Session 55: Her Life Ended Long Ago

General Summary

A Pear Tree with Leaves and Bark as Black as Coal

It was elaborated at the beginning of the session that Kaswink spent some time to make something before heading into the Garden, and additional discussions on how to handle this lady were also had. Her creation was a simple mask intended to inhale beneficial fumes and expel toxins. Kaswink wanted to speak with The Necromancer before just attacking her outright. Perhaps there could be a way to convince her to make things right, and the possibility that things couldn't become right if she were killed was floated around as well. Aeryn stepped forward as the best bet to attempt such a tricky persuasion, and Agave encouraged her as well. Kaswink's first argument was that the only people that Božena is helping are within these city walls, the rest of the people in this realm aren't really living, and she's hurting the material realm as well. She went on to claim that she's not even a doing a great job at helping her own people to begin with. Agave wanted Aeryn to also get her to reverse the blight on his land and the plague that took Frode's family.

You continued the journey towards the garden and finally arrived with discussions behind you.

The rain had started to fall, it smelled as bad as anything else here, and you could see all the hard work that had been put into this place. Mushrooms, vibrant flowers, vines, a variety of plants all arranged and likely meant for some specific purpose. A stream of wretched yellow-green liquid ran through the middle of the garden and a couple of bridges passed over it. Puddles could be seen with large, thorny carnivorous plants rising out of them. A table and chairs were visible with some treats and tea resting on top. Butterflies, dragonflies, moths and other insects were floating about, and a few different entrances to mysterious buildings framed the garden as well. Trees that looked to be dying, trees with strange glowing golden orbs, and healthy looking fruit trees were available as well. Amongst all these plants one stood out as being the only of its kind. A pear tree with black bark, black leaves and branches and a plethora of vibrant white pears growing healthy and ripe. An amorphous figure, hunched over in a black robe seemed to be tending to the plants around this tree as you entered. Agave and Kaswink tried to get you all moving forward, and Aeryn led the group towards this ominous cloak.

The figure stopped its work as Aeryn approached, its hunched and bell shaped form suddenly gained some much needed detail as its head was revealed to be wearing a tall, almost crown-like hat similar to what might be seen in a church. An arm reached out from underneath the robe showing off its bright though sickly pale and green color which was struggling to contain some awful bloat within. The arm was carrying a mask, not too unlike Hysteria’s own but with unique iconography depicting mushrooms. Black paint lined the lips and eyes of this mask, and putrid green ornamentation in a lovely swooping and swirling pattern lined the outer edges. A second hand appeared from under the robe on the other side, this one carrying a spear with an intricate design framing the sharp blade. The blade looked to have never been used, clean and pristine, while the pole was made of strangely arranged black wood and meat which were covered in different molds. The wood looked similar to the nearby black pear tree.

It turned from its work to face you, and as it rotated you could see her face for the first time. It was scarred, stitched together, pale and rancid like the other exposed arms. Whatever bloat was shown on the face was quickly covered as the mask was lifted up to cover her uniqueness with the mask. The hand that was carrying it reached into her robes and produces a small knife, silver and glinting in the dim light provided by the nearby pears. She grabbed a pear while continuing to stare in your direction before she began to slice into it.

Aeryn's resolve began to waver as she voiced some doubts over being able to preserve this strange person. Frode tried to motivate her, but there was still some apprehension. Božena continued to cut the pear and stare in Aeryn's direciton. The inside of the fruit was far less pristine and white than the outside, and a horrible mushy, squelching sound like flesh could be heard as a wedge sloshed away from the rest of the fruit. Božena offered this slice to Aeryn and she considered eating it with some looks of disgust from her new allies. Aeryn asked if Božena grew the tree, to which the Necromancer confirmed she grew the tree and everything else in the garden. Her voice was rough, slow and seemed to be mostly blocked by phlegm and other nastiness. Kaswink moved forward to take the slice of pear from this person as she came to realize that she wasn't necessarily well-hidden. She ate the pear slice and immediately died.

