On the Threshold of Death

Log Info

• Title: On the Threshold of Death
• Emitter: Delilah
• Characters: Delilah, Donna, Ashes, Elyanna, Merek
• Place: Wilderness, Far north of Alexandria
• Time: Monday, April 12, 2021, 8:36 PM
• Summary: The Valethor Gang and Merek return from the afterlife, into a world on fire. It's fine. They're surrounded and at weapon-point, surrender demanded by an Oruch woman. Ashes Evil Eyes her, while Merek does a blood sacrifice to place a Wall of Force, and the others suggest this will not end well. A Gnoll takes Delilah hostage, and she's still without spells. He declares it's a standoff, while all the adventurers state they not only prepared to die, they just did and returned and are quite willing to make the journey back with everyone present. The Oruch is named Gallata Or'Thurgen, and known to Elyanna's former self, the Lady Otilla, a former slaver turned bounty hunter. She asks for an expanation, and one is given, and she seems satisfied. At this point Mahuikaa escapes her bindings, blasts several of the bounty hunters and puts them to work repairing all the damage they have caused. Ashlee goes to find her things, discovers she is mourning... something and that her best words of comfort are not up to the task.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  Appearing  -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Donna        5'4"     106 Lb     Human             Female    A black-haired human girl in black robes.
Delilah      5'4"     106 Lb     Human             Female    A golden haired human girl in white robes.
Merek        5'10"    215 Lb     Human             Male      A black-haired, dusky male with golden eyes.
Ashes        5'11"    177 Lb     Hobgoblin         Female    A somber arvec in grey clothes with a skull face
Elyanna      5'11"    153 Lb     Half-Orc          Female    A grim, Arvek-blooded woman in raven feathers. 
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  NPCs of Note  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Or'Thurgen   Hostile             Oruch             Female    A former slaver, now bounty hunter, Gallata, leader
Kren         Hostile             Gnoll             Male      A bounty hunter, one of Gallata's goons
Mahuikaa     Friendly            Sith'Makar        Female    An elderly greenscale with grey tips matron
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  As the GM =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Delilah      5'4"     106 Lb     Human             Female    A golden haired human girl in white robes.
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=

Five travellers have emerged from the realm of the dead, after what one might term a successful trip -- mind you, any trip to such a realm that you return from would seem a success, regardless of any other outcome. Losing the odd thing along the way (like a funeral robe) really is a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things, for what's been gained in return.

There is, however, the matter of the world being on fire upon return. Delilah shuffles closer to her sister, as the scene before them is one of flames turning flowers into ash, and starting to spread to the surrounding forest. Behind the portal that looms open, wreathed in it is own, warmthless grey flames, Mahuikaa's cottage has seen better days -- several of the windows are broken and the door lays off its hinges.

"There they are!" calls a voice, "Told you they'd come back!"

Two figures stand inside the cottage living room; both of them Hobgoblins, aiming rifles at the party.

"Halt right there," instructs another voice; an Oruch woman, wearing a white robe over gold embossed armor, and carrying a crossbow that she has likewise aimed. Several other Hobgoblins, Orcs, and Gnolls, all variously armed with projectile and bladed weapons, emerge from among the trees and from inside or behind the cottage, a total of ten in all. "Hands in the air, then," continues the Oruch woman in the armor. "And remember, kindly, there are two of you that we don't need alive, you're worth the same bounty as corpses."

It has been a long and unusual experience for the Mourner. The journey through the halls of waiting was enlightening, a revelation of aspects of mortality she was unaware of. Intimacy, which was unexpected, as well as some entities being able to carve out their own personal heaven while defying the very goddess that allows them to linger.

The job of Psychopomp was very attractive.

Upon returning to the real world, the ashen Arvec is confronted with her own mortality again. An opportunity to shed it. To go back where she just was, and feel empowered and at peace. She stares. Exhales slowly. STARES. Her hand tightens... on the whip, if it is even a whip anymore. If she even still holds it or only the impression of the pressure it made against her grip.

