Related Information to Aericsteele’s D&D 5e RPG Main Thread

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The Scout of the Deep Wilds says...

Finally rushing out of the tunnel is Carrick, ready to defend his companions only to find a large, bulbous creature lying dead at their feet. Slightly dissatisfied that he wasn't apart of the fight, Carrick blurts, "Well, good job. Anyone hurt?"
The dwarf puts his axe and dagger away, then moves closer to the creature to inspect it. (Nature check)

Then Carrick begins helping sift through the bodies in the cave, identifying the ones he can until he reaches Aves. He pauses momentarily, then drags his body out too.
As he's going through the bodies, he's keeping an eye out for any sign of Coridan. (Perception).

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The Maker says...

Many of the bodies have been mangled enough by the creature picking their skin and flesh from their bones that they are unidentifiable, but there are enough that the group is able to identify to support the theory that this creature is responsible for the rash of disappearances.

Geoffrey’s mother and father are among the bodies that are less decomposed though the creature has obviously been feasting on them off and on over the past few days. Human bodies appear to be the more recent victims of the creature many of the skeletal remains appear to be elven along with several smaller creatures that would appear to be the bones of goblins. Many of the remains are picked apart and scattered about the cavern making it difficult to determine an exact number of victims but it would appear to be excess of twenty.

Most disturbing perhaps though is the discovery of the remains of a small human child. Her tiny frame appears to have been casually tossed into a heap of bones and at first she is almost mistaken for a goblin on account of her size. Upon closer inspection though there is no doubt that this was a small girl wearing worn peasant rags common among the families of the laborers in Clear Creek. Most of the flesh has been picked from her skull, eyes removed, but her torso is largely untouched. This is most likely the remains of Matilda, the child of a logger that Tywin had referred to as the Drunken Logger when he tasked the party with the mission.

To Carrick in particular this scene is not one that he would deem ‘natural.’ The numbers of victims along with their various states of decay and consumption suggest that they were not killed simply for survival, but that this creature seems to kill for sport as well, or perhaps some form of blood-lust that drives it to kill beyond what it needs to survive. No one in the party has ever seen or heard of any creature like this.

Sifting through the remains Carrick comes across some skeletal remains and is able to recognize this as Coridan (Carrick may describe what it is about the remains that he is able to use to identify the body; i.e. A trinket or article of clothing that he knows belongs to Coridan).

Aericsteele’s D&D 5e RPG Main Thread Archive Pathfinder / D&D

The Scout of the Deep Wilds says...

Seeing the desiccated bodies and how they seem to be almost hoarded like trophies makes Carrick feel sick to his stomach. As a hunter, the dwarf knows the value of getting the most out of a kill. The only times he's encountered what would amount to "Killing for sport" would be from other sentient beings, not animals. That leads to an erie thought, "It be intelligent… " he says out loud, not to anyone in particular. "That 'xplains how it got th' jump on Roland an' Zinna; I nev'r even seen a wolf be that sneaky. That also be how it's been able to avoid bein' captured; it be no beast,"
Carrick pauses and looks down at one of the half eaten bodies that appears as though it's been here for a little while and sees still strapped to its belt a knife in its leather sheath. Carrick pulls the blade from the sheath and the deer antler handle gives him all the information he needed as he feels his stomach drop; it's the body of Coridan.
Carrick then continues, "It be a monster!" He then sheaths the blade and continues helping with the bodies, though visibly angry.

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Corren helps sort the bodies to the best of his ability, and as they are brought out into the sunlight, he separates them by race, sex, apparent age, whatever he can determine. The remains of Matilda are handled with an almost reverence, and she is separated, and Corren wraps her in his own cloak. He is silently glad that it will be Reeve Gant's responsibility to break the news to the loved ones.

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After getting the report, Roland galloping at full speed toward the village to deliver it and taking the new wagon with the blankets and fresh horses.
"I'd like to stay more but it'll be better if I go back as soon as possible, don't like leaving them alone, that cave's full of bodies… Anyway, we're bringing back the corpse of the monster to let you have a look of it.

Aericsteele’s D&D 5e RPG Main Thread

Zenna is relieved as the vile creature collapses. Hearing Corren suggest she enter the cave she nods. She gets to the cave entrance and the smell is overwhelming. Zenna hesitates then forces herself to crawl in through the hole. She looks with the others and feels ill from the odor and sight of the carnage. Her face turns pale from the scene. Off to the side she sees the corpse of the young girl who was missing. She kneels down by her and begins crying as she is overcome by emotion. The death of the child is horrible and it reminds her of the younger siblings she will probably never see again. " I've got to get out of here. " She scrambles out of the hole quickly and turns away from the others to hide the tears streaming down her cheeks.

Aericsteele’s D&D 5e RPG Main Thread - Page 36

After the bodies are removed from the cave Mradoric goes to each body and says a prayer of peace and goodwill to each body in hopes that it helps their spirit let go knowing that they have been avenged and soon they will be back in the hands of their loved ones.