Nature Reclaims Us, but Our Memories are Lost to Time

DAN moved forward, juggling, and asked what happened and if there was a way to reverse the effects of this strange fruit. Božena, seemingly oblivious to the concern, continued to offer pear slices to the rest of you. She answered DAN's demands with a simple, straightforward explanation that, "she ate a pear from my tree." Agave started to prepare for a fight. Kaswink, meanwhile, started to come back to life. Her muscles were jittery as blood flowed once more, but she wasn't back to her feet yet. Agave, as this was happening, started to demand that Božena "bring them back", particularly his people and his plants that had perished to one of Božena's many blights. The Necromancer, however, wasn't fully aware of who Agave was. "You want me to bring what back? I've cast many blights...who are you?" Kaswink returned to her feet, introduced herself. Božena introduced herself as well with some level of politeness, and asked why you all were there. She wiggled her finger at Agave, however, and stipulated that she already knew why "that one" was there. Flesh fell from her finger as she did so with other pieces barely hanging on. Kaswink tried to sum up the situation. "We're [Agave's] friend. My friend Frode and Agave each have personal reasons for wanting your blights to end. I have my own personal reasons to convincne you, but we were hoping for a conversation. We brought some tea."

Božena was excited to have some tea and assured you all that "conversation can last a lot longer when there's tea involved". She distributed some snacks and discarded her own brew in favor of whatever Kaswink had on hand. The tea she threw out caused some flowers to instantly wilt, and she handed Kaswink a teacup which was "1.5 times larger than any teacup she had ever held." She looked towards Agave and asked him who he was. "I am Agave, and I am Bobcat. You have sent a blight to our world. You have poisoned the land of my village and my people... I don't know why. We have tried everything we can to stop it, but it seems ceaseless and without any remedy. I have come to beg you to save my people and to save my land. If not, I have come prepared to defend my people and my land." Protective, guardian spirits of nature swirled around Agave as he said this, but Božena seemed confused.

"Stop it? But it has already happened. How would I stop it?"

Kaswink spoke up, informing Božena that you all were aware that she was channeling a spell, or at least that you were informed of such a thing. She nodded and confirmed this, but she continued her explanation as well. "That is true, but... you take a word that is already spoken, and I-I, well, you would need to travel through time. The blight was a word, and the word transpired many many years ago. I cannot go back and take the word. It is umm, you and the other mortals would have to get rid of that blight now."

DAN seemed quite frustrated with this explanation and tried to make sense of it. "Let me get this straight: You made a thing, and you're telling us to fix it? Wow..." Božena started to backpedal a little bit, assuring DAN that she could "fix it", but that she would need to be at the location to do so. This was met with some apprehension, especially from Aeryn who suggested "I don't think that would be a good idea..." Božena explained further that she has no control over what happens in the material plane, or what comes of each of her words. She assured you all that she would in fact need to see and touch the problem to understand or fix it. Kaswink suggested she just go there through her "radiant city", but Božena bemoaned the idea of the long journey that it would involve. She started to consider another way out, but rethought it as she questioned her relationship with you, "We aren't exactly friends..." Agave heard this and replied with increased ire. "No, but you owe my people, you owe our people!" He turned to Frode as he said this, "You owe all of us."

Božena seemed to be confused still and looked towards Frode to ask him who he is. Frode refused to provide a straight answer. "Who we are is not important. What is important is that you've hurt all of us and numerous others." Kaswink elaborated as Božena was still confused. She explained that Frode's family and city were both harmed by a plague. She offered to understand this situation and reached towards Frode, but he refused while backing away with fully voiced fears of the plague. Kaswink provided some insight, suggesting that this isn't about trust but about a mutual respect. DAN was baffled by the use of the word "respect", and pointed out that this Necromancer person was disrespecting everyone else by killing people and the world with plagues. Agave addressed Božena next, acknowledging that she does deserve some amount of respect due to her presumed responsibilities, and that her lack of attention towards these responsibilities makes her less worthy of respect as well.