Something dies today. Something dies now. The only question in the Mourner's mind is whether she joins it in death. She's not even sure what was lost. Concern for Alexandria, concern for these people, her neutral outlook? If she was given the opportunity to slit all their throats in their sleep, she just might. She searches her soul, wondering if she has just become evil. Were the power in her to channel the emptiness of the grave and watch them all fall, she would. They're just doing their job. They should get a better one. If Vardama had chosen her to slay instead of heal, she would do her job too.

"You'll regret this."

Coming back to find Mahuikaa's cottage on fire was nearly as nasty a shock as learning her sister was on the hook for murder. And right this moment, the brawler is bereft of any armor, weaponry, or gear that could aid her in getting the answers that are forefront in her mind. All she has to hand is her anger.

"No, first you answer one question; What did you do with the really, really powerful and grumpy sorceress who owns the garden y'all set on fire?"

Fortunately for Donna, her anger draws from a nearly *bottomless* well.

There is a certain grim familiarity in the smell that greets Elyanna's nostrils as they emerge from Beyond the Pale.

It's the smell of safety burning away.

The Keeper, restored to the living world is at once patently aware of their vulnerability and somewhat untennable situation narrows her eyes in consideration as the Oruch speaks up. The aesthetics are somewhat familiar, if only by hearsay, but it's enough to warrant the red woman's bland, "You're a long way from home, Or'Thurgen." <Goblin-talk>

There is an overt sweep of her eyes to get a headcount of her senior renegade's mooks and bone-gnawers, before they lock on the leader once more.

"Still trading in flesh, I see." she remarks in Trade, sounding just a little smarmy despite her rigidly stilted grasp of the tongue.

Merek looks to the fields all aflame when he comes upon the place once he's back from the Halls. The man sighs a bit, then he watches the people lining up. He shifts both of those hands up, "Well, I guess we'll need to listen," he offers, then he switches to claws, blood spilling from the palms with what looked like a surrender, only for him to quickly speak a spell in Draconian, then he begins to form the magic.

The blood of the sacrifice brings upon the blessing that keeps the man's spell going faster. Then he binds all of the energy of magic from the Tellurian into ability. A Celestial word and it looks like a wall of force appears before all of them. That wouldn't be all that notable besides a light shimmer.

The Oruch woman, Or'Thurgen it would seem, quirks an eyebrow upwards. "She's been dealt with," she replies. "She will make a full recovery, we're not in the habit of unnecessary killing. We--"

She stops, shifting her gaze to Elyanna. "...You must be Otilla," she muses. "We'd never met, but I'd heard of you. I'd heard you turned over a new leaf, and I'd believed it, up until today; seeing you in the company of a murderess is not very convincing, my dear."

"Donna," Delilah hisses, shrinking back behind her sister, "I don't have my magic back yet," she whispers urgently. "I can't-- I *can't* cast anything."

"I'm going to point out that there's ten of us, plus the ones you can't see," Or'Thurgen adds. "But--" She pauses, quirking her head to one side and scratching her temple. She shakes her head, going cross-eyed for a moment. "...But you'll note we haven't shot you yet, we'd really like you alive, so if you would kindly--"

At about that moment, that Merek's blood-sacrifice draws the attention of one of the snipers, who promptly shouts "Hey!" and opens fire; the shot ricochets off the wall of force, and is promptly followed by a couple more that likewise fly off into the woods.

"Ahh, a delaying tactic," the Oruch observes bemusedly. "Very well then. But there's a problem."

The wall of force encompasses the group, and stops just at the edge of the portal to the realm of the dead -- still open -- but it appears it wasn't solely Merek's allies inside of it. A loud, but brief squeak issues from Delilah as she's pulled backwards from behind Donna, by a gnoll who stands with one arm wrapped around her chin, holding her head up, with the other holding a dagger up against her throat. "Surrender," he snarls, spraying a bit of saliva on Delilah's shoulder in the process.

