"Taranis, if it means restoring Tess to life, then you have my support. I am sorry I cannot offer you anything to make that journey easier."
"I do not like this idea of good leader brother friend Taranis traveling alone, but Tess' soul needs to be put bak in her body. I think I can feel it hovering around. It feels confused... and combination of annoyed and being pulled towards at peace. I cannot know for certain, but she seems most annoyed with Marc."
Augrym slaps in meaty hand on Taranis' shoulder.
"Brother, if I had such ability I would fly with you to the sun and back. But if you feel like you can get back quicker without us and save our newest of new friends Tess, then may the wind be at your back. Otherwise, I will volunteer to carry her to wherever we decide to go. does anyone have a suggestion for where we should dry off and take shelter while we wait?"
"Take your time to set up a safe place; hidden, defensible. I will fly as long and as far as I can each day. I'll return forthwith."
He looks to the sky. "There's a fishing village on the lake I could go to. The oils are specific, plentiful, and somewhat expensive. I recommend we pool the cost. While I'm gone, I recommend discussing the tactics of battle - who does what and how - as well as introducing Bytor to the perils of government."
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John is completely flat-footed with the talk of restoring souls to corpses. This is so far beyond his experience that he is simply gobsmacked. He files the idea away though, in the event his search for his family ends with... the unspeakable.
The much less unreasonable, but still mad, idea of flying like an arrow through the sky is something he is at least prepared to address.
"I can not fly m'lord" He shakes his head gently in amazement that he actually had occasion to utter that sentence.
"Then I suggest you stay in the first room here. Can any of you use my wand? I'll grant myself the power of climbing and swimming first thing in the morning. I know not exactly how long it will take me to return. Just do not attack me upon my return."
"I say we use this room to sleep off the battles we have faced. Once great leader brother friend Taranis has left, we can set up all of this pottery near the stairs to impede the movement further of any creatures approaching. It will not be comfortable, but we are people of great spirit ad will get through this together."
Augrym starts setting up camp and organizing pottery. Unless someone says otherwise, he'll take time trying to make this feel homey. Then we discuss a watch schedule.
After some time...
"So, Huntsmen... would anyone want to play a challenging but noble game of 20 questions?"
"I am happy to aid in taking watch, but I will need rest and time to prepare before I can call upon any magic. Perhaps you can assign me the last watch after I've had a good night sleep."
"Augrym, what is this game of twenty questions you speak of? Is this a puzzle for the mind?"
With a solemn nod, Taranis heads out. He says nothing, but leaving Toth and Unrak behind is extremely taxing on his psyche. The swim for him is no problem, and once out, he takes a deep breath before wildshaping into a peregrine falcon. He plans on moving as much as possible, relying upon a Dream Feast for sustenance.
The entire first day he spends thinking about his triple life: ruler, druid, and now apparently dungeon-delver. He flies with as much haste as his form allows.
At night he reports progress via an Animal MEssenger before retiring to his Web Shelter
Once he arrives in the village, he immediately sets out to collect the ingredients. Given the quality, he has to buy in bulk, clearing out the local apothecaries and gardens. Thankfully it doesn't take much to reduce them down to the concentrations that he needs.
Once satisfied, he leaves town, never having said his name or given clue to his identity.
With all haste he makes the return trip....
Shortly after sunrise on [color=teal]24th Neth[/color], Taranis returns to Vordakai's tomb. Black smoke still billows from the vents atop the island-column, and the site is as eerily quiet as ever. He finds his animal messenger, a starling, waiting inside at the pool, unable to swim through the submerged passage to deliver its message. That proves no barrier for him, of course.
* * *
Inside, the wait has been quiet, but long. With no sun, moon, or stars to tell time, the Baron may have been gone half a day or half a week; it is hard to say. The thick stone walls and painted figures on the pottery seem to be listening, brimming hostile malice, and those inside have been anxious while waking. The dreams, though, have been much worse.
And still the water has not gone down...
At last, a splash heralds the return of Baron Redleaf.
"I see our plight has not improved. Come, let us begin the ritual. We can advance within the tomb regardless. There are ways... starting tomorrow."
Taranis prepares the ritual....
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The Baron Taranis Redleaf prepares Tess's corpse. Throughout the ritual, he speaks a language no one has ever heard him speak. It simultaneously sounds a bit like every language and like none. It's as if the phonemes have been woven into heretofore unknown combinations.
He removes all of Tess's clothes and gear in order to anoint her in the oils. Some of the more viscous oils are used to paint runes upon her form: on her forehead, over her heart, and her womb. Over each of her lungs is placed the sign of Gozreh, who will breath life into the lungs once more.
The chanting and preparation takes but five Lunar Points. As the chanting crescendos, the body begins to emit light. It intensifies to the point where the others must look away - but staring into the sun is Taranis's right and privilege.
