That's it, adventure 12 is over and in the can. This centered around our wrapping up the situation in Flatrock and the "how or can we ever raise Norris from the dead" issue. The player of our growing and maturing bard had been on a holding pattern for some time since he did not know IF he was playing his character again or IF we could possibly raise him from the dead. He actually had another character planned and partially rolled out when the logistics of it came together and we were able to get Norris brought back.
I have had a love/hate relationship with dead characters coming back to life over time and to this day don't know if I will ever sit comfortably with "yes they come back" or "no, they are dead - move on".
Point of note - travel time from the start of the night to the end of the night was 12 days travel in game. Sucks not having cars, planes, or teleportation spells.
Write up follows:
The party discussed options, settling on the fact that Norris was our prime responsibility. Leaving him as a bound up undead figure was not an option and we had learned from Ludwig before his passing that through a speak with dead, Norris had interest in coming back to the world of the living. What to do? We had mostly no money, as well as little gear (or clothes). Gwyn and Guyus went with Thurin to acquire some clothes and then went to speak to Sir Bork directly.
They exchanged some information back and forth but ultimately Gwyn did ask the nobleman if he could lend the group what funds were needed to raise Norris as we did have such resources but they were currently in Orihalcus. Sir Bork did offer to help but we did not know what the costs would be. As for who could help, there was a Deathspeaker, a Priest of Hel, named Ladrius that had recently come to town and was working currently in the cemetery. He directed us to talk to her and then find out what we would need and if he could help, he would do so.
We went to the cemetery, met with the Deathspeaker, explained our situation (she was not the nicest person) and escorted her back to the Sundered Chains Hotel on Dog Street where she could examine Norris’s undead body. We learned swiftly that in his current condition he was not able to be raised. Too many broken bones, too much of his internal organs were either destroyed or unusable. If we were able to raise him, he would die almost immediately. What were our options? We could magic jar his spirit from the current body into another one – but it would have to be a body that was pretty much an empty husk.
We went with her back to the cemetery where we had learned that Karis had come back to town two days ago and dropped off three bodies. One was missing a right arm, one was the victim of burns (most likely the will o the wisp) and the last had some cold damage. We assumed the last was a victim of wraiths. It was this one the Deathspeaker Ladrius said would be the proper receptacle for Norris. It was going to be a three person ritual, and would require a chalice the facilitate the transference – costing about 2500 crowns.
We went back to Sir Bork and Gwyn asked him for a loan. The nobleman really thought about it and agreed with the following deal. It would be a letter of credit to be drawn with Lord Vergadain in Dragonhole (where the ritual would take place) and would be due in 3 months at a repayment of 2,750 crowns. We agreed.
The next day we travelled first to Dilabria where Gwyn and Detheron stayed and then on the rest of the way to Dragon Hole. We presented the letter to Lord Vergadain Exchequer who verified the amount and seals and presented us with 250 platinum bars. We then went to the Order of Grey Maiden where Ladrius and her two sisters performed the ritual on Norris, bringing his soul from his shattered undead body into the new (human) form. As for his broken body, it was left with the Order who was going to harvest it for reagents for further potential necromantic rituals and experimentation.
From there we traveled back to Dilabria and on Earthmonth the 12th at 8 AM we began the long ride back through numerous towns towards Orihalcus, the place we wanted to use as our home. On the way we stopped at Cymbarton where Gwyn withdrew enough funds to cover the loan we took out from Sir Bork as well as gold to pay a courier and insure the delivery of the letter of credit back up to Flatrock. We continued our trek until eventually coming around the last bend of the western reaches of the Dusty Mountains and arrived at Orihalcus.
We left our tired steeds at the stablery and went to Sheriff Kalarig. He gave us a copy of the key to our home where we went in and opened the shutters, letting fresh air in. We would need to stock the larder and pantry, look into getting some help, and eventually go and see Sir Walter Slaine. But for now we were happy to lower our packs, kick off our shoes, and take stock of the numerous items we had still left here during our many forays out of town. As we sat, the last 12 days of hard travel fading from us, we decided that a short rest wouldn’t hurt first before doing anything else.
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