A Psychopomp in the Hot Springs
Log Info
- Title: A Psychopomp in the Hot Springs
- Emitter: Delilah
- Characters: Delilah, Donna, Ashes, Elyanna, Merek
- Place: The Hotsprings in the Grey Halls
- Time: Monday, March 22, 2021, 8:21 PM
- Summary: Bethany's torment over, she is afforded an opportunity to make good on the feelings for Delilah she was unable to express in life. Delilah reciprocates, and the two embrace in the hot springs. While this transpires, Merek identifies a watching Psychopomp, Tessa, who is somewhat involved and can answer some questions. Provided they fall within the rules, that is. Everyone asks some, but mostly get negative responses. A few things are clarified. Alvin nearly died, but was rescued. Others have died at the same assassin's hand, but don't want to speak to the adventurers. Bugs get an afterlife too. She's coming for them eventually. There is one person who would be willing to see them, and they'll go as soon as everyone is ready.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Appearing, in Order -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Lady Bethany Alenthor Human Female An noble murder victim, deceased Tessa Human Female A redheaded Psychopomp, bearer of Bethany's soul, deceased -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= As the GMs -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Delilah 5'4" 106 Lb Human Female A golden haired human girl in white robes. -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=
Now that Bethany has been freed from her Torment, it seems that everyone can, finally, get a moment to breath. The forest with its hotsprings doesn't seem to be a place exclusive to the travellers, as it turns out; a minor bit of exploration will reveal what seems to be a fairly large area, with trees and springs laced amongst white marble ruins, with the souls of the dead interspersed throughout. Many bathe alone, some in groups; some are engaged in conversation, some in contemplation, and while none seem to be particularly desperate to be 'left alone', none make any move to approach the group.
In the middle of the particular hotspring that everyone was transported to, Bethany and Delilah are still together, unclothed and locked in each other's arms. Delilah catches Bethany's bottom lip between her teeth, but the noblewoman puts one finger against her lips, and looks across her shoulder to Ashes. "A moment, my sweet," she whispers, before raising her voice. "Just... tell my sister, that I was attacked, but not by Delilah. Someone who took great pains to look like Delilah, but couldn't get the voice right... And tell her that I said so. And tell her she can trust Grumblepatch, as well." She smirks, "That was her invisible friend when she was four. She made me promise to take that secret to my grave. Well, I did." She turns her gaze back towards Delilah, "Now then... where were we?"
Off to the side, another figure is watching, though her interest isn't on the pair in the middle of the spring. She's dressed in armor; polished to a shining silver, with a sword on her back, and red hair around a freckled face, with a hint of a glow in the air behind her head. She stands leaning against a tree, watching the group with a pleasant smile on her face.
Ancient wisdom in the place where people wait. Merek looks to the two embracing, then it's upon the figure, "The Psychopomp?" he asks, then he nods a bit to Ashlee and to Elyanna while he considers Donna. "Well, it looks like we have a plan for when we get back." He will wait, at the moment, there's not a lot to add to it all.
Elyanna watches the gravecrossed lovers enjoy their reconciliation, though the answer to Ashes' question is of more immediate interest, and the hobkin makes a point to commit the details to memory. Her attention in the imediate aftermath is turned toward Donna, who'd been starting to steer her off to some end or other, and so it is, with arched brow, she considers the single sister.
It lasts until Merek speaks, and she turns that way, "The what?"
"Looks like," Donna says quietly, raising a hand to signal to Bethany that her advice was heard and will be heeded. "So... Now to figure out how to kick *that* hornet's nest, an' flush out who really did it. Without gettin' caught."
Merek's question, and then Elyanna's, pulls the brawler out of her own head long enough to look up, brow furrowed... then down and away quickly.
"Unno who that is, but... If they're watchin' us an' don't look pissed, I ain't askin' questions. Not here."
"Okay," Ashlee says, listening attentively and committing the name to memory. She's feeling tranquil under the circumstances. The temptation to turn over rocks and see if there are worms, slugs or other things is strong. They pass on too, perhaps to here.
That desire will go unfulfilled for the moment. The one in the shining armour with the red hair and the sword has captured the Mourner's attention. She observes the observor, an unexpected but perhaps not unlikely presence, considering her possible identity. She stares further, thinking. No, not quite so grand. Possibly a soul who decided to take on duties, or also has unfinished business.