"It is true, you seem to be the guardian of this realm of rot and disease and decay. You must understand that there is some balance to all of this nature. You are upsetting it all!"

Božena was unconvinced and dismissed the very notion of balance by asking, "What has Balance ever gotten anyone?" She seemed to think the concept was unhelpful, unneeded even. Kaswink suggested that Balance can provide a reason to live for some people, but Božena disagreed fully. "When you find your reason, it's gone... when you die, when the Death takes you, don't you want to escape all that? Don't you want the Oni to relenquish your soul? You will fear Death."

Stars Fade, Creatures Die, and All the Universe is Dust

Kaswink suggested that she does not fear death, but that she has a fear of becoming a tool, someone she isn't, something used by The Oni to do more than just kill. Božena seemed to understand this, referring to it as a fear of "losing agency". "It wants to destroy people's lives, and it's very good at lying and cheating to make it happen. Using me to kill people is part of why I'm afraid, sure, I don't want my friends being hurt, I don't want innocents being hurt, but the bigger part is what he can do when he doesn't want to kill somebody. He wants someone like me, and I fear what he can make someone like me do. The fear of death makes sense to me, oblivion..." Božena interrupted, correcting Kaswink on an important issue. "It is not just a fear of Death or Oblivion. That is, not just death for Me or oblivion for Me. It's true, I don't want to lose who I've become. I don't want to... I don't even know what it could be. The concept of oblivion. When you died, that wasn't it. There was something on the other side for you to come back to, but when you can no longer conceptualize the lack of perception, that's beyond just sleeping, not hearing, not seeing...it is impossible. It's even more than just me or any of my followers. The universe itself, this realm, this Skorumpovaný, this corruption, this decay. I will not let another star disappear.

I will fix the cycle and I will prevent the deaths of a thousand worlds. All will be reborn with their memories intact. To stop me is to destroy the universe."

Kaswink brought up the ones outside the city, the rest of this rotting realm. Božena was confused, and Kaswink continued to explain. "The ones beyond the walls. It's not good. You bring them back with their memories but they are stuck at the moments of their death. Unable to move past the circumstance that led them to this fate. They are stuck in a loop of forever death. They may not be gone, but whoever they could have been, whatever person would've come out of the person they were then, that is gone." Božena insisted that this is only the case because the spell is not done, the ritual needs to be completed, and that it will all be worth it in the end. She felt that stopping now would make all the ones that perished or suffered pointless. Agave wanted to know how long she had been doing this for, how long she had been staving off decay. She looked around the area, to each of you, and assured you that the length of time doesn't matter. DAN felt that it did matter, because the concept of how long it might take could be millions of years or longer. If that were the case, then it wouldn't really be worth it. Agave agreed and suggested that it would be maddening, that it should have already been maddening. Božena looked to each of you with some concern. "You would rather that their part in my incantation-you'd rather that was just nothing?"

Kaswink explained that she would prefer this just end peacefully, and that it be put to sleep while the bad events were burried along with the people. Agave reminded her of the suffering she is causing to the very people, animals and plants that she swears she defends, but Božena insisted it is all a part of the spell, all necessary for the ritual. "When it is over it will all be worth it, they won't have to suffer anymore." Kaswink cut in with some more insight. "I think you're stuck too. Stuck in the moment of your fear. Just like the people outside. I can't say for the people in the city, really, didn't get to talk to them much, but you seem exactly like those tens or thirties of zombies we saw on the way over. All lost, all meandering, unable to move on. You are stopping decay, but you are also stopping progress. You will stagnate." Božena disagreed. She suggested that, "If we can live beyond life, then we will have more pogress than you've ever had." Aeryn explained that the universe will die out anyways, but Božena disagreed by simply saying she'd stop it. Aeryn didn't think such a thing was possible, but Božena assured her that that is why she is here. Frode questioned this by asking if she is a god or something as only gods can move time and space. She replied by stating she is above gods.