When the light fades, the old Tess is gone. In her stead is a new form. Her prone body is now an even 18 hands tall, with a powerful build and olive drab skin. Her canine teeth are now long enough to slightly parse her lips. Her face is similar, but now the brow is noticeably heavier and her ears terminate in points.
Tess opens her eyes, momentarily surprised by the monochromatic world she sees. Did I cast Darkvision? It seems I must have, with the incantation gone for now.
"Owwww... My head hurts," she says, putting a different hand to her forehead. "That zombie hits like a stampeding bull."
She sits up, her movements slow. The others are standing nearby, but it's Taranis who is closest. Tess can smell the earthy musk from the man, a thing she never noticed before.
It's when she looks to the right that she sees herself. Pale as death, and with a rotting smell.
A dawning realization sets in, confirmed when she looks down and sees a body she does not know, naked as the day it was born. And that day is today.
"Baron Redleaf, you brought me back? Why would you do that?"
Unrak is only slightly put out by the proceedings--this is greater magic than he's ever seen, but seeing his brother perform it is, while not exactly expected, not exactly a surprise either.
Seeing Tess' "change" is also only slightly disconcerting, but he tamps down his own surprise--HE'S not the one who just came back from the dead, and differently, although he *has* come back from the dead, so he's far more sympathetic.
Because you're not done yet. And if you didn't agree, you'd not be back.
He grabs up the nearest bit of her clothing, hands it to her, and turns his back to give her what scant privacy he can--and curtly nodding to the others to do the same.
"What. The. F*ck."
John forgets himself and utters extremely uncharacteristic profanity.
"Welcome back Tess. It's a simple matter. If you hadn't wanted, in your heart of hearts, to come back, you would not have. Gozreh is a fickle mistress, but not one to take away free will. If you aren't in the boneyard, it's because you still have work you want to see finished."
Taranis is so matter of fact about the whole thing that it's clear he entertains no alternative explanations.
*Sniff
"Oh, I have a vague understanding of why I came back," Tess says, slowly getting dressed. She fumbles with the unfamiliar shape of her body and finds that her clothes don't fit as well as before. Everything is a lot more... snug. "I have a rough idea of the magic behind what you did. And it's not a simple process. The oils alone..."
She stands up, now several inches taller than Taranis. "What I want to know is... why me? You and your hardly know me. I'm not important to your cause. And you are clearly facing dangers well beyond anything I signed up for in these travels."
"You need every resource you have to keep your people safe. And you wasted it on an outsider. Why?"
"Is that really you, Tess? You are looking . . . good." Bytor tries to find the right words. "Do you remember what happened to you? I really thought you were gone forever. I did not realize that Taranis could employ such powerful magic."
"You speak of how little we know you, but you joined [/i]us[/i] in a death trap. That speaks to me of the caliber of soul you possess. Despite what laypeople think, lightning can and often does strike twice in the same place."
"Welcome back Tess. It's a simple matter. If you hadn't wanted, in your heart of hearts, to come back, you would not have. Gozreh is a fickle mistress, but not one to take away free will. If you aren't in the boneyard, it's because you still have work you want to see finished."
Taranis is so matter of fact about the whole thing that it's clear he entertains no alternative explanations.
Unrak smirks, and nods. Like I said...
She stands up, now several inches taller than Taranis. "What I want to know is... why me? You and your hardly know me. I'm not important to your cause. And you are clearly facing dangers well beyond anything I signed up for in these travels."
"You need every resource you have to keep your people safe. And you wasted it on an outsider. Why?"
We could say exactly the same about you. You don't know us, and you walked into a deathtrap with us. Why would you do that?
In other words...you're NOT an outsider.
Tess considers these words for a moment, then let's out a big breath. "Alright. Well I can tell you right now that I feel like death. If it's all the same, I'd like to not go through that again."
Taranis also turns to John, "There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy." It's the second time the Baron has made the quote, and he speaks it as if it's a kaon.
To Tess, "If called back, I'll not interrupt your journey a second time."
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Barely able to get words out... (within earshot of all Huntspeople).
"GREAT... leader brother friend... Taranis. Truly you are blessed by all of the goodly gods, both known and unknown. You have taken the weak and frail and dead elven body of our magical friend Tess and turned it into... this... this... vision... this vision of all that is good in this world. No longer is she tiny and gangly, as all with elven blood are, but now... now she is... perfection."
Stepping to Tess.
"M'lady... if there is anything within this world that I could get you to shake off the feeling and slight stench of death, you have but to ask."
Stepping back to Taranis, slapping his hand on the baron's shoulder.
"Come now, let us kill healing friend Marc next and see what improvements can be made with your godly powers. That one's not right in the facial area, if you ask me, and could use much much improvement."
