Hardcore Heroes: Episode 57

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== Synopsis ==
In a poignant and turbulent moment, Van Healsing, the esteemed cleric of Chis, attempts to resurrect his fallen friend, Malakai, amidst a storm and a world on the brink of ruin. Despite his fervent prayers, the spell "Raise Dead" is denied by the goddess Chis, who reveals her disinterest in the lives of mortals and the fickle nature of divine intervention. Instead, Van encounters Helen, a former cleric turned spiritualist, who offers an alternative, albeit grim, method of bringing Malakai back—though not without cost. Distrustful yet desperate, Van declines her offer of necromancy, choosing to honor Malakai’s memory in a more traditional way. With the battlefields behind him and a new quest ahead, Van sets off to rebuild and seek out more aid, leaving behind a solemn tribute to his friend while preparing for his next challenge against the undead forces besieging Stromheim.
==Recap==
=== 7th May, 1512 ===
Van Healsing drags Malakai's remains outside of the anti-demon barrier. He goes over the body and begins to pray. Once he obtains the spell "Raise Dead", and Van asks his goddess, Chis, for a favor:
:"We've given everything in the effort to save your realm, and I ask one favor in return - let me bring my friend back to life."
As rain pours down from skies above, Van-Healsing, the strongest Chis cleric in whole of Arcadia, kneels before the burnt corpse of Malakai the Mage, the unsung sunderer of Eridon, and prays to his patron deity for a particular spell no one has seen in centuries.
:"We’ve given everything we have to protect your realm, and all I ask in return is one boon, let me bring back my friend to life."
Once the adrenaline slowly drains from his body and a sort of peace settles over him Van looks out into the overcast sky where he notices a lone form flying towards him. Unsure how to react, Van simply awaits for the swan which eventually lands and waddles over to Malakai's body, there it lays its long neck over the corpses rib-cage and looks at the kneeling cleric.
Finally Van tries to greet the bird and gets an undignified honk in return, this of course confused him so he looks inward to see that Raise dead spell has not been granted to him.
While he contemplates the situation he notices another figure approaching them, a lone humanoid clad in cloak coming from the plains. Being physically and magically exhausted he can't help, but accept whatever fate is coming. But once the figure gets closer he can see it's a human woman covering herself tightly with a woolen cloak. At about 35 feet she stops and gives a deep, solemn bow to Van which he returns, then another to the swan.
Once closer she introduces herself as Helen, she tells him that she saw the battle from afar and then thanks him for his service, for what he and his companions did, for what they gave up and sacrificed. She then explains that she comes from a small village in the Golden Sea called Barovia, and that she used to be a cleric until she lost her way. Unsure, Van asks her what brings her here to which she replies to thank him and to bring some hope. Van is puzzled and perhaps skeptic of her words. Roundaboutly she then explains that despite god's not offering ways to resurrect people anymore, there are different ways to bring a person back. Grimly Van stand up and asks her what she is proposing exactly, her reply is that Malakai won't quite be the same, but what is lost can be found. He then frankly asks whether she intends to make Malakai into a lich, but the woman denies claiming such power is far above her so he once more asks to explain what she is proposing exactly.
The Swan then hops atop Malakai's body further and honks again while looking at her, but she continues on telling him that gods "Don’t care about either of them, that in the big picture they are just toys in the cosmic sandbox, that their individual lives don’t make a different and gods are happy to have them fight and die over the matters of faith or anything just for their amusement, if they cared they would bring back those who matter, those who were worthy and whose lives have been cut too short, they have the power to do so, they used to do so, but now they don't." Its matter of cruelty, they don't care for anyone as an individual, but when they made this world they made it with certain rules, boundaries and paths to magic, some of those older paths may have been forgotten by the people, but they're still built into the architecture of the world, that Malakai's spirit may have left the material plane, but he still exists in the spiritual one for a little while before it makes its way back home, there is a period of time where it can be recalled and reunited with its body. But in Malakai's situation it seems a little more complicated, clearly he will be needed to be modified and a lure will be needed to bring his spirit back. She has abandoned her devotion to the gods and she has searched out the old paths, the old ways and they might be able to bring some justice to a cruel and uncaring world, make some wrongs right.
Solemnly Van steps in front of Malakai's corpse and refuses, he tells her that he doesn't particularly care for the gods opinion of him or what Chis thinks of him, but rather cares for what Chis represents and it has saved him in some real ways. Despite Malakai likely taking her on the offer of necromancy to save himself he refuses to let him down such a fate.
She bows to him and then offers any other assistance for saving the countryside or perhaps the whole of Arcadia. All he tells her is to just invest time to rebuild this broken landscape. Ready to just rough it for a few days he dismisses her and turns to the swan.
