As Gali approaches Groog, Croq sings out a surprisingly gentle melody.
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky
Twinkle, twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are"
”Leave me alone!” the orc fumes. He reaches a hand up to trace his fingers along the scar on the back of his skull. He then slowly rises up to his feet, his muscles shaking. When he turns to look at everyone, there is a new look in his eyes. A look of mixed confusion and recognition.
He then sniffs the air and looks down at his arms and body. ”Where am I?”
"That's correct. And staying with you... is probably my best option," Viralane admits quietly. "I'm not sure how much use I'll be in a fight, though. If there was one thing I learned for certain back in Hollow Mountain, it's that I'm not a warrior."
** spoiler omitted **
"We don't need you to be a warrior," Kallie reassures. "I don't think we're going into a giant maze full of traps and monsters any time soon, so that's a relief."
Kallie thinks a moment, then replies, "Don't know any hungry demons. Will try to reach Constantine for storage or disposal. See you in Korvosa. Don't be a stranger."
=========
Kallie watches from a distance as Groog tries on the mental headband. When he reacts violently, she rears up defensively and adds even more distance between them.
Aurealia watches the dangerous orc with predatory keenness, unsure how he might react.
When he asks after their location, Aurealia answers him. "Magnimar. Groog, is that still you?"
Groog looks at Aurealia and narrows his eyes. ”Dunno where that is. Looks like human city?”
He takes a sniff of the air and looks down at himself and says ”Need a bath. Where’s a River?”
"Yes, it's a large city, mostly humans. You'd better stay with us. We can get you a bath, or use magic to clean you up. Hygiene hasn't been a priority for you so far...."
"Though that's certainly a welcome change. What do you remember, Groog?" Odd. Does he remember less than before his faculties were expanded? Or does he simply care more about his lack of understanding?
Groog looks around at the two women talking to him. ”I…I am a warrior. A warlord. I was…betrayed…” he says as he traces the scar in his scalp. ”But I don’t remember by who, or why.”
”No magic. Get me a bath. You humans, your leaders have others bath them? Slaves? I want the same,” he says bluntly, as if it was not open for discussion. As he moves, he notices the pink cloak on his back and narrows his eyes at it. ”Why the f~*@ am I wearing this?” he asks angrily.
"We'll get you a bath, but you'll have to handle the rest yourself. Slavery isn't really... promoted in this city," Kelhuud says. "As for your cloak, you were wearing that when we first met. From what I call tell, it's magical, and it improves your defenses."
The ranger pauses for a moment before continuing.
"Groog, do you remember our time on Rivenrake Island?" Kelhuud asks. "Many months ago, my brother and I found you wandering around the wilderness there. You were quite hungry, so I gave you some beef jerky. You declared me 'Nice Metal Man' and began following us around."
Groog glares at him. ”Some. It’s fuzzy. Don’t make sense,” he says as he rubs his head.
He takes the cloak off angrily and tosses it at Kelhuud. ”Find me one that doesn’t look stupid,” he says flatly.
"Oh, Hells no. You're not a lord here. I ain't getting bossed about by a guy who has a rotten otter in his pack and doesn't know who or where he is. We've been babysitting you for ages, and we just restored your mind to you."
Aurealia's bat-like features harden as she points a knife hand directly up into Groog's face. "Careful, bud, or we might just leave you here to piss off all the humans and get yourself lynched. You want to find out who you are and where you belong, you're going to need our help. How about a little gratitude before you start barking orders?"
Croq looks at Groog with interest.
What's going on in that walnut-sized brain of his? What is he remembering?
"Yeah, what Aurealia said. If you want to be civil though, I'm curious...what DO you remember? If you need a friend, and are ready to be one in return, let me know."
Kallie keeps an eye on the events, staying back but within range of her short-ranged spells in case she would need to suggest that Groog remains calm.
”I’m not…” Groog growls and clutches his head. ”Any…any of you know what it’s like…to be one way…then lose it all…lose yourself…then get a small bit back…it’s…it’s hard…” he says, grunting through pain and seeming to struggle with finding words.
”Whatever. Leave me alone. I’ll go get me a bath,” he says sternly and steps over to Kelhuud. ”You have any of my money left?” he asks, narrowing his eyes at the man.