Frode was concerned, asking if she was saying she is above gods like Ilmater. Božena didn't confirm this right away, but stated that she would make "Ilmater's martyrdom is irrelevant." Frode noticed she was dodging the question and asked again if she was more powerful than a god, and she casually confirmed that this was the case. "I have done more than gods have. I have channeled this spell for longer thousands of years. I have both destroyed life and created it. Bacteria, plagues, they are all just different forms of life. They feed on the other living things so that my spell can continue, so that the start will stop fading, so that time will stop ticking away." Frode reminded her that even gods know that time is unstoppable, and she agreed but with the caveat that she would make it more bearable. Agave had another question as he wanted to confirm that she aims to stop decay. "I am a priest of decay, but only so that I can stop it. The cycle is wrong. I am here to fix it. I am here to repair things." Agave found this confusing, comparing her plan to stopping a forest fire with a fire. Aeryn brought up that Božena likely wouldn't enjoy time being stopped, and Frode agreed with all this. Božena explained that time would not be stopped, it would just stop affecting everyone the way it does. She tried to explain that she wants to stop entropy and decay, but started to get frustrated having to explain her philosophies over and over. She demanded to know why you were there asking questions like this. DAN spoke up this time. "Because your philosophy and what you're doing is hurting a lot of people, and if you can't explain your philosophy then there'll be people that don't understand and wnat to stop it."

Božena tried to explain again. "The decay that I create...it is just, uh, to answer your question Agave, and to hopefully explain things. It is less that I am burning down the trees to prevent them from burning down, and more that some necessary deaths must be made, some burnt undergrowth must be made to prevent a forest fire in the future. I create these plagues and these blights as steps, as words or notes or parts of a circle...they're all one big spell, do you see? When I find the piece that finally completes it, then it'll all be done, and it'll all be worth it, and we will no longer have to suffer the way any of our ancestors might have." Kaswink asked if Božena would be ready to live with the eternal regret that might come from succeeding in this mission. Božena was confused as she had been working towards this her entire life, regrets were unlikely, but Kaswink continued to explain that the regrets would stay with her and everyone else forever if the spell was successful. Fears and losses would never fade.

Božena was silent for some time. Breathing slow and quietly considering everything Kaswink brought up. She slowly sipped some tea before finally speaking. She was stubborn. Stating that she would have no regrets. Her life's work would be complete, after all, and she would have everything she's done with her still in her eternal life. She would be able to enjoy the fruits of her labor, to see the world as she had made it, and she would have no fears or worries about anyone forgetting who she was or what she did. Kaswink asserted that people would remember her and her work even if she died today, or if she had never attempted this task, but Božena refused to believe such a thing. She tried to see if any of you had ever even heard of her or her people before arriving in this realm, and the only examples of her work living on were kept in places unreachable.

In My Heart I Know that the Universe Depends on Me and My Memories

Agave had a response to this. "I grew up in a small tribe in the middle of a desert. We had no such formal schooling or learning of historical figures such as yourself. But I ask you: When did you hear of our people? When were our people in your books or in your schools? How selfish of you to think that your history and your remembrance is more important than the lives of my people or those of Frode's or those of Bobcat's or the rest of our world!" Božena was unphased by this passionate speech. "Your people are just as important. They make up the words that will let them live forever. In fact, they might be more important."

