The red stone begins to lazily orbit above Gabriella's head. She feels more agile!
"Is this really happening Gabbi?" She asks, sounding scared.
Gabriella closes her eyes, hearing her fears confirmed. "Oh, Allie," she says, drawing her sister into her arms. "It'll be all right. We'll find a way to ... We'll figure something out." She holds her for a bit before pulling back. She tips the woman's chin up and looks into her eyes. "I promise. We'll figure something out. We just need to get out of ... this place ... first. We're not meant to be judged yet and I'm not going to let some psychopomp with a Mommy complex force the issue."
She releases her sister, but retains her hand. "Let's go find this Arbella woman. She's next, right?" She glances to Ellie for confirmation.
As you prepare to move out, Ellie spots a familiar figure in the distance--the elf wizard, Anfiel! The Pathfinder's body glows as he wanders about. "Eldarel! Oh, where did that blasted girl run off to?"
As they rejoin the group Alessandra speaks up so that everyone can hear. "I've had a bit of a... change just now. I'm not quite sure how but suffice to say that if I touch something and its broken I don't think it'll stay that way. That said." She pulls the mace from her belt and again it cracks, bends and generally falls into disrepair as she holds it. "If someone else wants to use this I understand. I should probably stick to my fists for now."
Then she nudges Ellie. "Ellie, that elf over there is looking for you..."
Ellie's already hastily running towards the elf. "Oh, Meister Anfiel! You got caught up in it too! I'm so sorry..."
"There you are! What nonsense are you babbling about, now? Caught up in what?" Anfiel asks.
Ellie blinks at the elf's demeanor - he's been quite nice to her up until now. "Uh, I'm not sure how to say this, but, uh, have you noticed that we're in the Boneyard? Like, everyone from the town is here? Something, uh, something really bad has happened, and everyone in the town has ended up here. Including you. Uh, sorry."
She waits to see if it sinks in.
"The Boneyard? Preposterous! The only way we'd all be in the Boneyard is if everybody in town was dead!" Anfiel exclaims. He pauses for a moment and peers closely at Eldarel. "Are you feeling alright, Eldarel? Did you have too much to drink at the tavern last night?"
Ellie feels like she will be able to convince the elf of the truth, but it's going to take a while...
"We should probably leave her to it." Alessandra says, watching as Ellie engages Anfiel on the subject of his mortality. "Shall we go and find Ms Arbella and then meet up with her again in a little bit?"
You find Arbella Tharmethion lingering in a hedge thicket with several other members of the council. They are listening to a ranting ghostly man who bears a strong resemblance to Arbella, albeit with a short beard and a broken nose. You recognize this man as one of Ervin Roslar's companions--he was featured on the mural in the crypt's second level.
"Do not be taken in by this nefarious trickery!" the phantom cries. "I, Garrid Tharmethion, have come from beyond the grave to guide you through this ordeal. Though it may seem you are dead, you are not! This is not your time. Greater heroics await you once this situation is resolved!"
Phantoms are ectoplasmic outsiders that resist all but slashing weapons and are immune to mind-affecting effects.
Before they reach Arbella, Elká reflects on their current conditions in her own special way. "You know how they always wish for the deceased to find peace in the afterlife? Sjeez, now we know that's a big fat lie! Being dead apparently triggers a certain verboseness, if that's even a word."
And poof, proof that what she said on the verbosenessicitity nature of the dead is true. "Why hello, Garrid, and yes, thank you for recognizing the greatness that hides inside all of us like a seed already planted, yet in need of water and love! Or, alternatively, wine and cheese. But eh, not to burst your bubble, some of us here are dead and some ain't. Look, the sisters and I don't glow," and she waves a hand at the Dhamperella's. "Yet all of you do. Odd, isn't it? That they tell you that you're dead yet us, well, we're apparently alive and here by mistake. The truth lights the way as the Sarenites say and, I'm sorry for having to point this out, but your glow indicates you have passed on to Pharasma's embrace."
Garrid's visage twists into a mask of rage. "LIAR! Who are you going to listen to, Arbella? Your honored ancestor, who fought alongside the great hero, Ervin Roslar, or a tawdry harlot with mismatched eyes?" He points at all of you in turn. "I challenge you all to a fight! The winner shall be proven correct!"
"We'll have to cut him!" Alessanra says calmly. "Smashing a ghost-thing won't do much!"
