Residuary

Dodecitina 15, 1000 PC

Our heroes continue to discuss their next steps and get ready to depart the tower.  In the process, half of the sending stone is sent to "The City," so there can be some communication between the two groups, Celesta having modified the other half to be able to penetrate the barrier around Troll's Bridge.

Nyza discovers that T'Krosh's reincarnation was not successful and Wintersky casts true resurrection to retrieve Nyza's cohort from Zodyu's realm.

Having gathered all they think the will need, the group teleports to Tangleton to inform the hamlet that they will be traveling to Troll's Bridge to try and rescue it from its plight. As a means of announcing their plans, a feast is organized for the community.

Celesta walks back into the banquet hall.

Celesta: He is sleeping again.

Dale: You'll find he does a lot of that at first.

Celesta: I suspect he will not be this cooperative for very long.

Nyza nods.

Nyza: It is very different with kobold hatchlings. They take to the ground running.

Nyza: But the human way is better, Nyza thinks. You get eased into parenthood.

Dale: There are several halfling families with little ones in Tangleton. I will help you find a nanny with one of them. It's always easier to raise a family with help from your neighbors.

Celesta: I appreciate that. Thank you, Dale.

Wintersky: And the bigger the family the better.

Celesta smiles sadly, "I have only Eregard left of my family, so any family I can find among you and the folk of Tangleton will be a blessing."

Dale gives Celesta a hug, "You'll always have family in Tangleton."

Celesta crouches down to return Dale's hug.

Nyza nods, but does not voice her own support.

Legeand busies himself with making sure his armor, weapons and other gear are all ready for the extensive battle to be joined over the next fortnight.

Nyza: The rest of our family is taking quite a while. How do you think Luanes and the rest are doing?

Sparta: I hope they got to see the Emperor, it is a long journey from The City to Troll's Bridge.

Celesta: They will no doubt need to be at their diplomatic best. I would imagine they are not making a great deal of headway just yet. The Emperor has many advisors that will step between them before they can see him.

Nyza: The emperor's advisors surely have that ability.

Sparta: If they can't convince him to lend his scabbard, then all of our preparations will be for naught. Nana may become enraged if we return without being able to show her Grandpa.

Celesta: We should have sent them off with a half of the sending stone.

Dale: Or, I could ask a furry friend to deliver it to Luanes, if one of you could teleport it to the City?

Celesta: There is a quicker way, but I need to add some steelisin to the other half, so it will work both ways through the barrier.

Nyza: That sounds good. As long as we get in contact with them.

Nyza: Waiting around here is such a waste! We should be doing something - anything. Like finding T'K-ah, yes! Where is Wintersky? Me need to use that orb...

Wintersky pulls forth the crystal ball and hands it to Nyza.

Nyza: Thanks!

Celesta: I will take your half of the sending stone to the alchemy lab and add the steelisin to it then.

Nyza: 'Kay.

Dale: Oh, and Celesta, could I twist your arm into casting a couple permanency spells while we prepare?

Celesta grins, "Not too hard."

Dale: Very gently.

Dale grins back.

Celesta uses the alchemy lab to alter the other half of the sending stone, so it will work both ways through the barrier.

Nyza focuses on the crystal ball.

Nyza says soothingly, "T'Krosh... T'Krosh..." - and then, rather sharply - "HEY! Are you alive yet?"

An image appears in the crystal ball of the darkened ground of Tanglewood. The decayed skull of a kobold lies partially buried in some leaves. Nearby what appears to be a desicated hand lies palm up.

Nyza looks on sadly.

Wintersky: Oh, my.

Nyza: Strange that the spell worked at all if he's still dead.

Dale: Nyza, how did you try to raise T'krosh from the dead?

Dale knows that if Nyza used Reincarnation to try and bring T'Krosh back, having been killed by the effect of Kurtulmak, it would not work.

Nyza: Um, well... Nyza does not have many options, yes? Raising a person long dead is beyond me.

Nyza: So me call his spirit into a new body.

Dale: The only spell I know to do that is Reincarnate?

Wintersky: I concur.

Nyza: Right.

Dale: Kurtulmak could prevent you from summoning his spirit.

Dale: It will take stronger magic to bring back your companion.

Wintersky: Nyza, you should have asked me to see if it was possible.

Nyza: There is a little more to it than that...

Nyza: Kurtulmak is angry at T'Krosh. Me think that if he is in a non-kobold form, it may both work to assuage Kurtulmak's anger, and to serve as a sort of penance for T'Krosh.

Nyza: If a god is directly blocking the ritual, then no magic will be strong enough.

Legeand: T'Krosh was rather brash.