"Yes, do," encourages the Oruch in charge. "We don't deal in flesh anymore, Otilla dearest. But we do hunt down criminals. It is *deeply* satisfying."

The Wall of Force is a welcome relief, and Donna's shoulders begin to relax... And then Delilah is torn away from her, and she spins around, eyes wide and furious. Her heartbeat starts to thrum in her ears, as *once again* her sister is helpless and being threatened, and after everything else... it's a turn of events that Donna is just about finished with.

"Buddy," she says, clenching and unclenching her fists. "You best look behind you, an' remember not to step back too far. We just *came back from the Grey Halls,* an' we ain't closed the door."

"Punch him through." Ashes suggests, STARING at the Gnoll. She's looked away from the Oruch, ignoring her. She does state in her monotone, "Better produce Mahuikaa as a living hostage and prove your words. Merek can level this place and all of you, seen and unseen in an eyeblink."

"Unless we see her, he's got no reason not to."

Merek will listen to the Oruch while she speaks, then he notices that she mentions. That, he takes a look to the gnoll coming from the portal, "Well, that's quite an interesting tactic," he then takes a look to the people with their arrows aimed to them. The Wall of Force will generally protect from them. "Right," he takes a look to Delilah, and to Donna, as well as to Elyanna and Ashlee, "I would suggest you think about it. You can't collect a bounty if you are all killed. And let me tell you, this is only my third trip to the Hall."

The man waits, for he will use the tactic of his words, the man doesn't want Delilah to be killed after all of this. "You know, the bounty is pretty small. You really think that this is worth that." It sounds like a statement. "Gnoll, I want you to consider this carefully, every word I am about to speak. I am, a patient man. I am though, a cleric. And you are doing what I consider, to be prepared to kill an innocent woman. You see, I know where all of us are going if we're killed. I think I know where I will make sure all of you go when you are. And trust me, you all will be down before I go down. I can promise that."

"It seems I must, darling." Elyanna replies ominously, considering her counterpart on the other side of the firing line.

And then things advance through the bolts richocheting off the Seer's willwork, and the Keeper turns on the squeak of Delilah being taken hostage. There is a tiny shake of the Keeper's head and dramatic sigh as things are about ready to end so spectacularly badly, "She has a point. You have numbers and words, alone." Her eyes return to the oruch as everyone seems bound to answer the Gnoll in their midst, "The trial was bought ahead of time. I personally found the sophistry disgusting. In Bludgun the judges were cruel, but honest, no?"

If Donna is unhappy to see Delilah in this situation, then the golden sorceress is doubly so. She grabs at the Gnoll's arm holding the knife, and promptly finds her strength insufficient to safely remove the blade from her throat; She sucks in a deep breath, and presses herself backwards against her captor instead. "Don't do this," she gasps. "Please. Please don't. If you don't kill me, they will if you take me back, and I'm innocent. I'm *innocent*. I swear to you that I'm innocent, I *swear*." She pauses, and looks at Donna; she takes one hand off the Gnoll's, just long enough to sign 'Sorry'.

The Oruch woman tilts her head and clucks her tongue, "Isn't that what they always say, Otilla?" She gestures towards Delilah. "I'm innocent. I didn't do it."

The Gnoll holding Delilah shifts the blade, pressing it closer against her throat until it worries the skin without quite breaking the flesh. "I am thinking about it," he snaps to Merek, after going a bit... cross-eyed for a moment. "And I'm thinking I'm stuck in a magic bubble with all five of you, so I'm thinking that if you don't do anything to me, I won't do anything to her, and we've got ourselves a stand off." He looks to the side and spits, turning his gaze to Ashes. "The knife doesn't come off 'less Gallata tells me, an' if you all pick a fight then probably a die, but not without this one."

"Hey, boss, we need to--" The Hobgoblin standing in the cottage starts and stops, as the Oruch in charge silences him with a gesture. She walks up to the bubble, and raps on it with her knuckles.

"Alright, Otilla," she drawls. "I'll give you one chance. You say the trial was rigged? Convince me."

