Callie’s Journal
Nondal is watching all of us to see what we do. It’s super creepy. Bec warns Freki and Oz that if Nondal closes the gate, they’re going to be trapped on the other side.
Freki’s birds telepathically tell him the gate is in no danger of closing, because it’s being held open for us.
“What should we call you?” Bec asks Nondal.
“It does not matter,” he says. WELL THEN YOUR NAME IS NONDAL NOW.
“Why are we here???” Bec bursts out in frustration. This novel situation is doing a number on her, a person who likes to know what’s going on and where she stands. It’s clear that Nondal has gone to great lengths to get here, but why and what does it mean are elusive. I get it, gurl.
“Power over whose death?” Freki asks.
“Would you like me to show you?” Nondal suggests, calm as a still pond.
“Why can’t you just tell us?”
“You are an agent of death and must know the answer to that question,” says Nondal, overestimating us. “It is a power that can be taught. You would benefit from it.”
He’s hesitant to label the SPI as a death organization, despite Oz being in it. Thanks, I guess.
Freki says, “I’m not sure anybody should have that power. Not me and not you.”
Nondal is mildly amused. He says he’s seeking understanding, not power. He didn’t understand this place, but now he does.
Bec and Vondal are terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought. Myself, I feel sure that this portal has opened from the material realm to the real Afterworld where Nerull the Raven Queen rules. This gate is where souls pass through from life to death.
Bec says, “I think that gate opened for us, so we’re more special than you.”
Freki asks the birds if what Bec said is true, did the gate open for us?
Munin advises that the Raven Queen wants Nondal freaking OUT of here, and that’s probably why the gate opened, so we can evict his effortlessly cool ass. Ugh! I bet his breath smells like peppermint!
Freki suggests Oz pick Nondal’s pockets. Meanwhile, I’m looking at Vondal, who looks like he needs a stiff drink or something.
“Hey, buddy, snap out of it!” I clap my hands.
“That might be me,” he says quietly.
“It’s not you! YOU’RE you!” I tell him, but he’s surprisingly convinced that this other guy could be him. What if he’s dead??? But would a ghost eat cookies? A zombie? “I could be a COMBIE. Cookie zombie!” This is a serious crisis for Vondal.
Freki asks Nondal whether it’s not enough to experience life once.
“Nothing is enough,” says Nondal.
“That’s some bullshit I would say!” says Vondal. He looks down at the spot where the white crane tattoo is on Nondal and thinks he sees it. “What’s with that tattoo?” Vondal demands, then immediately follows up with, “Are you here cause I’m here? Am I here cause I’m here???”
Nondal seems mildly annoyed that Vondal asked him three questions before he could answer one. Again, I get it, gurl.
“I am here because I am supposed to be here. All things are as they are. I understand to a mind such as yours this is a frustrating non-response, but you should meditate upon this truth and perhaps it will come to make sense in time.”
Bec looks like flames are about to burst out the top of her head. Oz is getting that ol’ twitchy-finger stabby look. Watching this go down, I feel like this is what Nondal is trying to provoke, though it’s not clear why. Oz already stabbed him once, and he didn’t take the opportunity to attack us, so what’s this about?
Freki asks Nondal why he wants power over life and death. Nondal says all of us have some power over life and death, he just wants a new understanding. He claims he has no need to use this power on himself, and he’s unlikely to use it on anyone else. He just wants to KNOW, man.
Freki demands that he explain how he isn’t responsible for the Flux.
Nondal says the Flux has been around for many years and he’s not trying to spread it.
“Why don’t you just leave, then?” says Bec.
“Because your friend blocked my way,” says Nondal. Damn his accurate hide!
“If you’ve gotten what you came for, why did you come here?” Bec asks.
“To be a dick?” Oz interjects, and Freki nods.
Vondal ignores them and addresses Bec. “I admire your yearning for knowledge. Calm your mind and the answer will become clear.”
“That’s something I’ve said to children before,” Vondal whispers.
“You know, you don’t have to say everything out loud,” Oz advises him.
“At the risk of repeating myself, this is where I needed to be, and so I am here. I struggle to explain it in a clearer way because it is not something that can be told, it’s something that must be learned. You can learn to see these flows with practice, then you too will understand where you must be.”
Cassandra slips over to Vondal and asks whether we should detain Nondal for questioning. Vondal thinks yes, assuming we can accomplish such a thing. There’s something strange about this. Cassandra was mute before, wasn’t she? She must have gotten better, I guess.
I move in, intending to ask him who or what decides where we “must” be. Before I can, Oz asks if I have the Speak with Dead spell. Almost before the answer leaves my mouth, Oz stabs at the guy. Somehow, I feel like he would have done that either way. Anyway, he stabs at Nondal, but Nondal’s body displaces into two and the daggers just whiff. Which I have to admit is pretty funny to watch.
Freki tries to Ensnaring Strike Nondal, but his arrows just pass right through. So instead he tries to grapple Nondal and succeeds with his ludicrous agility! He consults with his birds telepathically and asks whether he should drag Nondal through the gate. The birds aren’t sure it can be done. Freki tries stabbing him. With an arrow. Improbably, that works perfectly and vines spring out of the arrow to ensnare him! Nondal flexes his surprisingly large pectorals and slips out of the vines, but Freki still has him grappled.
Bec casts some kind of distraction spell on Nondal, but it doesn’t work.
Vondal tries Banishment. Nondal flickers, but doesn’t disappear.
