DMs sent

@Ludolf -- You look up into the cool, dark but happily fresh air. You see Daventry; covered in sweat and dirt. Shovel in hand. Klin is there, he is barely recognizable there is so much mud and dirt on him. He looks exhausted more tired than you could possibly ever imagine. There is an odd looking badger that stares at you awkwardly. You do not see Triäsa from your position under the gnome. As presumably stand up and look around you are relieved to see Triäsa a few feet away from the grave. You also see a women with pitch black hair lying lifelessly on the ground an empty potion bottle next to her. You also realize you are climbing out of Fistandia's grave though your grave is completely dug up next to it.

@Everyone else -- Ludolf looks surprisingly well. There are no signs of injury or harm to him. He is very dirty caked in mud and debris. On top of him lies a gnome in a very faded, tattered robes. She looks to be on the verge of death. She breaths but barely and skin is clammy and pale. There are no signs of injury, no bleeding or bruising. 

In an attempt to make up for everyone sweating when he could have dealt with the earth much easier, Pardot quickly drops his badger form and pulls one of the good berries that he'd created the night before from his pocket to squeeze the juice into the gnomes mouth. He then gives another berry to Ludolf and says quietly, "Glad to have you back."

Triäsa calls out, "Thank goodness you are safe! Get out of there Ludolf!"  She rapidly comes over towards him, though keeping her gaze averted away from the coffin.  She offers a hand to get Ludolf out. 

"Yes, certainly Triäsa" Ludolf answers the young half-elven bard, smiling at the chaotic scene above him, quickly realizing the badger is in fact Pardot, he thinks. "I believe I have brought Fistandia back with me. Please take care of her quickly." He says, reaching up for Triäsa to help him up from what he presumes is Fistandia's grave.

"Thanks Pardot, glad to be back. That was indeed an interesting experience." He says, accepting the halflings berry and popping it into his mouth. "So, how long was I gone?" 

With Padot seemingly attending to Fistandia, Triäsa wraps her arms tightly around Ludolf's neck and hugs him tightly.  "Damn you for jumping into that grave! I thought I'd lost you!"  She continues to hold on to him tightly. "That... kind man in the strange hat had a lot of fun at our expense!"  There is obvious anger in her voice, and while she said the word 'kind' she clearly meant something very much opposite of that.  "He might have killed the raven woman too..."  She steals a glance over to where she is lying on the ground.

"Hrm, yes, perhaps that was a bit foolish of me Triäsa." He says. "But I'm here now, although it was a bit harrowing." He admits, now hugging Triäsa back and giving her a smile before letting go. "So what happened to the man in the hat?" He says, looking around to spot any sign of him.

Daventry gives Ludolf a nod, breathing heavily. "Told ya, you'd just be a bit muddy."

She hops out of the grave and goes back to the woman, collecting the remnants of the healing potion. After seeing her still dead and gone, Daventry looks at the flock if any remain.

"I'm sorry for your loss, ravens. Seems we both have a foe we'd like dead, if you'd like to talk on how we get the bastard back. Enemy of my enemy, at least." 

"Well, as if that wasn't bad enough Daventry." He says with a chuckle, starting to magically clean himself, after first meticulously cleaning Triäsa of any mud on her after her hug.
"So, who is that woman?" He says, sounding serious again.

"Um, could you perhaps expand on that statement Klin." Ludolf says, seeming abit confused.

"She was a were-raven, I think. She and these other ravens were watching this place to make sure nothing crossed from the other realm to here." Triäsa explains.

"The man, it had to be the one you saw before, he demanded that box to bring you back. I... tried to bargain with him and he struck down the raven-woman with a powerful version of Phantasmal Killer."

"A were-raven." Ludolf echoes. "How tragic. So do we know if there are others like her. We need more information to battle this behatted shadow." He says looking at the others.

The sun has just set on the graveyard, a steady rain falls and the cold rain in the thin mountain air. The gnome lies on the ground pale but breathing. The wereraven lies on the ground pale and not breathing. The ravens have taken back to their perches in the trees and along the house deathly silent. 

While Triäsa almost seems content to just stand in the rain talking to Ludolf, she seems to start to take more notice of their surroundings.  "We should get the gnome out of the rain.  And help her more if we can.  The raven-woman..."  Here she glances again to the woman, feeling a little guilty that perhaps her attempt at getting leverage on that unnerving man had led to that death. "I am not sure."

She looks at any of the raven still in the vicinity. "Ravens! If you hear or understand me, what do you wish us to do for this woman. I am so sorry she died entangled in our affairs." 

With all of that though, Triäsa doesn't move a bit from Ludolf's side. 

"Perhaps we should seek cover from this rain in the chalet, we need to get Fistandia warm if she is to survive this." Ludolf says, and as much as he likes being close to Triäsa he moves to carry Fistandia inside the chalet, still keeping a wary eye for the behatted shadow. Perception: 4

Daventry folds the arms of the woman, lying her out as respectfully as possible, and uses her hand to shut the woman's eyes. Daventry pauses a moment, and takes off her hat, placing it upon the woman's brow so the wide brim covers her face.

"Seems like she would have liked that."

Daventry moves to help Ludolf with Fistandia, knotting her loose, wet, mudspeckled hair into a messy ponytail.

As Ludolf moves away to help goes to help Fistandia then Daventry follows, Triäsa slips over to where the raven-woman lies.  She looks at that hat Daventry left and again she whispers, "Sorry," both to the dead woman and ravens watching.

Unslinging her lute she plays a melancholy melody, singing: 

She sits for a moment in silence in the rain before finally hurrying to catch back up to the others.   

Together with Daventry Ludolf carries Fistandia inside the ruined chalet, trying to find cover from the rain.
It's hard to tell with the rain, but Ludolf sheds tears over the tragedy of the raven woman, the despair of Fistandia's words, but also over Triäsa's soothing words. "I wish I had some useful information brought back, but if we can get Fistandia awake I'm sure she can help us figure out how we best should deal with this sinister shadow." He says slumping down by a wall, clearly weary of his harrowing experience.