Variziel |
"Consecration," Variziel says, slowing with Eleeda as they approach the temple. "The idea of 'consecrated ground' is just a symbol, for the most part, but the Seven do offer powers to their most devout servants, including blessing the body and preventing unholy scourges like this."
Father Griswald |
"Indeed." Father Griswald says somberly. "But for those of us with more modest blessings, the gods teach us more mundane means of preventing such evils as this plague."
"Eleeda, Mischa, we must hurry now. Say your goodbys, but please do not touch her. Priestess Anna wished Klaudia to be cremated as soon as possible."
Swallowing, Griswald tried as best he could to comfort them. "Try to remember that this body is not Klaudia. She is gone now, and no longer suffering. She is with the gods now."
Eleeda Sternwiv |
Not fully knowing about or understanding what consecration is, Eleeda looks up at Varaziel's answer but remains silent.
As they enter the mortuary, the young woman begins weeping immediately, and moves towards the body. She is held back though by Griswald's warning and stops short of actually touching the corpse.
Unable to speak, she gropes for Micha's hand, and holds onto it as tightly as she can.
Father Griswald |
I was going to handwave it. I assumed that Sister Penitence had done them and my responsibility was to commit the remains.
Griswald stands next to them in silence, letting them grieve. After a time he places his hand on Micha's shoulder.
"When you are ready, please take Eleeda to the chapel. Help each other find solace. Talk about your favorite memories of Klaudia. I will fetch you when we are ready for the cremation. Varisiel, Derryn, please stay. I will need your help to move her."
Feel free to argue if you don't want your characters to go. Griswald doesn't want micha and eleeda to have to watch the next part.
Derryn |
But I wanted to be the typical, overbearing police officer/guardsman who kept looking for rational explanations and deluding himself from the truth to everything going on around him for as long as possible. As a side note, I purposely angled my last post to have my character ignoring this situation for the moment.
Eleeda Sternwiv |
Her sobs sudsiding somewhat but still crying steadily, Eleeda nods her head and allows herself to be led away.
In the chapel, after sitting for some time and allowing their tears to run their course, trying to be brave for her friend Micha, she tries to be brave and remember and an amusing story. Finally, smiling through the streaks on her face she says "Remember that one time Bischa had a cold and Klaudia had to..." Laughing in remembrence she does her best to help keep Micha's spirit's up and remind him, and herself, that Klaudia's spirit was now in a better place.
Variziel |
"Certainly, Griswald." Variziel offers a hand on the shoulders of Eleeda and Micha, and gives them a small smile of encouragement and sorrow before they go.
After they are alone, Variziel moves back to the bedside, his face having become hard. "Should I have brought my sword?" the elf asks. "Or are we just going to burn the body."
Father Griswald |
"Swords are no good for beheading. Takes to many swings. They don't have the weight to get through bone neatly. An axe is better. A flat-headed shovel is almost as good." Griswald says, soberly.
"The book said we need to bind her hands and put a rope in her mouth in case she starts moving while we're carrying her." he says tossing Varziel the shorter of two lengths of rope he'd retrieved on his way here.
"Careful not to touch her teeth at all. Derryn, give me a hand with this. Avoid her fingernails."
Pulling on his heavy leather work gloves, Father Griswald began tying the dead woman's hands together.
Derryn |
Derryn had been called into helping with Klaudia's corpse by Father Griswald. He did not like being so near the woman's corpse, particularly with the thought of her somehow waking up again. He could not refuse however, as it was his duty to keep harm from the citizens and assist those in need. Grabbing on to the womans arms, Derryn lifts them up to help Griswald better tie them together.
Variziel |
Variziel nods as somberly as Griswald speaks, stretching the rope and preparing to tie it as a gag. "It depends how hard you swing, and where you strike," Variziel says, carefully beginning the tying. "A good stroke can actually sever the head in one strike, with enough force, and assuming you're using a fine blade..."