"I will," The Mourner says, approaching. She dips her head as she draws close, "do you need anything from us?"
Diplomatic phrasing is not her strong suit.
Bethany refeocuses her attention to Delilah, and the sorceress likewise to the noble. They stay where they are in the middle of the hotspring, as lips connect once more; hands begin to stray, wandering over each others body to shoulders and sides and bellies and breasts.
The redhead in the armor makes no comment on any of that, of course. She casts a smile at Ashes, and shakes her head with a soft laugh. "Nothing too strenuous," she replies. "It was I who helped Bethany cross over. Or, rather, I tried to help, she was..." She gestures towards the noblewoman, "She was hurt, and I don't mean by her death, and it was... I couldn't actually help her. So I am very glad you are here, all of you, and you could help." She bobs her head once. "I was there a few days ago to give the same aid to Delilah, as well, but I am very glad to see that it wasn't needed, and hopefully won't be for a good, long time. She is lucky to have a sister like you," she nods to Donna, "And friends like all of you. Most people are not nearly so fortunate."
"Okay." Ashes says, focusing on the redhead. Her understanding of intimacy is... complicated, and she's still coming to terms with human standards of beauty. Her Vardama pamphlet is pretty clear, do not stare at couples, and Delilah and Bethany seem to be one currently.
The redhead is therefore, a convenient other thing to focus on. "Thank you, for helping them."
Then, "How do I do what you do?"
"Ah, then you are. Well, it is nice to meet you, you're welcome," Merek offers to the woman. He doesn't add a lot to the conversation, he seems to be content in just wandering about the springs. The man seems to consider a lot of things, while at the same time... He considers nothing, because all that was back in life. He does adjust his robes back to like they were from the fight with the creatures." The man pulls the hood up, while he watches Ashlee. Then he takes a look to the woman, "... That path would probably take you far away from our own world."
He's not answering for the woman, instead he's considering the connotations of what she means. Then he takes a look to Elyanna, "Ah, that reminds me. We will probably want to keep the Madame informed when we can. I think she is still an ally in it all. Though that's up to everyone."
Elyanna understands intimacy under very different power dynamics, but those seem less in play, here. Instead, as the conversation takes place with the redhead, the hobkin turns her focus that way, "You... are welcome." she replies somewhat dubiously, perhaps not sure how much she contributed to the entire escapade. Merek's observations draw her attention and she nods, considering it, "Her interest in Delilah was peripheral, though perhaps she has new information. Getting to it will be fate-y." a pause, "Chancy."
...This is a very weird look into how the world works in the places that most people can't actually see normally. Unsure quite how to reply to the redhead's statement, Donna simply manages a half-smile, and a quiet "...Thanks?"
Plans of action are much more her speed, and the brawler chews on the inside of her think, mind racing. "Getting any of it where it needs to be's gonna be tough... Wonder if we could get a message to Seldan, tell'm it's to help us find th' proper murderer?" Her head turns to Merek, eyebrow rising. "Ain't he a Silver Guard?"
"Well." The redhead smiles at Ashes, "To do what I do, first you have to die. By which I mean, die and, y'know, stay dead. So don't be in a hurry for that, alright? There's lots of things to do first, that you can't do after." She takes a step forwards, and meanders to a spot where she's standing directly opposite the group from where Bethany and Delilah are enjoying each other's company.
"So," she muses. "Sounds like you've still got some issues that need investigating, hmm? Like who really killed Bethany?" She bites her bottom lip, and shakes her head. "I'm sure one of you is going to ask, and unfortunately no, I can't tell you. Couldn't even if I did know. Which, wether or not I do, you'll just have to wonder about, I'm afraid. I'm not really allowed to play favorites that way." She pauses, and purses her lips.
"But, if you can ask the right questions... there might be answers I can give you."
Merek looks then to the woman, and nods a bit while he seems to think about it. "Well, what do you think would be a motive that would get a woman like Bethany killed?" he asks, then he takes a look to Elyanna, "A Psychopomp is the person that guides the dead along, to their own nice place among the stars." The man adjusts the hood a little bit while he thinks about it. Then to Donna, "Aye, Seldan is a Silver Guard, he will likely be willing to assist, now that we know what we do about all of that with Norrington and all."
