The Mausoleum Mystery

The Gang picks up where they left off; being chased by a loud screech.   Turning to follow Krinrez as she guides them up the path to the Mausoleum. After destroying two Bone Naga slithering up the side of the path, Eles Raagha transforms the gang and the Tabaxi with Krinrez into a cloud of atoms in gaseous form. The eight of them flee the scene and enter the Mausoleum through tiny cracks in the stonework. Tang-Te summons many more evil creatures, including a Young Black Dragon, and begins to seek out The Gang.   As Dara Riswynn Proudstone is turned to gas, she receives a blood magic call from Director of the Department of Histories Pelk . Pelk explains that Dara has a visitor who desires to contact her. Dulin Bonetoe is brought into the blood magic call. Dulin and Dara have a decent heart-to-heart, and Dulin gives Dara some poignant advice about some of the evils that have been summoned, and tells her that she is proud of Dara, and cannot wait to see her again now that they both work at/for Candlekeep (as 1099s of course).   Inside the Mausoleum, Eles, Mantis Bugbattler, Merrli, and Krinrez sit to try to contact the Scaled Mother. Despite having seven chances to commune with the Scaled Mother, Eles is unable to reach her, but appears in her heaven (where her soul should reside). There is nothing. Not an absence of things, but a distinct lack of things that should be there. There is the sensation interacting with the absence of things, like interacting with darkness and oppressive nothingness itself (The Blindspot Dimension).   Eles hears a voice that is somehow coming from behind her and all around her at the same time. It is the voice of the Raven Queen. She asks Eles how she is in this dimension, and what she is seeking. Eles has a bit of a spat with The Raven Queen, and ends up being hung up on, after The Raven Queen mentions that she has seen an increase of the Lizard folk and is concerned. Eles angrily retorts that the Raven Queen has done nothing for her, and the Queen responds calmly by saying "I guess I can do this."   Elles snaps back to reality. Ope there goes gravity. And an earthquake happens. It does minimal damage to The Gang, but some stones fall from the roof above and crack the perfect cube in which the Scaled Mother's bones reside. There are two other objects in this cube, a massive sword, and a scroll of true resurrection. Above them on the roof is Tang-Te, a marelith priestess of She-Guai, and circling high above that is the young black dragon.   Tang-Te spends her time taunting the players, and praying to She-Guai. The Gang does some damage to her, and the black dragon lands on the roof and widens the hole enough to stick his snoot in there. Priestess Tang-Te uses her long swords to peel away some more bricks from the roof, and falls to the floor. The gang attempts to damage her, with minimal success. The black dragon coats everyone inside in Acid before the Priestess ends the battle. Dropping her long swords, Tang-Te reveals one massive sword that she holds with six hands. Sweeping it in large circles above her head, she cleaves the Tabaxi Sorcerer in twain, who releases seven wild magics into her, damaging her greatly and accidentally bringing themselves back to life (more on that later). Next the priestess attacks the Tabaxi Fighter, who deflects it with a parry action, before she brings it down into Mantis. Who's soul begins to rip from his body.   Feeling his imminent death and spiritual destruction, he reaches out to Yondalla, who kindly answers this time. She temporarily possesses his corporeal body, and he is imbued with a golden aura that focuses on Tang-Te. As a last action, Mantis drives his greatsword through the chest of Tang-Te and Yondalla banishes her soul to a different plane, that even Yondalla is unclear how it works, for 23 months. As Mantis destroys the body of Tang-Te, her last words are "At least my mother is still alive." With that, Mantis turns back to The Gang, who have looks of shock and horror on their faces, and says "I'm not done here yet, I'll be fine. Y'all be good, and I'll see y'all later." Then his body disintegrates into dust, and blows away on the wind.   We cut to Mantis arriving in the same Blindspot Dimension, and being confused and actively tortured by it, his soul trying desperately to make sense of this, but cannot. Again, a voice appears behind him and everywhere that says "Hey buddy, you're not supposed to be here yet." Over a brief conversation Mantis and Yondalla decide that he does want to and need to go back to the mortal plane, but shouldn't wait around here, he should come home to Yondalla's soul.   Cutting back to the fight, Merrli, trying to deal with his emotions, blasts a massive hole through the chest of the Unicorn accidentally summoned by the Sorcerer. Quickly, the dragon being on the roof and sticks his head through the hole trying to bite and attack the beings inside. While that fight continues, Eles, using the scroll, brings back to life Mantis....... and about a dozen other beings -- Lizard-folk priests and priestesses. In doing so, Eles contacts both Yondalla, who is annoyed at being contacted at all, and The Raven Queen. Yondalla seemingly forces the Raven Queen's hand by making her be ok with Eles bringing Mantis back. After all this, one of the Lizard-folk charges Eles.   While in Yonadalla's heaven, Mantis is in the largest and yet coziest tavern ever imagined, and it is filled with halflings and others who devoted their life to Yondalla. Mantis sees his grandfather, who looks exactly like him, just with a large grey beard. He immediately goes behind the bar and flips the sign from "closed" to "OPEN!" A loud cheer erupts throughout the crowd, and Manny begins pulling pints, cooking venison biscuits and gravy, as well as venison burgers, and generally enjoying his shift. After what feels like a perfect eternity, and no time at all, Yondalla's spirit again comes behind Mantis and says "It is time to go." And Mantis' soul is scrunched up, and transported back to a brand new body.   The Tabaxi Fighter, still trying to attack the dragon, gets knocked unconscious, and The Gang comes back together to put the dragon down.   The Lizard-folk reaches Eles, grabs her in a massive bear hug, and gives her two licks on the cheek telling her that it was the worst torture of their existences being in that horrifying dimension, and that their souls are rejoicing being back in a plane that makes sense. The Gang is left with many questions ranging from: Can the Lizard-folk be saved? Do the Lesser Races have souls? How can one destroy the soul of a god? Why does the Blindspot Dimension exist? And how many Lizard-folk licks does it take to rip the skin from an Elf's face?   While Mantis, Eles, Dara, and the Lizard-folk who can speak common are discussing many of these questions, Merrli picks up the sword that Tang-Te had dropped. Soul Slice immediately attacks his mind, and latches on. Luckily, Mantis notices quite quickly, and rips the sword from Merrli's grasp, and can control the evil sentience within (barely). Merrli, through having his mind attacked like that, took minimal psychic damage, and was temporarily driven mad and begins hallucinating in the corner, and shouting at things that do not exist.   Suddenly the Tabaxi Sorcerer returns from the dead with a new body of a Lightfoot Halfling!   The Gang begins to discuss the idea of not returning to Candlekeep with Soul Slice. Dara mentions that her mentor, Dulin, also was at Candlekeep, and is a trustworthy ally. Using blood magic calling, Dara gets Dulin to meet them in ten days with the Tabaxi. The Tabaxi, Krinrez, and all the Lizard-folk are returning in the morning to one of the Tabaxi shelters before making a more permanent decision, and offer that they can guide The Gang to the other side of the forest, near the Dwarven cities if they so choose. With that, the gang bed down for a well-deserved long-rest.