"Sounds like that might be what works. We'll run through, and hope for the best, if that's what it takes. I think I should be fast enough even with all the armor I'll be carrying."
"Are we all ready then? When we enter I have a protection spell to cast that may or may not help, depending on how and whether our opponents are aligned to the plane."
"I believe I am ready. I can cast some magics to help protect against evils, if they are needed. Father Walhart and Damien, are you two ready?"
Cinching the last buckled strap, Stephan looks towards Kishokish, and nods.
"It was a pleasure for the short stay. I do hope all goes well in your future. May the light bless this house."
Kishokish takes out his stamp. "I requisitioned another. It is more than just a stamp, you know. You will need to stop by the scriptorium for the final stamp. It is on your way." He stamps the newcomers.
Walhart nods towards Stephan, and frowns at the mention of the scriptorium. "Ready. And no worries, we'll get them their stamps." He turns to the new joiners. "Y'can be glad you weren't part of that lil' excursion. What a mess that was."
"I think this should cover me." Damien says as he pulls a carved wooden symbol of Pharasma around his neck from out of his robes.
"Sounds like something you can tell us while we're on the road." Damien tells Father Walhart, clearly eager to begin this final journey back to the land of the living.
You stop by the scriptorium and get your final stamps. You make that rise and see Deathbower is still sitting on the road.
Before long you find yourselves at the entrance.
Tally pokes his head through the door to see if the gardeners are still there.
Seeing that the garden is coming to view, Stephan straps on the heavy shield before following Tally. Looking around, he whispers towards his companion, "So, what are you looking for?"
As Tally keeps a lookout, Walhart fills Stephan in. "First up there were some gardeners that will try to kill us. They can use magic to manipulate us into dropping our weapons. After that, a statue guardian that comes to life if we're not fast, but it sticks to its domain so we can just rush past it. After that there was a couple of birds and a tree, but I don't expect that to pose a problem anymore. And then finally, Aydie, the psychopomp who shooed us away last time."
Damien pauses a moment before entering the garden and casts a couple of spells on himself. "Armis Magicae" he chants as a brief glow surrounds his body before fading from view. He composes himself for a moment before casting the second spell, "Spectris Manus" he winces as the spell draws a portion of his life force from his body as it coalesces into a hand shaped ball of force which hovers at his shoulder.
"Okay, I'm good to go." he nods to the others to lead the way.
The bodies of the monks you killed are no longer here.
fingering the warhammer at his belt, Stephan pulls it free and starts to make his way forward.
"I don't see any of these gardeners, so perhaps they've left. We shouldn't let a simple garden be what blocks us from getting home."
He continues forward, shield raised and the black metal weapon at the ready.
Entering the garden and slowly moving up to the next opening, Tally points to the statue.
"That's the thing that hacked at Don. Last time it stopped once we got far enough away from it, but it was pretty fast. If those of us with a Pharasma holy symbol blocked its passage effectively it might help. I tried that but it easily got around me."
"Does anyone have one? Valdis had 2 but now that he is gone..."
Tally checks the others out to see if any are sporting one in plain view.
You will get a surprise round. Then initiative kicks in.
Tally waits for the others to rush past and readies the holy symbol and enters, trying to delay the guardian at least a little.
Damien draws his dagger as he draws designs in the air that briefly glow as he casts another spell "Vita Fictus" he chants as the sigil fades from view.
He holds his holy symbol before him and nods to Tally "Ready to go ."
Walhart tries to sprint to the other side of the room, trying to keep as much distance to the statue as possible.
Surprise round
Tally 35/35, Walhart 36/36, Damien 24+5-1(nl)/24 , Stephan 35/35
Walhart
Tally, Damien, Stephan <=====
Stephan follows Walhart as fast as his armored legs could take him while keeping his shield raised and hammer in hand for any retaliation.
Tally enters more slowly, keeping his holy symbol between him and the statue.
