Yasmin sees the lonely Gathlain and she empathises with her. It was overwhelming how much was going on all at once and no doubt Laere was feeling it, perhaps even more strongly than everyone else.
Yasmin raises from her seat and went to join Laere in her corner. She put on a smile before greeting her, “Hey, Laere. Is everything alright? What am I saying, of course it’s not. It’s a big old mess isn’t it? Those guys and their egos being so insistent on talking back to the patron, the girls leaving…As if we didn’t have enough to worry about already. “ Yasmin leans against the wall and lets out a long sigh.
She puts a hand on her shoulder and pats it reassuringly, “Don’t worry, Laere, I am sure it will all blow over soon enough. While those guys waste their time trying to come up with justifications and explanations, do you have anything you want to get off your chest? Any thoughts or stories you’d like to share? You might as well since we have nothing else to do.” Yasmin offers.
Laere sees the Ghoran approaching again, and keeps her silence, limiting herself to stare at her with curiosity.
"You're very nice, Yasmin." - she finally responds, composed - "And I thank you for being so concerned with my well being."
She looks around, for moments. What was more curious to her was that Yasmin's concerns felt genuine; maybe she was getting soft on her capacity of grasping people's true intentions, but it honestly felt given without string attached.
"I come from a place of chaos, so I grew used to it. I don't seek to make sense of it, but I usually adopt a posture of simply letting it be; letting the chaos unfold, let it happen. I must confess, sometimes I may even feed the flames myself." - she then continues a lot more honest than her usual - "But these are also places where every single being seems to be there for themselves, and only themselves, always willing to take advantage from any breach. Hence why listening through all the noise becomes so important..."
As she says the last thing, her eyes go around the room, almost as if focusing in certain individuals.
Evangelia looks distressed when finding out that some of the bystanders were killed by the cantankerous girls, then her breath settles into a more serene rhythm. "From what we've seen" she muses out loud "they must have had a purpose in mind when killing specifically these people, however alien it might be. Perhaps it was to punish me for non-compliance, since they're the people I talked to, and to make me feel guilty? It'd be kinda absurd - I'm not responsible for their killing spree - but they don't seem to understand us, so it's possible.
Now, what I want to do, with my god-granted powers, is bring these victims back. I realize it's quite possible the patron will kill them again, but my heart says to try. Feel free to object, any of you - I'm sure the entity is observing you, and perhaps it's what they expect of us. Or say nothing, but I suspect they won't settle for passivity. Hopefully none of you intend to stop me by force." She pauses in case someone has nuggets of wisdom for her.
Andromeda speaks up, “If I may, Evangelia. The last words the girls spoke to you was them accusing you of not truly living up to your own moral standards. They claimed you do not care for the commoners and only paid lip service to the idea of being good. I do not think it was a coincidence that after this the 2 groups of people you spoke to died. Perhaps this is another test, another judgement of your character.”
Andromeda looks at the corpses before turning back to Evangelia, “It is strange specifically 5 of them died. How many can you resurrect now? If this is symbolic of the five of you who spoke defiantly against them, perhaps we can spare ourselves by bringing these 5 back.”
Yasmin offers Laere as comforting a smile as she can manage, “It’s no problem, I remember that back in my first life, one of the things I never knew I needed until I got it was someone checking in on me. And since we are now bound by this patron, it’s only natural I help where I can.”
Yasmin listens to Laere’s story with rapt attention, nodding along and hanging onto her words. After she finishes, Yasmin looks at Laere with interest and admiration. Yasmin smiles as she comments, “Wow, your life sounds a lot more interesting than mine. I am not surprised since you mentioned your world was connected to the first world. I have read about it in my studies as a witch and it sounds like a very chaotic but intriguing place. I suppose in a place like that, you would learn to adapt to the chaos in your own way. I’d imagine you were a lot more prepared for this life than I was”
She then sighs, “Given the context, I assume you were alluding to your first death with your second comment. Still though, it must have been an interesting life you led if you are implying what I think you are implying.”. She looks down sheepishly before continuing, “ I suppose it’s only fair I share some of my own past. Though it’s not nearly as fascinating as your own life.”
She places her hand on her chin as she thinks out loud, “I lost my parents shortly after I learnt I was a witch. Most of my adult life was spent hiding in the forest, keeping to myself. Sadly my powers were feeble since I barely had the resolve to train. “ she looks at Laere, “My own death was essentially an accident. Two wizards happened to battle in my forest and they destroyed my home in the crossfire. After that one of their summoned beasts slew me as I tried to escape. He wasn’t even aiming for me I think.”
