Rose says sympathetically to Three, "I'm sorry Three, we didn't want it to go this way. Thank you for doing what's right, you're a good guardian."
HP 7/13
AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 16, CMD 16 (+1 dodge bonus against Large creatures; +2 vs. Huge or bigger creatures)
Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +0
Challenge: 0/1; Tactician (4 rounds): 0/1
Effects:
Mithralline jabs at the celedon again, refusing to give it any more benefit of the doubt, but in her anger, the blow goes badly wide.
"Damnit!" she curses.
Laurel's attack should have missed the celedon, but Number Three's words of inspiration helps lift his weapon the last inch that is needed to make the connection.
With expert precision, Aralah's arrow flies past Mithralline and strikes the celedon directly to her north.
Along with Number Three, Sarela tries to help guide Mithralline's attack.
Unable to help from her position, Sam laments "Why does this always seem to happen? Oh well. Next time will be better." She cheers up.
Number One swings its blade towards Mithralline and Number Two swings at Laurel. One is successful, burying its blade in Mithralline's shoulder , but Number Two misses as it swings short of the cleric.
Number Three watches in horror as the battle rages on. It continues to sing his Pharasman melody, attempting to inspire the party to win this battle.
Laurel lets the attack bounce off his shield, returning a cut in kind!
Sam does her best to push through her allies to get up to the front so she can help a little bit. She limps as she passes Rose and Aralah. "Sorry about that! Didn't mean to bump you."
Sarela looks to Laurel, who is also up at the fore, and says, "I have a feeling that the fortune of Sarenrae will favor you." She then giggled, for Sarenrae was not a goddess of luck.
HP 2/13
AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 16, CMD 16 (+1 dodge bonus against Large creatures; +2 vs. Huge or bigger creatures)
Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +0
Challenge: 0/1; Tactician (4 rounds): 0/1
Effects: courageously inspired (+1/+1)
Having switched to her trident, Mithralline stabs again, but the blood loss from her numerous wounds is starting to show, and the half-hearted stab just scrapes off the creature's metallic skin..
"We need to finish this soon, or it'll become our graves for real!" she calls out.
Aralah launches another arrow at the celedon she had previously hit, trying to help th in their numbers.
Rose follows Sam's lead, draws her longsword, and moves to the front next to Laurel.
Laurel and Aralah both land their attacks, bringing the damage totals to each of their enemy celdons to about equal. While it's clear they have injured these foes, they still have enough to keep their assault up.
Both the celedons before Mithralline and Laurel swing again, this time both of their attacks coming up short as the party continues to move in and show the force of their numbers.
Number Three's voice is strangely melodic and possess beautiful qualities that would probably be classified as a tenor. While the words don't all make sense, the pitch and thematic elements of its song continue to inspire the actions of the party.
With the blessing of luck on his side, Laurel takes a swing!
Rose swings her longsword at the one attacking Laurel, inspired by Three's melodious tones.
"Auntie Rose, I think you need some luck if you're going to be on the front lines of this fight!" Sarela giggles again as she exhorts Rose's efforts.
HP 2/13
AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 16, CMD 16 (+1 dodge bonus against Large creatures; +2 vs. Huge or bigger creatures)
Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +0
Challenge: 0/1; Tactician (4 rounds): 0/1
Effects: courageously inspired (+1/+1)
Mithralline's wounds continue to hamper her, a pained wince crossing her face as a cut hampers her blow, even worse than the previous one.
Aralah shakes her head at the celedon's continued assault as she grabs another arrow from her quiver to fire.
Her distaste at the celedon's stubbornness seems to distract her as her shot goes wide.
Sam tries to help protect her comrades! "Please stop this. We havent damaged the tomb. There were more and ostovites that did! We've been stopping them and helping protect the tomb!"
Sam's words fall on deaf ears as Laurel and Rose drop Number Two. These protectors are loyal and fearless and Number One shows no sign of relenting despite the overwhelming odds. It swings its sword towards Mithralline, but her defensive posture lets her easily move out of the way before the attack would land.