Kaswink heard this, and she tried to bring this Necromancer back to a previous conversation. "My point is that you have regrets even if you don't want to admit them. You have fears that may not have reared their heads for millennia, that may never rear their head again unless you have nothing else to do. What happens when that purpose is complete and you are left to live the rest of your eternity? What will you live with?" The Necromancer paused again, but her response came far quicker than the last time Kaswink spoke to her. She was as stubborn as ever and began with a sigh. "Wouldn't I regret stopping more? I've looked everywhere. I've tried everything. I... the only constant in everything that I've seen is something that I would aim to remove from the equation, and that is decay. It is entropy and it is death. These things that greet us at the end of life or perhaps even at the beginning. They are not something that I desire. They are not something that anyone should have to face."

Kaswink felt the opposite, and there was a fierce discussion between her and this Necromancer regarding the release of Death. She wanted to be able to put down the burdens she carries, and she felt that there are many people that feel the same way. At the end of a long life, Death is something that can be liberating. The Necromancer countered by explaining that there is no "putting down burdens" that there is no "relaxation" to enjoy. The moment it ends there is nothing left, nothing to appreciate, but Kaswink felt that this would be even better as she wouldn't have any of her thoughts to worry about.

"Really, I'm just looking forward to the point where there are no more thoughts that are mine. I want my impact and the things that I leave behind to mean something, sure, but I want to die eventually....I want to be gone."

Božena repeated this with some disbelief, and Kaswink confirmed that she does indeed want Death. Agave then suggested that Božena leave her garden and go out into the realm to see the people that she claims long for eternal life as she does. He felt it would be good for her to see these people, speak with them, and to see what they think of her plan.

Kaswink spoke to her as this was being considered. She stated that stars do not fear death and that nobody fears the death of a star, only Božena fears these things. The Necromancer sighed and reminded her that there are others that rely on stars, that others watch them fade and miss them too. "If stars are gone and the universe just ends in nothing, then all the people you claim will remember me will be gone too. Maybe you're right, little rat thing, maybe I am in the wrong place. Maybe we should leave. Perhaps the Dying Gate will have more answers, though the thought of entering such a place is not very tempting to me. Or maybe, YOU are the answer. Maybe you're the missing piece. You said you wanted to die, Kaswink?" Kaswink saw through this and called Božena out on her avoidance of Agave's truth. She agreed that she didn't want to go out there and see all the suffering things, and Kaswink continued to explain that the thousands of years needed to finish whatever this Ritual is would not be worth all the suffering if they just want to die now. Božena seemed to understand this, and rose back to her feet from the table she was enjoying her tea at. She looked to each of you and explained that she would "need some help." Kaswink offered to assist her with facing these suffering souls, and Božena asked if you all would "help her free everyone from this awful reality".

More arms appeared from beneath her cloak. They were holding books, one of which was rising into the air and glowing with a brilliant radiance. She looked to Kaswink, then the rest of you. "You said I should free them?" Kaswink still desired a peaceful resolution, but the rest of you saw that this Necromancer was definitely quite stubborn. Stubborn as the Decay she worships and swore to expel from the world. Another arm, five in total now, pointed at the book that glowed with brilliant radiance as if reading it. A single word escaped her, "Mrtvy", and a sphere of light escaped the book, brushed past all of you, and continued on into the world beyond, likely to cover the entire realm. You felt the light was trying to heal you, but it instead caused you great harm. Its warmth was recognizeable, something that Namina had done before, but it was painful this time around.

Combat or whatever

The rest of the session was combat! Some notes on that stuff: Božena has been getting her ass kicked with some beams of moonlight and just a general full on offensive from all y'all. The beams of moonlight have been slowly turning red, however, and what that means isn't entirely clear yet.

Each time she reaches a certain amount of health, she disappears and is replaced with another spirit. You've faced Ortyl'boz and Ortyl'en so far. Everytime she returns, more zombies spawn with her. She has displayed devastating uses of status effects and lots of damage while being near her, and you are all slowly rotting away as combat progresses. Rot stacks are accumulated each turn, and certain abilities have been interracting with those beyond just giving you more to deal with. How will this combat conclude? Guess we'll find out.

Monday D&D Dec 19