“I am not sure about you but I accepted being reborn because one of the powers I gained let me raise the dead. I have been catching up with my parents for most of my second life until I was called here.” She looks to Laere as she finishes, “Were you doing anything interesting before you got here? I imagine this world is quite dull compared to your old one so you must have done something to keep yourself entertained.”
Kharl moves over to the dead adventurers. "Hey. Looks like these guys were adventurers. It might be important to figure out how they died and who they were."
"Let's check things out before we jump into the frying pan again, OK?"
While Oswald watches Kharl doing what adventurers have been doing for decades, the aasimar bard keeps serving himself ale after ale at the tap. Oswald tries to comes to grips with what everyone sees before them.
"So? Ladies? Gentlemen?" Oswald says after taking down a medium tankard of ale. "How many years do think we're gonna get from the magistrate for this? Because unless we have our conversation elsewhere, these folk are eventually gonna wake up, or new people come in and see all the carnage, and blame us."
"Something to think about." The bard says as he refills his tankard with more ale.
”Years? As in imprisonment?” Gazul asked, confused. ”I honestly wonder if any mortal lords could imprison us. Or if it would be worth the cost to them.” He paused, and then added ”But our trust master, our patron, would not approve, would it?”
Kharl from your examination, they don’t appear to have any sort of injury or wound that you would have resulted in their death. It’s likely the that whatever killed them was an internal injury.
The human has a spellbook on his person so he is likely a wizard. The samsaran is has the holy symbol of Desna around her neck so she is likely a cleric or oracle. The halfling has a set of thieves tools and many knives strapped to his waist so he is likely a rogue. The Orc carries a large magical axe so he is likely a fighter of some kind
Kharl moves over to the dead adventurers. "Hey. Looks like these guys were adventurers.
Tavik sighs. It seems he's not loud enough, or he keeps too timid - a relic (ha!) of his past when hidden deals were the norm.
He appreciates that at least someone listened, if only to ask questions
Andromeda cocks her head to her side inquisitively before asking, “ You are from that planet those two sent Baba Yaga to? That’s odd…You claim you did not interact with any being before you were reborn. Are you sure about that?Andromeda seems to be wracking her head about something, “You said your planet had no magic like this one, meaning you weren’t aware that resurrection was possible. Tell me, if you had a choice in the matter would you have chosen to return to life and be sent here? Because it seems odd you would just be brought back without a choice.”
[B]"I didn't say I didn't interact with anyone, I saw them, I just wasn't really asked, it was more like...my weave was bad, useless, but there were some good threads and those were rewoven, strengthened...and here I am. But at no point was there 'Do you want to to this.'.
If I understand correctly, Oswald and Kharl are also from Earth. And yes, magic is just superstition and sleight of hand in our world. And no functioning gods. Just faith of the people, praying, but always without response. "
He pauses for a moment
"Should you as Pharasmin let those angels resurrect those adventurers? Give me just a minute, I'll remind them of something and maybe comfort a bit those in corner, I understand the fey acceptance, but this has to calm down eventually. I'll be right back."
He approaches the pair in the corner
"Don't worry, it will pass eventually. We will have to talk to each other at some point. Let me just try to get them to focus."
Continuing to angel-beings, the fey comes forward.
"If I may repeat myself, if you bring them back, can you afford to restore them fully after the wake up? Do we have right to bring them back diminished? You know that bringing someone back always has a price and I don't mean just diamond for the ritual. And these are adventurers, what is someone comes back with some vendetta and lashes out? Let's talk first, you can always bring them back in couple of hours. Please? No need to rush through everything, that's how we got in this mess first time. Please? We can discuss what we *all* can do for them and how many we can bring back if that is the decision."
He motions toward the table with Andromeda and Gazul, and starts back there slowly, inviting the group to join him.
"Gazul, I undestand you had completely different situation than any of us, but you don't have to allow it to keep you down. You're on level of one of the masters now, probably surpassing them. You could weave your own story and maybe even help those left behind in the...what...smithy? Raise up to your full potential, don't be just a slave raised above the other to become a master, an opressor"
Evangelia waits for Kharl to report on his results. She herself wouldn't feel comfortable rifling through their belongings. "So no major clue there. Too bad."