Too exhausted for pretenses he simply asks the bird whether it's Chis and with a grating bird voice it affirms. It apologizes for all of what happened, though apparently there's nothing she can do about this. Van then asks whether there's any more of the Resurrection scrolls, but the swan denies, telling him that it would never work for they were just words on a paper. When he asks why reviving was taken away from the people swan, after much thought, replies that it simply was and that's all there is to it. He then questions Chis what caused the breaking of the world and she replies that things were bad, that nothing was how the gods wanted, that the focus was wrong and people lost sight of what mattered, of what was supposed to be important, that they needed a reminder what life was really about. When he asks what life was about Chis answers that there's no clear cut answer to that, but that there are wrong answers and that the focus had gotten shifted. Van sighs and after a moment of silence the swan commends him for doing well and that she is proud of him, there are still those who need his help to which he says there always are.
He thanks the swan for everything and turns around to follow Helen, In a bit he catches up to her and offers his help to pierce into the spirit world. She warns him that there's only a limited amount of time to get his soul back, but depending on whether Malakai hurries or drags heels every step of the way it may take up to a couple months. They have to decide what to use as a lure to his soul and Van's first idea is his spell-books among other magical items he had. Since Malakai's spirit will travel at walking speed they should have time so she instructs him to find her village in Barovia where are all her tools needed for this. She then offers to carry his bones in a bag, but it would be very unceremonious compared to the option of carrying him on a tarp between the two of them.
They then travel south to the next pylon seeking more clerics, but on their way there they see the barrier flicker and disappear. With a sigh Van remembers the backup pylon he still has on him, goes to the next barrier defense point where they find around 40 to 50 bodies scattered, many burned. Van then ponders how he might block off the little canyon he fought in and realizing this will likely take more time than Helen might be willing to spare dragging herself around in the mud instructs her to just take Malakai's bones back to her village while he makes sure to finish rebuilding the barrier and blocking off the canyon exit. She agrees that preserving life is one of the few things that matter in life and she will do her best to treat the wizards bones fairly.
Van returns to the canyon spot and camps under some nearby trees while the storm continues its downpour.
===8th May, 1512*===
Van drags the bodies of his companions out from the canyon for a later burial. Van then casts Lower water to create a dry patch in middle of the river followed by Stoneshape spell to raise pillars with which to support his dam. Once that is done he uses Stone to mud to collapse the sides of the canyon after which he dispels the mud to create a proper wall before his stone pillars. Combining this with napping himself he builds up a nice and proper 80 feet high dam.
In middle of the week Darf comes back and watches Van work for a while. He inquires about Malakai's body and Van tells him about Helen who took him to Barovia. Trusting Vans decision he then simply helps any way he can with the dam building, mostly carrying rocks for his Rocks to mud spell.
===31st May, 1512*===
2 weeks later the dam is finished and connected to the barrier leaving no escape for whatever is left within the barrier. 
During the time surviving adventurers filter in to watch Van work while Darf explains the battle that happened here and before they depart to their own ends. The alliance fulfilled only one of the clerics waits around to transport Van to Bon’ Theris. Apparently the underwater teams only encountered some natural creatures.
Darf seems intent on taking revenge on Count Vicious, but Van talks him into joining him as the cleric Dimensions them to their mansion to Bon’ Theris. Jeeves and miss Muffins meet them at their house, eager to take care of their masters, fresh baked pies already cooked, but Van dutifully takes him to side and tells of Malakai's passing. The old butler is at first baffled, not understanding the words said to him, but eventually it gets to him. He grows distant then going back into butler mode.
Once that is over Van goes to see his wife, High princess Lissandra and Robert. Lissandra is glad to see Van and seeing the pain in his eyes asks about the battle only once Van has settled in. With the majority of containment work done Van figures that someone else can finish the job, that he has done enough. He does mention having to do something, need meet a person without explaining the whole Helen thing to her which she accepts.
===June 2nd, 1512*===
Having taken a breather Van begins writing a few letters and learns that Scoria has destroyed Bridgegate, damaged Rwalwikk and Mistryan forces are amassing near Old Vodan. There is concern that Bon’ Theris might be a future target and while outside Van notes a lot of troops around the city as well as fortified battlements.
Van then writes a message to the dwarves of Roxsis asking them for some assistance in reinforcing the dam at river Crux.
===June 3rd, 1512*===
Once everything else seems to be done he asks Jeeves to join in his journey to Bovaria. Van is noted wearing the aging slowing medallion Malakai received from the underwater elf.
===June 7th, 1512*===
A week later they arrive in Anvil by boat. Van has brought the staff of light, Malakai's books and Jeeves, the last being one of the Van's ideas of something that Malakai loved. The city stands like a burned animals bones, desolate and as quiet as a crypt. 
On a palanquin carried by illusionary, ultra buff shirtless men they take 3 days to get to Barovia.
===June 10th, 1512*===
The town is fairly small, perhaps 60 buildings, mostly mud-brick, a couple stone churches. The people are surprised and intimidated by the full plate mail wielding prince. It's fairly apparent though that while this is a shitty little village it isn't the same as what Fortune looked like.
Turns out the demons never arrived here, the people almost thought that the demons are tall tales, but after sending people to Plainsview they simply counted themselves lucky for having been spared.