Nyza smiles fondly.

Nyza: You cannot fault someone for what they are.

Wintersky: If you wish his return, Nyza. I will try to recover his spirit into his own body. Then we will see what transpires from there.

Dale: It may take a stronger penance to assuage Kurtulmak's anger.

Celesta: I was wondering where T'Krosh was. I thought you had him keeping tab on things in Tangleton.

Nyza (to Wintersky): Please, do try. If magic will not work to bring him back, then me have to take more drastic steps.

Nyza: Sorry...it was not about not trusting you, of course. But you know more about this kind of thing. Nyza should talk to you first.

Wintersky: That is alright, Nyza. We do not always think straight when we lose someone close.

Dale: Celesta, T'krosh's passing was rather sudden. We had a run in with one of Cedarcleaver's kin.

Dale: T'krosh vanquished the dragon, but got carried away with his power.

Dale: Then Aifos accidentally summoned Kurtulmak into Legeand's body.

Nyza: Accidentally!

Legeand: Ahem, Sjach's.

Dale: Kurtulmak raised the dragon and slew T'Krosh.

Celesta: Aifos has a lot of trouble with unintended consequences, does he not?

Sparta: Aye, he does, or at least we do.

Celesta: Maybe we should send this other half of the sending stone to Oliveryn, so we can keep each other abreast of our situations.

Wintersky: While you take care of that, Celesta, I will try and bring T'Krosh back.

Nyza: Will you need me to retrieve his remains?

Wintersky: No, Nyza, not with the miracle I have in mind.

Celesta brings the sending stone into Isildul's study and takes the crystal ball from the desk. She places the crystal ball in a fixture on the right arm of Isildul's throne and sets the sending stone on a similar fixture on the left arm. She scrys Oliveryn and finds him in a chamber of white marble with luxurious furniture conversing with Aifos, Eregard and Luanes. With a quickly spoken rune the stone vanishes from the arm of the chair and appears at Oliveryn's feet.

Celesta: We probably ought to clue him in.

Nyza moves all around the throne, inspecting it.

Nyza: Isildul has a lot of interesting toys.

Celesta: They are ours now. I will show you how to use the ones I know how to use.

Sparta: Did you see the shelf in the storeroom? It amplifies the power of magical enchantments.

Nyza: Really?

Nyza beats lightly on her chest, striking her armor.

Nyza: Think it would work on this?

Celesta: It should.

Sparta: Celesta, may I use the sending stone?

Celesta hands the stone to Sparta, "Certainly."

Sparta takes the stone awkardly, not used to using it.

Sparta: Hello, Oli? Are you there?

Oliveryn: Sparta?

Sparta: Yes, Oli, it's Sparta. Have you talked to the Emperor yet?

Oliveryn snickers, "No, but soon...I hope."

Sparta: Keep trying, our efforts will be in vain without his scabbard.

Nyza: Ask if we can help at all?

Sparta: And use the stone to tell us what you learn.

Sparta: Celesta changed it to penetrate the shell around Troll's Bridge.

Oliveryn: I think we have this under control. It is just typical bureaucracy. We will cut through it.

Sparta: I hope so, otherwise Nana won't be happy.

Oliveryn: Neither will the Emperor.

Nyza: Who would be happy?

Sparta: We need to find a nanny for little Isildul first, but we should be leaving for Troll's Bridge in a day or so.

Oliveryn: Do not get yourselves killed before help arrives.

Sparta: Just make sure the help arrives before we get ourselves killed.

Oliveryn laughs, "Will do."

Sparta: G'night, Oli.

Sparta returns the stone to Celesta.

Sparta: I don't know if I'll ever get used to how these things work.

Celesta holds the sending stone out to Nyza, "Do you want to hold this?"

Nyza: Alright.

Celesta hands the sending stone to Nyza.

Nyza: Don't worry, Nyza is good at relaying news in an emergency. It is in good hands.

Nyza starts back towards Wintersky.

Wintersky returns to the chamber where she performed the miracle to recover Manty's Heirloom and pulls various gems, trinkets and herbs from her medicine bag and begins chanting. She reaches into the spirit realm in search of T'Krosh and finds his tormented soul between Zodyu and Kurtulmak on a desolate plane. She calls spirits from about her to encircle T'Krosh and hide him in a swirl of their ethereal essence before whisking him away. Slowly a shadow of a kobold forms before Wintersky in the chamber and gradually solidifies into the familiar body of T'Krosh. With a finally trilling cry from Wintersky, T'Krosh takes a sudden deep breath and opens his eyes.

Nyza: T'Krosh! Wintersky, you did it!