Turning to Tavik: "I can wait a bit longer, but... wait for what? Keep in mind the possibility that the entity fails us because we're not decisive enough. Or what Oswald mentioned about local authorities taking interest in the strange goings-on in this place.
And yes, I can restore some of them fully. It will drain my resources, but I suspect that would be part of the test. As for retaliation, I'm not afraid of that. In any case, I'd start with just one and we'd get to see if the entity reacts in some way."
Andromeda looks at Tavik and she considers his initial words before replying, “You have not answered my question. If you were given a choice would you have accepted it even if it meant you had to leave your home? It is possible you only saw that loom and weave because the patron simply believed it was the explanation that best suited you and the only one you would accept at the time. A sleight of hand so to speak to trick you into being bound into its service. So the question you must ask yourself is if you had an encounter similar to ours, would you have accepted?”
Andromeda shakes her head at his suggestion that she should stop them, “You don’t understand Pharasma much do you? She is not merely a god of death but also one of rebirth. Resurrection spells are sacred to our church because unlike raising undead, the spell gives the individual the chance to come back and infuses them with positive energy. She only despises undead raising spells because they break the cycle of life and rebirth. So no, it is completely acceptable under Pharasma to attempt to bring anyone you wish back from the dead. If Pharasma disapproves or the soul is unavailable, the spell will simply fail. If they were raising them as zombies or other forms of undead, I would stop them.”
Andromeda corrects Tavik with, “You seem to be missing the big picture here. It is true that resurrection takes a toll on the ones brought back. However, it’s only a problem if the resurrected people have no way to combat it. The Samsaran is a cleric of Desna and so the means to remove the negative effects is well within her means. The barkeep is no ordinary civilian either. Don’t you think it strange that the girls would choose to kill the group of people who would be able to recover fully from a resurrection?”
Turning to Tavik: "I can wait a bit longer, but... wait for what? Keep in mind the possibility that the entity fails us because we're not decisive enough.
[B]"We cannot second guess everything we do based on what some unknown entity with weird understanding of humanity will think of it. Just be yourself, and deal with the consequences of the entity as they come."
Tavik shrugs "If we cannot know their mind, we have to do what we think best and let them sort it out."
Or what Oswald mentioned about local authorities taking interest in the strange goings-on in this place.
[/b]"
"So what? We can talk about it, you have already shown you can influence people, most of them aren't dead and these that are will be brought back without any expense for the city if it comes to that. As for wait for what...we don't really wait for anything - we talk to get better idea who is who and how we are related, if we are. And what our abilities are...if you know them. Can you say for sure right now if Leana in the corner can bring back two of these or all five of them? No? How about me? Can I? You are not alone in this. Come, talk. Don't let the entity rush you into something, that is typical conman behavior, showing you something that looks lucrative or risky and either rushing a good deal with limited duration or frightening you into a deal."
(Burp) "Say, Tavik.." A quickly-inebrated Oswald sputters. "You said you were Eqyptian in yo last life? A few decades after you died, archaelogists found a room under The Sphinx's right paw. Never heard anything concrete about it. Some say it was filled with Atlantean secrets and stuff."
"You probably haven't heard The Bangles - Walk Like An Eqyptian either."
Oswald pours himself another ale., as he dances with pointy hand gestures. "..all the cops in the doughnut shops say, wayoo wayoo.."
Andromeda simply shakes her head in disbelief, clearly have trouble understanding something about Tavik. She is having trouble finding the right words to address the situation before she merely sighs and say, "Why have you not answered my question Tavik? Or have you realised that you have in fact been duped by the entity that brought us back? You advocate communication yet you have twice failed to address my question. What are you hiding?"
Andromeda points to Evangelia, "It was her own idea to bring those 5 back to life. You claim you want her to do what she thinks is best but you try to persuade her multiple times against her selected course and even asked me to stop them. What game are you playing?"
"If we cannot know their mind, we have to do what we think best and let them sort it out."
"So what? We can talk about it, you have already shown you can influence people, most of them aren't dead and these that are will be brought back without any expense for the city if it comes to that. As for wait for what...we don't really wait for anything - we talk to get better idea who is who and how we are related, if we are. And what our abilities are...if you know them. Can you say for sure right now if Leana in the corner can bring back two of these or all five of them? No? How about me? Can I? You are not alone in this. Come, talk. Don't let the entity rush you into something, that is typical conman behavior, showing you something that looks lucrative or risky and either rushing a good deal with limited duration or frightening you into a deal."
