As you take one final look at the Dead Roads you have walked, you feel stronger and more confident than before. Surely your experiences here in the Boneyard have unlocked more of your potential for the challenges still to come. You step forward into the light...
1 Pharast, 4719 AR
The first beams of morning sunlight warm your faces. You feel renewed and refreshed, as though awakening from a long and peaceful slumber, but the color of the sunlight--an eerie yellowish-green--indicates that something is amiss here.
The sunlight streams in through the dirty windows of a wooden stable. The smell of rotting hay—and strangely, decomposing fish—lingers among a handful of stalls, their wood splintered in many places. Several discarded saddles and harnesses lie scattered beneath broken pegs and shelves. The large double door that would be the livery’s entrance hangs limply on hinges barely affixed to cracked wood.
"The hay I can understand." Allie says, trying not to hold her nose. "But why on earth can I smell dead fish?"
Gabbi's nose wrinkles. "I told you we needed a bath," she says with a smirk. She steps forward and pushes open the damaged door.
The door opens to reveal a weed-choked yard surrounded by a high fence. Both Gabby and Elka spot the danger here--four large, blue, fleshy bulbs are buried in the ground among the tall weeds. They seem to be the source of the stench.
Ellie is unusually subdued on the journey home. She, too, has questions for Barzhak about those who have gone beyond; but it seems that they are destined to remain just that - questions. Perhaps she wouldn't like the answers, anyway.
Are you still there? Or were you just my imagination going crazy?
Nothing.
She sighs, and is silent for the rest of the way home.
"Careful. Those things are wheedwhips. Poisonous animated plants."
She looks at the splintered rear of the stable. "Maybe I can smash a way out?"
"Smash away," Gabbi says, stepping out of the way and taking a better look at the smelly plants.
Elká waves her hand at the wall and steps aside, giving the warrior all the room she needs to cause further destruction. "Sure, destroy what little seems to be left of our home ..." She tries to remain stoic, but there's an audible weakness to her voice as if it won't take much to break it. The source of it is a voice inside her head, whispering tales of dread. Whatever truth they'll find in Roslar's Coffer won't be a pleasant nor comforting one. "Please, be careful. Whatever happened here, remember: it was bad enough to mess up things all the way to Pharasma's realm."
"And there hasn't been anyone here since." Allie adds. "Based on the yard it looks like we've been away weeks - and no-one else has come either. I don't want to fight poisonous flowers though - lets come back later and lob torches at them until they burn up."
Ellie breaks a hole in the back wall of the stable, providing an exit for all of you.
What remains of Roslar’s Coffer lies before you, but familiar buildings lie in ruins and plants grow wild, as if hundreds of years have passed. Shapes flit by the windows of many homes, and a white glow emanates from the direction of the cemetery on the southeast edge of town. Stranger than all that, however, is the yellowish-green cloud that surrounds the entirety of Roslar’s Coffer, arching into the sky and making the sunlight feeble and dim. The withered corpses of several birds and rabbits are visible on the ground just within this greenish fog.
Elká looks up at the sky overhead to get some insight on 'when' they are. But as it is daytime, going by the feeble light that manages to penetrate the foul miasma, the best she can do is get an idea of what season it might be.
"If this is what nature does within weeks, I really ought to pay more respect to the brave gardeners and caretakers."
Ellie gapes in disbelief as she looks around. "How... how long have we been away? What HAPPENED here?!?"
It seems like it is still the tail end of winter, almost to the start of spring. Not much time has passed at all.
"This is really weird." Allie agrees. "Does anyone want to go to their homes? Gabbi and I left some things at the inn."
Gabbi gives her sister a raised eyebrow and then shakes her head.
She steps close to the Lorewarden. "That's what we intend to find out," she says in a soft voice as she places a hand on the woman's shoulder. After reassuring the woman, she steps away and slowly turns in a circle, letting her feelings reach out to sense any nearby auras.