Mradoric then walks away a bit where he sits and meditates for a while as they wait for the wagon to arrive and the bodies to be loaded. He is glad the problem is over and is glad that they were able to handle this creature. He is still curious about the goblins and wonders if they will need to be cleared out so they end their raiding in the area too.

Aericsteele’s D&D 5e RPG Main Thread D&D / Pathfinder Archive - Page 36

The Maker says...

Roland returns to Clear Creek to discover that Reeve Gant has departed with a handful of men to make contact with the Elves, but Quell promises to deliver the message to the Reeve as soon as he returns and offers the use of his wagon. Hearing the report from Roland Quell’s eyes fill with tears which he quickly wipes away and composes himself into a matter of fact business man.

“Yes, you better get back” he says as he loads several blankets and sheets into the wagon along with a cask of water so that you don’t get dehydrated “I’ll fetch Father Bhisen so he can make preparations for their final rites.”

When Roland returns it is mid afternoon, the bodies have been laid out and separated per Corren’s directions. Mradoric sits in meditation near a tree, Corren Carrick have just finished putting the last body in place, and Zinna stands on the periphery of the scene staring out into the forest, her back to the grisly display.

The bodies are carefully loaded into the wagon and covered with blankets and sheets. The creature, saved for last, is placed uncovered on top of the remains. Then the party begins its trek back to the village mostly in silence save for the occasional need to coordinate the movement and positioning of the wagon through patchwork of thick foliage.

The party arrives in Clear Creek just as the sun is beginning to set to find a crowd gathered. They are met by Quell who guides them to the small market square near the center of the village. Loggers and trappers caked with dirt and sweat from a long day's work look on silently along with women and children as the party takes the wagon through the dirt pathways that line Clear Creek.

At the Market they are met by Father Bhisen dressed in a white cassock, a golden equal armed cross set within a circle is emblazoned on his chest as well as centered on the shoulder blades of a white cloak.

Father Bhisen guides the wagon to the nearby church where the remains are unloaded and carefully arranged on the grounds surrounding the church as the actual preparation room is too small to hold all of them. The remains of the creature are placed back onto the wagon and taken to be housed at the jail until it can be studied further and ultimately disposed of.

Out of Character: : I’m going to post the cultural beliefs regarding death and the afterlife below. I would like Zinna to describe what the Final Rites look like and what they entail. I would like Carrick, Roland and Mradoric to describe what sort of things the villagers do to honor or grieve for the dead. Corren can tell us what sort of heroic title the villagers bestow upon the party; in other words how do they refer to the adventuring party after their victory over the creature?

Death, the Afterlife, and Planes of Existence

There are some things that are known regarding the afterlife thanks in part to the ability of powerful magic used to commune with the dead. It is known that upon death a creature's spirit leaves its body and takes on an ethereal form that is similar to the body of its host in appearance. A few moments after death the spirit, no longer being fed life energy from a body, begins to experience a “second death” as its energy slowly dissipates. This process can take anywhere from twenty four hours to several weeks depending on the strength of the spirit and how much energy the spirit uses to perform various actions. In order to avoid this second death the spirit will need to draw life energy from somewhere or something. Often this takes the form of attaching to a living being and draining the life energy from that creature but it may also be done by accessing pockets of intense magical energy that have formed through the use of powerful magic or intense emotional experiences or trauma; thus many battlefields are host to a variety of ghosts and spirits.

If the spirit is unable to find a means to maintain itself then it will eventually fade and the creature's soul is released. The soul is described as a sphere of multi-colored energy with the colors often being affected by the life that the person has lead. Those that have committed great evil are said to have darker colors than those who have committed great acts of heroism and sacrifice who are said to have very bright colored energy.

The soul disappears and it is at this point when all communication is lost and it is unknown what becomes of the soul. Some suggest that it returns to the Great Tapestry and its energy is subsequently used by the Maker or the Destroyer where they weave the energy back into the Tapestry of the World sometimes resulting in a reincarnation of sorts. The current theory held by the Imperial Church, however, is that the souls that have led good lives in service to the Maker are sent to reside with the Creator in a state of paradise while the souls that have led lives of evil in service to the Destroyer are sent to reside with the Dark One in a state of eternal turmoil and suffering. The Church holds that after the Second Death a soul undergoes judgement in something of a cosmic trial. Other cultures hold different beliefs and views regarding the final state of the soul.

Why are there different religious views? Couldn’t a spell be used to talk to the dead and determine the truth? Or could a high level priest not commune with the gods to get an answer?

Yes, a high level cleric may be able to commune with their god or gods in a manner of speaking but clerics from differing faiths receive answers from their gods that often support their own beliefs while contradicting the beliefs of others. This makes for an interesting question for scholars and philosophers; are the gods merely manifestations of the clerics faith, or does the cleric’s faith come from the gods? It is a complex issue with no obvious answer.

Contacting the spirits of the dead has been done as well. Unfortunately this has failed to provide any real certainty because even the dead do not seem to know for certain and contact has never been made with a departed soul. When contact has been made with the dead it has been with a spirit of a dead person prior to them experiencing the second death.