Evangelia listens, thinks on the words, then nods. "I believe I am doing exactly what you advocated: doing what I think is best. I have shown I am not cowed by the entity, so I am hopefully not falling for a con. And no one else has stepped forward to help with the dead - which is fine by the way, I am certain we all have different gifts and sensitivities."
She doesn't really have an idea about the order in which to try and raise the departed, but Andromeda made a good point about the divine caster possibly being able to help, so she heads towards the body of the Samsaran. Kneeling next to it, she intones her prayer as she lays a hand on it: "Sarenrae, light of justice, hear your servant and bring this Desnan back into our world of warmth and hope, if they so will it. Sarenrae, I call upon the highest powers you have deemed fit to grant me, that I may share them without restraint. Sarenrae, may you heal this death!" As she speaks, light infuses her hand, growing brighter and brighter until it's almost blinding... but not so actually, it's a light that shares warmth and hope.
Andromeda steps forward and says to Evangelia, "I can bring one of them back, but it will be with a negative level I believe. Allow me."
Andromeda inspects the dead and chooses the catfolk barkeep. Unlike the adventurers who now at least had a cleric who could possibly bring them back, the barkeep might not have access to such resources. Andromeda walks behind the bar and kneels down to touch the barkeep’s chest. She uses her connection to Pharasma to request a miracle from her, saying, “Pharasma, Lady of Graves and Mother of Souls. This man has been taken from this world unexpectedly and likely before his time. If it is your will, I implore you to grant him new life and allow him a chance to live again.” Pharasma’s power is not as bright or soothing as Sarenrae’s light but Andromeda can feel her ancient power course through her as she makes the request.
(Burp) "Hey! Wait! Don't bring the samsaran back to life!" The tipsy bard blurted. "Wa-wha..You'll totally mess up her soul progression. She can come back as a new samsaran on her own. Who knows what damage you'll do if you bring her back to this life. You know. Kinda like when Willow and the Scoobies brought Buffy back to life from Heaven! Man, that was fuçked up!"
Oswald pours himself another ale from the bar.
The duegar, correctly assuming the limitations of his powers, quietly watched. He was mentally cataloging what his new companions could and couldn’t do, and was thus naturally judging them based upon their usefulness. Knowing that two, thus far, could bring back the dead pleased him, for it meant that even if he fell he might still rise. And while he did not know what a ‘negative level’ was, he decided that it would be worth the cost of not passing on.
Andromeda looks at Tavik and she considers his initial words before replying, “You have not answered my question. If you were given a choice would you have accepted it even if it meant you had to leave your home? It is possible you only saw that loom and weave because the patron simply believed it was the explanation that best suited you and the only one you would accept at the time. A sleight of hand so to speak to trick you into being bound into its service. So the question you must ask yourself is if you had an encounter similar to ours, would you have accepted?”
"Eh?! Of course I would! Sorry if I wasn't clear, my life was worthless, I failed my ancestors and lived as a conman, peddler of false goods. And I have an opportunity to do better. As for whether the encounter was real...was yours? Or Evangelias? Is she about to resurrect people using the power of our unknown patron and not her goddess?! I decided to trest it as rral because I have no proof against it and it is internally consistent."
Andromeda shakes her head at his suggestion that she should stop them, “You don’t understand Pharasma much do you? She is not merely a god of death but also one of rebirth. Resurrection spells are sacred to our church because unlike raising undead, the spell gives the individual the chance to come back and infuses them with positive energy. She only despises undead raising spells because they break the cycle of life and rebirth. So no, it is completely acceptable under Pharasma to attempt to bring anyone you wish back from the dead.”
He shrugs,returning from inviting Evangelia back. "You're the expert. I know she is goddess of death, fate and yes, rebirth, but this isn't rebirth. So...no harm in asking"
Andromeda corrects Tavik with, “You seem to be missing the big picture here. It is true that resurrection takes a toll on the ones brought back. However, it’s only a problem if the resurrected people have no way to combat it. The Samsaran is a cleric of Desna and so the means to remove the negative effects is well within her means. The barkeep is no ordinary civilian either. Don’t you think it strange that the girls would choose to kill the group of people who would be able to recover fully from a resurrection?”