Laurel starts moving forward to surround the last creature. "Lay down your arms, there is no need to fall here!"
HP 2/13
AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 16, CMD 16 (+1 dodge bonus against Large creatures; +2 vs. Huge or bigger creatures)
Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +0
Challenge: 0/1; Tactician (4 rounds): 0/1
Effects: courageously inspired (+1/+1)
"He's clearly not going to give up," Mithralline grates back.
She thrusts with the trident again, finally finding her mark. "For freedom!" she cries out.
Sarela prepares to cast a spell at Number One if it attacks Mithralline again, then giggles to boost Laurel and Rose's luck.
Mithralline's trident pierces the celedon, inflicting even more damage. It's barely still managing to function, but it presses on.
Sarela's ray just barely misses the celedon, flying right past its head.
Sam steps forward and tries to help distract the celadon from attacking Mithralline. "Leave her alone! You're malfunctioning!"
Aralah tries to finish off the last one still standing.
Aralah is successful, her arrow piercing the chest of the guardian. It's body instantly collapses to the ground, the sword that was in its hands skittering across the floor.
Number Three stops its singing and moves forward to inspect Number One and Number Four silently. It reaches down and takes a pair of keys from Number One and moves towards the double doors to the east. After opening it up it motions out silently towards your group.
Sam looks sadly at the fallen Celadon to then up at number three. "That song was beautiful... Magical... Are you ok? Is there anything we can do to repair them?" Then she walks forward toward the door to take a breath of fresh air. "Gosh it sure will be good to see the blue sky and green trees again! I can practically hear the birds already!"
Sarela's giggles fade as she truly considers what had just happened. She wasn't thrilled they had been forced to fight the guardians and destroy them, and she was sure that, for all that celadons were automatons, Number Three had enough personality and emotions to feel sorrow. As she goes to exit the Tomb, she says, "I'm sorry it came to that. I wish it hadn't. We'll leave you and not disturb the tomb anymore."
Rose looks down, crestfallen and says in a sorrowful tone, "I'm very sorry it had to come to this Three, you are such a loyal and good guardian. I apologize for the mean ways I talked to you before. I was deeply wrong. My offer still stands to help you with anything you need."
She heads to the door to find out what happened with the town and perhaps gain a clue as to why the group are in the Tomb.
"Hold on!" Mithralline barks as the others turn to the door. "Let's see if we can find some tracks out there, give us a better idea of what's happening."
Leaning heavily on her lance, but not willing to acknowledge how badly she's hurt, she looks around before exiting the tomb.
Number Three doesn't say anything or move in response to Mithralline's statement. It simply stays standing with its arm pointed out of the open door.
As she examines the entrance area, she is quite sure that whoever came into this tomb did not come through this area. The door looks like it hasn't been open in some time and there are no visible signs of tracks here.
After she is done, Number Three speaks again. He does not seem to hold any further interest in why you are here, only that you do not belong. "Please, be on your way now. We have a lot to address."
Once you've left the the tomb, the door shuts and you can hear the sounds of it locking again behind you.
The landscape outside the tomb is bathed in grim moonlight. Dead trees adorn pale, rolling hills, each of which is covered with gravestones that march away to the dark horizon. The moon above is impossibly large and looks down upon you as a glowering skull.
The landscape looks strange and different than it should. Something clearly is off here...
Laurel only nods his head sadly to the creature as they leave.
Once outside Laurel takes one step, then stops and goes pale. His hands begin shaking and he slides down against the wall. "No..."
Mithralline looks around, and then at Laurel.
"What?"
Sarela steps outside with the others, then looks at the stunted trees and massive number of gravestones. "This doesn't look right..." Looking up at the moon, she stares at the grinning skull-face for a moment, suddenly knowing exactly where she is. A look of horror spreads across her face. "We're in the Boneyard! The Boneyard! Where the souls of the deceased come to be judged! But we're not dead! We aren't! We can't be! How did we come to be here!? Why is Roslar's Tomb in the boneyard!? How could this happen!?" Sarela breaks down into a fit of hysterics as she begins panicking about how they could have ended up where they did.
