Amnayel nods "Very well then. Thank you. Perhaps this halfling Kwenlyn yet lives and we may find them still."
Amnayel takes a look at Ulrich when he coughs and though both are behind helms that hide their faces, they exchange a silent word of acknowledgement. She says "I believe I can do this. Correctly. Have faith."
Amnayel crouches and picks up the body of the fallen half-orc. She carries her out into a clearing and places her body flat on the ground. She removes the half-orc's bloodied and broken armor, though some of it takes quite some strength to bend back into place from the damage done to her midsection. Armor removed, she then removes her bloodied and destroyed clothing, having to cut some off it off to get it free.
Pulling out a cloth and her waterskin, she begins to wash some of the blood and gore free from the body, humming softly to herself as she works to cleanse the cleric. Whether she is praying or just singing is unclear, but the tune is warm and comforting.
Once cleaned to the best of her ability, she begins to searches through the fallen's possessions until she finds her holy symbol of Kelinahat and wraps it around her hand, closing Birte's fist tenderly around it and folding both hands over her chest. Lastly, she pulls her fingers across her eyelids to close her eyes, allowing the cleric to awake on her own time.
Kneeling beside her and staring down at the body, she nods satisfied. . Then for the first time since the incident, Amnayel begins to strip off her armor in public. Starting with her helm, she takes it and sits it on the ground nearly. Piece by piece, she removes them and stacks them neatly until she is wearing only her clothes. Then those too are removed, though her shame is still evident when she takes care to not look at any of her companions and stays focused on her task.
When she is finished and wearing only the skin that Ulrich made for her, she crawls on top Birte and lays her head beside the cleric as if she were cuddling with her privately in a bed. Closing her own eyes, she begins to gently stroke the side of Birte's face with her fingers, continuing to sing softly to herself. Tracing the contours of her face, down her neck line to her chest, she lets her right palm calm to rest over her heart and takes a deep breath.
No one told her she could bring people back to life. She never received any instructions and there weren't lessons or books she read, she just had a feeling that Arshea had given her this ability. Focusing ten times the amount of positive energy she normally would use to heal someone, she gave her everything to the fallen spy after she whispered "Come back to us, Birte ." and discharged ten uses of lay of hands on the cleric all at once in a flash of light that caused her hand to pulse with radiant light before passing into Birte's body.
Birte takes a shuddering breath as her eyes flutter open. ”Ugh... What...?” Her hands move to her chest, where the branch had pierced her, and she probes experimentally at the repaired flesh. ”I am alive... Thank Kelinahat.” She turns to regard Amnayel. ”And thank you. I am in your debt. But... why are we naked?”
Amnayel holds Birte in her arms until she settles and calms, then she turns to face her. She whispers "It was necessary. You are reborn anew. Of the same body, of the same flesh, but born once again. The battle that had taken you is now in your past and just a memory. "
"And because, you are beautiful." she adds with a smile.
As the paladin goes to sit up, she falters, her arm trembling. Though she had expected to be without divine healing, she did not expect to feel pain in all of her muscles and a weakness in her body. Struggling, she retakes her feet and offers a hand down to Birte to help her feet.
"Rise, Birte." she says, "I have a change of clothes you may put on." She bends down and reaches into her pack, withdrawing her spare outfit and hands them to cleric before turning to face the other members of her party.
"She has risen, praise be to Arshea!" she says, holding her hands up to the skies above. She then instructs "You will avert your eyes to give her privacy she wishes while she dresses." while she stands before them, still completely nude herself in her changeling body.
As requested, Gabbi turns away. It also hides the look of admiration she's trying to hide at the paladin's act.
Birte blushes at Amnayel’s praise, her body involuntarily reacting to the changeling’s pressed against hers. She dresses quickly, though she is still drained from the ordeal of returning to life.
”My team was not expecting this forest to have appeared around Hammer Rock,” she says once she has gotten settled. ”Nor the vicious creatures that occupied it. But now I have been granted a second chance to complete my mission. I will accompany you, if you will have me.”