"You assume cleric is of sufficient power to do so. And that it is a cleric at all and not divine bard or simply dedicated follower. And you also assume the motivation for killing is that they can come back."
Yasmin looks at the group’s actions with curiosity. Andromeda’s words to Evangelia about this being another test sounded plausible enough in her mind but she is unsure if she should do something about it. Still, seeing the 5 dead from what was essentially their own actions reminds her of her own past. It would weigh on her conscious if she didn’t at least try to fix their own mistake. Yasmin turns to Laere and sighs, “ I will be right back. If those 5 truly died because of our patron’s anger against us, it wouldn’t be right for me to just stand by when I can help. Especially when I think about how my own parent’s death affected me.”
Yasmin approaches the group and stands over the bodies. The spell book in the human’s possession catches her eye. It was more likely that Nethys will help bring back a spellcaster than a fighter or rogue. Especially since she does not really know them well enough to think of a persuasive and personal plea. She places her hand on the human’s hand and channels her new power as the following prayer goes out to Nethys, “Nethys, this man is a promising spell caster slain for unjust reasons. I ask you to bring him back to life, so that he may practice the art once again in your name.”
Andromeda points to Evangelia, "It was her own idea to bring those 5 back to life. You claim you want her to do what she thinks is best but you try to persuade her multiple times against her selected course and even asked me to stop them. What game are you playing?"
"Also, I never tried to stop her or persuade her, pay attention! I suggested there is enough time to do it *after* we discuss options. I notice you didn't say much about yourself, just about how we all failed. You are a servant of Pharasma. How did you return? Why? What are yout powers?"
Tavik grows a bit irritated, but is still trying to find out about everyone here."Or to quote something I recently heard, what are you hiding? " Tavik smiles at that last one, trying to show he's not really accusing her, but making light of the statement.
"Trying to resurrect tabaxi that isn't dead, anyone can do that."
"Evangelia, I can bring one of them back. Will that make you settle down amd talk to us?"
(Burp) "Hey! Wait! Don't bring the samsaran back to life!" The tipsy bard blurted. "Wa-wha..You'll totally mess up her soul progression. She can come back as a new samsaran on her own. Who knows what damage you'll do if you bring her back to this life. You know. Kinda like when Willow and the Scoobies brought Buffy back to life from Heaven! Man, that was fuçked up!"
Oswald pours himself another ale from the bar.
Andromeda will turn to Oswald and say, “ I wouldn’t worry about it. If the samsaran is already in the midst of her reincarnation, the spell will simply fail. If she isn’t, then bringing her back will do no tangible harm to her cycle, as far as I am aware. “. She seems to not really understand the second part of your comment and just shrugs as she assumes it’s something from your past life
"So, Annie-dromeda", Oswald slurred. "You ever meet Pharasma? Before or after death?"
"Also has anyone noticed how our female adventurers are stone-cold foxes!" The aasimar whooped, as he poured himself another ale.
Foxes? They appear humanoid.” The Duegar said. ”Unless that is a saying? Could you explain what you mean by that?” He asked, his voice sincere.
Andromeda thinks for a moment before she says, "Well not really. When i was made the offer for reincarnation, I had thought the being was a psychopomp but it's pretty clear it's not. I have used commune and other divination spells to speak with Pharasma since I gotten revived. From what I can tell while she didn't carry out or order the reincarnation, she has allowed me to remain her herald and is willing to grant my miracles, so she approves of me continuing this life. Theoretically I could use a miracle to ask her to let me talk to her directly, but that seems rude, so I haven't done it."
She looks at Oswald for a moment before asking, "Have you met Cayden yourself? From what i know he makes a habit of appearing in the mortal realm occasionally it is possible. Most tales of Pharasma indicate she doesn't leave the boneyard."
Andromeda nods along with Gazul, "I am also unfamiliar with the phrase, is it another saying from your world?"
"Human saying, my duegar friend!" Oswald smiles and points at Gazul. "Like broad-shouldered bearded women who have big 'boulders'",
the aasimar motioned with his hand in front of his chest, "who can work a iron rod with their bare hands!"
Oswald chuckles to himself as he drinks another ale. ..'boulders..'
She looks at Oswald for a moment before asking, "Have you met Cayden yourself? From what i know he makes a habit of appearing in the mortal realm occasionally it is possible. Most tales of Pharasma indicate she doesn't leave the boneyard."