"Alright, we'll talk then. The Wall of Force will be there for a while," Merek then lifts up both hands, nodding a bit to the oruch woman. The man lets the people do all the talking, he's managed to make them at least all consider that killing people isn't the best thing to do. He seems to wait, keeping his focus upon the magic.

Ashlee raises her hands. In her left she holds the silver branch with five leaves. She lets it rest against her breasts. "This is evidence. That we let go of life. That we went beyond and returned."

Her other hand, raises the whip. The cat-o-trio-tentacles, writhing, angry, pissed. The suckers all flex, like eyes pulsing with rage and bulging out of a skull. In the centre of each, small hooks, that twitch, ready to catch flesh, rend. "This is evidence. From there. Taken from the victim, that filled her mind with rage. She told us her story."

The Mourner lets her arm swing down, holding it out towards Elyanna, "However you believe we got it."

She stares, at the Oruch who has come so close. Her eyes intense, glaring. Dark beads in the skull that is her face. "The guards investigated for two hours. Our evidence was ignored. The magistrate who knew magic was made ill. The trial was moved up. The prosecution provided no theory only questioned our mitigating evidence. Their star witness was compelled by kidnapping her child. A gnoll was hired to kill her."

She pauses, glancing at the gnoll holding Delilah, "so they wouldn't dirty their hands."

Still. Staring.

"Words. Nobles. Money. A hired assassin." The Mourner shrugs. "Which you'll have to trust as much as we trust yours. We found out a lot of things. That you are known by Lady Otilla isn't a recomendation."

"Puppy. Drop the knife or she'll show you what she can do with this. She's done far worse."

"An' just to keep y'all on the level, I want you to think about this," Donna says, turning her head just far enough to glance at the ringleader of these bounty hunters. "If one thing -- *one thing* -- happens to anyone here, I *will* send your heads to Norrington, an' advise him to up the bounty on me. Y'all hurt our foster-mom, burnt up her garden, an' if you don't see reason, will have hurt ot killed at least onea my friends. An' believe me... you don't *want* me to have nothin' left to lose."

Her eyes turn back to the gnoll with the knife at her sister's throat, expression flat and hard. "Because if I got nothin' to lose, y'all got nothin' to live for."

"Usually it was 'No, please'." the red woman replies bluntly, "Where do you think that portal went, Gallatta? We asked the woman Delilah was accused of killing." She doesn't btoher trying to sell 'innocent' so much as 'Bethany isn't her sin', "Very well."

Then, Ashes opts to take up the case for her, she seems briefly surprised as she regards her friend, taking the gesture as acceptance of her previous offer and reaches to take up her burden, curling her fingers about the handle while she speaks. Presenting her own evidences, though there is a slight widening of the eyes, despite her expectations, as the Mourner speaks to the worth of her character. Her posture hitches a touch and she knows, then, for certain that 'friend' is no longer an appelation afforded her. A breath, then again, "Very well."

Much as she had having her deepest, darkest tugged out of her mind for all to see, the halfbreed locks eyes, something glinting within the steel, on the Oruch, "I have battled slavers in Am'shere with the sisters." She almost languidly rolls both wrist and shoulder to indicate the sorceress without breaking eye contact, "First, bound, gagged, unable to properly move, nor use her magic. Still, she attacked and taunted her captor to buy time for her sister to save the cage full of sith hatchlings his peons would have pushed into the river."

There is a certain light joining the mystery in her eyes; the Arvek sense of battle, as she continues "Bold, no? Later, when we had advantage over the slaver, when the Sith with us quite... enthusiasticly dispensed his fate, Delilah did not waver." She cants her head a touch, "Hardened, yes?"

She turns her chin to the side the ashen fullblood stands relative to her and nods again, without breaking the lock of eyes, "It is as she says. They expect such a one to falter when drawing deadly force against such a one who wronged her. A woman who fights to save children is the same woman who does murder over a year-old gambling debt, the day before that debt would be called into court for resolution?"

