F10. Mictena’s Gazebo

This wide garden shows clear signs of damage; entire flower beds are rotting and the hedges have gaps and fissures. A wooden gazebo stands at the eastern end, its wood discolored and warped. A wide wrought-iron gate stands to the west, reading “Deathbower” in backward script from this direction. Beneath this archway is a thick iron gate, shut tight. Standing inside the gazebo is Mictena, who has clearly been waiting for you.

"You have flouted the laws of the Boneyard, continuously refusing to pass on into the next life and insisting on returning to the Material Plane with no care of the consequences your actions might have. I give you this chance to accept your fates peacefully, your passing need not be violent."

Alexa tilts her head. "We have been told naught of consequences, so you should really look into your orientation people," she says briskly, brushing some dried blood off of her shirt. She smiles faintly, and a change spreads across her form, skin paling to white as her eyes turn ice blue and her hair becomes the color of snow. Her blue spirit orbs rise into the air around her, whispering. "Besides, what's one more return to the land of the living? Why are we so very damaging to the weave of the world? There are those who wail for justice, who cry their pain, all across the world. There are so many souls who need peace...why focus so much attention on ours?" She spreads her hands to indicate the spirits floating around her, her eyes glittering as she stares Mictena down, apparently unintimidated by the goddess. Her voice is equal parts curious and challenging.

Even though Mictena lacks a face, you can still tell that she is growing frustrated with you. "I explained this to you when we first met. If you were to return to the Material Plane, it would disrupt the cycle of life and death. I cannot allow you to do that."

Shi raises a finger. "Can you be slightly more specific as to the precise nature of said disruption?" There's a pause. "Dammit Mel, now is not the time to be getting over your shyness. Let me do the talking," she says sternly to a ball hovering near her elbow.

Morticia bites her bottom lip in thought, wondering if she should even speak out about this. After a moment, she takes a breath. "I would also like to know the specifics... I... I was here before, I think, way back... and I was returned to the material plane for some reason. Aside from memory loss, did... Did my returning disrupt the cycle at all?"

"You have stalled the passing long enough. Come to me, my children. I will make it quick."

Mictena:18

"N-nevermind..." Morticia quietly slinks back.

Initty: 8

"It's never quick," Shi mutters as her orbs gather around her, almost nervously.

Init: 18

Corinne shrugs, this being had been hounding them this whole time and she was sure as hell not done being alive. The vampire slips into vampire mode and drops into a predatory stance with a low hiss.

Initiative: 15

Mallet init: 9

Alexa(18),Mictena(74)(18),Mallet(18),Corinne(15),Morticia(8),G(6)

Shi (she switched back to changeling form while talking to Mictena) presses her hands together as a blue orb zips forward and bursts into a cloud of blue sparks, accompanied by a haunting cry of agony. The sparks resolve themselves into a large beholder only Mictena can see, which hisses and bites forward at the psychopomp.

DC 14 Int ST from Mictena or she takes 6 psychic damage and thinks there's a beholder in front of her.

Five more orbs rise, one sinking into Shi, who vanishes in a cloud of blue sparks and reappears thirty feet away before she moves another fifteen feet away (do not want to be within 30 feet of Mictena). The other four race over to Corinne, G, Mallet, and Morticia.

OOC: Each of those four can use their reaction now to teleport up to 30 ft. to a location they can see.

Intelligence:22

Mictena is unaffected by the image of the Beholder as they don't exist in Pathfinder because Paizo doesn't have the rights to that, I guess. She then dashes to try and close the distance with Shi, although she falls about 10 feet short.

Alexa(18),Mictena(74)(18),Mallet(18),Corinne(15),Morticia(8),G(6)

Corinne uses that reaction to teleport in the air above mictena with a wicked smile. “Maybe we should prove to you how ALIVE we really are!” She snarls out before twirling down from the air at Mictena with a torrent of claws.

SLASH 1: Attack: 11 Damage: 8
SLASH 2: Attack: 14 Damage: 7

SLASH 3(no STR): Attack: 24 Damage: 4

Alexa(18),Mictena(74)(18),Mallet(18),Corinne(15),Morticia(8),G(6)

Corinne's first two swings miss as she twirls about, but her third swings passes harmlessly through Mictena, as she's been attacking an illusion!

If we're able to have time work out this way, Mallet would have cast bless on whoever's in range before they bamf away. She then bamfs a bit closer to the gazebo and, upon realizing it's an illusion, she looks, listens, and sniffs around for the real Mictena.

Perception: 23

Morticia, seeing Corrine's last attack pass through Mictena, holds her arrow, waiting for the real Mictena to attack!

(Trigger will be if she sees another Mictena, heres the roll if triggered)

Attack: 13 Damage: 5
Sneok: 3

Stealth:20

Mallet, you can't see her, but you can hear her whispering an incantation in a strange language above the gazebo.

Alexa(18),Mictena(74)(18),Mallet(18),Corinne(15),MorticiaHOLDING(8),G(6)

Mallet points at the gazebo rooftop, and shouts, and if she has any more movement left, tries to get underneath the gazebo.

Between bamfing and two actions that can be dedicated to movement, Mallet can easily get to the gazebo.