With nothing else to do Van goes to meet with Helen in one of the churches in town. He talks with a priestess there and she only has good things to say about Helen, that she is compassionate and has helped the town in many ways, that despite being a fallen cleric she never pushes her ideologies, that she helped build this very temple and donates to the poor. She is basically a spiritualist who rejects the gods, but does well to everyone.
Van goes down the steps and into the crypt while preparing and casting some spells such as Negative plane protection. Van finds a door which appears like it might be her lair and taps on it. Helen seems somewhat surprised, but lets him into a room with a middle aged woman's corpse and Malakais bones. There's also an array of alchemical components, some embalming liquids and other tools. Before they begin though Van creates an ethereal barrier around the room, checks whether there are any invisible creatures in here with the Staff of light, casts Thought broadcast targeting Helen. It doesn't appear like the spell took on her so just in case Van casts Protection from evil. 
Trying to see whether she can touch him Van attempts small talk with her and asks about the process of summoning Malakai's spirit by piercing the veil then attracting him with a beacon. Once he is attracted back here she will attach his spirit to his bones or any other vessel they can prepare for him. Turns out the woman's corpse in here is just a random person not related to what they are doing. There are a few books in here in a script that Van cannot recognize.
She then asks what spells Van cast and he explains all but the Thought broadcast, which instead he pretends is an anti scrying spell. Van then plainly asks her what she is, but gets essentially the same answer as when they met first, a simple woman intent on working for the people against the gods. Van is still cautious though, distrusting how young Helen looks.
She then admits to one thing she kept from Van, that Chis might not look favorably upon this, but Van dismisses that saying she is what concerns him. He questions how she came to know about them, how she knew the things she does and saw their battle, why go through all this effort to help Van with his dead friend. To this Helen explains that she has traveled much, was a good cleric and that once her husband was murdered and her children tortured beyond reason she begged first Martha and then Voraci to end her children's lives so that they do not suffer any longer, but both of them declined. This made her realize the gods don't care much for them at an individual level so she rejected them and sought out a different path. She tells him that what she does is distinct from necromancy despite some not seeing the difference.
Van tries to get her to explain the difference between what she does, but Helen finds it difficult, drawing some parallels with divine and arcane magics as well as criticizing people for drawing the line between arcane and necromancy like there was a single border which there isn't. Further on she explains that the area is so unstudied there are no explanation what exactly it is she does, the deviations are beyond current knowledge and it might be called whichever they wished. She appears to have found only 4 volumes on this topic from the Age of Might. Finally he asks how come the demons never came here, even though Plainsview was so close to here, she dismisses this as simply enough out of distance not to have been invaded. When he asks about Vicious she seems properly wary of the town of Fortune and the Count.
Van still doesn't trust Helen though despite all of this, and she offers Malakai's body back to him, reassuring that no heretical magics have been cast yet. Kindly she understands his point of view even when Van solemnly admits that he cannot trust her.
Decision having been made he walks over to his friends bones and apologizes to him. Helen gives him a burlap sack and then excuses herself while Van bundles up the bones and ascends to the temple. Van reunites with Jeeves who's being questioned by the crowd. They stay the night and then depart the next morning on top of an illusionary chimera.
===June 11th, 1512*===
Back in Bon’ Theris Van holds a private funeral with only the closest friends around. They burn Malakai's bones and then Van keeps his ashes just in case a Revive spell might come around, one day. Near the house Van makes a small shrine which people might visit with his ashes now atop a fireplace.
Darf mopes around for a few days since he still has to come up with plan of action, but Van seems into helping the fighter deal with Count Vicious. They try scrying on Joris, but he's being blocked. Darf then mentions that apparently Stromheim is still under siege by an undead army and guiltily Van perks up at this, being a cleric he would be in an excellent position to destroy some undead. Unable to say no Van caves in and Darf runs off to pack bags.
Jeeves seems sobered up, dutifully doing his duties without any more hooker parades or drug binges.
Finally Van goes to speak with Lissandra, explaining the Stromheim situation, she is obviously not feeling extremely excited about the prospect of Van leaving on another adventure,but despite her best efforts of trying to talk him out of it Van is pretty decided on this. She gives him a kiss on the cheek and wishes safe travels. 
Lastly he walks up to the shrine and apologizes to Malakai, that he knows the he would have taken the offer, but maybe by letting Malakai stay dead Van saved his soul, maybe it was the wrong choice, but hopefully he can forgive him.
And so, the motley adventurer who came out of random middle of nowhere town who started off rescuing parties siblings, escaping giants, stealing from temples then getting banned from his homeland, but then being invited back once he rescues the baronesses daughter, one of the sole believers of a shadow dragon, witnesses of Malkis, cross dimensional traveler, companion to the destroyers of Eridon, then the savior of Arcadia and slayer of the demons goes off on his last adventure to save Stromheim with his wife and child staying behind in his Manson.
== Experience and changes ==
Van reaches 10th level.
*Dates are extrapolated from a previous mention of an exact date.
Category:Hardcore Heroes Episodes