"What do you think I'm trying to do?" Oswald girgled. "I'm attempting to reach a level of inebration that would allow me to cross the planar boundaries and commune with my deity."
"And you lot were probably thought I was getting drunk because I'm a no-good reprobate. ..HA!"
Andromeda eyes Oswald before turning to Gazul, “I think what he is trying to say is that the phrase is a compliment about a woman’s appearance. His explanation might be what he thinks Duegars find attractive in their women.”. She looks at Oswald and shrugs, “Thank you for the compliment, I suppose. My new body is slightly more easy on the eyes than my previous form. “
Andromeda smiles and nods at him, “Ah so there is purpose to your drinking. Ordinarily I would say they are more effective ways to commune with the divine but Cayden is famed for his drinking so perhaps it could work. It’s worth a shot I suppose.”
The bodies were beyond anything that Kharl could do anything about. Regular adventurers, dead with no visible wounds? "Guys. Whatever killed these four left no visible wounds. Evangelia? You say you can raise them? Perhaps try the cleric first. A cleric of Desna might be able to explain what happened and whether the others should be returned to life. I don't have that power yet. I can restore life to someone that died of wounds, if done immediately, but not these."
Kharl hears Tavik comment about his origin. "I'm not from Earth. I hadn't even heard of it before today. Just one of the local crowd."
"What do you think I'm trying to do?" Oswald girgled. "I'm attempting to reach a level of inebration that would allow me to cross the planar boundaries and commune with my deity."
"Isn't Cayden also know for feats of bravery and strength, being a Hero? Perhaps that would be a better way to reach him."
Andromeda will acknowledge Kharl’s observation, “I see Kharl. Not to worry, the resurrection spells the three of us are using are likely to work even if the body is not intact. Unless something else has been done to prevent their revival, internal wounds will likely be healed as the body is brought back.”
"What do you think I'm trying to do?" Oswald girgled. "I'm attempting to reach a level of inebration that would allow me to cross the planar boundaries and commune with my deity.""Isn't Cayden also know for feats of bravery and strength, being a Hero? Perhaps that would be a better way to reach him."
Andromeda will chime in with, “You are correct about that but most of the stories also include the fact that he was drunk while he completed his greatest feats of heroism. So perhaps if Oswald does heroics while drunk it might catch Cayden’s attention?”
"What do you think I'm trying to do?" Oswald girgled. "I'm attempting to reach a level of inebration that would allow me to cross the planar boundaries and commune with my deity.""Isn't Cayden also know for feats of bravery and strength, being a Hero? Perhaps that would be a better way to reach him."
"Maybe, but not as refreshing and hydrating", Oswald hiccuped.
"Annie. Darling! Gorgeous! Want ol' Oszy to pour you a mug?"
Andromeda shakes her head, “Sorry Oswald but I don’t really drink. My profession is as a cleric handling funeral rites. As you might imagine, it’s not the type of job that lets you develop a drinking habit. Imagine what the family would think if I showed up to a funeral drunk.”
Oswald just smiles drunkenly. "Spoken as someone who has never been to a an irish wake. Alcohol can soothe the Griever's pain, and lead to fond and not-so-fond memories of the Deceased."
"All I'm saying is that we all have a whole universe of possibilities to explore. A Closed Mind often Dies of Thirst for New Ideas."
The aasimar bard blinks at his own Eloquence, looking down into the tankard. "Boss? Is that you?"
Kharl nods to Andromeda's answer. "Good. I can channel healing energies, or cast lesser curative spells. My armor allows me to heal even more. I just can't raise the dead like that."
Oswald shrugs. "I'm no cleric, but I can cast cure light wounds. And bards don't get the Heal skill. That's messed up."
Oswald just smiles drunkenly. "Spoken as someone who has never been to a an irish wake. Alcohol can soothe the Griever's pain, and lead to fond and not-so-fond memories of the Deceased."
Mention of the Irish wake draws attention of Tavik. "You're Irish? From Ireland? You know about Tuatha Dé Danann? The old gods?"
"I apologize, Kharl, I thought I heard you mention something to Oswald? His lute? There are so many of us...I may be mistaken."
Oswald just smiles drunkenly. "Spoken as someone who has never been to a an irish wake. Alcohol can soothe the Griever's pain, and lead to fond and not-so-fond memories of the Deceased."Mention of the Irish wake draws attention of Tavik. "You're Irish? From Ireland? You know about Tuatha Dé Danann? The old gods?"