Sam looks at the horrible trees and the landscape of death with a shocked expression across her small face. "What... where are the birds? Where's the sun? What's going on?"
When Sarela describes her knowledge of this place, Sam relaxes. "Oh that's ok then!" She smiles brightly. "I'm glad you're so smart you know where we are. Then we'll just figure out how to get back home! There must have been some sort of magical mix-up. I'm sure if we find someone we can talk to, we'll be ok."
Concerned, she walks over to Laurel. With him slumped to the ground, they are approximately on eye level with each other. "It's ok, buddy. We'll be alright. Come with us and we'll find out how we can go home." She nudges him with her boot. "I know we fought through that tomb and all but you need to stop resting on your... Laurels..." she winks and giggles.
Laurel shoves Sam's hand away. "No, we really won't be alright, because we're already " He holds his head in his hands and shakes it. "Pharasma doesn't make 'mix-ups'. I thought...oh gods I don't even know how I died."
"Pfft," Mithralline scoffs. "It's not like I died in my bed. Obviously somewhere there was a mistake."
She looks around and then down at herself.
"Look, do you really think anyone bleeds -- or hurts -- this much in the Boneyard? Sam's right. I don't know what's going on, but we just need to figure out how to get home. Rest, first, though. If anything else happens, I really will be dead."
Aralah is happy to get out of that gods forsaken tomb they had been trapped in, without even knowing how they got there in the first place. She takes a deep breath to breath in the fresh outdoor air, but quickly realizes something is amiss, just in time for the others to explain where they think the group is. Not saying a word she takes in the surrounding as she thinks back on what could have happened, she was fairly certain she wasn’t dead. As Mithralline put it she came too close to dying in the tomb for her to already be dead.
This wasn’t the first time she found herself stranded somewhere alien to her. She survived the last time and she nodded to herself knowing she could do it again, especially this time when she wasn’t alone. ”I think Mithralline is right, both about us not being dead and us needing to rest. Let me see if I can get a lay of the land while you all setup camp. Let’s heal up, get some rest and make a gameplan in the morning. Obviously, something is wrong here, we just need to figure out how to survive it and fix it...”
As you struggle to get your bearings and Aralah begins to scout around and discovers two possible threats approaching in the distance. She hurries back to the group and the two creatures follow, but do not attack. One is a looming skeletal humanoid with large wings and a metallic jackal mask for a head. The second rides on the first one's shoulder, appearing to be a black raven wearing a porcelain mask.
"Oh, isn't this a meeting of obvious fortuitousness!" the bird says excitedly. "Here you are, and here we are. My name is Umble, and my silent companion here is named Thoot." The skeletal humanoid inclines its masked head. When it notices your weapons it raises its arms high and says. "We mean you no harm, despite the strange harmaments you seem to have already suffered. Yes, yes, this is the land of the dead, and no, you aren't dead yourselves. You seem to be something of a special case—you seem a touch too vitalitinous for this place."
The bird peers closely, cocking her head to one side. "Ah, there is a wonderment! Your hearts have something lodged inside them. Something that's brought you here, but kept you from doing so in the orthodoxiumous fashion. I cannot help but ruminate: what has caused your strange condition?"
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When Rose walks out of the tomb and sees the endless graveyard she gasps, "We died!" She sinks to her knees as she gapes at the landscape and tears start to run down her cheeks.
The invisible voice of Alivia in the her ear comments, "That's impossible, how could you have died? I'm here with you and I can't die. I think I would have remembered you dying. This is some sort of elaborate nightmare."