Nondal strikes Freki twice with his open palms, leeching some of his very soul away! Bec sees the wisps going into Nondal’s gloves. “We have to get him naked!” she yells. Me and her are on the same page, but maybe not for the same reason.
Freki can still feel the lingering effect of whatever Nondal did to him. Meanwhile, his super sniffer power detects a feeling of “Oh dear, I was expecting more from you,” which is a complex emotion to express via smell. And also, Freki senses, intentional. Like he’s testing Freki somehow.
“Why are we killing this guy?” Lorelei asks.
“We’re not! He’s killing us!” Freki objects.
She shrugs and zoops over to help with the killing and gets a hit in with that wicked scythe.
I’m going to hold my action and observe. Vondal is clearly having a major existential crisis, wondering if Nondal is the real guy and he, Vondal, is the fake. Unfortunately, none of my spellbooks have Instant Therapy, so he’s going to have to cope as best he can.
Cassandra goes over to the portal and casts Death Ward on Freki so he doesn’t die. That’s a good idea. I’m not convinced Nondal wants to kill any of us, though.
Freki tries to sneak the gloves off Nondal. That doesn’t work, but Freki manages to bite him.
Bec casts Dispel Magic on Nondal. He dissolves and there’s a moment where a silver string is visible to Bec. Astral Projection! When someone casts this, a version of themselves goes to the astral plane, where they can roam around and into other planes of existence. When you step from the astral plane to another plane, your physical body moves there too, using the astral plane as a conduit. But this is an older, more arcane version of the spell where a duplicate body is created instead of moving his actual physical body. Sadly, that also means stealing his gear was always a fool’s errand, although in my personal opinion, we didn’t need to keep his clothes.
Lorelei turns around and says, “Really?! We were just getting warmed up!”
“So… where are we?” asks Bec.
“It looks like the Afterworld,” says Cassandra. “It’s the Afterworld layer on top of the real layer. Not that this place isn’t also real.”
Munin and Hugin tell Freki that the Raven Queen opened the portal so we could deal with Nondal, but unfortunately the damage has been done. Not that he tells us any of that, at least not now.
Cassandra looks around for Mallory, thinking he must be around here someplace. Vondal encourages us to get the hell out of this portal, which we do.
“Should we try to close the gate?” Bec asks, once we’re all out.
“Can we? How? Should I just use the Wand of Wonder until something happens?” Vondal suggests. He lets slip that there are two Mallorys, because doppelgangers are real.
Lorelei says doppelgängers are apocryphal, but we’ve seen them! I don’t tell her that Bec is probably still carrying a finger from one. Vondal has a more vivid example: he saw Mallory suffer major burns and was in on the switcheroo. “First of all, both Mallorys are Mallory and they would both say so. Second, they both perform the social function known as ‘Mallory’. Third, they’re both good people, so don’t worry about it! I’ve known both of them a long time.”
Lorelei shrugs again. “Whatever.”
“We’ll go talk to whatever Mallory is at that desk. It’ll be fine,” Vondal insists.
I can cast Word of Recall, but there are one too many people! Vondal suggests getting in the portable hole. Lorelei takes one look at that and refuses. Oz has a better idea: if one of us takes his dagger, he can just teleport to us instantly. Poof! Vondal asks if he’s sure. Cassandra thinks it will work, so I go for it.
As I cast Word of Recall, I can tell it’s more difficult than usual. The Flux is really heavy here. But I manage it, and we all end up back at my shrine to the Dual Goddesses. I encourage the others to make an offering if they’re pleased with the spell. Vondal offers his best cookie. 🥠 Freki leaves a lilac sprig. 🌺 Nice!
Vondal heads up to Mallory’s office. Mallory is like, “Whoa. When did you get here?” Before answering, Vondal asks if he’s really him. Mallory says yes. Vondal is satisfied, and after telling us all to make sure there’s lasagna ingredients in the fridge, he goes to bed.
Mallory wants to know where the other him is. “We think he’s in the Afterworld,” says Freki.
“I get the impression there’s a lot to talk about. How are y’all feeling? Did anybody die? Is anybody in pain?”
Freki raises his hand and says, “I think I’m missing part of my soul.”
“Can you sleep it off?” Mallory suggests.
“We dunno, we haven’t slept in three weeks!” Freki bursts out. It hasn’t been that long, but… wait… actually, I’m not even sure whether it’s been three weeks or just feels that way. Freki has a strange vibrating feeling that turns out to be Death Hand, a sort of delayed death ability that the caster can choose to set off at any time. [GM’s note: It’s actually an ancient ki ability known as Quivering Palm.]
Cassandra tries some healing and restoration. Oz gets his hit points back, but he still has the antlers and sparks on his feet. Oz wants to get me some new armor from the armory. I’m tired, but I drag myself along with my new pixie wings, trailing sad, exhausted glitter behind me.
Meanwhile, Bec decides to go back to the trapdoor in the cellar that we went into so long ago. Instead of dragging an anvil on top of it and then welding it shut, she puts her head down and listens at the opening. There’s a spiritual whooshing sound like a seashell, but nothing else. She closes the trapdoor and it disappears again without even leaving a seam.
By the time Bec gets back, Lorelei, Cassandra and I are all asleep already. Rubinia is here too, still asleep. Lorelei is moaning uncomfortably a little in her sleep. Bec gives her a gentle shake, but she doesn’t wake up.
Bec goes to sleep, but is woken by the sounds of Lorelei in agony. Her flesh is covered in sores and Flux is leaking out of them.