T'Krosh: What?! Now, that was no fun. Not one bit.

Nyza steps up to T'Krosh and lightly smacks him along the head.

Nyza: Idiot!

Nyza hugs T'Krosh, happy that at least someone around here is resistant to fire.

T'Krosh hmphs.

Celesta casts spells for those who need permanency or various other long-term magical effects.

T'Krosh doesn't bother struggling against Nyza. He looks to Wintersky in a sort of "why me?" expression.

Wintersky: We said it was not your time yet, T'Krosh.

Dale casts Greater Magic Fang with Celesta's Permanency to transmute Ferocious and Ringo.

T'Krosh: The Ironscale would not agree, I think. But still, you have my deepest thanks.

Wintersky: You are most welcome.

Celesta collects reagents, component and various other items of arcane spellcraft to make use of during the next fortnight of trying to save Troll's Bridge.

Dale: Miss 'Sky, Celesta and I can increase SnowShadow's enchantment while we are at it.

Wintersky: Thank you, Dale.

Dale casts another Greater Magic Fang on the panther.

Nyza eventually lets T'Krosh free and returns his belongings to him.

Spells cast and things collected, our heroes find it is about time to return to Tangleton before making the jaunt to Troll's Bridge.

Nyza finds time to use Isildul's magic chest and shelf to alter, and in some cases, create more powerfully enchanted equipment.

Celesta: So, I had only one taker on speaking with Darzagon.

Wintersky: Speaking with a demon is not a wise thing to do and therefore will not be done by me.

Celesta: I hope the knowledge we have a demons will be enough to stem the tide without Darzagon's potential assistance.

Dale: It may not be wise, but it will be better of Celesta isn't there alone.

Dale: I'll go with her.

Nyza: Sparta, do you remember the time that a giant ice elemental attack Redemption?

Sparta: Yes?

Nyza: We find a way to close that portal, and we do not need a demon's help to do it.

Nyza: So Nyza says we do not need to make that kind of compromise. We will manage again.

Celesta: It is true that Darzagon's words could do more harm than good.

Wintersky: Since we will be off to Troll's Bridge soon, I will send my followers back to Teton lands.

Elenia: I am coming with you, Wintersky.

Wintersky: I do not want anymore Tetons than necessary caught up in the affairs of Troll's Bridge.

Elenia: Troll's Bridge has been my home and I feel the need to help restore it to some semblence of normalcy.

Sparta: You might be right Nyza, but I don't like leaving Dale and Celesta to talk to the Demon alone.

Nyza nods.

Celesta: We will let sleeping dog lie...and demons lie to themselves, I think.

Celesta: Shall we take our leave of the tower, so we may take our leave of Tangleton in the morning?

Sparta: That sounds like a good idea, we shall get our fill of demon lies in Troll's Bridge.

Legeand: A feast to see us off, perhaps?

Nyza: Hah, me think we can manage that.

Sparta: Ah, I thought you never ask.

Celesta: To the teleport circle. I have the makings of circle to be placed in Tangleton, so we can get back here easily.

Sparta: Before we feast?

Nyza: Is there an easy way to get back as well? The wards are up for the demons, so can we teleport through them? Maybe attune ourselves?

Celesta: Already accounted for, Nyza. It will take a little time to perform the spell while the feast is being prepared. I will get little Isildul.

Dale: I can watch Isidul for you while you cast the spell.

Celesta retrieves Isildul and his things and the heroes step into the teleport circle appearing beside the inn a moment later.

Wintersky and Elenia make their way over to the Teton encampment as soon as they arrive in Tangleton.

T'Krosh looks around awkwardly.

The townsfolk are pleasantly surprised to see the return of the heroes and gather around with questions as to their previous whereabouts and such.

Dale introduces Celesta to the Fernleaf family.

Dale: Mrs. Fernleaf, Celesta will be needing a nanny to watch over her little Isildul.

Nyza speaks shortly in Draconic.

Nyza: Everyone! It is a relief to see that business is much as usual after the latest attack. We have since then been attending to matters in the south. Tonight we will have a meeting - and a feast! - to discuss the latest events. Please make such preparations.

Celesta: Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Fernleaf. Little Isildul, I am certain will be in excellent care in your household.

T'Krosh disappears shortly there after to find Bektul.

Kobolds chatter and begin scattering to make preparations.

T'Krosh inquires about his and Nyza's egg; generally checks the status of Tangleton, etc.

T'Krosh finds things in remarkably good order.

Sparta: Halflings of Tangleton, in case you missed Nyza's annoucement, there will be a feast tonight! We have news from many points to share and wish to hear all the news of Tangleton.

Tangleton