"Not bring back, ya goof. Talk to. As in, talk to his spirit. 'cause even' in his right mind I don't think most druids are big into the whole cheat'n the cycle or whatevah they call it." Barnabus says with a roll of his eyes. "Don't know if ya need the body too per se, but probably helps I imagine? 'cause maybe bein' dead at least will clear up a few things at least." He adds alongside a halfhearted shrug.

Furlong nods in agreement. "Barnabus is correct, my lady. During my time in the military, I've seen many men be questioned after their own death, no resurrection needed; in fact, I've seen as much accomplished with as little as a severed head. But I digress, as I do not feel strongly one way or another. If Theleus is well and truly dead, and not simply unconscious, the value of a posthumous questioning is circumspect at best. I would happily aid in hoisting the body if we deemed it worthwhile to bring it back. If not, I will leave it to the more religious among us to deliver final rights, if we feel that is necessary. At the very least, ensuring he does not come back as one of those festering undead we faced might be a worthwhile endeavor."

Spotting Stella sitting in her own pooling blood, Alys would swear under her breath then would stumble about to make her way over to Stella. "Sorry, I didn't realize how hurt you were..." She'd plop down beside her and place a hand over her worst wounds. "Yes I've got the spell prepared. Yes I've got a pearl. Yes I can identify the slippers. Just gimme a sec to help Stella. And if you need me to move the ground back to normal, I can do that too." She says between her own groans of pain.

Casting 2nd level Cure Wounds on Stella: 11

"Vastra, you wanna mage hand those slippers my way? I'm not touching his feet."

"Ah yes. My mistake. Divine spells are rather unfamiliar to me. I suppose that we could bring his skull back to ask a few questions of him. My Dragon's Breath can be used to speed along decomposition so that we don't have to deal with the scent of it, although I can't cast it again today. I doubt the service will be free, although I'm sure that Maxwell will be able to cover the cost if he wants closure that much. And then I suppose we'll decide what to do from there."

Alys: "Certainly darling." Vastra conjures up a Mage Hand to move it over, also casting Prestidigitation a few times, just to be thorough.

Furlong: "I appreciate the politeness, darling, but there's no need to call me your lady. I'm not any richer or nobler than any of you are."

"Thanks," Stella says wearily to Alys.

Appreciating the extra clean up from Vastra, Alys would accept the slippers on her lap and reach for the pearl she purchased. As soon as Hoodini sees her reach for it, he'd try to take off off her shoulder, but Alys would be just fast enough to grab him with her other hand. She'd pluck a tail feather. HOO!

She'd cast Identify on the slippers.

"Ouu fun! Who wants 'fancy feet'!?" Alys would get a little excited when she'd identify the slippers as Slippers of Spider Climbing. She'd hold them up to present them to the others to take a peek if they were interested in them. She'd be guilty of thinking about how fun it could be to own a pair. "You can walk along walls and ceilings, hands free!"

Stella: You claim the slippers and when you attune to them, they automatically conform to the size and shape of your feet. They feel quite warm and cozy, as they are slippers.

Everyone: Theleus' head is removed from his body and Vastra places it in a pouch.  You all take the time to bury the animals and servants in the grounds outside the manor, which is cleared up thanks to Alys' magic. It takes the better part of the afternoon to do so. Vastra prays to Sehanine Moonbow while she helps dig the graves. Knowing little about religious rites and preventing someone from being brought back as an undead, she will defer to the rest of you for knowledge with what to do with the rest of Theleus. Once someone has made a decision, she suggests that everyone get back to the cart and get out of this forest before taking a rest for the night.

"I am able to perform a funeral rite ceremony. It would take an hour, but I would be able lay them to rest and for the next seven days they cannot become undead." Alys voice would be somber wishing to pay her respects to the dead. Seeing them like this reminded her that they were once alive, just like them. "I have the components with me."

"That sounds like a good idea. Thank you, Alys."

Alys would take a place amongst the buried body and begin reciting a funeral rites ceremony from memory, sprinkling the silvered powder over it as she does. It would take her about an hour of chanting and prayer, but she’d be able to lay the body to rest.

Alys would rejoin the group when she was done and with a nod she’d confirm the job was done. 

Confident that Alys' spell will prevent the rest of Theleus from coming back as an undead, you all leave the area and Kasha requests that the horses take you out of the forest so that you can rest safely for the night. The next morning, you all wake up and get on the road to Cerellia. Vastra casts Dragon's Breath and lets out a few blasts of acid to remove the flesh from Theleus' skull. The return trip is uneventful, giving you all plenty of time to reflect upon this latest mission. After two days of travel, you arrive at Cerellia, much different now that the festival is over. The decorations have been mostly taken down, the vendors are no longer there, nor are the performers and other attractions. You once again follow the directions Maxwell gave you to Eldath's Repose and call upon the manager to notify Maxwell of your arrival. He obliges, and heads up the stairs.

"Gosh." Kasha mews sadly, "It's not as happy around here now that the festival is gone." 

Stella examines her new slippers delightedly and walks along the wall for a little before she comes back down to the floor and waits with the others. "Don't worry Kasha, we'll find another festival soon."

Alys would pull out Theleus' journal from her bag to have ready.

"The festival will come again next year, darling."

The manager comes back down the stairs and leads you up to Maxwell's room, where he is seated at a table with some tea out for you to consume while you speak to him. "I take it that you completed the job. What did you find?"

Since she's now confident that he won't recognize her, Stella speaks. "Theleus went insane," she says simply. "I'm sorry. He destroyed the manor and turned the servants into zombies. We think something influenced him to make him go crazy." She glances at Alys. "Alys has his journal, which...details some of his descent into madness."

With his hat held in both hands before him, Barnabus waits until Alys hands over to the journal before speaking up himself. "Fer what its worth sir, we are sorry fer yer loss. Unfortunately, given the state he was in, there weren't no capture'n him in hopes a better way might open be open to us here... We... This gonna sound a bit insensitive, and I do 'pologize fer that. But, we did bring back his skull, if'n ya wanted to send for a local cleric and have a talk wit'em? Maybe find out more than what's written and maybe avenge'm? Or if not that, at least find out if the entity is still around. N-not that we didn't do a lookie loo ourselves, but it could just be we were look'n in the wrong place."

Alys would approach Maxwell and present him with Theleus' journal.

Kasha was looking outside the window, as if she longed for the carnival to already return, or perhaps, looking for a specific someone. She peeled her gaze away from the window and sat cross legged on the floor while she waited patiently for her friends to conduct the business they were here to do.