Eles's no good, very bad day

While everyone was asleep, Eles and Yanef took some time to catch up. Eles offers a hug to Yanef.
We wake up and notice things are not exactly the same as we left them. The party is around a campfire and some other elves are around. Near us, we find a pile of notes, sealed by "non-physical means" with non-standard ink. Dara's was the color of gunmetal, Eles's was black and kind of glittery, Merrli's was iridescent and Manny's was a warm amber. Eles sensed a familiar magic on her note, but not the others. Merrli has a "rank taste of magic that isn't Lolth"
 
Merrli is now "the first champion of Lorathion" "Hand to the Raven Queen" and "Warlock of the Raven Queen". did he kind of pull rank with Yanef?
 
anyway, we make a dex check, Eles failed. We all get mildly blinded by light, as it wraps around our faces (except Dara?).
 
We for sure know who the voices in our head are. Dara hears a voice she doesn't recognize, but she knows she's heard it her whole life, but no other distinguishing features. Eles hears the Raven Queen
 
"She wants not your soul, she wants your retribution"-what was this context? it rips
 
Back in the War Room:
It's been 2 days since we commissioned the warhammer, but it will take 2 weeks to finish. (Dara's Mom wielded a hammer, it's canon now!)
Dara, Umstrek, Pelk, Yanef and Hops are with us
Hops: "Void dragon wasn't on my bingo card." Humbling experience
"You should have seen my childhood-lots of omens" Was that Eles?
 
Merrli 14 insight check: doesn't realize the general is his sister, knows she has a personal interest in killing him. She had a Warg mount, looks higher up.
 
Something about starting at the end.
Do we have to kill Malakar before Asmodeus? Probably
We figure out Dara's letter came from the main god of the dwarves. Is there a link between the 3 Dwarven gods? Greed, truth/safety, war?
Dara realizes the common thread is they are part of the same family. A 5th god's decided to join the fray. Seems to be important.
 
Eles casts Divination (reaching out to the new god?) to ask about the next 7 days. She asks "Will the final fight happen tomorrow?" Answer: "There are many fights you will have to fight Young Lady, one will happen tomorrow, the important one is yet to come."
16 insight/perception: A little more knowledge, didn't sound like a lady, but didn't quite sound like a man. Felt different, the essence resonated-sounded kind of far away.
 
Merrli reaching out to Lorathion-actually just kidding, he reaches out to the Raven Queen. Yanef and Eles see familiar magic. Raven talons grip him and pull his spirit underground. The area is neither Shadowfell of the Material Plane.
"Nice to formally meet you"
"Lorathion and I talked" about Merrli coming back "1700 years is a long time, even for a god." "I am unable to do what you want, however, I can offer you this..." Merrli cuts her off at this point?
"Whomst is sending my friends notes in class?
"IDK" "Please move with wisdom Merrlinium"
 
Merrli comes back swinging at Dara, for the life of me I don't remember why. He is magically held by Hops, Yanef, Pelk, Eles and one other guard in the room.
"You didn't even want to be a Paladin"
"You didn't even want to come back to life"
"You can't have reviver's guilt"
"Chain mail pump cover"
"How do you so consistently fail...by one"
 
Survival Check- 16 from Manny. He hears nothing. No birds, no nothing. A runner arrives. Those in charge, possessing the temple are readying attacks.
Other background: All of the clerics followed the great-grandmother, has been this way for 1.5-2 years.
 
We set up a glyph of warding in the woods, a little far away from the mausoleum.
3:30am Perception check- 25 senses a crackling and rustling noise, not a part of the woods.
 
FIGHT! We fight a sap demon, a lumbering giantfolk, another fucking Merrowlith and a death knight. AND the woman that trained Eles, Mother Elsinore (is she the leader of this entire thing?)
 
"It looks like you've arrived just in time to be late. Oh well, this will be interesting."
"You've betrayed everything you taught me"
"betrayal is such a strong word"
Eles used the counterspell scroll she got what feels like a million years ago, to counterspell Elsinore's 7th level spell
 
"You're new, I haven't seen you before" (to Dara?)
"To the contrary: we need a new...(I didn't get the last part)
"Shackles of our life"
Elsinore says something about working with Asmodeus, but not truly needing him. Like they have some other plan and are just trying to use Asmodeus to get to that goal. (Killing the Raven Queen?) Eles focuses more on healing her allies than damagin Elsinore, she's never able to get more than like 30 ft away from her before Elsinore starts moving. She also says something about Yanef not being too long for this world. (is there a fight happening at the mausoleum?)
 
Eles and Elsinore (I swear I didn't realize how close their names were until recently!) have more back and forths that I wish I had written down. Lots of "This is not what you trained me for" And the last thing Eles does before Elsinore casts Divine Word (I think) is a Mass healing spell for all of her allies. Elsinore casts Divine Word, Eles had fewer than 20hp and straight up dies.
 
On attacks of opportunity, Merrli hits, then Dara hit and kills Eles's grandmother!
Manny immediately races to Eles, jumps on her chest (the breastplate of Yondalla at that) and casts revivify!
 
*At the start of the next session, I want Eles to cast Gift to the Raven Queen and Gentle Repose on Elsinore, ask someone to grab her and bring her with as, and race as fast as I can to the mausoleum.*