fresh set of tracks on the manor grounds but it disappears when it passes through the hedge and into the wilderness.
Mara was certain she was dead after the battle.
"Well, that is certainly disquieting," Mara declared.
"I need to make some preparations before we attempt the ritual. I'm going to meditate and consult my ancestors."
She retreated to a quiet spot and meditated for a few minutes. "Mommy, Daddy, I need to have a family meeting," she told her parents. She recited an elaborate prayer to contact her more distant ancestors, and get their advice on how to best prepare for the Release Nightmare ritual.
Mara’s father responds first, ”Hey there kiddo. I want to say I’m proud of you no matter what happens; you’re trying to help your friend. I don’t think there’s a right answer but you’ve got a good grasp on what you need to do.”
Next Mara’s mother adds, ”My Sunshine, your friend will be divided but it will give him some measure of peace. You know the tools you need to make this happen.”
Mara’s fraternal great-aunt, ”A place close to the dark energies you seek to draw out.”
Mara’s maternal great-grandfather, ”An offering of live meat in exchange for the Beast to give you greater power.”
As you prepare to cast the ritual, going over what everyone needs to do, Mara realizes that Ellery won’t be able to take part. He can’t say the words he needs to; his hands will be occupied with the gestures and won’t be able to sign equivalently.
Furthermore from her great-grandfather's comment Mara realizes she could use this ritual as a base for another ritual to draw the Dark Whisper into herself.
Theophilus smiles.
I so enjoy a good ritual!
Mara relayed to the others what her ancestors had told her. "I don't think I'm going to follow up on my orcish great-grandfather's suggestion. I'm not interested in trying to draw the Dark Whisperer into myself!
"I think that my human great-aunt might mean holding the ritual on Briarstone Isle. I suspect that place has a connection with dark energies, what with the Briarstone Witch, and everything that happened at the Asylum."
She grabbed her pack and donned her cloak. "I'm going to see if I can find something to help my healing abilities, to help with the ritual."
Mara purchases the magic items she needs from the mysterious man called Watanabe and his emporium. He wears a silver holy symbol of Nethys around his neck and below it a charred sigil to some distant empire that has no meaning here.
After her shopping trip, Mara walked to the Sleepless building to see if Cesadia was in.