Seeing her sister scouting, Allie does likewise, extending her senses to try and extablish what magic is present in the area.
"I doubt we'll be needing a bear trap anytime soon, but sure, we can stop by the inn if you insist. I'd rather check out what's going on at the cemetery ... yeah, yeah, we just returned from the universe's biggest cemetery, I know, but look, there's something strange going on." A jagged fingernail points out the illuminative disturbance.
Gabbi doesn't detect any evil auras. If Allie gets close to the fog, though, she can sense that it radiates a strong aura of magic.
Ulrich walks behind, taking in the whole scene with stoicism. He activates his own detect magic and tries to analyze the fog.
The fog radiates a strong aura of conjuration magic. Ulrich surmises that the effect has been produced by a very powerful magic item, possibly a minor artifact.
"This fog is caused by a magic item of sorts, possibly even a minor artifact. It has such power beyond anything I have ever seen. We will need to deactivate it in order to pass, but I am concerned about who, or what, is responsible for its erection."
As you make your way through the outskirts of Roslar's Coffer, you can see many buildings are destroyed or burned out, as if a massive fire has raged through the town. Many roofs bear gaping holes, while others have completely collapsed. Most structures look barely safe enough to enter, like a strong gust of wind might knock them over. Other areas are completely overgrown with ivy and weeds, and a few freestanding walls look like this overgrowth is the only thing keeping them from falling over. No signs of life remain in the town.
The silence is broken by the slow, dragging thud of hoofbeats from a nearby street. Four dead elk lumber into view, bones and muscles visible through gaps in their rotting flesh. They turn their milky eyes upon you and begin to advance!
Before you can react, the surprisingly swift zombies are upon you, goring with their antlers! Ellie takes two hits, while Elka takes one.
"Gabbi, get back! Far back!" Allie yells as she feels something welling up inside her. She circles the combatants as best she can, trying to get as much distance from her sister as she can before it explodes.
As she lets go a wave of silver moonlight ripples out from her body, burning undead flesh, although Alessandra is unharmed at the centre of the blast.
All of a sudden, there's too much going on in Elká's life. Altogether too much! Dead eyes glare at the changeling, somehow insinuating she has committed a crime - for what, being alive?! "About that bear trap! ..."
Elka rips one of the zombie elks to pieces, leaving three remaining.
"Owww!" Ellie's exclamation is as much surprise/annoyance as pain.
She strikes at the nearest attacker with her flail.
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With worry on her face, Gabriella loads her crossbow while she puts distance between herself and Allie. When she feels the echoes from the energy that her sister releases, her eyes go wide.
Ulrich steps towards the zombie elks and studies them carefully. He reaches out with his hand, and tries to grab the lingering souls of these animals and bend them to his will.
RETCON: One of the zombie elk falls under Ulrich's control, turning towards the necromancer and awaiting commands. Allie's positive energy weakens the other enough that Elka is able to dispatch two of them, but Ellie misses the final one.
It attacks Ellie in response, slamming its bulk into her!
Ellie shouts in annoyance and attacks the one that bit her.
A feeling of euphoria washes over Ulrich. He visibly smiles and says
Gabbi holds her shot, certain that Ellie can handle the beast and not wanting to waste a quarrel.
"What madness drove these creatures from the wild to Roslar's Coffer?! And what in the name of all that is Holy turned them into .. into this?! Ugh! Do you think the villagers are now shambling about as well, Ulrich?"
Ellie destroys the last zombie elk with a mighty smash of her flail.
Elka catch a glimpse of a humanoid figure on the roof of a building two blocks away. It seems to be a male half-orc wearing leather armor. He slips out of sight for a moment, then Elka sees him making for the tree line just north of town.
"You're not planning on keeping that ... thing, are you?" Gabbi asks, giving Ulrich a suspicious look. "It shouldn't exist."
Elka points a finger at one the roofs and starts to blabber. "Hey. Hey! There was a man there! Half-orc, I think, in leathers! Hey! He's heading for the tree line! We got to follow him!"
