Gabbi's attention returns to the tree Ulrich indicates - the one the witchcrow seemed intent on luring them towards. She shoulders her crossbow and looks over the tree carefully before approaching, attempting to note anything out of the ordinary.
As Gabbi studies the odd tree, its branches suddenly begin to shake, producing an eerie rattling sound, and its roots pull out of the soil as it moves to attack!
"Incredible! I have never heard of such a thing before."
...
"Gabriella! Watch out!"
As the thing begins moving, Gabbi whips her crossbow back up and looses a missile at it.
"Bother." Is all Alessandra says, although she thinks a number of far less charitable things...
She does however restrain herself from rushing in, an animate tree isn't something you can just hold down.
Gabby's bolt strikes the tree but doesn't seem to harm it! Piercing weapons don't seem to be effective here.
The tree shakes its branches, creating an eerie rattling sound that unnerves you!
The odd rattling sound seems to stir something in the inquisitor, but she shoulders her crossbow and palms her morningstar. "As much as I'd like to just keep shooting the damn thing, that's not going to do anything other than waste ammo."
She begins stalking foward making sure to leave room for the others.
"I guess we do this the old fashioned way."
Kamosh bravely delivers a touch of fatigue!
Ellie shudders. "Horrid thing."
She rushes in to end its existence.
Elká rushes in after Eldarel and jumps at the tree, knowing it is do-or-die. She balls her hand into a fist so hard that you can hear her knuckles crack.
The willow whomps Ellie as she charges in, but she whomps it back good. Elka darts in beside the fighter and delivers a brutal punch that nearly snaps its trunk in two! The tree's branches slump and it stops moving.
You are able to retrieve the treasures from the tree: a ring of protection +1 that resembles a unicorn impaling itself with its horn, a scroll of false life, a cloudy air elemental gem, and 43 gp.
Ellie winces as she inspects her wounds, the consolation of the treasure not being much recompense for the loss of her life-blood.
Alessandra is half-way into combat when Ellie and Elka end it so she skids to a halt next to Ellie instead. She swipes the blood away from Ellie's stomach to investigate the wound, sucking some of it down almost absent-mindedly as she infuses her own blood with healing power and begins to drip it across the puncture wounds on her chest.
By the time she's done the dhampir herself is looking paler than normal.
"Hope you feel better sweetie." She offers. "Just don't get hit again. I can't do much more of this."
Seeing the sorry state Eldarel is in causes Elká to slightly panic. She knows that while this battle might've been won, there are still many to come. And unlike their foes, they need only lose once to lose the war. "You'd imagine the denizens of the afterlife to be more patient, but no, they really are the 'sorry, but you have to die now' types. Good Gods, we need to get out of here! Are all of you ready to push on? I got no clue how we can overcome the mistress of bones, so I hope one of yous has a cunning plan!"
Ulrich speaks while going over the shoddy work of the scroll. "I have some spells saved for when we encounter our nemesis, but I don't want to use them before then if I can help it. Immediate healing falls almost squarely upon Alessandra's shoulders. I can help as well, but only when we have plenty of time, which I fear we do not at this moment. We only have a short respite while Ellie gets back on her feet. "
"All I have left, as far as spells are concerned, is healing for myself or Allie," Gabbi says as she checks her gear. "Do you need ammo?" she asks Ulrich. "I can share the remaining bolts I have if you need some."
"Ah, yes please. I have turned out to be a little more trigger-happy than I anticipated." Replies Ulrich to Gabriella.
Gabbi smirks as she reaches for her remaining crossbow bolts, but the expression shifts to annoyance when she realizes that there are none left.
She shrugs in embarrassment. "Sorry. It doesn't look like I can help you after all."
There's worry in her eyes as she turns to Allie.
Looking at the state of the group Alessandra takes a deep breath. "Should we try and escape? The garden only got closer as we tried to leave the Boneyard. If we fall back, towards the village we'll be able to get away." Gabbi at least can see that Allie isn't as confident as she sounds.
Ulrich decides to give Gabriella his last bolt. When he gives it to her, he gently places his other hand upon hers and says. "I believe you can use this better than I. Make it count, Gabriella."