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"Come now, let us kill healing friend Marc next and see what improvements can be made with your godly powers. That one's not right in the facial area, if you ask me, and could use much much improvement."[/b]
"Let's not be rash. We have MUCH to accomplish. Now in the two days whilst I was gone.... did you all discuss our tactics and strategy for survival as I asked?"
Tess looks on, incredulous as Augrym takes such a bizarrely deferential tone with her. What in all Nine Hells is going on?
But when he then suggests killing Marc, she lets out a throaty guffaw. She's surprised by the sound of her voice.
"I'll not be ready until the morrow, so let's spend time together and get to know each other. I mean really get to know each other."
"I was born a bit before Unrak to a Rostland family interested in status, appearance, and wealth. The gaming and scheming was distasteful, and while I learned a bit of it as a teen grooming for future control, I thought that there MUST be bigger things in the world. So we struck out on our own, looking for honest challenges and to see where Fate draws me. When the call came to tame a land, I answered the call."
"Now let us discuss our talents and strategy..." Taranis launches into his thoughts on dungeon delving.
"As always, good leader brother friend god touched Taranis, I am your weapon to wield. I will kill whoever is needed in your name." Side eye towards Marc.
"My friends, if we are getting to know each other better, you should know that I am Bytor Sneigsun and originally I hail from the Land of the Linnorm Kings. I am the son of Gedlund Sneigsun famed for hunting the great rhime snow dog. I grew up in the small village of Narvik, but I trained at the bardic college in Kalsguard where I dabbled in a variety of liberal arts and magic. I eventually left the northlands and went to study and teach at the Kithrodian Academy in Oppara. As I search for my old colleague, Evril Pendrod, I am honored to adventure among such exceptional people."
"Pleased to meet you Professor." John doffs his cap respectfully.
"I am John, a father, a husband, and a hunter. I search from my family, and I thank each of you from the depths of my heart for allowing me to join you in what seems to be a common goal. I've never taught anyone other than my boys, but I am eager to learn. You are an incredible group with immense talent and experience. Thank you for for the gift of your companionship. It makes the search more bearable to be in good company, and I know I would have been killed without your help these last few fights."
John again doffs his cap, this time to the group as a whole.
"A pleasure, John," Tess says, smiling despite her current state. "I am Tessaria Moondown. And though I was born in this part of the world, I only returned recently. Specifically, to find Bytor for the Kitharodian Academy. I did that, but stuck around to help him with his task."
She shrugs. "Desna knows what further twists of fate await me."
Unrak's mood has darkened, and he's more silent than usual.
"Brother?"
Unrak stares into the flames of their campfire, brow furrowed, his left hand searching out the large scar on his neck. After a quiet moment, he rumbles
I've passed beyond the veil too. It's not a memory I enjoy dwelling upon. It's going to be harder to forget now.
He looks up, meets Tess' eyes, and after a beat, gives her a slow, serious nod of respect and understanding.
"Well then, let's change our fates then. In the morning I can use some magic to get us to the other side of this water. Does everyone know their rolls?"
Nothing disturbs you over the course of this day, either, though it is again difficult to discern the passage of time .
After prayers and breakfast on what you hope is the morning of [color=teal]25th Neth[/color], you consider your next move.
John quietly works at fishing for something to eat while the group waits.
(4 checks for 4 days?)
On the morning of the 25th, Taranis uses his wand of Monkey Fish on himself and Toth and tentatively checks for the eel's body. If he sees that it didn't die, both will beat a hasty retreat.
On the first day, John catches enough fish in the southern pool to feed himself and two others, though it must be eaten raw, as no fire can be lit. After that, his luck leaves him.
* * *
Taranis and Toth plunge into the inky blackness of the trapped room. Nothing bites at them.
With nothing biting at Taranis, Augrym follows behind them.
Whilst still under the effects of the spell, Taranis and Toth check out the far portcullis. He also tries to ferret out the eel's dead body.
Whilst still under the effects of the spell, Taranis and Toth check out the far portcullis. He also tries to ferret out the eel's dead body.
Even after four days, the thick silt has hardly settled in the water, obscuring vision beyond five feet . At length, Taranis is able to locate the far portcullis. It is still shut.
Yes, Taranis will spend time searching, but will return to the surface before the spell runs out.
After minutes, Taranis finds a bloated eel corpse floating near one of the portals in the ceiling.
Bytor waits while Taranis and Toth explore the underwater chamber ahead. To nobody in particular, the northerner remarks, "I wonder if he will find a way to drain that water. I certainly don't want to be back in that dangerous position again."
Taranis gives a nod, A waste of potential food, but such is Gozreh's will.
The portcullis does not budge.