"I wish", Oswald burped. "I went to one when visiting Ireland once. My old life had me in the United States. What a train wreck that turned out to be."
Pretense gone, the aasimar stuck his head under the tap and switched it on.
“I am not sure about you but I accepted being reborn because one of the powers I gained let me raise the dead. I have been catching up with my parents for most of my second life until I was called...
"Actually, your story sounds a lot more... Exotic, than mine. I was just a musician. I died in a fire... Maybe malicious, maybe an accident, I don't know. I guess some things are just like that, dull and senseless."
Laere was lying through her teeth, and she was a good liar - but she really was just too used to the routine of hiding.
"As for an option to be reborn... I honestly don't remember, but I'd certainly choose to do so. I guess maybe in my case, whichever divinity decided to do it, knew my answer enough to not even bother to ask."
As Yasmin seemed interested in going and help the others, Laere simply excused her with a smile when she departed, and went back into silently observing the movement.
”What is interesting is how normal we all seemed to have been.” The Duegar said. ”Our patron could have chosen from so many souls. Great warriors, mages, tyrants and the like. And yet here we are. Gifted with strength beyond anything we could have imagined.” He was thinking out loud. ”Why do you all think this is? Is it to instill loyalty in us? Because it would make losing all of this more fearful?” He looked to the others, interested in hearing their thoughts.
Evangelia, Andromeda and Yasmin, you touch the corpses and say your prayers. As you finish, you feel the divine powers of your Gods fill the room. Sarenrae’s light is smoothing and warm, Pharasma’s power feels like an unyielding wave washing over you and Nethys’ magic is at once protective and destructive.
As the divine power leaves your body and enters the corpses you see that the bodies began breathing once again and colour returns to their faces. If you search for a pulse, you will find it going strong for the 3 you decided to bring back.
However, while their bodies have returned to life, they do not wake. Like the others in the tavern they seem to be still asleep. Not normal behaviour for a newly resurrected person
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The mixture of arcane and divine energies startle Oswald from his tap.
"Whoa! Way to go, ladies!" The bard drunken cheers.
"You know. This day started out with such promise. Finally got to Minstrix, met a duergar. Then it all went to sh|t. Then it got even worse. But then I found you guys. People who where reincarnated just like me. I've had memories of my past life I couldn't tell anyone. Not even my family.."
Full of alcohol, Oswald sets his head down on the bar. "I love you, guys.."
Then the sound of the aasimar sleeping can be heard. Not too long after, Oswald's body slips from the bar and lands on the bar floor, then the sound of drunken torpor continues.
After trying and failing to wake the Samsaran up by gently shaking her then slapping her once, Evangelia frowns. "On the upside, we didn't get berated for resurrecting them nor did the entity reappear to kill them. On the downside, they're caught in the same... enchantment? Curse? As everyone else." She raises her voice: "Is anyone here an erudite of magic? Or a healer of strange ailments? If so, what do you know or what you can guess about what is happening to the people seemingly asleep? I myself am not well-versed in magics other than my own."
Oswald's declaration of love earns him an affectionate smile, but she is otherwise focused on her task. When he falls, the noise causes her to sharply raise her head but, reassured by his snores, she returns to the work at hand.
Still, she has time to muse aloud on Gazul's query. "Perhaps they want pliable subjects - but if so they must have realized their error, by now. Perhaps we were designated by Fate and divinations. Perhaps the challenges to come require a fresh perspective, one unburdened by prior might."
"Two more remain, which one should I get?" Tavik asks
Anyhow, he speaks in a lanaguage maybe only Oswald recognizes, if even him.
He collects some dust, an ember from the hearth and takes his small glass and as the prayer goes on he ritualistically, mixes dust with the drink, quenches the ember and annoints both of the dead with the mixture as he literally breathes life into them at the end and waits to see which one is chosen. Or both if he pleases The Fey Queen.
A Mhór-Ríoghan, Banríon na gCath,
Scáil na bhFiach, Máthair na bhFórsaí Dorcha,
Éist le mo ghlaoch thar thairseach an bháis.
A Mhaighde, i do thrí aon—Badb, Macha agus Nemain—
A fhíann cinniúint na bhfear agus a scaoileann arís í,
Cas do shúile ar an anam caillte.