"That would be fine Merek," Ashlee answers. Her path already far from the normal world, being more distant is not something she considers remarkable. To the redhead she says simply, "Ok."
She'll wait until she dies for real. Although, Ashlee wants to stay, see if the other souls want to talk... about anything they want to talk about. A curiosity about finality grips her. What is the perspective when everything is over. She has questions, many questions, more directly related to her other talents. Such as, ever have your fortune told, and now that everything is done, did it come true? She'd like to know the answer to that, for sure.
Because lately she suspects her cards are lying. If they're not, things will be getting a lot worse. These answers, are unlikely to be the ones the redhead has. She redirects her thoughts towards the information she might have.
Ashlee unpacks everything she can think of, the questions fired in monotone, just like at the trial. "What's your name. Can we summon you from the other side. Can you free Merek from his deal. Who made this whip. Can it be tamed. What is the source of the powder. Who wanted to end Bethany's relationship with Delilah. Were there two people in the alley. Is there a witness we missed. Where is Ella's boy being held."
"I see." Elyanna notes to Merek, "Ending a life in Bludgun tended to be the end of most concerns." She scratches idly at her navel through the gown as the absence of one of her few purely aesthetic vanities is somewhat distracting. She looks to Ashes now as her questions are coming out, "How long was it between her death, and the magic being used to..." she rolls her wrist as she fishes for the Trade phrasing, "doctor the scene?"
Mention of Ella's boy causes Donna's head to snap up, eyes wide. "Oh shit... Is the kid okay still?!"
"Alvin is not among us," the redhead assures Donna. "Not to worry; he is still in a able to expect a long, happy life, but he is in mortal danger." She clasps her hands in front of her, and tilts her gaze towards Ashes, while ignoring the happy sounds of two lovers behind her. "To answer your questions. "My name is Tessa. You cannot summon me. I cannot free Merek. Nobody made the whip, it was an accident and cannot be tamed. I know nothing about powder. I cannot answer any question concerning the deeds of mortals who are still alive. I cannot tell you how many people were or are in any alley. I cannot tell you if you missed a witness."
She pauses, and perks an eyebrow upwards. "I cannot tell you where Alvin is being held, but I did nearly collect his soul a few hours after Delilah's execution, from a chamber in the sewers beneath Alexandria, a couple of levels down, beneath the Lower Markets. It is well hidden." She pauses, and adds to Elyanna, "I can't answer about that." She lifts an eyebrow, "As much as your cause is very worthy, and it is, I cannot give one mortal advantage over another. Those who do evil have as much right for their lives to play out as those who do good works, like all of you. So." she clasps her hands together. "You must ask me the right questions."
"Thank you." Ashes says, thinking over the answers a bit. Some of them were quite interesting! She frowns a little, even the afterlife is determined to send her to the sewers. She is not a swamp witch. She is not a sewer witch. She is very firm on this. She touches Chippen, then clasps her hands again against the front of her funerary dress.
It sounds like Bethany and Delilah love each other a lot.
Ash rubs at one of her large, goblinoid ears, focusing on the scratching noises her finger makes. The rules were revealed, now it's only necessary to work within them for a few more pieces of the puzzle. What has she really wanted to know?
Ah.
"Are there others here, also sent on by the one that sent Bethany, who may wish to talk to us?"
Merek thinks about it all. He nods, satisfied with the information while he will let them ask questions. Ashlee's words to the woman do get a look in thought when she mentions that deal of his to the place. The man takes a look then to the woman, "And will Bethany be taken good care of?" he asks. "I won't ask where she will be going, that's not the kind of thing that I need to know. I... Want to know that things will be peaceful with the woman. You know, going forward."
"Whose soul did you collect, instead," Elyanna ventures, "If you did, where Alvin nearly became your charge?" in ammendmant to Ashlee's question. She considers sewer crawling beneath her, yet, though not so much that she'd deny the act for the sake of righting her balance. Merek's query turns her attention his way a moment, then back to the source of answers. Or not, as the Psychopomp decides.