"Sort of," Kallie answers, knowing Groog's question was likely rhetorical but offering him a little sympathy anyway. Since he seemed calmed down, she returns to her spellbook.
”I’m not…” Groog growls and clutches his head. ”Any…any of you know what it’s like…to be one way…then lose it all…lose yourself…then get a small bit back…it’s…it’s hard…” he says, grunting through pain and seeming to struggle with finding words.
Galatea becomes oddly somber at Groog's words and nods slowly in understanding.
”Whatever. Leave me alone. I’ll go get me a bath,” he says sternly and steps over to Kelhuud. ”You have any of my money left?” he asks, narrowing his eyes at the man.
Kelhuud nods and hands Groog a pouch of coins.
"Here you are. There should be about 838 gold pieces worth of money in there," Kelhuud says.
Sheila Heidmarch lets you use her library's extensive library. With the cat already out of the bag, Audrahni also tells you know she... neutralized Ilsynor to help focus your research. Based on what she tells you and what you find in the library, you think that he would return as some sort of incorporeal shade. Looking over the ritual Audrahni intends to use, you think that it will be enough to permanently destroy whatever is left of Ilsynor. Granted, also cremating his remains and scattering the ashes at sea (like Gali did with Xiren) would probably help.
The ritual Audrahni intends to perform is a prayer to Ashava, whose followers typically use it to bless sites where tragic accidents happened.
With the Sihedron Council still hunting down Maga's cult, you decide to tackle Audrahni's request first. Once everyone is ready, Audrahni leads you to the site where Ilsynor died. As the area comes into view, you see that it is a partially collapsed construction site that hasn't been touched in years. The sight of all this leaves Audrahni herself even more timid and morose than usual.
"Once everyone is ready, I'll begin the ritual," Audrahni whispers.
"How long will the ritual take? Specifically, should we ready short-term spells or only the ones with long durations?" Kallie asks while converting some of her arcane reserves into a set of force armor.
"How long will the ritual take? Specifically, should we ready short-term spells or only the ones with long durations?" Kallie asks while converting some of her arcane reserves into a set of force armor.
"A-About ten minutes if nothing interrupts me, faster if anyone would like to aid me," Audrahni says. "The ritual is a bit complex, though. It's a prayer to Ashava. From what I understand, it's quite similar to one Pharasmans sometimes use."
"Great," Kallie mutters, looking a little uncomfortable. "I'm not super into reciting prayers. But I know a few rites. I'll help if you need it."
Aurealia nods at Kallie's words, shooting her friend a look of support.
"We've got your back."
Jaya shrugs half-heartedly. "This isn't a matter of faith or some sort of inherent worth determining which planar entities listen to you. A ritual like this is essentially a Llanalir Device, though more esoteric and less mechanical. You input the proper liturgical elements and the desired effect is produced."
Before aiding Audrahni in the ritual, Jaya shrouds herself in layers of force, and then she pulls a scroll from her pouches to anoint Aurealia with an additional abjuration.
"**ahem**" she coughs discretely, "could you bend down a bit? This sort of protection works better if I'm able to anchor it to somewhere representative of the mind. It will keep you and anyone who stays close to you from being possessed or controlled."
Groog took the sack of coin roughly from Kelhuud. He then stalks out of the room into the city proper. He spends a while wandering around, looking at everything sternly. F+#!ing humans have it so damn easy. None of these pricks could handle even a week living in the wild. The fact they hold so much of the surface and haven’t been wiped out yet is stupid.
He catches a guy on the street by the arm and asks ”Where do your leaders go when they want a night of fun?”
The man, trembling and at first stricken silent by the massive orc that was assailing him, finally stammers once Groog squeezes his arm tighter ”P-probably the House of Welcome?”
Groog releases the man and proceeds to get directions from one source to the next until he finally narrows it down. Eventually, he makes his way to the House of Welcome. The staff and most of the clients are quite put out by his presence, but his coin is good, and his request isn’t TOO unbearable: being given a hot bath, and nothing else.
He then makes his way to a tavern serving hearty portions of good smelling boar. He orders two full racks of ribs and proceeds to feast on them like he hasn’t eaten in days.
Groog eventually returns several hours later, both he and his gear are clean to the point of actually smelling quite nice, surprisingly enough.
