Etgar, seeing the other "non-deads" pull out ranged weapons, curses but doesn't drop his spear. He instead focuses on the bird and waits for it to swoop again.
Sticking close to Etgar, Niu gives him a bit of Protective Luck.
He then watches the flight of the Witchcrow, studying to see if there are any irregularities.
Niu does not detect any illusions.
Round 3
Agnimitra 9/13 Donovan 12/12 Etgar 7/9 Niu 4/7
Don ✔ (still need a will save)
Duskfeather
Etgar, Niu, Agni
+2 vs Fear
Donovan turns and pushes past Niu drawing another hatchet and throwing it at the crow.
Duskfeather circles around to the east and then north. As he passes above Agni, she feels doubt creep into her mind about her ability with the crossbow.
Don
Duskfeather
Etgar, Niu, Agni ✔
Don feels more reliable with attacks. Agni, a will save please. -2 to attacks regardless.
Despite her anger, Agni's aim feels a little shakey.
She reloads the crossbow, hoping for a better shot.
Cackle and Protective Luck on Donovan
Etgar grunts in aggravation, then drops his spear. Reaching around behind him, he pulls a javelin out of one of the loops on his pack. He then whirls it around in front of him, squints to take aim, and hurls it!
Agni manages to nick the bird. Etgar's javelin makes it mark. The bird withdraws at a fast pace. End initiative.
"Mictena! Mictena!"
Etgar spits as he watches the bird fly away. He looks to Niu. Hoped to kill the thing...is that bad...if it escapes?
"Only if we're still here when it gets back," Agnri replies as she recovers her weapons and stows them away. "Let's meet back with the mayor and get these people on their way so that we can be on ours."
"Not sure of the dynamics, that thing works for this place could we have even killed it?"
The hatchet that hit the crow is easy to find, the other takes some time. but soon the paladin is ready to head out.
When you arrive at the rear of the town meeting, all are present. Mayor Lady Mullana Grive is in front near a podium talking to Arbella Tharmethion. The children have mixed into the crowd of adults to be with friends and family. Most are engaged in conversation producing a dull roar. Don and Agni see their friends and family are present.
Agreeing with Agnimitra's sentiment, Niu is already walking toward the town square when Donovan's question stops him in his tracks.
"Now that... is an interesting question, Donovan. I imagine the answer is related to the veracity of its claim of being a psychopomp. If so, I doubt 'we' could have killed it. Even moreso, could it be killed at all?
These are interesting questions that we might need to ask Umble, if we live to see her again."
Starting to walk again, he continues until he reaches the Mayor, stopping until the group catches her attention.
Etgar moves alongside, contemplating this place once again as he does. To further that...if we did here, we just stay here, right? But the others, who are already truly dead?. He shakes his head in frustration, and moves up towards the mayor with Niu.
While Agnimitra doesn't have any family (that she is aware of), the people of Roslar's Coffer have always been like an extended family to her. Seeing them all in one place, together - in this place - brought back the reality of what was happening. A tear started to form in her eyes, and a knot formed in her chest. "One way or another, this will be it," she mutters under her breath. She places a hand over the tattoo at the base of her neck, silently reciting a prayer to Sarenrae for strength and mercy. She could almost swear that her hand grew warmer for a moment. Finally, she opens her eyes and strides towards the podium. "Lady Mayor," she greets Mullana as she draws near. "Arabella," she adds. "She we get everyone to their proper place?"
Donovan scans the crowd, seeing his mother, a small woman with long brown ringlets, a smile appears on his face and he begins to move to her, only to freeze when he realizes what that means, he begins to almost deflate.
The milling people shift and the Paladin catches sight of the large man standing at his mothers side, who it would be almost impossible recognize as Donovan's father, and the steel returns to the boys spine as he moves through the crowd to the couple, politely excusing himself to anyone he moves past.
As he arrives he greets his Mother and father in turn. "Ma, Sir. Can we move over there for a quick conversation?" They move to a place where he can speak quietly to them. "My new friends and I need your help, Do you know what happened? You do know that you and all of the others have died."
Unaware of the their demise, Don's parents urge him to quit talking nonsense.
Meanwhile at the podium, Lady Grive shares with you that she’s been going over that last night thinking of anything out of the ordinary. " I have been thinking hard about what might have caused the townsfolk’s sudden deaths. I remember a visitor to town on the evening before they died—a thin woman with an unusual accent I couldn’t place and the smell of foreign spices, who wore a mask. I felt I had to share that with you. Would any of your care to speak to the town? I can introduce you if so."
Etgar seems to avoid the question of speaking to the crowd...something left for others with a more likable nature.
What did this woman's mask look like?
"It was attractive. Porcelain. Quite plain in appearance."
And, did you interact with this woman at all...or was she just passing through? Please, Lady Grive, any details could be important. Etgar's general nature takes over, and he forgoes these things called manners.
"I'm sorry, Etgar. That is all I recall. I got close enough to her but she did not speak. I respected her desire to remain anonymous."
Etgar nods quickly in aggravation and steps back, looking to his companions. Shall we be introduced then?
"Pa, it isn't nonsense. Something happened at the Coffer, I don't know what, I will find out and find those responsible. But first I need to say goodbye. And help you and the others understand."
Not exactly eager to make a public announcement, Agni steels her nerves and nods her head, getting ready to speak to the people she once considered family.