When Alessandra brings up retreat, Ulrich replies. "These foes do not look easily replaceable, so retreating may be worthwhile. However, if we rest we will need to be vigilant. An ambush could certainly be possible. You could say that we are behind enemy lines."
"We fall back then." Alessandra decides, taking the group decision upon herself. Unless people dissent she leads the way back through the garden in order to exit the same way they came in and then leads a retreat down the dead roads until the garden fades into the distance.
"We should be safe here." She suggests once the garden is well out of sight. "We should set a watch though. Take it in turns to sleep."
Nothing stops you from falling back and setting up camp along the Dead Roads. You rest uneventfully, and the next day, you prepare to brave the dangers of Deathbower once more. When you return to the garden, though, you can see that it is beginning to gradually rot away. The lush lawns and brilliant flowers are slowly becoming brown and brittle.
Retracing your steps through the gardens, you come to the large arbor with the dark purple flowers arranged to resemble a giant spider web. The branches of the trees droop slightly, and the flowers have lost much of their luster. A gap in the hedge leads south.
Dozens of ravens, magpies, and jackdaws perch in the trees, all of them eerily quiet. They watch you as you approach, but shy away if you try to get near.
Ulrich decides to give Gabriella his last bolt. When he gives it to her, he gently places his other hand upon hers and says. "I believe you can use this better than I. Make it count, Gabriella."
The inquisitor looks slightly confused at Ulrich's offer. "Thank you," she says with suspicion. A moment later she approaches him. "I forgot that we picked these up from the scriptorium defenders," she says, placing nine crossbow bolts in his hand.
~~~~~
"This garden should be somewhere else in the boneyard. That's why it's starting to fall apart; It's been wrenched out of place," Gabbi says, noting the state of the greenery. She eyes the birds warily as the group moves through the gap in the hedges.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Does that mean we could just wait for it to collapse?" Allie asks, before sighing. "Probably not. Just waiting here won't do us any good either will it?"
"No, it won't. We need to keep moving," Gabbi responds, her eyes roaming for threats.
A long pond of inky, still water stretches across the north end of this large clearing, just south of a gap in the high hedges. A wooden bridge crosses the pond at its central, narrow point. A large, dense knot of shrubbery carefully pruned into a triangular shape eight feet high stands south of the pool, with another clearing beyond it. A few stone birdbaths stand around the pool.
A tall, thin woman in a crow mask stands on the bridge, with several gravestones floating in the air around her. Near her, perched on the railing of the bridge, is a giant raven the size of an eagle.
"I am Aydie," she calls out upon seeing you. "I take no joy in confronting you here, but you are defying the natural order. The shards of some unknown, dangerous substance are lodged in your hearts--likely, these are the cause of your strange condition. Yet that is besides the point--in order to restore the natural progression of your souls, you must die. Submitting to me is your best option. I will kill you mercifully. You have raised Mictena's anger--she is unlikely to be so kind."
Gabriella nods at the woman in acknowledgement, recognizing her for what she is and relieved at finding someone who's philosophy so closely mirrors her own.
At least until the woman begins speaking.
"But in either case, we're still dead," Gabbi snaps back in anger. "We need to find out how this happened and prevent it from happening again and we can't do that if we're dead!"
She raises her crossbow.
"I will not just roll over and die because it's inconvenient for you!"
Aydie inclines her head. "I was afraid you would say that. I have another suggestion, then: turn around and return to the Boneyard, as Mictena will not let you pass. You could find a new home there, and perhaps Mictena's ire would eventually cool. It might take a few years, but eventually Pharasma will be able to sort out this mess."
"We're not turning around and going back," says with determination. "You have two options. You can either let us pass so we can get to the bottom of this. Or you can stand in our way and we'll cut you down just like we've done for all the other opposition we've encountered so far." She aims her weapon. "It's your choice, but I'm beyond caring which way you go."
Aydie seems shaken by Gabby's resolve, but she sighs resignedly. "I owe a debt to Mictena. It must be repaid. I'm sorry."
Ulrich takes two steps back from Gabriella.
Kamosh says "Scary! Very Scary!"