Turning back around, the paladin moves to her gear and gives her the rest of her waterskin along with something to eat. "Absolutely, you are welcome. Please. Have some water and food and rest. You must be exhausted."
She then returns to her own clothing and begins to dress again. She looks down wearily at her armor, trying to decide if she should put it back on and hide within it again.
As requested, Gabbi turns away. It also hides the look of admiration she's trying to hide at the paladin's act.
Allie turns just enough to put Birte out of her eyeline, but not Amnyel. She also doesn't bother trying to hide her approval.
Gabriella leads her sister into the darkness and life that is the forest at night. The darkness itself posses no barrier to the twins who see every little movement in the undergrowth with the eyes of predators.
Finding a small clearing with the stars shining above, Gabbi casually sheds her armor and then the clothing underneath it to bathe in the silvery light. Allie follows suit and soon the two are dancing underneath the radiance. The steps of the dance only they know. Steps that they've known ever since their youth. Steps that mean something only to them. At times apart. At times joined by a single hand. And at times nothing separating them other than the thin sheen of sweat on their pale skin.
Parts of the dance have changed over the decades, but the conclusion has always remained the same. To all appearances, a lover's kiss. But this is so much deeper in meaning. A kiss that demonstrates the bond that two people share when they're not really two people at all. Two people so close to each other that the word 'sisters' fails to convey the depth and strength of the connection. Two halves of the same soul, split at conception into two individuals that spend the rest of their lives trying to achieve the closeness that they once possessed.
Trying in so many different ways. Some ways emotional. Some ways physical. Some ways carnal.
The carnal acts satisfy other desires as well.
"So you can take the form of a boy wolf," Gabbi says when the undeclared ritual has run to its completion and the kiss is broken. Allie's laugh is full of life and echoes through the forest causing the night creatures to pause for a moment. "It would be you that would notice that small detail."
...
~~~~~
"Do you need a day of rest, Amneyal?" Gabbi asks, keeping her gaze averted. "Or are you strong enough to head out today?"
Amnayel would never declare she was unfit to continue if someone asked, too proud to be the cause of slowing them down. So of course she says "I am fine to move on." and proceeds to put her armor back on. When she finishes, she announces "I am ready to move on. Let us have caution that Birte is weakened and cannot engage should foes appear. She should be protected at all costs."
"Hmph. I can do that." Ulrich mutters to himself. He goes over to Ianthras and with a quick slice from his scalpel, bathes Ianthras' face in Ulrich's blood.
The ground beside Ianthras’s body churns as the forest itself begins to create a new body for the sorcerer. Over the course of the next hour, the natural elements swirl and coalesce until the body is complete. It is that of a young elf, albeit a female one.
The elf’s eyes slowly open as Ianthras’s spirit inhabits the new body. She sits up, frowning at the shifting sensation on her chest. ”Hmm... Those are new,” she comments. ”It will take some getting used to, to be sure, but it is better than the cold embrace of death.”
"Welcome back." Ulrich says. "It is probably an improvement. Now, you will be experiencing resurrection fatigue. I recommend you seek out a priest to restore you to your full potential when you can. In the meantime, we are to travel into Hammer Rock come dawn. What do you require to be at your most effective?"
Ianthras smirks at Ulrich. "Clothes, for one. Other than that, as a sorcerer, I require little but the magical power in my own blood. I am ready to resume the fight against the Tyrant's forces."
Bah, damned sorcerers and their magical blood, and here I thought I might encounter someone refined.
"Very well. I will see what I can do." Ulrich says. He goes over to the women. "Do any of you possess some extra clothes for Ianthas...a?"
With a word, Gabbi reaches into her bag and produces an extra pair of trousers and a tunic. After a moment's consideration, she tosses some smallclothes into the pile as well. "They're going to be tight, but they're all I have."
"Unfortunately I'm the same size." Allie quips. "I could ressurect your friend but that would use all of our emergency diamond dust which I am reluctant to do unless its absolutely necessary."
