Session 20: Birds

The party plays catch, walks through a door, and meets someone new.

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Doorways

The party feels as though reality itself has distorted, the intense pain blinding them, as there's sound of glass shattering. But then it stops. Darkness. A thin layer of liquid covers the floor, and the air so cold it's hard to breath. Through the darkness, they can sense a powerful darkness, all around them. But the party seems separate, each of them very alone, sinking into the dense liquid beneath them. What small efforts that each of them made as they sank down were in vain. A giggle. A faint gray light, grows in the distance, until they can make out an orb of light, being held by a small pale figure. Black hair, pointed elven ears. A girl with dark eyes that seem to drain them. She tosses the orb up, and catches it. Then she tosses it to the party members. Upon contact with it; each party member finds themselves in a strange situation.   I'll insert the details about these sequences later, as everyone had a different experience. Some similarities that the party acknowledged afterwards, include an offer of what appeared like three doors or windows, each showcasing different... potentials? Realities? Each of them saw something different in the doors, although the middle door apparently showed the rest of the party, seemingly searching the rooms from before for their missing party member. A voice, of perhaps the girl from before, suggests that the door they choose can influence reality. Fork later commented that one of the visions put in front of him suggested that this mystery girl was offering to rewrite the past. Regardless of which door each of them chose, they found themselves back with the others, in the same room as before... but different. Faded, muted. Where once there were crumbling remnants of books, now fresh copies sat, some floating through the air as if guided by some invisible hand. Vita noted that the changes to the room, and the feelings of the environment overall, suggested they were now in the Shadowfel, or the Eberron plane Dolurrh. She explains that the Shadowfel is where the souls of the dead pass on. As the party tried to adjust to the new scenery, a hooded figure, wearing dark gray robes and a raven mask, enters the room. "Welcome to the true Shae Tirias Tolai. Your presence has been requested, please follow me."  

The Queen of Silver and Bone

This individual leads them down through the lower floors; the library more active, full of others dressed similar to the one that the party is following. Additionally, ghosts seem to be wandering the stacks as well. They find the holes through the floors, where light shone down before, small little stars seemingly floating slowly down. One of the figures plucks a star from the beam, and it forms into a ghost who departs with the figure to another place in the library. As the party continues past, they notice that all of the statues and patterning, previously of all sorts of creatures, now seem consistently raven-esque in their depictions.   The guide, silent for this time, ignores when Vita asks him where they were. When Tilly challenges him for ignoring the question, he finally turns and asks what they want to know. He sighs. "You are in the realm of the dead. It's okay, you're not dead." As for why the party was there, he shrugs. "You tell me, why did you decide to come here?" After further questioning, he explains that he's taking the party to speak with the Raven Queen . After all, he surmises, she's expecting them. Beyond that, he explains that they do not question or guess about her whims or wants.   Entering the large room at the base of the building, the party finds themselves in front of an altar. The darkness of the place dims and obscures the lights of the chamber, and even the party's ability to see through darkness. The walls of the chamber seem gone, and the darkness extends infinitely in all directions. Beyond the altar, a throne. That giggle from earlier casts out, again. The grayish orb from before appears on the throne, before dark tendrils of jet black hair extend out from it. A raven flies out from the throne before perching on their guides shoulder. It opens its mouth as if to speak, and the sound as though nails on a chalkboard, emit from its beak. The guide speaks. "You stand before the keeper of memories, collector of precious mementos; and gatekeeper of mortal souls. The Queen of Death welcomes you to the city of silver and bones. Those that played well, can step forward when I call up on thee, to make your request." He explains the rules of such a request, and the party seems unsure. The speaker for the Raven Queen seems unwilling, or incapable, of elaborating to the point that things are clear.   First Brian is called forward. He tries to ask further questions, but receives few answers. He can request anything, the guide describes. He asks for guidance for something the rest of the party didn't understand, something called the Rod of 7 Parts. There's a silence, before the hair swirls and rises around Brian, but not touching him. A disorienting cascade of female voices; one clearer than the others, answers him. "The price for which you seek, is the memory of the vision that you just had, in the tunnels." Tilly tries to query Brian about all of this through the message spell, but the Raven Queen seems to intercept the spell, instructing her to follow the rules. When Brian queries about what exactly he'd be receiving, another raven exits the darkness, with a scroll in its beak. "The location of all parts," says the goddess. Brian seems nonplussed about losing the memory, and accepts. He turns to the party, and asks them to remind him that whatever is on the scroll, is really important. He expresses that he doesn't know much yet about why any of this is important, and she giggles knowingly. "I know." But then Brian finds himself back in a dark place with a watery floor. In front of him stands a woman, her long black hair obscuring her face. She approaches Brian and presses her hand against his temples. And then the vision he's had before returns. But then it starts to fade. And it's forgotten. In the woman's hands, a small light, a silver feather. She clutches to her chest, and hands Brian the scroll. The darkness fades, and he finds himself back at the altar. The rest of the party of course, saw nothing.   Fork is next. He seems annoyed, but he steps forward. He expresses after a moment, asking if she can change the past. He gets no answer. He moves beyond it, and instead requests that they're taken out of this place, alive and in one piece. The cacophony of voices rise up. "The price is a favor. There seems to be a certain god taking souls from me. That you know about. You will challenge his power for me." Fork's a bit taken aback by the price of what seemed to him a simple request. He contemplates offering her Dharrakir's knife, but relents, instead modifying the deal, offering "that you offer us safe passage out, as ourselves, intact, alive, etc. If I devote myself, when possible, and the best I can, to aiding you against Bastimaar." The Raven Queen accepts this modification, clarifying that he will assist when possible, in her service, and against Bastimaar. She agrees, "in your service to assist, to the best of your ability, I will make sure that all of you leave my domain safely." From the darkness, another raven appears, landing on Fork's shoulder. "This raven will show you the way, and it will stay with you, to watch as you fulfill your side of the bargain," says the goddess. Fork does not look terribly happy about this.   Kerani is called up third. She asks for knowledge of the item she seeks, the Teeth of Three. The goddess warns that such knowledge will cost her greatly, and that the item belongs in the Shadowfel, with her. She will give her the knowledge, but that Kerani will need to return the item to the Raven Queen. Kerani accepts, and the room grows dark as the pact is made. She steps down from the altar, and the darkness around the throne dissipates, as does the orb, and her presence. Tilly, surprised she never got a turn, protested. Their guide shrugs. He looks at Kerani, and explains that he will take her to learn what she wishes.   The party at this stage has a few moments to smalltalk, and determine their next move, and Tilly considers putting the cork under the throne.