Granting Repose

In Nastalii, the once-city: we walked by an abandoned house. Jojen noticed that two skeletons were now missing heads. "Something was here. Seconds ago." With caution Murg pulled the abacus of Abadar from amongst his things and used it to invoke His holy truesight.
 
 

"This place is haunted"

To him, Nastalii disappeared. The air was cloyed with the lost souls, hundreds if not thousands of dead lost to the city -- so much so that there was nothing else he could see or hear. It took a moment for the bugbear to realize these souls could not harm him, but in the lost city motes of light shone (on the ethereal plane) above the arcane mushrooms we had discovered earlier.
 

Cain's Abled

Jojen led the group forward, and cautiously reached his mind out to the closest mushroom. Calling itself Isaiah, the plant (and the soul attached to it) spoke brashly about Cain and his devotion to the man. "But he's lying," Jojen explained telepathically, conveying his feeling of speaking to a man trying to convince itself of Cain's power.
 
When Jojen told Isaiah the truth, explaining to the soul that the city was destroyed, the dead man's spirit broke down. The masked monk listened patiently as Isaiah's shock ran its course, and was rewarded by gratitude. "Thank you, for the truth."
 
Quiet filled the caverns of the Underdark for a moment before a new voice spoke to the party: Varunmund. It recognized this place, as something Adaralmus once researched. The intelligence asked for time, to process, and then perhaps it may have more information.


 
Theo had Icarus loop around one of the Nastalii houses as the rest of the party moved forward. Murg, with a lit gavel and truesight, led the group behind Jojen west, to the next spirit. Unlike the previous spirits this one did not speak but instead communicated feelings: curiosity and affection. It projected a memory: running across a field, chasing children. Once catching up to them the children reached down to scratch your -- the spirit's -- ears. Only Murg could see the tears appear underneath the invisible Jojen's mask, as well as the quiet words and motions that when Jojen cast speak with animals.
 
The two "conversed" further, and Jojen received more visions: an icy cave filled with worshipers before a prophet; a pervading feeling of fear; emaciated children playing with their dog despite weakness; and its last memory, figures in black robes taking the dog away from its children as "contraband" (and then taking its life).
 
With a pat Jojen gave the dog one last good memory before running off to its afterlife.
 
As the monk spoke with the ghost-dog Murg looked to the nearest ruins. Once a pair of houses, one home was nbow utterly filled with stone. The other was destroyed completely. It seemed there was nothing left, but with some time he was able to find something: a cracked handmirror. Steel, with a hammer and a mending, repaired the mirror to almost new -- and revealed a hand-carved inscription on the back: "For my Sara / Look upon yourself / as sweetly as I look upon you".


 
The group moved on. Theo inspected what was once a gazebo: two lovers held each other and an ornate tea set that was conspicuously clean (after all the time and destruction). Murg (and Jojen) approached the next spirit-mushroom. "This one is... darker. Eviler..." Murg uttered as the masked monk reached out to this soul. It was unwilling at first, but after some time explained what it wanted: for Jojen to stand at the edge of Nastalii and peer over the cliff's edge. Below, hundreds of feet below, the dark waters of the Underdark lapped at the black cliffs.
 
"Surely you must be a great hero. My wife was thrown to the water as I was forced to watch. You must be able to save Mera, if your power is so vast."
 
Jojen and a connected Theo reeled from the hatred the mushroom radiated. Its voice quieted to something more sombre as it explained: Cain ordered her death, as she was a goliath hidden via polymorph (and thus evil in the eyes of the cult. "It was an inquisition. You have no ideas the horror here. Cain was a zealot, and we paid the ultimate price." In no uncertain terms the mushroom finished: his life left the man on the spot as his wife was thrown to her doom.
 
He wanted the same done to him. "That is my peace."
Jojen complied.
 
The spirit left the monk with one final warning before it left this plane of existence: "Cain controls powers demonic, not the arcane. His allies are forces beyond this world. Be prepared to face nightmares. Even I, Samuel, could not."
"And above all, fear the well."


 
The next house held the remains of a family that left this world peacefully. Theo confirmed this, retrieving a ceremonial dagger from within. Jojen approached the next mushroom and spoke to it in tandem with Master Hornraven. It (he) was younger, and mentioned being "washed up in Nastalii". Introducing himself as Eustice, the man compared the party to Cain (in wanting to release the souls from their agonies).
 
"I'm a man of chance." A tear welled in Theo's eye as he responded, "My brother was as well." The spirit didn't seem to notice, offering the wizard a game of chance. "Cain didn't take long after hearing about my 'sinful ways'. This place has always been torture."
 

A game

"Ever heard of Ten Questions? Easy as that."
 
(It was chance.)
 
"And if you're going into Cain's place, take my word for it: don't go in through the front door".
 
"Don't let this place take ya. You seem like a person that ought to keep on living, Theobold."


 
A high-piercing scream wracked Theo's ears as he turned back to the group.
 