"Better than the alternative. Thank you." Ulrich replies to Gabriella. He gives the clothes to Ianthas, then gets ready for rest.
In the night, Ulrich wakes up. After hearing wolf howls, he rolls his eyes and mutters about taboos. He figures maybe learning Silence would be worth while.
Ianthras squeezes into the undergarments, stretching them to their limits, then dons the tunic and pants. "They will suffice for now. Thank you." She nods to Allie. "Garumel will understand. If we can preserve him until we return to Vellumis, we can raise him at a later date."
***
The next morning, you prepare for the sortie to Hammer Rock. Birte prays to Kelinahat, She of Ebon Wings, for guidance, while Ianthras wards herself with mage armor.
The waste that lies between the forest of Keirodera and Hammer Rock consists of rolling hills blasted clean of vegetation and scoured by the Radiant Fire. Wind kicks up choking dust clouds, and footfalls send up plumes of ash. This terrain stretches in about a 1-mile radius around Hammer Rock.
As you traverse the blast zone, you start to hear wispy, disembodied voices trying to warn you away. After a few moments, the voices become cries of alarm, then suddenly a wave of bright energy explodes outward from Hammer Rock! Birte and Ianthras grit their teeth as their minds are assaulted by fear, but the haunt has a different effect on you. You can feel the blast push against the obols embedded in your souls! Portions of the spectral Radiant Fire appear to rebound from your bodies.
After weathering the haunt, you finish the trek to Hammer Rock. Built atop the unfinished ruins of a dwarven fortress, the castle of Hammer Rock was one of the more formidable fortifications guarding Lastwall’s northeast border, built both to stand against undead threats from Ustalav and to guard the Path River, a key lifeline to the nation’s interior. The castle stands atop one of the Sandcarver Hills’ highest rises, giving it a commanding view over its surroundings, although Keirodera’s sudden growth has blocked much of that vista with a perimeter of towering trees.
Much of Hammer Rock’s superstructure is now a scarred ruin. Excavated from the rocky soil, a dry moat surrounds the castle to a depth of 20 feet. A huge pile of stones and dirt has been scraped into the moat near a gatehouse, creating a makeshift walkway. The portcullis in the gatehouse is down, yet the iron bars have been hacked apart and wrenched aside to create an opening 10 feet in diameter.
Aside from the main entrance, there are two smaller postern gates, one on the west side of the castle and one at the rear to the south.
As you draw near, Ianthras holds up her hand and studies the castle. "In the event that it was overrun, Hammer Rock featured three powerful traps intended to repel attackers and provide the rest of Lastwall time to mount a counterattack. Fortunately, I was given the passphrase to bypass the countermeasures." The elf recites a lenghty and complicated phrase in Celestial, and a ripple of energy appears in the air for a moment. "There. It should be safe to proceed."
------------------------------
Spells Prepared
------------------------------
0th (at will) Detect Magic, Mending, Prestidigitation, Read Magic
1st blood money, feather fall,
2nd blood transcription,
3rd disable construct, displacement, fireball (2slot), vampiric touch, ray of exhaustion x2
4th deathless, dimension door (2slot),
5th blood boil, quickened sure casting x2, quickened true strike, siphon magic
6th ether step, dispel magic (greater), heightened greater positive pulse, repulsion, stone to flesh
7th banishment, control construct, finger of death x2, limited wish
8th death grasp, greater bestow curse x2, horrid wilting
Ulrich casts Mage Armour, Darkvision, and False Life on himself.
"I have little to no idea what we may find within. Likely undead, and a myriad of constructs." He says.
Nosoi turns invisible and does a quick circle around the keep to see if anything is out in the open he can identify.
From above, Kamosh spots the relatively fresh corpse of a halfling woman just inside the main gate. It likely belongs to the last member of the scouting party, Kwenlyn Gavix.
The courtyard seems empty and devoid of life. Several buildings within the keep likewise seem abandoned.
