"Just tryin' to pass through, until you and your tree decided to get in our way and mash us to pulp." Walhart responds, before letting loose an arrow.
"Is that why you attacked? Did you think we were after your bling? Or did that psycho-pomp tell you to do it?"
Tally smacks the white crow.
"We do not want to kill you, but we will if forced to." Donovan raises his hammer to attack again.
The black crow cannot take any more of Donovan's hammer. It withdraws from the fight. The white crow follows.
End initiative.
Donovan sags, almost going to a knee. "Not sure how much more of this I can take"
he heads to follow the birds
"What about Valdis? Shouldn't we see shat has happened to him? Let the birds go. I don't know that you could catch them anyway."
Shouldn't we see shat has happened to him?
Well spoken and about right.
"You look a little peaked, Don. I'm thinking I should try channeling again unless you have a way of healing yourself."
You look a little peaked, Don.
I doubt the paladin is on 'shrooms or lsd.
"If they're running away, that's fine by me." Walhart says. He walks back to the rest and starts moving deeper inward, looking for Valdis.
"Just a second, Father, so I can get us all in a channel before we face the next challenge."
"OK, let's go."
Tally 35+7/35, Walhart 36+7/36, Donovan 12/35
A long pond of inky, still water stretches across the north end of this large clearing, just south of a gap in the high hedges. A wooden bridge crosses the pond at its central, narrow point. A large, dense knot of shrubbery carefully pruned into a triangular shape eight feet high stands south of the pool, with another clearing beyond it. A few stone birdbaths stand around the pool. Standing on the bridge is a thin, tall woman with several gravestones floating in the air around her. Near her, perched on the railing of the bridge, is a giant raven.
"Your presence has been expected for some time. I am Aydie, an ahmuuth psychopomp who owes Mictena a favor. She has told me of you and your state of being. My purpose in creation is to work alongside the living to destroy undead, and so battling the living—even those who have inexplicably escaped death—is nearly anathema to me. You are defying the natural order and I must opine that the shards of some dangerous, unknown substance lodged your hearts is probably responsible. Yet the source of your unusual condition is beside the point. You need to be killed to restore the natural progression of your souls. I think that submitting to me is the best choice; I will kill you mercifully, while Mictena is angry and unlikely to be so kind. Take your time to consider this offer before you respond. I am willing to fight you if necessary."
Valdis' corpse lies on the ground giving witness of Mictana's offered favor. An eye is missing that the raven has in his beak as a snack.
"Well, dang it. Nobody is reasonable around here. You may be right but we have nothing to lose by trying. Besides, there are those that disagree with her."
With a sigh he adds, "But it seems you are implacable and we will need to fight. Say, why has Valdis not moved on? How can he be truly dead in the boneyards. Is he not truly a dead soul? Is this normal?"
"Who is this Valdis you speak of?"
The body is there. I do not think you can actually see it atm. Would need a perception check for that at best. Ignore Valdis as he is no longer a part of this by his own choosing. Valdis is dead and should not be posting as such.
More interested in what happens when you 'die' in the boneyard. Does your body vaporize? Does it rise again and continue its trek? What if you are alive vs. dead? If Valdis body is there, Tally would consider it proof that he ad been alive and not dead.
You will find that out soon enough. Waiting for the others to chime in.
"I certainly didn't ask to unbalance the natural progression of my soul... But I think things happen for a reason. We've been given a chance to return to the land of the living, in fact, we've been tasked to do so. I think there's a reason for that, and whatever it is, I intend to see it through. I'm sure whatever's going on, it won't be permanent. We'll get back here, properly, someday. I see no reason in rushing that outcome."
Aydie looks at Walhart as she considers his statement. "Your argument is understandable but flawed. You are an anomaly in our realm that cannot be allowed to continue. We have rules and we follow them. You must be ushered through but you must be dead for that to happen. You should not be here and alive. That is inconsistent with reality." She ponders again for a moment. "I offer you a second option. Turn around and enter the Boneyard. Mictena will not allow you to pass here. Make yourself a new home and perhaps in a few years Mictena's wrath will abate."
"Interesting idea. How does time flow here relative to the prime material. Would the same amount of time pass in each?"
"The Boneyard is timeless. An eternity. How it passes for mortals who somehow arrive here is anyone's guess. My guess is that your time is passing at the same rate it did before you came here."