Derryn |
Derryn stood unmoving. He was unsure as to whether or not he was supposed to be the one to accomplish the final deed. As the echo of Variziel's words disappeared, Derryn found the silence stifling and he began to glance around the room.
Will save:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11 Surely... this is the Father's Job.
He let out a long breath and looked back at the corpse. Klaudia's body lay there. It was deathly still, as a corpse should be...
And yet, there she is bound... because... because she could wake up at any moment.
Will save:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25 No! It is my duty to protect the citizens from danger.
"I... will do what is necessary" Without any more preamble, Derryn set his jaw, grabbed the axe from the table, lined up for the cut and chopped down with all of his might.
DM Jelani |
With a solid thunk and a ghastly exhalation of stench from the wound, the deed is done. All that remains is to treat the corpse with holy water and see it interred. Normally townspeople are buried in the cemetery, but due to the special circumstances surrounding Klaudia's death she's to be interred here in the catacombs with the clergy. An alcove just down the hall has been set up for her.
Father Griswald |
Good to know.
Griswald tried for a moment to keep Klaudia's head from rolling away, setting it next to the body in some semblance of dignity, but after it rolled awkwardly away from where he'd set it a couple times, he game up and simply covered her with a burial shroud.
Shaking his head, he said "There is an alcove in the mausoleum for her. Lets get her wrapped up and moved."
Retrieving a large sheet of linen from a storage cabinet, he instructed the others on how to properly wrap a body for burial as he anointed her with holy oils and prayed for her passing, improvising a little from the usual method because of the necessity of wrapping her head separately from the rest of her. Then he wrapped the two parts in one more cloth to maintain a slight illusion that they were still intact. By the time it was finished, it was difficult to tell that her head was not attached.
Lifting her like a child with help from the others to support her head, Griswald moved into the catacombs to an empty alcove and gently placed her within it.
"Rest well, Klaudia. I'm sorry we could not save you."
Variziel |
Variziel bows his head after moving the body, which he did without much showing emotion. He whispers in Elven: "May the Children guide this poor soul onto her reward." Lifting his head, you see moisture in his eyes once again, and when he speaks in the Common tongue, his voice is hoarse for a moment.
"This woman faced a fate worse than death, and we were able to deliver her from it. Let us remember this event, and what we have done."
Derryn |
Derryn turned to look at the other two for a moment. Even though there had been no real battle fought and the woman Klaudia had not been someone close to him, he felt as though he had lost something.
"Truly, this was an unfortunate outcome. Father, Variziel, I'm sure I will see you both later during the Lord's speech. I must return to my post." With no other words of encouragement forthcoming, he turned and left.
Variziel |
Variziel nods to Derryn, then turns to Griswald. "I feel I should be off as well, Griswald, unless..." The elf pauses for a moment, then gives a small smile. "What are you doing now, old friend? Care for a drink?"
Eleeda Sternwiv |
Not having much success with her attempts to cheer Micha up, she squeezes his hand once more then let's go, using her sleeves to dry her face.
Thinking that perhaps turning his mind to more practical matters might work better she says "So, um, I'm sorry if this is too soon Micha, but, well, what do you think you'll do now? I mean, with the store and house and stuff?" she finishes somewhat lamely.
Yet her question was still a sincere one. For she knew that, were she in his position, there was no way that she herself would be able to still live in the same house that all those terrible things had happened in. And as well, Klaudia and her store had served a vital role in the community. Having her shop close would make an impact on the town.
Father Griswald |
Griswald nods but doesn't return the smile. He wasn't quite ready yet, but he did appreciate the elf's good nature.
He's probably seen more death in his lifetime than I have, and I'm a grave digger. Wonder how old he is. How many people has he seen grow old and die in the time it took him to simply grow up? I don't know if I envy that or pity it.
"Aye. It's been a long day."
Eleeda Sternwiv |
Somewhat surprised my Micha's suggestion Eleeda stammers "What, me?? I...I, no, I couldn't I mean I'd never..." but she is fortunatly rescuded at that moment by Griswald and Variziel coming into the room.