She seems absolutely fine with fighting the creature, stepping up in an attempt to immobilise him.
Garrid howls with fury and moves to attack!
Unsure whether her claws can scratch the ectoplasm to bits, Elká flies into combat and hopes to make the best of it. "You call me a harlot, a HARLOT?! You've lost your mind, dead man!"
Elka's claw rips through the phantom, splattering ectoplasm on the ground. "You'll be the dead one when I'm through with you!" Garrid shouts as he swings his fists. The changeling's armor keeps her safe from harm.
Alessandra moves up and grabs the phantom, putting him into a vicious headlock!
As Alessandra grabs the phantom her hands begin to crackle with black energy. She nearly lets go in shock as the energy arcs into the phantom, leaving charred black patches in his ectoplasmic form.
Gabriella mutters a sonerous prayer to the Lady of Graves and steps close and touches the spectral creature with a hand glowing with negative energy - mirroring her sister's.
Ulrich moves in to help Alessandra maintain her grapple, but he's unsure how to go about grappling an ectoplasm. He just kind of stands there awkwardly like he's about to give a hug to a very gross person.
The overcrowded brawl has Elká linger around its fringes and from there, the changeling tries to do what she can without accidentally scalping one of the Dhampir sisters.
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Kamosh lifts off from Ulrich's shoulder and circles around the fight. It lands on the back of Alessandra's pack and starts rifling through it for food.
Garrid snarls with pain and fury as Alessandra's hands crackle with negative energy. Ulrich attempts to assist the dhampir, though the thrashing phantom keeps him at bay. Gabreilla adds her own negative energy to the mix, while Elka manages to hit with one of her claws.
"ARGH! LET GO, WENCH!" Garrid screams. He struggles and attempts to pummel Alessandra, but the dhampir keeps a firm grip on him, avoiding his blows.
"The bird's not helping, Doc!" Gabbi snaps as she repeats her prayer and attempts to pour more dark energy into the being.
inflict light wounds
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"Kamosh not here!" Squawks the little bird as it buries itself in Alessandra's pack and tries to hide.
Garrid resists the worst of Gabby's spell, though the phantom seems very badly damaged. He is struggling to maintain his ectoplasmic form.
"Kamosh! Get your avian posterior back here!" yells Ulrich as he still tries to help subdue ectoplasm.
What does she have in there, Kamosh? Tissues? A hankerchief? A lock of hair?
What does she have in there, Kamosh? Tissues? A hankerchief? A lock of hair?
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"The Boneyard? Preposterous! The only way we'd all be in the Boneyard is if everybody in town was dead!" Anfiel exclaims. He pauses for a moment and peers closely at Eldarel. "Are you feeling alright, Eldarel? Did you have too much to drink at the tavern last night?"
Ellie scowls. "What? No! When have you ever seen me drinking in a tavern?! Although the day I've had, I could certainly use a drink... But seriously, look around. This isn't the town: it's an echo of one. Look beyond the fields - what do you see? A never-ending graveyard? Yes, me too. You've been one of my mentors, Meister Anfiel, so tell me: if a student was seeing what you see, what would you tell them?"
Hearing the distant sounds of combat, she looks around. Her scowl deepens. "Oh, honestly! I can't leave them alone for five minutes...! Could you hurry up with your epiphany please, I'm really needed elsewhere."
She wouldn't have dared talk to him this way when he was alive; but then, he was much nicer to her. Being dead hasn't improved him.
Alessandra continues to grapple the spectre, gritting her teeth as more negative energy runs through her hands and into Garrid before she dives in to rip at his ectoplasmic throat.
The phantom shrivels in Alessandra's grasp, then it dissolves into a puddle of wet ectoplasm. Arbella blinks, seemingly confused by everything that just happened. Did you just melt my ancestor?"
***
Anfiel scoffs at Ellie, refusing to believe her.
Kamosh feels frustrated at the lack of stuff in this backpack and silently slips out. He falls to the ground and inspects the ground for worms and little insects.
Gabbi moves closer to check on her sister, but pulls back when she realizes that Allie is covered with ... slime.
"Ewww!" she says, recoiling in disgust. "That's just ... gross."
Ulrich is unphased by the ichor. "Hmmm if only I had a vial to keep some of this for research." He doesn't bother to answer the dead person's answer, but remains interested in studying the composition of ectoplasm.