Trí fhuil na talún agus trí anáil na gaoithe,
Trí chuimhne na gcloch agus trí ghlao na n-éan dubh,
Iarraim ort an snáithe briste a cheangal arís.
Tabhair ar ais iad ón scáth go solas,
Ó thost na huaighe go fuaim na beatha,
Mar a éiríonn an fiach ón gcath agus a mhaireann fós,
Ná fág an laoch seo i bhfuacht na huaighe.
A Mhór-Ríoghan, a Bhanríon, impím ort.
Má tá praghas le híoc, glac é uaim,
Má tá geis le ceangal, cuirim orm é,
---
Great Queen, Morrigan, Queen of Battles,
Phantom of Ravens, Mother of Dark Powers,
Hear my call beyond the death.
Magdh, in your threefold being - Badb, Macha, and Nemain -
Who weave the fate of men and unbind it again,
Turn your gaze upon the lost soul.
By the blood of the earth and the breath of the wind,
By the memory of stone and the cry of black birds,
I ask you to bind again the severed thread.
Bring them back from shadow to light,
From the silence of the grave to the sound of life,
As the raven rises from battle and endures,
Do not leave this hero in the cold of the grave.
Morrigan, The Queen, I beseech thee.
If there is a price, take it from me,
If there is a geas, I will bear it,
"Sorry, a bit more involved, but having the weave unraveled, especially if She choses who to rebind takes some time."
Yasmin turns to Evangelia impassively and replies, “They appear to be merely asleep, it is possible this is simply a mythic sleep spell which lets you put many weak creatures to sleep at once. I wouldn’t speculate much further than that though, if this is really the patron’s doing no amount of magical knowledge will likely yield an answer.”
Yasmin turns to Gazul and considers his question seriously. After a few moments of consideration she says, “There is a few more option I can think of though not many are good for us. First, it could simply be on a whim. Maybe they were bored and this is what counts for entertainment for them. Second it could be an experiment of some kind. I remember one of the girls using the words ‘Subjects’ in her final words. As for what they are testing, your guess is as good as mine. Thirdly, they could be harvesting us, like plants or animals. Maybe the new powers are like some sort of fertiliser for our souls.Lastly, perhaps they foresaw something coming in the future that requires mortals like us to handle. Who knows, for one reason or another they don’t seem keen on revealing it to us.”
Yasmin nods sympathetically as she hears Laere’s story, “oh that sounds horrible. I remember my own experiences with fires, terrible situation to get caught in. I’d love to hear you play sometime when you feel like it though. “
Yasmin smiles and says, “Not many people would say no to a second shot at life even without new powers. I’d imagine most beings wouldn’t even need to be asked about it. “
”All make sense.” The duegar said. His anger spent, he considered her words and found them valid. Even the idea of being harvested made sense to him, and there was comfort in that. ”It thus is in our interest to be useful.” He replied to her. ”Be we entertainment, experiments, or resource cultivation. Regardless, if we are of use, then we will not be replaces or harvested.” Looking at the knocked out people, he added ”Our patron has odd notions of morality. It seems to want us to care for property that is of low output. If we cannot wake them, then I shall…hmm…move any on the floor out of any immediate danger of them stepped on. That might please our master.”
Using his telekenisis, he began lifting up any sleeping patron was on the floor, and either moved them to be on a chair and slumped over a table, or lined up against a wall. Whether this would lead to chastisement he did not know. But regardless, it would be a data point to better understand the whims of his master.
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Andromeda will smile at Oswald as she watches him slowly drift off to sleep. She will try to move his body to a more comfortable sleeping position before she goes to rejoin the group.
She senses Pharasma's energy infuse into the bartender and bring him back to life. Seeing his chest move as he draws breath again makes Andromeda feel a tinge of satisfaction. Yet more proof her Goddess can hear her prayer.
Andromeda then turns her attention to the group who are now speculating on the reason their mysterious patron selected them. She adds her own ideas to the mix, "While i cannot say the reason for our reincarnation, there is one very odd fact i would like to draw attention too. As far as I can tell none of us seem to be evil aligned. In fact, there is a considerable number of celestials in our midst. There is also the fact that the girls seem very concerned about us not using our abilities on those weaker than us, a philosophy that seems to align more with good than evil. But they themselves seem to have little care for human life. So, why would they want us to be good if they are not good themselves? Any ideas?"