Glancing back at Micha she turns back tol the priest, nodding and replying "I...yes, I think so. So, um, what do we do know?" although still clearly upset at the loss of her friend, the young woman before you does seem to be holding herself together better than she had been before
Variziel |
The elf looks at Eleeda, then Griswald, then back to the young woman. "Return to the festivities, and make what you can of the day. Remember Klaudia fondly, and enjoy yourself as she would have had you in life." Variziel didn't actually know Klaudia well, but he could presume what the woman would have wanted of her friends.
Variziel then turns back to Griswald. "The gravedigger here and I are going to have a toast to her memory."
Eleeda Sternwiv |
Frowning slightly before then looking down for a breath looking back up at the Elf she says "No, what I mean is, Klaudia got bit and had some disese that woulda made...made her come back from the dead. What are we gonna do now about that?"
She was well used to people underestemating her intelligence, it happened all the time. They took one look at her face, or her body, or both, and assumed she was some stupid serving girl. But they wouldn't keep thinking that way for long...
Bluff: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
Underneath all the genuine sadness, she's quite a bit more annoyed right now then she's letting on
Eleeda Sternwiv |
"No!" the young woman nearly shouts, the emotional stresses of the past few days clearly telling on her self-control "What's the matter with all of you?? I mean, yes, I'm glad Klaudia won't...won't...you know. But that's not what I'm talking about!"
While she takes a breath to calm herself, her loyal familiar glares at all of those who have dared to upset his mistress. "Look, don't you see? Something happened to Bischa and Klaudia to make them...to do what it did to them. But what?? Maybe it was that mouse, but where's the mouse?? And what if it bit other animals?? And what happened to make the mouse that way??"
Still working to calm herself, Eleeda thought of her mentor, and how he had always said that magic was all around, but that most folk had lost the ability to see, or even the knowledge that there was something to see. Perhaps her understanding that truth was the reason she seemed to sometimes see more, and do mnore than others sould.
Father Griswald |
"I don't know, lass. We might never know. We're going to do everything we can to stop this thing from spreading, and that's all we can do. If you look at the problem from a big perspective, it seems insurmountable. We have to take it in little pieces. One thing at a time. Right now, the important thing is to get some rest and keep ourselves healthy and safe."
Variziel |
"Indeed," Variziel says, though he seemed a little surprised by Eleeda's sudden outburst. "We're doing what we can, when we can. There's no sense worrying about felling a tree, when you have no axe and you have no use for wood." The elf's adage isn't quite perfect for the situation, but you can tell he means well.
Eleeda Sternwiv |
Reddening a little in embarrassment at her outburst, Eleeda says in a much more subdued voice "You're right, I'm sorry, it's just...it was so terrible, what happened to Klaudia! And the thought of that happening to anyone else! It makes me...well, just wish there was something more we could do to make sure nothing like that happens again."
Sighing, she looks around, appearing a fair bit calmer. Even the bird on her shoulder has un-ruffled his feathers "Well, I suppose we should catch the Lord's speech?" she says to everyone in general before heading out. At the door she pauses for a moment to look back and ask "Are you coming Micha?" before making her unhurried way to the town square.
Variziel |
Variziel pauses and looks at Micha. "Honestly, I cannot say I have." The elf looks somewhat troubled. "I have lived for a long time--most likely more than sixfold your own life--and I have heard tell of these happenings, though mostly in old stories. Never have I seen this plague with my own eyes." The elf sighs, and stretches his back. "I'd thought the undead were as gone from this world as most magic."
Father Griswald |
"Aye, the book had a lot to say on how to prevent this sort of affliction from spreading, and how to care for someone who had been bitten, but unfortunately it didn't say anything about where the curse comes from or how to cure it. It also didn't say anything about what to do if it effects animals. I suspect we are seeing something rare or even new."