Lady Mullana picks up a gavel and strikes the podium three times. "Let the special meeting of Roslar's Coffer now come to order." She waits a few moments for everyone to quieten. "Thank you all for attending. This is the most important meeting we have ever had. It is beyond doubt that something befell our community while we slept. It took all of our lives and deposited us here in the boneyard. It has come to my attention that the skeletal monster we chased off is in fact a benevolent creature with our benefit in mind. You may have noticed the crow on its shoulder. Those two have a duty to send us forth to our well deserved final resting place. We owe this revelation to two of our own, Agnimitra Elffire and Donovan Dale. They were aided by their two new friends, Neo and Etgar Nostrum." She steps back and waves her arm in the direction of Niu, Agni, and Etgar. Lady Mullana and a number of the townsfolk begin to exude a warm glow.
Etgar looks around, seeing some of the beginning to glow. He waits for what he hopes will be their moving on from this place, but can't help but look around at those others who aren't glowing.
Well, we may be losing our advocate in this...I guess the "benevolent skeletal monster" wouldn't be satisfied with a percentage of the total, would he?
Agnimitra steps forward to the podium a little hesitantly. After a moment of silence, she manages to speak. "I wasn't born, or even raised among you, but in the time that I have lived among you, you have treated me like one of you. So this is the hardest thing that I have ever had to do, but I do not want to see you left in the world in turmoil or regret. Rather, I would prefer that the mercy of Sarenrae warm your hearts and fill your souls with peace for what is to come. It is often said that the dawn brings new light. I pray that the dawn sees you in a better place, where you can be together forever." She draws in a shaky breath before continuing. "As for us, we don't know why we are different, but we plan to see that whoever caused this is brought to see the error of their ways. Not revenge, but justice and balance, and mercy whenever possible."
She stalls another moment, trying to see if there was anything else she needed to say, but instead steps back.
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 to you. “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. Please tell the psychopomps that we are ready to receive them.”
Smiling, Niu claps Agnimitra on the shoulder. "Well put. Sarenrae must be proud of you."
He nods to Lady Grive, in acknowledgement of her request. "Of course, of course, investigating this occurrence is foremost in all of our minds. Well, friends, shall we go find Umble again?"
Having had a moment to get over the awkward and sad moment, Agni gives Niu a bit of a stern look for the abrupt gesture. Her heart just isn't in it, though, and she sighs outwardly nodding to him in appreciation. "Yes, let's go tell them before the others show up."
Donovan givers his mother an awkward armored hug, and as he is about to do the same with his father the older man holds out his hand for a hand shake. The Paladin quickly turns to follow Agnimitra.
Etgar nods and follows, finding he has little to say that could comfort Don or Agni in this situation. He just keeps his mind on this new task - to discover what happened to make this quite fatal clerical error in the realm of the dead.
After reporting your success Umble explains that psychopomps must often come and go from the Material Plane. Unlike many outsiders, psychopomps can’t inherently travel between planes; instead, they take a series of extraplanar pathways called the Dead Roads, maintained by the psychopomp usher Barzahk the Passage. Umble and Thoot know which Dead Roads connect the Boneyard to Lastwall on Golarion, allowing you to return to Roslar’s Coffer. The Dead Roads resemble a raised roadway approximately 15–20 feet across. The exact appearance of the Dead Roads varies according to who sees them and that individual’s own understanding of the word “road,” but, in general, the Dead Roads are unremarkable, winding, and devoid of signs. To either side of the road, the ground slopes away steeply into silvery mist. Creatures that leave the road and enter the mist find themselves wandering the back hills of the Boneyard. Only the occasional way station—buildings varying widely in appearance and acting as tent pegs holding the extraplanar network in place—break up the gloomy monotony.
As they move meet the psychopomps Donovan reaches out to place a reassuring hand on his new Ifrit friends shoulder, he feels a surge of power sent from Requius, he looks down at his hand. "Thank you Momma."
Without another word he follows along.
"These humble mortals performed well im Pharasma's service, did they not?" Niu blurts as he hops back and forth from one leg to another. "But, they raised some questions that I am unable to answer."
Relating the events of the encounter with the witchcrow and Mictena, he asks for clarification. "Can you confirm if these were in fact psychopomps as well? Should we be concerned about future attacks? If they do attack, can they be stopped?"
“Ah... oh... is she here already? How distressing. Mictena is, in vulgar terms, our superior She’s quite the potent psychopomp, and this corner of the Boneyard is within her jurisdiction. I would recommend that, like us, you avoid attracting her attentions.”
Agni nods in thanks to Donovan for the healing.
To Umble, she asks, "Would she pursue us down the Road? Can we expect opposition?"
"Mictena’s domain of Deathbower moves about and can be approached only when Mictena wills it. You say she believes she is correcting a mistake and must properly kill you. Take her on her word."
We will wave over the rest, That was pretty much a full day imo.
“Well then, yes, I suppose we are prepared. 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.” Thoot points in the direction of the Dead Roads.
Agni takes in the information and thanks Umble for her assistance. "Hopefully, it will be at least a lifetime before we meet again."
Etgar nods in agreement, though he can't help but wanting to pay attention to the ritual. Best not to stir up these beings, though...again.
So, we rested an have all our abilities back?
yes
You follow the strange winding road for three hours. You finally come upon a palace of sorts. This tall, narrow castle rises from atop a hill near the road. Constructed of weathered wood and ivory-colored stone, the building is studded with thousands upon thousands of teeth, arranged in neat rows and spirals. The castle’s only windows are high and narrow. A tall gatehouse leads into a courtyard, its floor paved with yellowish bricks and old teeth. The entryway leads to what appears to be a central courtyard.