__________
Groog stands idle back away from the ritual itself, watching it with disinterest as he leans against a nearby pillar with his arms folded across his chest.
Since her companion will likely be handling any fighting, Galatea casts a couple buffs on Cheshire.
Once everyone is ready, Audrahni begins the ritual with Jaya's assistance. However, after a few minutes, the air suddenly grows very cold. Then, a vaguely humanoid form made of broken building materials, crushed bones, and dust emerges from the rubble, looking straight at...
With a roar of pure rage, what's left of Ilsynor rushes at Audrahni, closing the distance between him and her in seconds. His mere presence leaves her too paralyzed by fear to act. Thankfully, Ilsynor doesn't have enough time to strike before you leap into action!
Kallie stays back, planning on using her magic from a distance. She starts off with a number of magic missiles.
"The f+&@ is that thing?" Groog asks in disbelief at the thing that appeared. Either way, it was either kill or be killed, so he lunged forward and sliced his blade at it, though the slice came up short.
__________
The warmth of Jaya's satisfaction overwhelmed the unnatural fear that Ilsynor emanated. She reached for her components, explaining to her companions, "Ha! Just like I suspected, Ilsynor has returned as a-"
While Jaya summoned her magical armor, Croq sang a little ditty about her own pure, rugged awesomeness.
Croq laughs off the attempt to cow her, and starts to pound out a song of rage on her drum before swinging Drumstick at Ilsynor.
Aurealia is momentarily shaken by the appearance of the shade. She waits to see how effective her companions' actions are before attempting anything of her own.
Galatea casts another spell on Cheshire, who charges through the air like it was solid ground and then lunges at Ilsynor!
I always tell myself I'm going to keep a scroll of Gust of Wind on hand for things like this and I never get around to finding someone to scribe it... Ah well. Other methods are readily available.
A bit sad that her protections had been circumvented by Ilsynor's atypical presentation, Jaya consoled herself by blasting away at him with perfect spheres of force.
It soon becomes apparent that Audrahni likely would have been killed by Ilsynor if she had come here alone. Despite the sheer amount of attacks being thrown at him simultaneously, the undead shade proves to be very resilient, shrugging off Cheshire's and Croq's strikes shockingly well. However, he also proves to be fully vulnerable to Jaya's and Kallie's Magic Missiles, which allows you to destroy what's left of Ilsynor before he can hurt Audrahni.
Even if the battle only lasted mere seconds, Audrahni ends up needing awhile to recover. However, upon realizing that Ilsynor likely won't rest until she completes her prayer, the somber elf eventually begins again. Initially, Audrahni is a bit nervous, but Jaya's assistance proves to greatly bolster her resolve. With Jaya's help, she manages to complete her ritual in just ten minutes.
Once the two women complete the ritual, several motes of glowing light rise from the rubble. They circle around the field multiple times before spiraling into the sky and then falling back down. For a moment, the entire area is covered in a soothing burst of radiance. As the light fades away, you briefly feel a powerful sensation of gratitude and forgiveness.
After a long moment of silence, Audrahni looks at each and everyone one of you.
"Thank you," she says sincerely.
If you ever willingly take part in the creation of an undead creature, you will lose this blessing.
"You're welcome, dear. We'll always be here for you, you need only ask." Aurealia offers Audrahni a hug if she seems open to it.
Kallie watches with clinical interest as the spirit is put to rest and Audrahni is forgiven. She nods in satisfaction as it seems the matter is resolved.
"Okay. Nice. Who's hungry? Audrahni's treat, right?"
Kallie feels a rough hand slip around her waist. ”Now your talkin’ my language,” Groog says with a tusky grin.
"I could eat," Aurealia says, raising an eyebrow at the orc's forwardness.
Kallie's eyes go wide and she stiffens briefly at the unsolicited contact. She turns her head and looks Groog in the eye with a smile. She platfully touches him on the nose.
Dazing Touch (Sp):
You can cause a living creature to become dazed for 1 round as a melee touch attack. Creatures with more Hit Dice than your wizard level are unaffected. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier
She slips from his grip and is several paces away before he recovers.
Jaya relaxes slightly as Kallie fogs Groog's vulnerable mind, but stays ready to intercede in case he continues along his poorly chosen course.