"Yeah..." Alessandra replies, shaking her hands vigorously to try and clear the ancestor from it.
"I'm really sorry about that Ms. Arbella. You saw it was him that started it. I'm afraid he had some misconceptions about our state of life. The majority of the town has died at some point in the last night. We were hoping you would assist us to help the rest of the townsfolk come to terms with this fact. Can the Mayor count on your help?"
Ellie stalks away from the elf, muttering under her breath.
She's not in a great mood when she rejoins the others. "Was there some part of 'persuade' that means something different in dhampir?"
She turns to the Councilwoman. "I am so sorry for my companions, who I hardly even know. But, uh, they're not wrong - I mean, if they'd just killed someone who was alive, you'd expect to see the body, right? The fact that there's no corpse means something is seriously off, yes?"
She fervently hopes they haven't blown it. The thought of having to persuade every.single.townsperson individually chills her to the core - even more when she remembers the psychopomp's threat to come back at some point and kill them with kindness.
The ectoplasm fades away completely after a minute or so, leaving no trace behind. "Yes, it is quite unusual. So we are dead, then? If that is the case, then we shouldn't linger here trying to deny the truth. We will go the mayor at once! The townsfolk must hear it from her." The other council members nod in agreement.
Soon, Mayor Grive calls a meeting in what passes for the town hall: a large clearing surrounded by dead sycamores. With your support and that of the town council, and a brave face from their children, the townsfolk are grimly accepting of the truth. Even stubborn Anfiel is forced to come to terms with his fate.
The people of Roslar's Coffer stir and murmur uncomfortably, but a look of placid acceptance begins to spread. One by one, the figures in the audience begin to exude a warm glow. As her own light slowly brightens, Mayor Grive turns back to speak. "I suppose, at least, there will still be someone on the other side who still remembers us. Just please, promise me that you'll find out what happened to us when you get back, and that you'll go to the capital and tell them what killed the people of Roslar's Coffer." She sighs. "Well... it seems this is goodbye."
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She's not in a great mood when she rejoins the others. "Was there some part of 'persuade' that means something different in dhampir?"
Gabriella's eyes narrow. "Now just listen here, Blondie ... " she begins, but the woman turns away from her. The inquisitor turns to her sister and glares.
See!
She turns to the Councilwoman. "I am so sorry for my companions, who I hardly even know. But, uh, they're not wrong - I mean, if they'd just killed someone who was alive, you'd expect to see the body, right? The fact that there's no corpse means something is seriously off, yes?"
Gabbi remains silent as the Lore Warden soothes over the ruffled feathers of the council people. She stands with her arms crossed and her eyes shooting daggers at the young woman's back.
Gabbi remains silent as the Lore Warden soothes over the ruffled feathers of the council people. She stands with her arms crossed and her eyes shooting daggers at the young woman's back.
Ellie nods at the Mayor's words. "Of course, Madam Mayor." She bites her lip. "I'm sorry that... well, that we get to go back and you don't. I don't know why that is. But we will do as you ask. I hope you and everyone else finds peace."
Wiping her eyes, she walks away before she cries in front of everyone. Again.
Eventually, she finds the courage to go back to talk to Meister Anfiel. "Uh, I'm... I mean, our last conversation didn't go well. That's not how I want to remember you. Thank you for, uh, for taking me on, for teaching me Elven, for, well, for... everything." She gestures hopelessly. There's no way she can convey the right words. "If there's, if there's, uh, anything you want done back in Golarion, any message you want me to pass on to anyone, then I'll do what I can."
Gabbi remains silent as the Lore Warden soothes over the ruffled feathers of the council people. She stands with her arms crossed and her eyes shooting daggers at the young woman's back.
Ulrich doesn't quite catch on to what Ellie is going through. He's instead busy writing as many notes as possible about the souls of Roslar's Coffer, the ectoplasm phantom, and a multitude of other things as he goes from mental tangent to tangent.
Kamosh sings to bid farewell to the souls. He coughs part way through, says 'sorry' and then continues in the wrong key.
She's not in a great mood when she rejoins the others. "Was there some part of 'persuade' that means something different in dhampir?"Gabriella's eyes narrow. "Now just listen here, Blondie ... " she begins, but the woman turns away from her. The inquisitor turns to her sister and glares.
See!