Walhart
Tally, Stephan
Damien <=====
Damien takes advantage of the statuary's slow reaction time to dash across the garden to the other opening in the hedges. Once there he turns to see just what the guardian's reaction will be.
Single move or standard in surprise round. Moved Damien's token.
Round 1
Tally 35/35, Walhart 36/36, Damien 24+5-1(nl)/24 , Stephan 35/35
Stephan, Walhart, Tally <======
Guardian
Damien
Tally just steps to a new location that is more likely to provide cover for the fleeing undead allies, all the while keeping his holy symbo presented. Though he briefly considers shoving it into the slow moving Damien's hands while he runs for it, Damien's hands are too full for that to work.
Walhart moves further north until he reaches the grass.
Holding his hammer up, Stephan channels his gift, and connects his life force with Damien before following Walhart. "Come on! We need to get to safety."
The graven guardian moves in Stephan and Walhart's direction giving Tally an AoO. Do you take it, Tally?
Not a chance.
The graven guardian goes as far the bricks will take him and applies a dagger to Stephan.
Stephan, Walhart, Tally
Guardian
Damien <======
Damien continues into the willow grove.
Round 2
Tally 35/35, Walhart 36/36, Damien 24+5-1(nl)/24 , Stephan 35/35
Stephan, Walhart, Tally <======
Guardian
Damien
Tally circles cautiously around the statue, keeping the holy symbol between himself and the status and backs away into the greenery.
"Everyone OK?"
"Just a slight scratch in the shield to compliment the others. Head on further and I'll follow." Keeping his shield up in a defensive stance, he begins to make is way into the willow grove.
"Everything fine over here!"
Walhart moves as deep as his legs will let him, eyes aimed towards the north. Wouldn't surprise him if something would turn the corner right around now, what with their luck.
Watching the elder move, Stephan braces his shield and slowly moves backwards, keeping himself between the construct and the majority of the group.
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. There are five fresh mounds of dirt indicating recent burials to the far west.
Aydie and her giant raven, Gloaming, are on the bridge.
"You took advantage of my offer to rest up and recruit others. So be it."
She begins to cast.
Round 1
Tally 35/35, Walhart 36/36, Damien 24+5-1(nl)/24 , Stephan 35/35
Walhart, Tally, Stephan, Damien <======
Aydie
Walking up to Aydie with shield raised, "I would prefer to talk about this, but it seems you don't want that."
Raising his hammer, he swings it at the woman with the knife, keeping his shield raised.
The animated gravestones circling the flat footed psychopomp deflect the hammer.
Stephan
Walhart, Tally, Damien <======
Aydie
Before crossing into the psychocomp's territory, Tally casts protection from law (communal) on the group, bless on the group, barkskin on himself, and bull's strength on himself. Loaded for bear.
Tally surges forward and swings at the bird.
Tally's morningstar creates a cloud of feathers as it pounds the bird.
Damien assesses the situation and tries to defuse it before it gets too out of hand "I understand the power of promises made and kept but he outcome of this can have only one conclusion. Last time you caught these two greatly diminished in strength and number but now we are refreshed and aware. You are outnumbered and I, for one, do not wish for your death." he looks at the others to see if they are in agreement "Stand down. You have kept your word and have met and opposed us. So, please relent and let us pass back to the world of the living where we belong."
Seeing his words fall upon deaf ears Damien takes a step back and begins casting "Dilata Persona".
Stephan, Tally, Damien
Walhart <======
Aydie
"For what it's worth, I wish things coulda been different too. But I see only one path for us to walk, and you don't want us to walk it."
Walhart stares Aydie down, studying her movements, before taking a shot.
Aydie takes a step back and begins casting silence on Gloaming who withdraws to the southeast before circling around at and altitude of 15 feet.
Walhart lands an arrow on his flat footed target. She does not seem to take as much damage as he would suspect that attack to do.
Round 2
Tally 35/35, Walhart 36/36, Damien 24+5-1(nl)/24 , Stephan 35/35
Stephan, Tally, Damien <======
Walhart
Aydie