Tessa mmmms, and bows her head in thought. "I collected no soul instead of Alvin's," she offers. "And, to be clear on terms; I do not collect souls, I shephard them, and guide them on their final journey. But I understand what you meant." She nods her head to Merek, "Yes, Bethany is going to be alright, now. All that which was troubling her, hurting her, has been washed away, and it can never come back. Never."
The redhead cups her chin, and purses her lips in thought for a moment. "There have been others, who were felled by the same hand," she allows, "But, most souls of those who pass from life to death by murder are... loathe to talk about it, after the fact. Dieing is not pleasant for most people; dieing by violence, especially so uneven a violence as murder, is a horrible thing to bring up again. But... allow me to think, for a moment."
The Psychopomp nods towards the hotspring, "We should wait until Bethany and Delilah are finished, in any case. It would not do to seperate all of you."
Merek nods a bit to Tessa, "Nice to meet ya by the way. I am glad it will be alright," he notes, taking a look to the two embracing. Well, back in the world where they all came from, it might've made a wonderful interesting thing. The man thinks about it, "I think we are dealing with an assassin. At this point, it's all that makes sense." The man looks to the people, "What do you all think? I think when we learn a little more from anyone else, I think we need to share what we know and we need to work together, you know, make a little bit of sense of things. I think we need to investigate where Alvin was as well."
"I *know* we're dealing with assassin*s*," Donna points out, raising a finger. "One tried to kill me to 'clean up,' an' he wasn't the one as did for Bethany. But... Yeah I'm game for hearing someone else out. If nothin' else, might help them too."
"Okay," the Mourner says, sitting on the ground. She feels the coolness of it through her thin dress. She digs around in the grass. Occasionally her eyes drift towards Bethany and Delilah, and she pulls them back to seek some other distraction around her.
She nods at Donna's declaration. She was aware, it's why she asked, in case the assassin was a serial killer and the multiple deaths were related in some other way besides coin. She wonders at the price of a life. It's not a ticket she wants to purchase.
Her thoughts fold on themselves. There are things unknown, but the ashen Arvec is having difficultly coming up with a way to ask about them. It occurs to her, there's a way of reversing it. "Tessa, is there something you need to tell me that I haven't asked about?"
The Keeper doesn't note that a murder being unpleasant is often the point, as Tessa may possibly already know. Instead, she drifts some apart and tries to think of other, potentially workable questions.
She... leaves Merek and Donna to sort themselves out as Ashes starts a new bank of questions. A somewhat sophistric approach, but it may bear fruit, instead, on another angle, "You were on hand to... er.. 'shepard' the soul of Lady Alenthor, and then to.... -potentially- do so for the souls of both Delilah and Alvin. As a choice, or were you... assigned to follow the chain of death surrounding this affair?"
"Ahh, yes," Tessa replies bemusedly, "Everyone tries that trick eventually. 'Is there anything you should tell me?' Why, yes, and I already have; I told you to ask me the right questions. I'm afraid I cannot volunteer information, you need to know what you are seeking."
She steeples her fingers in front of her. "However. Since you have asked; I am responsible for the chain of events -- specifically the deaths, of course -- that follow after the passing of Bethany, and it was my choice. Yes, I was there when it seemed likely something was to happen to little Alvin, bless his heart. I was there for the execution, that was expected to see Delilah beheaded, and possibly some number of you killed in the rescue attempt. And if anyone else -- or any of you -- is to die in the coming days as a result of this, I will be there for that too."
Tessa smiles softly. "But I like all of you, so between you and I, I hope I don't see any of you again for a long, long time after today." She leans sideways, and glances over Merek's shoulder at Bethany and Delilah. "Ooohhh... they *are* having fun, but I think they'll be finished soon. Is there anything else you wish to ask me?"
"...Understandin' that you probably can't say, but I gotta ask anyway," Donna says after a long, digestive moment of silence. "But... *why?* Why do all of this anyway?" Glancing over her shoulder, Donna looks back, scowling. "Nobody deserves the kinda hell that girl got put through, t'say mothin' of the rest of us. An' that's the part I ain't really got a handle on. Just... *why?*"
Merek seems to think about it, nodding to Donna. Then he takes a look along to Tessa, "Well, this is a place I've traveled before. I am sure you will see me eventually. My only question is... Can you tell us the names of the people killed in the past? I don't think that's a question the people living."
