RQG 178 - Frost and Fire

## Content Warnings

Mild innuendo, high-pitched noises, metal clanking/scraping, dissociation, grief/loss, death/afterlife (mentioned), food

## Summary

Join Alex, Helen, Bryn, Lydia, and Ben as they return to the physical world. This week Zolf worries, Cel offers their coat, Azu is a bit emotional, and Hamid gets brought up to speed.

## Synopsis

   The scene opens on Hamid and the remaining kobolds (Tadyka, Natun, Driaak and Draal), who are kneeling reverently outside the ritual hall, with frost advancing from the hall and observed by a group of curious Awakened animals and plants. Hamid relays to the others that the frost has expanded to the point that they will have to move, despite endure elements having been cast. Natun wonders what the Awakened beings are doing, and Hamid answers that they have probably come to observe the ritual. The group moves further from the building, which is so cold that minor snow eddies and mists have formed above it. The group settles down kneeling again further from the buildings, noticing that the Awakened beings appear to be humming. A vortex has developed above the building, marking the culmination of the ritual, then quickly diminishes. The frost recedes, the temperature normalises, the humming dies down, and the Awakened beings draw back into the town alleyways.

   The party inside the ritual space all wake simultaneously, noticing that the planty, acidic smells from the ritual have dissipated. A thick layer of frost covers everything and everyone in the building, although the party are unaffected due to the endure elements spell. Carter is lying still, frost-covered, with pure white hair, breathing gently. Wilde, too, is lying still with white hair and covered in frost, and also resumes breathing after a pause. Sassraa's horns have turned a pure, burnished white, and she too resumes breathing as the frost covering her cracks. Meerk, however, appears unchanged from his pre-ritual form.

Cel, in a bid to protect Sassraa from the cold, wraps her in their furs; Sassraa, however, struggles against them. Zolf addresses one of the Ursan attendants, asking what they should do now the ritual has ended. The attendant informs Zolf that the resurrected will recover on their own, and that there are no specific customs here. Cel asks whether they should wake the resurrected, and the attendant says that it's better to let them wake on their own. Azu, not having heard this, slaps Carter gently in the face; he wakes with a start. Azu immediately starts crying directly onto Carter's face, glad carter is back. Carter appears not to know where he is back from, implying the resurrected do not remember the events of the ritual. Azu is flustered, tells Carter he died and that she got him back (Carter is relieved the ritual hall isn't an afterlife), and asks if he remembers anything. Carter goes very still and quiet trying to remember what happened- at which point Azu panics and slaps Carter again. Carter remarks that it's nice to be warm again, but refuses Azu's furs, saying it's too much heat. Azu explains to Carter that he's not the only one resurrected, and the focus shifts to the others.

Azu asks Zolf how Wilde is, and he answers that he thinks the ritual went well; Carter tries to wake Wilde and is rebuked by Zolf. Skraak, conversely, is sitting incredibly still with eyes closed. Carter asks, very calmly, what's going on, where they are, and who the attendants are; Zolf explains what happened since the crash. Carter isn't really coping, so Azu heals him. She notices that he didn't really need healing, and that all marks and scars on his skin have disappeared. Carter takes note of his white hair in Azu's mirror, and Zolf adds that his own white hair is not because of death (he hasn't died before), but possibly spiritual trauma relating to his conversion from Poseidon to 'hope'. After remarking on his hair once more, Carter sits comfortably against Azu without noticing he's doing it.

Cel is tending to Sassraa (who seems to be fine but unwilling to be covered by furs), and zoning out a little as they struggle to process the emotional trauma of the past day. Looking over at Skraak, Azu notices that Skraak's stillness is borne from him being incredibly tense rather than in a meditative state. Azu goes to them and gently tells him it's over, as Meerk's body is clearly cold and still and has not returned to life, but Skraak is not yet willing to accept this. Zolf, after a few minutes, gently tries to help Skraak to let Meerk go, telling them that Meerk made the choice that was right for them and sympathisisng with Skraak's grief, blame (of himself and Meerk) and frustration; Skraak storms away.

   Meanwhile, outside the ritual space, the ambient temperature has almost returned to normal. Skraak stomps out, sees Hamid, and storms away. Hamid leaps to his feet but is at a loss for what to do. Cel, inside, asks Azu and Zolf to find out from the other kobolds what to do with Meerk's body. Zolf, voice shaking from the emotional strain and out of his depth, asks whether he should carry Meerk out; Cel is similarly at a loss but takes charge as Zolf dithers, calmly telling Zolf to just ask the kobolds what to do, then follows Skraak. Azu is similarly flustered; Cel reassures her and Zolf that it will take time to process the traumatic events of the day and that Skraak will be OK after a while too. Carter, meanwhile is still checking out of the situation, and refuses a drink. He tells Azu that he's feeling a bit weird, and that Azu is really brave. Azu starts crying again, and Carter awkwardly comforts her. Wilde and Sassraa are, at some point, moved to beds elsewhere.

Hamid asks the exhausted Cel, once they emerge from the ritual hall, what's going on, and Cel explains what's going on with Meerk and Skraak and discusses what they should do with both Meerk's body and the sleeping forms of the resurrected. Cel finds Skraak at the back of the building, and talks Skraak through his grief. It turns out Meerk was really happy in his domain, which Skraak describes as loud, shiny, spiky, and with fire. Cel sits with him a while. The kobolds take the news of Meerk in their stride.

Night falls, and as the sun sets, the kobolds and Hamid surround a pyre in the stone-based town square upon which Meerk is laid. They begin to gently light the pyre using their own breaths. As the pyre burns, the closer the flames approach Meerk's body, the brighter and hotter they become. The other kobolds step back and observe quietly, unblinking throughout. The pyre burns brighter and brighter, hotter and hotter, lighting up the rest of the square as if it were day, then suddenly diminishes back into a normal flame.

## Quotes

**Azu**: "Oh, you're back!" (*proceeds to cry directly onto Carter's face*)
**Carter**: "Back from- back from where?"
**Azu**: "Oh Dear"
―Azu greets a newly-resurrected Carter.

**Zolf**: "Skraak, did you- did you give 'em a choice?"
**Skraak**: (*distressed noises*) "Well- yeah obviously!"
**Zolf**: "And what did they choose?"
**Skraak**: "Wrong! Just do it again!"
**Zolf**: "Skraak... you've gotta... they made a choice, you've gotta let 'em go..."
―Zolf tries to comfort Skraak after Meerk's failed resurrection.

**Skraak**: "I'm annoyed because *I* wanted Meerk back. Even when Meerk didn't wanna come back I still wanted Meerk to come back. And that's just me being stupid and selfish..."
**Cel**: "I know, buddy, I know...I'm sorry"
**Skraak**: "Meerk's fine, Meerk's ... I've never seen Meerk so happy..."
**Cel**: "Heh- was it loud?" (*laughs*) "How did you get-" (*laughs*) "How did he hear you?"
**Skraak**: "We didn't!"
**Cel**: (*laughs, then sighs*) "I'm glad it was loud."
**Skraak**: "It was, yeah... loud is... the word. And shiny! Loud and shiny. And spiky! Loud, shiny, and spiky. With fire! Loud, shiny- Meerk was happy."
―Cel and Skraak talk about Meerk.
## Dice rolls & mechanics

* Hamid Sense Motive to reassure the kobolds and see what the Awakened beings' intent is: 15
* Perception checks for seeing how Skraak is doing: 19 (Zolf), 25 (Azu), 22 (Cel)
* Perception check to notice how the pyre burns: 19 (Zolf), Nat 20 (Hamid), 17 (Cel), 21 (Azu)