Lucky for him that she isn't particularly vengeful. And that she has less Final ways of expressing her displeasure.
Groog blinks his eyes in confusion at the odd action from the centaur girl. He shakes his head a moment later, not sure what the hell that was supposed to mean. He then snickers and says ”Come on. Let’s eat,” as he hefts his weapon onto his shoulder and heads out.
"I'm not one to say no to dinner!", Croq agrees...
...and then, falling back out of earshot, she whispers to Aurealia, "I wouldn't have thought it but...I'm wondering if that headband was a mistake. We better keep a close watch on our friend Groog."
Aurealia's narrow bat-like gaze never wavered from the orc as her sister spoke. "Don't worry. He'll learn human manners quickly or we'll deal with him."
"You're welcome, dear. We'll always be here for you, you need only ask." Aurealia offers Audrahni a hug if she seems open to it.
Audrahni readily returns Aurealia's hug.
Kallie watches with clinical interest as the spirit is put to rest and Audrahni is forgiven. She nods in satisfaction as it seems the matter is resolved.
"Okay. Nice. Who's hungry? Audrahni's treat, right?"
"I'm not one to say no to dinner!", Croq agrees...
"It's a little early for dinner, but after everything you've done for me, buying everyone brunch would be the last I could do," Audrahni agrees.
When you return to Heidmarch Manor, Viralane approaches and informs the group that Shiela and a guest of hers wish to speak with you about something important.
"While you all were away, a local sculptor showed up, claiming that she recently had some visions concerning some of you and the Sihedron Heroes. I believe her name is Ayavah," Viralane says. "Shiela spoke with her, and she seems to think that Ayavah's visions have merit."
While the news sinks in, Galatea adds her two copper pieces.
"I think speaking with Ayavah would be worth our time," Gali says. "Shortly after arriving Roderic's Cove, I began experiencing prophetic dreams of my own. They've been shockingly accurate, and I've gained some control over them recently. I can verify anything Ayavah tells us tonight."
Kallie looks at Gali, brow furrowed. "Why do we need to meet with Ayavah, then? If you can confirm what she's saying is true, why not just tell us what she's going to tell us now? If her visions don't match up with yours, why would we bother?"
The small centaur gets a twinkle in her eye as a smile grows on her face. "I could charm Ayavah. Then she wouldn't want to lie to me, ever."
"My attention has been focused elsewhere, so I never saw this meeting happening. Thus, I can't verify anything until I know what exactly Ayavah has to say. As for accuracy, all divinations should be taken with a grain of salt. Thus far, my visions have only been accurate maybe... 85% of the time. Still, those are good odds that our visions could match," Galatea says. She frowns a bit at Kallie's... proposal. "Let's hear what Ayavah has to say first. Many of us are good at reading people, so we should be able to determine if she's lying or not."
"Wouldn't hurt to hear her out, would it?"
"We're probably going to need every leg up we can get."
"Oh, right, can't I believe I forgot to mention this," Viralane murmurs. In a more audible tone, she says, "Ayavah allowed Shiela and her associates to use falsehood-detecting spells on her. Everything indicated that Ayavah was telling the truth."
With there being no objections, you all decide to at least hear Ayavah out. Viralane directs everyone to one of Heidmarch Manor's many meeting rooms. There, you see Shiela speaking with a dark-haired tiefling. Besides her red eyes and goatlike horns, she could otherwise pass as a half-elf.
"A pleasure to meet you all. My name is Ayavah," the tiefling says with a soft smile. "Thank you for taking some time to meet with me."
"I've already filled them in on the gist of things," Viralane remarks.
"Thank you, Ms. Barvisai," says Ayavah. Her mood gets a bit more serious. "In that case, which vision would you like to hear about first? I had three: one concerning yourselves, one concerning the Sihedron Heroes, and one that's... possibly related to the previous two but also frustratingly vague."
Croq looks around appreciatively at the fine manor.
When offered three choices, she doesn't hesitate. "My mom! And the other Sihedron Heroes. How...please, what do you know?"
Jaya, who had been about to explain why hearing about your own future was the sensible choice as it would necessarily impact your ability to interfere with undesirable futures for others, snapped her mouth shut in embarrassment.
Of course they need to hear about their mother first, dolt.