The man looks to Donna, "If you can answer that, you would answer the question all people have wanted answered since the dawn of the universe." Then he walks along to wait for everyone else, nodding to Elyanna, ""Come here often?" he asks. A grin. It looks like he's at least trying to lighten the mood of the place.
"You've out smarted me then." Ashlee says, and she picks at the grey grass again. She searches through the stalks for bugs. Do insects have an afterlife? If they do, is any time spent in the halls of waiting or do they blip through without pause on to whatever reward awaits them. Turning into a Modron perhaps.
Then it becomes the afterlife for pick-up lines too. Ashes stands, glances in Bethany and Delilah's direction, back at Tessa. She purses her lips, perhaps this one is within the rules, "Who is next on your list, and when?"
Nobody deserves that kind of hell.
It's a comforting thought. One not meant for her ears, nor for her benefit, and Elyanna, who can't help but to have heard it, now tries not to latch on the false hope she fears it to be. She stands, a reddish statue for the most part, intrlocking teeth pressed firmly together to stifle the uncomfortable fidget of her jaw.
Seconds pass, then:
Do you have more potential appointments in the near future around this affair? If so... how many?"
Then, as Ashes chimes in, she leaves that as a reasonable batch of questions.
"Donna," Tessa heaves a great sigh, "There are a great many reasons why one person might take life from another. You, yourself, and your sister have taken life yourselves before, to protect those who can't fight for themselves of free people who are bound in slavery." She shakes her head, "There is nothing so noble in play with Bethany's murder -- or your sister's intended execution. I can't tell you what it was, but... do not seek either nobility or depravity."
"I can't tell you who's next," she gently answers to Ashes. "It doesn't always go as... intended, for lack of a better word. But I have no doubt there will be more souls who pass this way, as a result of these affairs. Bethany's father is very sick, and pain of the heart is doing him no good; I suppose I can tell you that." She pauses, and smiles. "Bugs do get an afterlife," she adds. "Don't worry. Chippen will be well looked after when he eventually comes among us, but this place isn't for their sort."
In the pool, activities between Bethany and Delilah have, it seems, more or less finished. A few last kisses (and other things) are stolen on the sly from one another, before Delilah backs away from the noblewoman, and climbs up out of the pool, letting water drip from skin and hair as she pads across mossy ground, up to stand beside her sister, leaning up against her side and resting her head on her shoulder. Totally getting her wet, too.
"Alright, then." Tessa claps her hands together. "I think I have someone you can visit. he might not be able to tell you much, but even a little might help, hmm? We shall go when you're ready."
Merek draws back a hand along the hair of his, taking the time to look at everyone in the party, "Alright, it looks like we have a lot more to do while we're in this place." The man doesn't look enthusiastic about it, he does shift that robe a little bit, while he takes a look at the hand of his, his fingers trailing along the lines of the palm.
The man looks to Bethany, "Nice to meet ya. Well, we met before though not properly. I'm sure you will be in for a wonderful adventure and all." He offers a thumbs up, The man nods a bit to Elyanna, Ashlee, Donna, and Delilah. "I don't want anyone else to be killed for all of this. I am wondering if there's a way to save all of the people involved in it." A nod to the Psychopomp.
Ashlee stands. She nods, touching Chippen on her throat. So he knows that she knows he'll be taken care of. She makes a small wave towards Bethany, as a Mourner there isn't much more for her to do, the woman has already reached her destination.
The ashen Arvec turns to gaze at Tessa, "I'm ready."
Elyanna considers their advisor for a few more seconds and nods, "Thank you, Tessa." she says in a soft, almost reverent way. It's very polite, at any rate. There's a glance to Merek, curious, then to the crux of their endeavors, she approaches. She gives, "Lady Bethany," a Blarish salute, and valedicts, "May you know harmony in the steps beyond."
"Yeah," Donna says, wrinkling her nose as Delilah soddens up her funereal dress. "I know... But I still hadda ask." Looking over her shoulder, she lifts a hand. "'Bye, Bethany," she says. "Wish I'd met the real you way before. ...You woulda definitely been a good friend."
Farewells made, and a plan set, Donna runs a hand through her hair, drawing in a deep breath. "Okay... Let's go."