Another shake of her head, "To do murder first in silence, with magic, from the street, then while the Lady Alenthor was unconscious from a magic missile spell to the chest, beyond her talents, then to close with a dragonspitter" She makes a fingergun to the ground, "fire, load again" tries to pandomime the reloading proceedure, keeping Delilah's time by the beats in her head, "fire once more and then wait to be seen by a wench from within the building before running. Then, before anyone aside from the Guard is allowed to examine the scene, that scene is doctored? That the magic designed to identify murdered souls and their slayers, the Lady Bethany conveyed that she did not recognize. She did not recognize a woman that she had been harragning for over a year, when said woman shot her with a spell from less than fifteen paces."

She straightens, holding her gaze on the Oruch, "You have hunted many, you know minds as I know pain, Gallata, does that sound like the murderer you would seek?"

Gallata listens, flicking her gaze towards the Valethor twins, considering the pair of them while Elyanna talks. As the Half-Orc finishes the empashioned plea started by Ashes, she retreats into thought, furrowing her brow and cupping her chin with her fingers.

"I heard about that," says one of the other gnolls, as he climbs down from the roof and shoulders his rifle. "The bit about the slavers, I mean. One a' me friends said he passed through the jungles recent, an' talked to some Sith there, and they were jes'... practically *vibrating* talking about some people what saved their kids an' whatnot from slavers. Couple of 'em was s'posed to be twins and one of 'em took on their boss with'r hands behind her back."

Gallata looks at Delilah, then back to Elyanna. She chews on her thoughts and licks one of her tusks, staring at Elyanna as she plants her hands on her hips.

"Kren," she states. "Let'r go."

The gnoll standing behind Delilah looks over the assembled persons still with him inside the bubble; slowly, he lowers the dagger from Delilah's throat, and moves it through the air around her until it's out of the way. He gives her a push forwards with his free hand on her back, but it's considerably gentler than it might've been. He holds his hands up in the air, one still holding the dagger, and the other open.

"Alright," Gallata continues, speaking more softly. "I believe you, Otilla, and I've let your friend go. Perhaps you let me have my man back now, hmm?" She glances towards the house, and there's a quiet moment with a couple of soft clicks; hammers on rifles being relaxed from the firing position. Gallata herself shoulders her crossbow, and a few bladed weapons get sheathed.

As the knife moves away, Donna lets out a slow, shuddering breath, moving forward to wrap her arms around her sister. "Okay," she calls. "That's good enough for me. 'Cept... might wanna stick around. Y'all got a hell of an apology to make, an' not to any of us."

Ashes relaxes. A little when Elyanna takes the whip, a lot more when Gallata tells her men to stand down. Kren. The puppy's name is Kren. She stops staring with malevolence and lowers her gaze, and her head. She focuses on the silver branch she has clutched to her chest. She's holding it with both hands now.

Ashlee saw the change in Elyanna from her words. Which said, cannot be unsaid. Which, weren't lies. The boxes of 'deal with later' in her mind are overfull. Tops popped and contents spilling out. It's a jumble.

She wants to know if her little white lizard survived too. Well, not her lizard, but in her care. The Mourner feels foolish worrying about him, or her mouse. Her mouse probably ran off. Her mouse might be ok.

There's still nothing she can think to say. 'Sorry', would not be truthful. Perhaps...

"We need to talk later." It's quiet and directed at Elyanna. She can say that. Also, "It twists your mind. Be careful."

Merek watches all of the people, and nods a bit. The man waits for them to prepare the gnoll, then when they do, he offers a little snap of his fingers while the Wall of Force will go up.

"Elyanna." the half-Arvek replies, "Otilla was a lie, but..." she half looks toward her fellows, subtle ripples of shadow along her cheekbones as she tries to coach her expression to proper poise, then back to their reticent pursuer, "her sins are still mine."