She turns to the Councilwoman. "I am so sorry for my companions, who I hardly even know. But, uh, they're not wrong - I mean, if they'd just killed someone who was alive, you'd expect to see the body, right? The fact that there's no corpse means something is seriously off, yes?"Gabbi remains silent as the Lore Warden soothes over the ruffled feathers of the council people. She stands with her arms crossed and her eyes shooting daggers at the young woman's back.
"You aren't helping either!" Alessandra whispers, although she's grinning like a Cheshire cat. "If you stop provoking her it'll go better. Besides, she did a better job than me. That's allowed! Difficult, but allowed."
She leans over to kiss her slightly taller sister on the cheek. "I love you anyway. Now calm down and watch out for the creepy lady. This is going to attract attention or I'm a halfling!"
"... Okay, alright, more goo-byes, fine, it's not like the day can get much worse ... "
Elká gets her waterskin and splashes some water onto her hands to help get the ectoplasm off. "Now, stop squabbling. It's obvious the whatever-he-was was looking for a bruising. The man was spouting nonsense at his ancestor and something tells me that whatever form he manifested in, wasn't exactly prone to reason. I rather we complete our task and get Caderous and Palaverous to help us out then linger too long and have that altogether too pretty skeleton lady getting back to us. Oh, she'll ease the tension and make you feel at ease, alright."
"You aren't helping either!" Alessandra whispers, although she's grinning like a Cheshire cat. "If you stop provoking her it'll go better. Besides, she did a better job than me. That's allowed! Difficult, but allowed."
Gabriella continues to glare at the Lore Warden, and mutters something suspiciously like, "I haven't even begun to provoke that ... " The rest of her comment trails off into something that sounds like 'witch'.
She leans over to kiss her slightly taller sister on the cheek. "I love you anyway. Now calm down and watch out for the creepy lady. This is going to attract attention or I'm a halfling!"
"You really want to ... ?" Again, she trails off as she looks at her sister and then at the young human. She rolls her eyes.
"Is there a reason your bird was trying to go through my sister's bag, Doctor? Or is it just a thief at heart?" she says, trying to change the subject.
Anfiel is much more calm now, at peace with his death. "You are welcome, Eldarel. I know that I could be hard on you at times, but that was only because I truly wanted to see you succeed. Remember what I taught you. Continue to explore, learn, and grow. The Pathfinder Society is lucky to have you as a member. And I... I was lucky to have you as a student." The elf smiles.
Once you have said your goodbyes, you find Umble and Thoot waiting for you at the valley entrance. "Splendiferous work! Well then, yes, I suppose we are prepared to get you back to your world. The ritual is quite simple, but I must ask you not to pay too close attention, as we’re not technically empowered to perform this bit of extrajurisdictational transposition.
“Like most things involving psychopomps, the Dead Roads rely on a complex bureaucracy. They’re maintained by Barzahk the Passage to allow us to come and go, but creatures of... of non-psychopompological nature need authorization to prevent abuse. Specially appointed bureaucrats control way stations along the routes, and can offer a stamp on your body to pass freely. Without a stamp of passage, beings tend to, oh... ‘slide off’ the Dead Roads and land back here—hopefully. We never did locate more than a few fingers from that one poor waywardarian Keleshite who found his way in.
“The route to Roslar’s Coffer passes three way stations: the Palace of Teeth, a manor called Nine-Eaves, and Salighara’s Scriptorium. You’ll need to stop at all three to make your pilgrimage back to Lastwall. Each way station master will probably charge for passage. Given your pauparian circumstances, I assume they’ll trade services. I hope.”
Kamosh whistles like any whippoorwill would after Gabriella changes the subject.
Ulrich starts as he's wrapping up his notes. "Oh! So that is where the little imp went. Well I can tell you that he eats anything he can get his beak on, even foods that are not meant for members of his species. He will try to steal the ale right from the mug in your hand. I am sorry to inform you that I have no control over his actions and he only occasionally listens to me. If you spy him causing mischief, feel free to give him a smack, but not too hard. Replacing familiars is a long and grueling process."
Gabriella looks like she's going to say something about having to replace a familiar if it tries to steal anything from her pack, but at a look from Alessandra she stays her tongue.
"Who's in charge of each of the way stations?" she asks. Despite drawing her power from the Lady of Graves, the inquisitor seems reluctant to spend a lot more time interacting with psychopomps.