Nosoi returns to Ulrich and talks about what he saw. Ulrich suggests they take a look at the Halfling, both to secure her body, and to see if there are any signs as to what killed her.
Holding her ground against the haunted blast, the paladin weathers the explosion and helps those less fortunate with assistance.
Once at the castle, she stares at the busted portcullis and answers Ulrich's statement with "Nothing good."
After the trap is disabled and everyone is ready, she leads them in. Upon finding Kwenlyn's body, she crouches to inspect it to figure out what happened. "I guess she was not so fortunate afterall."
Standing back up when Ulrich takes a look at the body, she moves to secure the area instead. She asks Ulrich and asks "Do you sense anything?"
Examining the hole in the gate, it's easy to tell that many humanoid creatures passed through this mutilated gate. From the scraps of ancient cloth and globs of long-decayed flesh on the torn iron, it’s clear that the intruders were undead.
The halfling's body is withered and drawn. It seems her lifeforce was drained from her via negative energy. The corpse still bears her gear, which includes a Small +2 ghost touch mithral breastplate, a Small +1 keen greataxe, and a handy haversack containing a warm blanket and several lucky tokens, such as buttons, scarves, and polished rocks.
"Poor Kwenlyn. Perhaps we can restore her to life as well once we are finished here," Birte says, making a sign of wings over the halfling's body.
"We must stay alert for whatever did this to her," Ianthras says.
"Cause of death: Negative energy, such as an infliction spell. I do not have any more information than that." Ulrich replies
Gabbi manages to hold her footing against the magical blast, but just barely. Before entering the ruin, she prepares with specific blessings.
"We'll do what we can for her after we deal with whatever is residing here," Gabbi declares while Ulrich is examining the halfling's corpse. Her eyes are always moving and her bow is readied.
Allie gets blasted backwards by the shockwave, completely unprepared and picks herself up looking sheepish.
"Oops."
Luckily the finding of the halfling's body proves to be a distraction and Allie can bite her finger and fix the damage without anyone noticing.
"Agreed, we'll put the body somewhere out of the way and come back later." She says.
Allie leads the way into the nearest building. The ashes of charred tapestries lie along the interior walls of this temple, though the eleven stained glass windows that depict the goddess Iomedae are intact and merely discolored. Built into the northern gate, this temple is a fortified keep in its own right. The windows depict the 11 holy Acts of Iomedae. Atop the altar lies a gleaming silver blade--a +3 holy silver longsword.
No sooner do you take up the sword, though, than a ghostly, skeletal dragon suddenly lurches through the wall of the chapel, leaving behind a thin film of silvery mucus! The creature roars as it rears up to its full height of 20 feet and prepares to attack!
Its attacks deal negative energy damage and drain life force. Those it slays rise again as dread wraiths. When a wyrmwraith strikes a creature with one of its claws, that creature is also affected by a targeted greater dispel magic that can dispel only divine spells.
The dragon opens its jaws and breathes forth a wave of negative energy! It follows up with a quickened finger of death against Amnayel!
Gabbi laughs through the familiar pain. Although, there's a hint of madness in her mirth.
"A wyrmwraith? Their touch is anathema to divine magic! Beware of it!"
Readying her bow, she first casts a spell upon herself and then rises into the air.
Ulrich and Nosoi fail to dodge out of the way, and instead brace themselves for the oncoming onslaught of negative energy.
"It can change between corporeal and incorporeal. If anyone dies, they come back as dread wraiths."
Ulrich casts one of his most powerful spells. Bestow Greater Curse
Nosoi delivers the curse attack with reckless abandon
Growling in pain, Amnayel is able to fight through the blast of negative energy and the death spell.
After healing herself, she raises her sword to the skies and calls down a holy blessing from her god.
"Guess I should give this a go!" Allie says, swinging the silver sword around and taking an experimental chop at the wyrm-thingy.
As Gabbi bolsters her weapon, Amnayel does likewise. The wyrmwraith claws at Allie as she closes with it, dispelling her defenses, while the oracle's blade doesn't get through its natural armor. The undead succumbs to Ulrich's curse, however!