------
------------------------------
Spells Prepared
------------------------------
0th (at will) Detect Magic, Mage Hand, Prestidigitation, Touch of Fatigue
1st Shield, Repair Undead, Vanish, Enlarge Person x2
2nd Blood Transcription, Boneshaker, False Life, Blindness/Deafness
When they reach the ravens, Ulrich casts Shield and False Life on himself, using his rod to increase their time.
------------
Ulrich begins chanting a spell of growth. Soon, Elka begins to feel herself grow...
Allie, who knows exactly how easily Gabbi can annoy people, is ready on her toes. Charging in she attempts to grab the psychopomp and end the fight quickly.
"This doesn't have to end in violence!" She says as the psychopomp evades her grasp. "You could let us through, then we'd be back where we belong and everyone could be happy."
Well, that escalated quickly! Before she's done processing what just happened, Elká finds herself slinking to the side as she unsheaths a javelin. Sooner or later, a gap will open up for a decisive throw ...
"I don't like this any more than you do," Aydie says, dodging Allie's grasp, "but it must be done." She stabs the dhampir twice with her dagger.
The giant raven squawks and pecks at Allie, but her armor protects her.
Allie turns her attention to the bird, hoping that it will be an easier target...
Elká parts with her javelin and then unsheathes another. "You're a slave to a failing system!"
"The system isn't failing," Gabriella retorts. "It's just filled with short-sighted people that can't see the big picture."
She looses a bolt at the raven-woman and then reloads.
Ulrich finishes his spell, which makes Elka suddenly double in height.
He quickly taps Kamosh and send him to towards Aydie, with a Touch of Fatigue.
"I don't like this any more than you do," Aydie says, dodging Allie's grasp, "but it must be done."
"WHAT?!" Ellie looks at the psycho psychopomp with disbelief, tinged with horror and more disbelief. "No! No, it DOESN'T have to be done! What is WRONG with everyone in this place?!"
She moves in and strikes at her with her flail. "Back off, or we will put you down. And then we'll get out of here and live our lives. YOU, meanwhile, will be face to face with your goddess, having to explain to her why you tried to kill living people. Good luck with that one."
The gravestone around Aydie moves to block Gabby's bolt, but that leaves an opening for Ellie to step in. The fighter smashes the psychopomp with her flail, injuring her. Elka's javelin strikes Aydie as well, though it doesn't seem to harm the woman much.
The giant raven dodges Allie's attempt to grab it.
Ulrich completes his spell, and Elka swells in size until she towers over the rest of you! He then sends Kamosh in to try to fatigue Aydie, but she resists the spell.
Aydie shifts her efforts to Ellie, slashing the fighter with her dagger. The raven pecks at Allie but fails to hit.
The oversized changeling barges into the melee, causing the ground to tremble underneath. She greets Aydie with a claw of disapproval as she hovers over the puny form of Allie, hoping to leave a scratch that says 'no' all over the psychopomp's torso.
Allie ducks as a sixth sense warns her about the huge changeling claw that whistles over her head. She lunges upwards from that low position to batter Aydie - giving up on the diplomatic approach.
Gabbi narrows her eyes at the floating gravestone. "That's going to be very annoying if it keeps doing that."
She aims and fires again, attempting to time her shot with the swirling stone, but fails.
Ulrich draws his crossbow and prepares to shoot either the raven or Aydie if they try to move out of melee.
Kamosh pecks Aydie ferociously!
Ellie steps to one side to get a flank assist, but in doing so she stumbles and her flail attack doesn't go where she wanted it to.
Kamosh's peck doesn't seem to harm Aydie, but Elka and Allie both land good hits. Ulrich, Ellie, and Gabby all fail to hit the psychopomp.
Gritting her teeth through the pain, Aydie continues to attack, switching back to Allie. The raven pecks at the dhampir as well.
"I'm sorry, but if us staying alive means you get to apologize to Pharasma for being, so be it!" Elká uses the fact Aydie is focusing on Eldarel to strike at a moment when the psychopomp's defenses are down: a pair of claws the size of scythes sweep in diagonally, trying to come into contact with the psychopomp so Elká can lean on in. What with her enormous size, it won't be pretty if she succeeds.
Ulrich prepares another shot.