She turns to watch the Gnoll accede to his orders, idly flexing her fingers along the hilt of the lash and she nods politely, "In a moment, Gallata." now that people are being resonable... Still, she'd be a fool to just up and do so without seeing Mahuikaa there is a brief twitch of her lip as her eyes close "Show us our hostess, please."

The snap brings her out of.... whatever she's doing and she half flexes her whip hand in reflex, "Are you fu-!?" <goblin-talk> she snaps, then... almost forcibly bites her rebuke back and turns aside.

Breathe, "Pardon."

Ashes's declaration and advisory are met with a slight tension along her arms, her jaw, before the highborn nods, "I'm feeling it..." She doesn't have an answer for the rest.<goblin-talk>

"If by Mahuikaa you mean the Sith woman who was here when we arrived," Gallata begins, paying no mind to Elyanna's outburst, "Then she's fine, but she--"

"Boss? BOSS!! She got loose early! She's--"

There's a flash of light and an ear-splitting blast from inside teh cottage; the wall around the main window erupts into splinters and the mercenaries inside get catapulted half way across the meadow. Mahuikaa emerges a moment later, carrying a staff that crackles with electricity. "AMUSING," she booms, her voice amped up in volume enough that forest birds in all directions can be heard taking flight in a panic. "BUT INSUFFICIENT. PREPARE FOR THE LESSON I AM ABOUT TO TEACH."

What follows is a loud but brief chant, and with a point Kren disappears; his dagger drops to the ground. The Sith Sorceress is building up her second chant, when Delilah, who had been clutching Donna very tightly, breaks loose to run in front of Mahuikaa and her next target.

"Ma!! Wait, stop, wait, we worked it out, they're standing down it's okay, don't blow them up or disintigrate them."

Mahuikaa glares at Delilah; and after a moment, the electricity wreathing her staff dissipates, and she glares around herself at the general state of... damage. "Donna," she snaps. "Or, anyone else, really; explain what in all the HELLS IS GOING ON."

...Yep, this is exactly what Donna had been dreading. Donna steps up next to her sister, and inhales deeply. "So uh," the brawler says, making a strong start. "Remember how we said we had bounties on our heads? We-e-ell..." She waves a hand bahind her, encompassing all the new faces. "...Bounty hunters."

"But it's okay!" she blurts. "We like *just* finished talkin' em down, an' they was about to apologize for your garden an' make it right?"

Donna turns, giving Gallata a wide, brittle grin. "*Weren't ya?*"

"I'm glad your alive." The ashen Arvec says, raising her eyes to meet Mahuikaa's. She's relieved, even if it doesn't show on her expression, or sound so in her voice. Her words are monotone, again, as almost always. Lacking the bite they had when she was holding the thing-o-tents. "They have realized their mistake, and will."

Thought shared, Ashlee walks forward. She wants her clothes, her things, and her boots. Her very abused, replacement, cavalry boots. Seared and frozen, soaked and fried. A gift from the Not-a-Monster.

She walks barefoot towards the stream without a care that she will be stopped. Or perhaps, inviting someone to.

Merek seems to have thought that the Sith would likely come at about that point. He just watches, while he takes a look to find his things, then he begins to put those back on. "Thank you, I was wanting to get this longcoat back," which he pulls on, then shifts the beltcape, and nods a bit. "You alright Delilah?" he will ask.

Elyanna's mood makes her a little.... jumpy. The thunderous report makes the Keeper whirl, drawing back the lash with her other hand forward as reflexes demand, the hobkin more keyed to aggression than usual. On seeing their hostess, she bares gnashed fangs and trembles with a saffron-knuckled grip on the writhing hellwhip before she tears her eyes down toward the ground. She growls in and out, in and out, then brings the lash back to the front and she snarls, "You are the whip, and -I- am the Mistress. You -will-obey!" <Infernal>

Mahuikaa waves a hand, and the door picks itself up off the ground and rejoins itself to its hinges. The wall that just burst apart into splinters reforms, and the windows that were damaged reintigrate themselves, right where they're supposed to be. An arcane utterance sloshes a waves of water across the field, extinguishing the flames.