"Well, thank you for making this a polite encounter. I'm afraid, since we truly believe we are supposed to return to the prime material in order to stop some kind of disaster, waiting is not an option. I respect your stand though, and fully appreciate the situation you are in. I believe I am ready to do battle now, and may the gods judge which of u is right."
Aydie replies to Tally "So it shall be if you so desire." Her attention goes to Donovan. "Fighting with death are you. Come to me and I will end it quickly. There is no reason to prolong the pain and suffering with fighting."
"Are you sure there is no other way? Perhaps a test of some sort?"
"I just gave you another way. Leave and return to the boneyard. Take it or face me. That is your choice. Your full plated fighter is near death. I can see that."
Walhart remains silent for a bit, eyeing Aydie.
"I can't speak for my ally, but I don't think return is possible for us. Your generosity is appreciated, and it pains me to fight you over this matter of principles. But I do not intend to back down."
Aydie looks to Walhart and says "Speaking of allies I believe I met with one of yours moments ago. He was not a talker and did not suffer. One down, another almost down. It seems prudent to not press your lack of luck and return to the boneyard."
Tally considers, then, surprisingly, agrees.
"It does seem that all manner of creatures have made their home here. And I do not have much to return to. Whoever or whatever intended on sending us back, can still do so. Later. I guess this is a farewell... for now, perhaps."
"Father Walhart, do you suppose we can impose on Kishokish? He seemed like an amiable fellow."
This may be wise, Tally." Donovan turns to leave. When he gets to the fallen tree he begins to rummage through the witchcrows' bling.
End initiative.
Donovan does not locate anything of value.
Walhart remains silent for a bit, then puts away his bow.
"I'm not entirely convinced, but I know when to stop pushin' the issue. I'll follow your lead, Tally."
He turns to Aydie once more. "I guess we'll take your offer. Whether I like it or not, I recognize you're very generous towards us, and I thank you for that."
Walhart's ready to return.
Tally will follow Don's lead and also rummage through the bling, with the added bonus of Detect Magic and Detect Poison to ferret out traps and magic.
Finding no treasure in the bling, Donovan moves to the paved area where the guardian is. "It took a moment to come alive last time. Those without holy symbols can probably run through before it wakes up. We can get holy symbols from the gardeners to make our return much easier. Ready?"
Tally finds a ring that resembles a unicorn impaling itself with its horn, a scroll, a cloudy gem, and 43 gp.
Are the ring, scroll, or gem magical? If so, Tally will keep trying to identify them over the course of his stay until he knows, that is if his +5 spellcraft will even allow him to know.
"Ready," Walhart responds to Donovan. Walhart'll sprint across when it's time.
They all register as magical. You make it back to Nine-Eaves without incidence.
MAP updated.
Tally heads towards the door and gives it a sharp knock.
After what seems like an eternity you hear some noise behind the door before it opens. The familiar smell of cedar and tobacco wafts from inside. "Well, well. Look who we have here. What brings you back to Nine-Eaves?"
"We lost one of the team and Don here was severely injured. It seemed a good idea to fall back and regroup. Would you mind a little company for a while?"
"My debt to you will never be repaid. Of course, of course. Join me in the drawing room."
In the drawing room Kishokish offers you some fine brandy and motions for you to take a seat on any of the overstuffed chair.
"Mictena did this to you?"
Kishokish pours himself a brandy.
"The liquor cabinet has quite a selection if you prefer something other than brandy."
Donovan passes on the drinks, gets out of his armor with a little help, and slumps into one of the overstuffed chairs.
"Just some water would be 'preciated, thank you." Walhart sits down on one of the chairs as well and takes a deep sigh.
"Mictena didn't do this [i]personally[i], but her servants didn't like us walkin' through one of her gardens. We got out through the mercy of a psychopomp called Aydie."
Tally nods his head and puts in his two coppers worth.
"They all seemed so determined. The gardeners, the statue, and Aydie. No room for exceptions, though Mictena seemed to make exceptions when it was in her interest. Did you notice that she was fine with those gardeners sticking around? Odd thing, though. Something about them being should doubles or something to take the place of someone that should have been in their place. I sure get the feeling that something is very wrong here."
Kishokish fires up his pipe to go with the brandy. "Gardeners, statue...that sounds like Deathbower. How did you end up there? The Dead Roads should have led you The Passage."