Ellie shudders in agreement as she looks at the undead beast. "That is dark magic, Doctor. I'd be much happier if we put it down. Anyone who sees us with it is going to attack first and ask questions later."
She shudders again. "And I wouldn't blame them."
"Wait! Gabbi calls out, putting her hand on Elká's arm. "He could be bait." Her eyes scan the area surrounding where the changeling is pointing, seeking out a possible ambush. "We need to be careful and move slowly."
Gabby doesn't see any signs of an ambush by the treeline.
Still not trusting that it's not an ambush, Gabbi says, "We should move forward towards where he vanished. Carefully and keep your eyes open." She readies her crossbow and begins moving forward slowly.
You carefully follow the trail the half-orc left behind, eyes alert as you enter the woods. After a bit, the forest opens into a clearing. In stark contrast to the ruin and decay of the town, this clearing teems with strange life. Gray, bulbous fruit hangs from the trees, and brightly colored flowers bloom on the forest floor, giving off a sickly sweet odor. A rotted log lies in front of a narrow opening in the foliage to the north. The plants here all wave slightly, as if in a breeze, but the air is completely still.
You catch another glimpse of the half-orc as he disappears through the gap in the foliage.
Ulrich looks from his allies to the undead elk and back multiple times, hesitating with his answer. When they get distracted with the half-orc, Ulrich decides to save the conversation for later, and says
"Sinew-hoof. Follow and be quiet."
Looking back just once, Gabriella's eyes take on their typical disapproving glare.
Allie follows, sticking closely to her sister. The silver glow has winked out as completely as if it had never existed but Allie has a slight sheen to her hair, as though it was going a little silver.
"Are you ok Ellie?" She asks, "I can fix the moose bites if you need me to." Her cool hand lingers on Ellie's bruised flesh as she looks for permission
Gabbi takes her sister's hand.
She leans in close. "Where did that ... energy come from? That's a dangerous game you're playing."
"The moon sees almost everything you know." Allie replies, equally quietly. "And it changes. I can... copy that somehow, change my magic - I think. At least it should help keep our living fellows alive."
"And maybe we can stop Ellie getting into so much trouble." She says with a smile. "No - that's not likely, is it?"
Ellie nods absently as she looks around, wary of further trouble. "I wouldn't mind some healing. If you have some magic to stop me getting hit in the first place, that would be great."
Allie bites into her own thumb and smears the blood, not across the wound, but across Ellie's bottom lip instead. Her thumb lingers for a moment and then pulls back to be matched with an impish grin.
"Sorry - I don't think I can do that. You'll just have to try not to get hit in the first place! But not too much, else I'd have no excuse to put my hands all over you!"
After seeing the hot mess that is Pharasma's realm, it doesn't exactly surprise Elká that Roslar's Coffer is in an absolute state of disarray. From undead elk roaming the streets to her companions arguing over this and that while shamelessly flirting as they're surrounded by a deadly miasma of sorts. Sure, why not!
"A tool is a tool and for now, the elk can serve the right side in all of this one last time before departing to the afterlife. Anyways, enough dallying. Let's get a move on."
Ulrich follows behind and keeps stride with Elka, who seems to understand his perspective. He replies to Gabriella
"What I am doing is no different from mind control, but fear not, it will be released before this sun sets."
When they reach the strange plants and trees, Ulrich tries to identify them while Sinew-hoof catches up.
Not entirely sure of what he's found, he says
"Sinew-hoof, move North to the rotted log."
The zombie elk follows Ulrich's commands. As it approaches the log, large fronds on the ground give way beneath its feet!
The elk plummets into a twenty-foot deep pit, becoming impaled on two sharpened wooden stakes at the bottom. It doesn't seem to be badly damaged, though it struggles feebly to free itself from its predicament.
A few moments later, you hear a raised voice from the northeast. "Arrgh! Help!" The cry is followed by a bestial bellow and the sound of a falling tree.