With that done, the elderly Sith siezes Delilah's chin in an iron grip, and turns the golden twin's visage first to the left, then the right, looking into her eyes for a moment, and finally releasing her. "Looks like you're still sane," she observes. "I figured one of you was going to come back without your robe, I might've *known* it would be you."

"I'm fine," gasps Delilah, in answer to Merek's question. "Just... just fine."

"Pardon me," inquires Gallata. "But, as much as I do appologize for you inconvenience to your home, you *did* just disintigrate one of my men and I'm rather hoping that--"

"He'll be fine." Mahuikaa waves a hand dismissively. "When he reappers. In..." She pauses, pursing her lips. "Two... days. Maybe three." She looks around, and grits her teeth. "Long enough for you and the *rest* of your crew to replant my meadow. But, for tonight." She points at the two snipers, "You two are on peeling duty. Get a bucket, I want enough carrots and potatos for everyone." She points at one of the Gnolls, "You, go forage for mushrooms. Edible ones only. If you're not sure about a mushroom then eat it, if it kills you, don't bring it back to my table. And you," she points at Gallata, "You know how to use that crossbow? Go get a deer."

The sith folds her arms, "Elyanna, talking to that whip like that isn't going to do you any good. It won't listen to you. You'd have to be evil, and you aren't." She quirks an eyebrow upwards. "So. Tell me all about it over dinner. And Delilah, kindly go get dressed."

"Guess your rep ain't spread to Blar yet, Ma," Donna sighs, wandering to the stream and going about the business of locating her things, and getting them back where they belong; between her and whatever might hurt her.

"I wouldn't argue," she calls over her shoulder to Gallata. "When Ma's out of patience, she's like as not to send you to join your buddy in the time-out corner."

She was, Ashes thinks, but does not share. She walks through the burnt field to the stream where her things lie scattered. She stares at her trappings of life, the disorder of them. She picks up her satchel first. Nan Mochtrath's old witching bag, which she inherited. She picks up her armour pieces next.

The benefit of her leather satchel is it holds things it shouldn't be able to, objects far too large for the messenger bag it seems to be. Her armour goes in just fine. If only there were space left in there for her emotions.

Except her boots, she puts those on. Her regular clothes, which are mostly not burned, go in with the armour. She'll keep the funerary gown on for now. That's all her things.

She catches sight of her face in the stream, features and skull marking distorted by the rippling surface that bounces over the bed. Not quite enough to disguise her expression. She's more adept than most at reading through her markings. She's seen that look on others, many times before.

"There, there," she tells the reflection, "Everything is going to be all right."

Oh...

OOC Convos

<OOC> Ashes says, "Evil Eye hex the Oruch, using Soothsayer."

<OOC> Merek says, "Can I slice some blood out of myself for the Quicken Metamagic and put up Wall of Force as a swift to try and outmatch their speed?"
<OOC> Merek says, "Blood Sacrifice of 3 points lets me for one turn choose any Metamagic, I choose Quicken, to outmatch them in speed. Purely cosmetic for now, just if you were wondering what he did."

<OOC> Ashes says, "Evil Eye the gnoll with soothsayer also, penalties to AC apply to CMD I believe, so that would assist Donna doing a bull rush."

GAME: Merek casts Wall of Force. Caster Level: 13 DC: 20

<OOC> Elyanna says, "do we even see our equipment anywhere?"
<OOC> Delilah says, "You can't tell from here. Either way, it's not here in the wall of force. Ashes, however, does still have the tentacle whip and if I recall rightly, the silver branch."
<OOC> Ashes says, "It stayed a whip?"
<OOC> Delilah says, "It did."
<OOC> Ashes says, "Interesting"
<OOC> Delilah says, "And it's still pissed, coiling and wriggling."
<OOC> Ashes says, "I blame it for my mood."
<OOC> Delilah giggles.

<OOC> Ashes says, "Evil Eye Or'Thurgen again, for saving throws."