Undeterred, the dragon assaults Allie!
Hoping that Amnayel is tending to her sister and knowing that the best way to help her is to either destroy the wraith or draw its ire, Gabbi draws and fires.
Ulrich sends Nosoi to deliver a spell. He flies around, perching on Amnayel's shoulder. "Ulrich says don't die." Nosoi explains, then taps her with his magical beak.
"No!" Amnayel says, reaching out to save Allie but moving too late. The wind gets taken from her lungs and she barely keeps her feet. Turning back towards the dragon thing again, furious, she smites it. With her holy blade, she unleashes several attempts from her weapon to try and bring it down.
Ulrich's curse has significantly weakened the wyrmwraith. Despite its impressive armor, Gabbi lands a few hits, and Amnayel is able to smite it once. That proves to be enough to finish off the spectral dragon, which fades out of existence with a final roar!
Birte rushes to Allie's side and lays hands on her fatal wounds. "She of Ebon Wings, grant your mercy to this fallen warrior. Bring her back from the brink of darkness!" Shadows envelop Allie, restoring life to her!
"Ok." Allie says, sitting up. "I need to not do that again. No more dragon slaying for me!" She groans slightly as she stands and hands the silver sword to Amnayel. "You should use this rather than me. I'll stick to simpler weapons." She says with a slightly embarrassed grin, before recoiling as her sister assaults her with words and blows.
It soon devolves into something like a wrestling match as Allie yells "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I won't fight a dragon again! I'm sorry! Uncle! Uncle!"
Ulrich casts restoration on himself, followed by activating his pearl of power for another False Life. Then he activates the Soul Minder for a modicum of additional healing.
Amnayel takes the sword, but is apologetic. "I failed you. I am sorry. I could not do more, I was too slow. I will not fail you again."
"I would prefer if you would not get so close to those dangerous enemies, Alessandra. You are more beneficial to the team when you do not fall. I cannot heal your sister and you must help me ensure she stays in the battle. No one is judging you for not engaging. Please take more caution."
She steps forward and gives the oracle a long hug.
"The next time you do something reckless like that, I'm going to tell them not to save you, you stupid bint!" Gabbi declares as she slaps Allie in the shoulder, the stomach, the top of the head, and the thigh. Pushing and shoving follow before devolving to something more involved.
"Hey we do not have all day. Heal up, look for any more treasure here, and let's get moving." Ulrich says. He casts two more spells when the group is ready.
Spanning four rooms connected to the curtain wall, the various barracks around the keep include considerable space for storing food, ammunition, and armor, while also housing several hundred soldiers. In one of these rooms, you encounter the dread wraith spawned from the soul of the halfling Kwenlyn Gavix. You swiftly put an end to the undead, allowing her soul to rest--and potentially be brought back to life later.
Past the barracks is a large stable that could easily accommodate dozens of horses, although it is empty now and its wooden dividers are shattered. Dozens of blackened horseshoes are scattered across the stone floor. A faint, fearful whinnying echoes in the air.
Ulrich looks around for signs of a haunt, which he figures is probably the blackened horse shoes. He swiftly purges its spirit.
The whinnying turns into shrieks as Ulrich casts his spell. In an instant, a ghostly apparition manifests before you! Two spectral horses pull this ironclad war chariot, whose windows are blocked by dark, heavy curtains.
The coach flies overhead and tries to move through Ulrich, but it misses due to displacement!
"Do I need to explain to you that touching it is bad?" Ulrich says
Ulrich bestows a pulse of positive energy upon the group, though hopefully it fails to reach Gabriella.
Allies cries for mercy are muffled by her sister as they release the accumulated fear and tension in a more productive manner. Amnayel then gets her hug, during which Allie is rather handsy, having clearly been stimulated by her sister.
Allie reaches out and infuses her sister with a Death Ward. "All yours sis!" She says with a grin. "You got this! I'll get the buffs on next."