When A Tree Falls

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==Blurb (Short Episode Description)==
This Week we join Armando, Sadie, and Yarnak as they play Dicing with Death. We start at the end as this group Grapples with being dead and try to find a way back.
==Non Player Characters==
* Father Hugo Bramble
* Morrow Death: 20's dark hair pointed face
* Satisfying Death: The Architect, looks like everyone's grandmother to them. 
* Peaceful Death: white billowy gown woman, face is mist, gown floats peacefully, calm music is barely audible. 
* Tragic Death: Drought, older man, dark gray hair, fabulous moustache. 
* Finality of Death: Gentleman who could be the twin of Drought. Black suit, silver pocketwatch. 
* Forgotten Death: Memoria, a woman in a light pink dress
* Remembered Death: Olivia, Forgotten Death's twin
* Endless Remorseful Death: Echo, wraithlike aspect of death that gave Yarnak the crystal to talk to dead king and helped Sadie and Anne merge again. 
* Merlot Happenstance
* Renna Halverston: knight, brown hair, defended the Starlight Family
* Karis Vale: elf doctor
==Plot Summary==
Our heroes begin by attending a funeral for some fallen FBK members. As the officiant, Father Hugo Bramble, drones on, two items become crystal clear: the fallen kittens are none other than themselves and Father Bramble knows nothing of the personal details of their lives. Realizing they are in spirit form, they observe a sort of celestial door that they are able to traverse. Following the light, they find themselves in the interior of an office. An entity looms behind a desk and introduces themselves as Morrow, the Aspect of Unsatisfying Death.
Morrow tells them that there is an issue with the aspects of death in this realm. One of them, who now goes by the title "Architect," has locked out certain aspects from the main castle complex until they agree to reunite into one version of Death that only allows death of a satisfying nature. Unless resolved, death will be suspended in the near future leading to calamitous outcomes for the world of the living. Morrow adds that they are responsible for their demise as she set a system of events in motions months ago to have them killed. For example, Morrow whispered into the ear of Merlot Happenstance and bent his desire so that he would end up poisoning Armando just prior to a duel. At this Anne/Sadie is very wary and plans to double cross Morrow for her capricious handling of their lives. Armando, having giving his word to help before finding out that Morrow was an accomplice in his dishonorable death, reluctantly agrees to continue to help. It is explained that in order to restore things to the way they were before, they have to get keys from the individual aspects of Death that have been also been banished from the castle. None of the aspects are able to leave their respective domains until the agree to the terms of The Architect. Morrow offers her key to the heroes knowing that they can move freely in the realm and agreeing that if they succeed, they can be returned to the world of the living.
The heroes make their way down the path toward the castle in the distance. On the way, they encounter a lush forest with a beautiful clearing in the middle. There they find the aspect of Peaceful Death. Anne reveals to Peaceful Death that she fully intends to betray Morrow and stymie Death, but is reminded that Peaceful Death seeks the same end as Morrow. Anne pivots and goes along but underneath still plans to seek justice against Morrow who brought them to the land of the dead. They learn more about the different fates of both living people and plants noting that a tree that dies peacefully ends up in this forest. Peaceful Death also informs the party that The Architect occasionally fights with the rest of the aspects and this is both familiar and different at the same time. Until the aspects are able reconcile in some way, death of the living is on pause. They collect the key from Peaceful Death and continue down.
As they walk toward the castle, they happen across a knight as she heroically battles against an onslaught of misty shapes. Observing the battle from a distance is an older looking man in rusty armor who is taking nips from a flask as he looks on. Armando and Yarnak immediately jumps to the aid of the knight and attacks the mist creatures. Anne stays a good distance away to avoid direct conflict, but uses her summoning abilities to pull spirits from other parts of the afterlife to aid the overwhelmed knight. Suddenly, 20 additional knight appear and buffet the force enough to conquer the enemies. After the battle, an older knight looks astonished as he sees the face of his former commander, Renna. He explains how long it has been since he saw her and how she chose to bravely stand against the enemy while the rest of the army withdrew. He asks why she did not flee and mentions what a waste it was for her to die. At this point, the observer in rusty armor announces he has been watch Renna battle for the equivalent of 50 years. His name is Drought but is otherwise known as Tragic Death and she was brought here because of the circumstances of her demise. Once Renna is able to accept the truth of her death, she is able to pass on. Drought sees the heroes for who they are and decides to help them on their quest. He hands over the key and wishes them luck.
Edging closer to the castle, they encounter a strange sight. A nurse stands over what appears to be a dying patient and she is working tirelessly to save the patient. Observing this fruitless effort is a man in a suit holding a pocket watch. Armando tries to assuage the guilt of the nurse and help her to accept that it is over. She refuses to believe him and pushes him away. The man with the pocket watch announces to the party that he is the aspect of Death known as Finality. The nurse must learn to accept the finality of death before she can pass on. Becoming weary of having to solve so many issues of Death just to be allowed to help them, Anne decide to lift the key from his coat pocket leveraging the pickpocket skills attained in old London. After successfully acquiring the key, she tosses it to Yarnak, who combines the keys and they dash past the group and farther towards the castle.
The party hesitates when they see to crystalline coffins with a mourner in a pink dress between them. As they inquire to the situation, they learn the mourner is the aspect of Forgotten Death. She poses the party a riddle where they need to proclaim the name of the person forgotten. By doing so, one of the coffins will open and free a prisoner that was lost. In one coffin is the body of Sadie, Anne's former spirit home. In the other is the twin sister of forgotten death. Sadly, Forgotten Death laments that no one ever picks her sister. The party decides to work independently and each open one coffin. They successfully rescue the two from the coffins, receive the key from Forgotten Death, and Anne carries Sadie along to the castle.
At the castle, they finally encounter The Architect. She initially thinks that the other aspects have finally agreed to plan of uniting under one banner of Death. She quickly realizes the truth as she sees the party members with the keys and tries to convince them to join her. The Architect promises them renewed life and etra benefits as her wards, but the party dissuades her. Ultimately, it is the realization that her plan will result in much more work for her and she crinkles her nose is unrealized disappointment. She reluctantly agrees to put things back to where they were and accept that she has perhaps the best job of all of them. The party returns to the world of the living and lives to fight another day.
Category:Episodes Category:Season 2024