 

The tree

To the north a simple rope fizzled into Theo and Murg's vision. It was looped and hanging from a branch -- a noose. Then another rope unfurled itself from the tree's branches, then another. Over a dozen nooses made themselves known to the adventurers with the sight to see it. Spirits soon followed, looking out at the party in agony. Other than their own sadness and pain there was nothing.
 
This tree was where most of Nostalii was killed. Understanding, Murg slowly approached the tree, prostrated himself, and prayed to Abadar for their salvation. Theo followed, calling upon Selune as well. Once the two were done they each stood, and Murg wordlessly produced some holy water.
 
Sprinkling the holy water on the tree had an immediate effect: the tree seemed to suck up the water from the ground. Spirits then entered the tree's trunk, each fetching a handful of water and returning to the noose that was their end. Spectral ropes burned in this other sight, and as they disappeared so did their victims. In this way, many were absolved.
 

Surprise

Nearby one of the red growths of crystal began to pulse. All in attendance jumped up, prepared and ready. Out from the crimson facets the image of a hooded figure stepped into focus. Whether an illusion or not it mocked Theo. The wizard gave it curt words -- then the crystal exploded. Razer-sharp shards of stone flew through the air, shredding the Vanguard. None could avoid it.
 

The well

Each licked their wounds, and once he had put himself together Murg approached the well so often spoken of. Voices began in the back of his mind, enticing the cleric closer to its swirling green depths. But voices enticing mean nothing to Abadar's chosen. Murg stepped closer and closer, curious, and peered into the well.
 
He had studied this pull, this feeling of dread.
 
Before Murg could call out the well began to bubble and boil. Two wretched creatures crawled up out of the well, some kind of twisted undead that darkness and evil had bent mad.
 
Their sight could kill normal men. Theo and Steel narrow avoided eye contact, but Murg stared one of the undead down... only for the left side of his neck and shoulder to erupt in pain. Flesh melted as he hastily pulled healing magic to him. It was just before Theo invoked a new spell, one that assails the mind and destroys the very will of a creature. Each of these dark foes reeled from the arcane assault, and then from a safe distance Murg relieved one undead of its head. "Die, bodak!"
 
Jojen materialized from the darkness, and with an unseen strike to the last bodak exploded the foul creature in a mass of decaying flesh and muck.
 
Theo stumbled over to Murg, the undead attacks taking more out of him than might otherwise seen. And as Steel peeked out from behind a ruined building, a mushroom growing amidst the chaos spoke to the telepathic Vanguard.
 
"Is it over?"
 
The Vanguard licked their wounds and Roger, the mushroom-spirit, introduced itself. A knight, he thanked us for defeated evil. "Though it is not a chivalrous thing to do, it is my time to pass." He paused, as if to consider his next words." You should speak to the fisherman. He was the closest ally of Cain. A smuggler, and a troubled man, that Bettany." And one final piece of wisdom before the knight Roger was brought salvation: "Even if you manage to pass through Cain's trials, there is more danger within."


 
The adventurers moved on yet again, Murg recovering a near-pristine stringed instrument (cello) from a rubbled home.
 

"Who goes there?"

The next spirit (-mushroom) called out to Jojen on its own. "Why do you dishonor a dead man's rest?"
 
The spirit was once known as Akina and as a duelist. He sought refuge in Nostalii after losing a fight against a giant. Wishing to train in solitude he was in the city to watch Cain rip its people to pieces. Akina was killed in his sleep; consequently he wants only an honest fight to be the end of him.
 
Jojen accepted.
 
Akina offered Steel many surprises. He wanted a fight, not a duel, taking on all members of the Vanguard. His blade dealt no physical damage, cut no cloth, but rent the very soul of those Akina struck. And the warrior moved like... a ghost, moving around the battlefield with a single step.
 
He moved towards Theo menacingly, stepping in and out of existence as he did. Murg followed the warrior like a dog, red and white light coursing through Abadar's gavel as he approached. The cleric wound up a swing, calling for a "tier-three marketing strategy" that did nothing but strike true. Steel cautches watchiously watched on cautiously, and Theo called subtle magics to support.
 
The entire Vanguard all saw the armored spirit of the warrior Akina nod. This was his end, and he would see it through. The ghost took another step through space, appearing between Steel and Theo. The warrior said little, putting his blade to his face and whispering a prayer: "Astra". Then a flurry of blows surrounded Akina as he whirled midair. Steel was able to pull his sword from its sheath nearly in time to deflect the warrior's myriad of blows, Theo conjuring an arcane barrier to protect him as well.
 
Jojen jumped to the defense, leaping up off of Cain's twisted well to land a series of blows on the exposed warrior's backside. That finished off the job; as the monk returned to center Akina staggered. He fell to his knees, sticking his sword in the ground and looked to it. From around Akina souls began to materialize. They, the spirits of those he had slain in life, bowed in respect to the dying warrior's spirit. Then several of the spirits stepped forward towards Akina and pulled his soul from his armor to accompany the ghost-duelist to his afterlife.
 
Akina's sword and armor left with him, but the blade hilt fell to the ground. Jojen picked it up, examining the item with curiosity as the Vanguard considered their path so far to Cain -- and where it would lead them still.