Stunned, Rose begins to believe her longtime suspicion that Alivia is indeed a figment of her mind, If Alivia was a spirit, she wouldn't have been here when I died. Have I inherited my father's madness and it's beginning to take hold? And if this was a nightmare, Alivia's voice was truly unreal. But how does Alivia and the other voices in my head know things I don't?
Multiple emotions begin to roil within her, her mind flashed between confusion, fear, doubt, and finally ended on rage. A blinding white hot rage over her everything.
"Your mind has closed to me. Why are you shutting me out?" the invisible voice in her ear asked. There was a pause and then a much more timid and worried question, "Rose? Are you alright? You've told me everything in the past, tell me now and I can help."
Out loud Rose softly asserts, "Or perhaps I've gone mad."
"That's ridiculous, you have not gone mad. You keep thinking that but it's not true. You are perfectly sane. The voices you hear really are the spirits of the past." reassures the voice of her longtime companion.
Rose struggles to take control of her emotions, Perhaps this is all part of madness in Father's blood or perhaps he heard spirits as well and thought he was mad. Either way, I have to accept that I am the descendent of many generations of magically gifted people.
As her rage calmed to acceptance and a new appreciation of her heritage arose, Rose felt power well up inside her she'd never felt before. The blood of her ancestors was awakening and Rose felt it rush through her veins. Fire and ice, pain and pleasure, and her skin began to tingle.
Strange patterns begin to glow on her skin as the fire and ice coursing inside her began to settle. Symbols, both sacred and profane, were etched on her skin now as the glow subsided. She pushed up a sleeve and turned her arm about looking at the new markings.
"How? What? Where did all that come from? What's happening? Speak to me!" her childhood friend exhorted.
A faint, pleasant memory of her father she hadn't thought of in years returned to her and she remembered asking him about his tattoos and all he ever did was smile, Well, now I finally know where he got them.
She began to smile as she stood back up, "Dead or mad, either way I am definitely my father's daughter."
Rose sees the two figures figures approaching and laughs briefly, "Sure, psychopomps, because it's been that sort of day."
Sarela gets herself under control, and rises unsteadily to her feet as the psychopomps come up to them. "So...we're not dead, then...that's good. I just...I just don't know what happened. I went to bed in the village of Roslar's Coffer, in Mendev, and we woke up here. We don't know how this happened. What's lodged in our hearts? Is it going to kill us? Can you help us get home?"
Sam looks skeptically at the skeleton but smiles at the raven. "Oh hello! A talking bird! How wonderful!" She looks uncertainly at Rose. "Err... a psychopomp? Ok I don't know what that is but pleased to meet you!" She turns to Laurel. "See! I told you everything would be ok." Then she turns back to the psychopomps, very curious to hear anything else they have to say, especially about whatever is in their hearts.
Laurel is taken aback by the affirmation that they are not dead, slowly rising to his feet. "Then...what happened? Why are we here?" He asks the outsiders.
To Sam, Sarela says, "Psychopomps are servants of Pharasma that help usher souls to their judgement and final resting place in the Outer Planes. They help to protect the spirits of the dead from being stolen or sent where they should not be. Umble is a nosoi psychopomp, and Thoot is a vanth psychopomp. Think of Umble as one of Pharasma's clerks, recording the circumstances of one's death, as well as judgements for or against their soul and the soul's final resting place. Thoot's job is to protect souls from those who wish to capture or eat them. They also sometimes stand guard over forgotten cemeteries, unattended mausoleums, and sacred groves, as well as re-capture escaped souls attempting to flee their assigned fates. Since we are not deceased souls, we have nothing to fear - as long as we're alive, anyway." She looks at the two psychopomps, hoping for further confirmation of her status as not-dead.
Aralah eases the tension on her bow string as the two creatures talk. She lowers her bow but keeps it out just in case. Letting the others talk she keeps an eye out around them for anything else that might be coming.
Sam grins at Sarela "Thanks! That makes way more sense. So then, everything is fine. We just have to go home." She turns to Umble. "So then, Umble. Where do we go to get back to... uh... normal life?"