You have two endings to the tale. You can choose, the lady, or the tiger?
The Triumph of Exalted Deeds: [sblock]Staeven softly says to Nessa, "It was what she wished, in order to be certain of his death. But come! I will not let her soul drown in that pit of despair!" he says, and dives through floors and ceilings, trailing after Lyssia's soul. Nessa follows quickly, and manages to grasp and hold the redeemed woman. The two already dead struggle to hold the twice-dead soul from slipping through their grasp. Gwyn's soul is sucked into the terrible black abyss, adding his soul's power to the Baroness' own.
*Ralam dives through the floor to strike at the exalted mage. He finds himself looking at the hilt of a blade that protrudes from his chest, and the angry face of the Phoenix Knight holding the hilt with white-knuckled hands.*
"I will not see another hero die a second time. You, however, deserve your fate, assassin!" Staeven snarls. Ralam feels a terrible wickering cold come over him as he falls into the dark abyss below.
*Darin takes the time to bind Torr so close he can barely breathe, and then knocks him out for good measure. The remaining living heroes dash down the hidden staircase after the false baroness, hoping to stop her before it's too late. The stairs wind down dizzingly underneath the manor, and open up into a chapel desecrated to the darkest kinds of rites. Carved from black rock, with bas reliefs of the torments fo the grave, it provides a somber setting for the bone-candle holders and altar. Behind the altar stands the Baroness Wendare, a tall and beautiful woman dressed in rich robes of black and red. Behind her a statue of Orcus, the demon prince of the undead, looms over her. A terrible stench of evil eminates from it. On the altar itself lies the body of the assassin, the false Baroness, her blood soaking the ground underneath her.*
"Oh children, how wonderful that you are here. How wonderful that you witness my ascension to greatness, and how right that you help me along that path!" she says in ecstasy. With each word she speaks, she grows taller, her skin darker, her features sharper, and her clothes more ragged. Now before you stands a terrible annis hag, bat wings stretching wide and framing her body.
*The heroes of light do not hesitate, not give the witch another moment to prepare herself. Darin begins to weave his blade is a flash of deception, as Norin leaps over the bone altar. Both strike at the same time, Darin's hilt slamming into the Baroness' back, and Norin's fist catching her in the temple. With a strangled gasp, the Baroness falls unconscious, and Sylinda is swift to chain her in the manacles provided by the church to keep her helpless.*
*Staeven and Nessa could see the Baroness in color, as if she were a creature of the spirit world, even though she seemed not to notice them. When their friends burst into the chapel, the Phoenix Knight and the exalted mage dove to restrain the Baroness' spirit, to keep her from harming her friends. With the hands of such holy heroes upon her spirit, her connection to the cesspool of evil was difficult to draw upon. With relief they watch as their friends bind the Baroness. As the manacles are set upon her, the black abyss is drawn back into the statue, sealed away without the Baroness free. Light bursts from above in the spirit world, the light of the heavens, beckoning the fallen heroes home. Lifting Lyssia's spirit with them, Nessa and Staeven rise into the light.*
*When Sylinda, Norin, and Darin take the subdued Baroness outside, they are greeted by a tragic sight. Sebastion stands over the body of the clawed assassin, his sword sank into his heart, Sebastion's armor rent in many places, his face white. It was obviously a terrible fight, and he is greviously wounded. Gently the others help him upon a wagon, and make all haste back to Andeluvay, seeing the stain upon the Baroness' land beginning to heal as she leaves. With them is also the unconscious body of Torr, being taken back for justice.*
*The journey back is quiet, each lost in his or her own thoughts. They take the back roads to avoid the Baroness from being seen, and finally Nessa uses an illusion to keep people from panicking when they drive into the captial. The High Righteousness of the Invicible welcomes them home with many blessings, and will conduct splendid funerals in the honor of the fallen heroes. For the Baroness, she is whisked away into a gem of celestia, to reflect and do pennance for her evil deeds. In a year's time, she will be redeemed and cleansed, the church promises, and live out the rest of her days under the watchful eyes of the priests. As for Torr, the priests discovered he was actually the host for a terrible creature that fed upon despair. It took many powerful prayers, but eventually Stormrider was wrenched from Torr's soul, giving him back his own life again.*[/sblock]
The Rise of Vile Darkness: [sblock]*Within the spirit world, Gwyn and Lyssia fall into the terrible black abyss. Inside lies the heart of the Baroness' power, the terrible power of the undead, a wellspring of pure evil, fueled by hundreds of deaths. Gwyn's pact that brought him back to the spirit world lashes around him, filling him with terrible power. A voice inside whispers commands he can not disobey, though he enjoys the orders quite well, for they call for the death of his twice-murderer. Next to him, the once-redeemed fey'ri, now twice dead, feels her soul fill with the evil she had once been cleansed of. Now no more than a puppet of the Baroness' power, the two surge upward towards Staeven and Nessa.*
*Ralam, quiet and deadly as a serpant, strikes before Nessa realizes she is in danger. A single strike, and she begins to fall to the darkness below. Staeven looks behind him, and then dives after Nessa to keep her from the clutches of the two below. He falls too slowly, and watches, horrified, as Nessa's spirit is ripped to shreds by Gwyn and Lyssia. Ralam takes the opportunity to let Dread Lord's Touch perform its fatal caress again, giving the Phoenix Knight just enough time to turn to see his killer before Gwyn sinks his fangs into Staeven's neck from behind.*
*In the real world, Torr feels Stormrider suddenly flare to life again. He can feel her feed and feed on something, though he can't tell what. Yes! Such despair, such torment, such power! she screams in his mind. Some of her feeding seems to spill over into him, healing his body of wounds, and blasting his captors with torment, enough to let him escape. Running through the secret passageway, the stairs wind down dizzingly underneath the manor, and open up into a chapel desecrated to the darkest kinds of rites. Carved from black rock, with bas reliefs of the torments fo the grave, it provides a somber setting for the bone-candle holders and altar. Behind the altar stands the Baroness Wendare, a tall and beautiful woman dressed in rich robes of black and red. Behind her a statue of Orcus, the demon prince of the undead, looms over her. A terrible stench of evil eminates from it. Ssessarina stands next to her, and Torr joins her, warning that the heroes will be soon behind him.*
"I know, my sweet tiger, I know. Come, receive my blessings and fight with the strength of a hundred men!" she whispers. With each word she speaks, she grows taller, her skin darker, her features sharper, and her clothes more ragged. Now before the two assassins stands a terrible annis hag, bat wings stretching wide and framing her body. Ssessarina nods in appreciation, and the Baroness casts spells upon both, filling each with strength and purpose.
*The heroes come rushing into the chapel, fists and rapier and beak ready to strike. The Baroness makes a simple gesture at Norin, and one of his hands detaches from his wrist in a spray of blood, then turns on him at clutches at his throat. The two killers need no further signal, and strike at Darin and Sylinda, Torr becoming a tiger once again to take his kill. He strikes at the tender swanmay, bringing down the bird in one bite, gulping her down in the next. Darin and Ssessarina circle each other, teifling and yuan-ti pureblood glaring from slitted eyes at each other. Both lunge at the same moment, but it is Ssessarina's poisoned blade that strikes home first, felling Darin within a moment. The Baroness laughs with terrible triumph as her skins turns to ashen gray, and her life-force departs. The status of Orcus joins in her terrible laughter as his conduit to the world is fully open. Each of the dead rise, stumbling and shuffling towards their new master and mistress, as the reign of evil begins...*[/sblock]
