Silissa 2

Velendo speaks up. "What price to transport us?"

She studies them, watching them carefully. "To transport you, I require one of the rings from the dragon's corpse. For additional information, a second question answered, I wish a drop of blood from each of you."

Galthia frowns. "How will the blood be used?"

"Is that your question?"

"No."

The group quietly confers.

"What does she mean? King Josric never had any children!" "I want to learn about Telay!" "Don't ask about T'Cri; the bastard is probably a big 'ole rat-ghoul." Anyone care about the modrons?" "No." "Yes!" "Not now, Agar." "What kind of a sadist would present people with lots of answers, and only answer one?" "I'd love to find out about the Puppeteer." "Learning about the White Kingdom is probably more useful." "Can we survive in Moradin's Forge?" "Better to go further into the Underdark, I think." "Agreed." "I'm not giving a drop of blood." "Me either." "Then only one question gets answered. Which one?" "Oh, Telay... damn it." "Who is the Ivory King? I know that name from somewhere." "You're hallucinating." "No you're not. I remember it too." "Probably the King of the Ghouls. The Ivory Queen is Imbindarla, we know that." "Too many choices!" "So, how to break the Spine of the White Kingdom?" "Yes, I think we have to." "Yes." "Yes." "Yes."

The group rises from its huddle and turns back to Silissa, faces set. Nolin steps forward. "We are agreed, Silissa, daughter of Ogremoch. We wish to know how to break the spine of the White Kingdom."

The earth around them shudders slightly, as if letting out a held breath.

"Indeed. The White Kingdom is ruled by the unborn son of the Goddess Imbindarla, She who was once to be Goddess of Night, but failed. He is called Gl'Yuut, and was carved unborn from her earthly womb by members of the Brotherhood of Night. He rules the Kingdom of the Ghouls, and the children he has created spread forth throughout the sunless caverns to slay and devour and conquer all they find. If he is destroyed along with his closest cadre, and the entrance to the cyst sealed, the spark that drives the ghouls shall fade as well. They worship he and his mother, although only one of them is worthy of worship. The two share no loyalty; slay one, and they shall fall and be devoured, with all that might entail."

She turns to the githzerai monk, studying him. He looks up steadfastly, perhaps surprised by the scrutiny but giving no sign of discomfort.

"Galthia. I have been charged with conveying to you a gift, and thus satisfying an ancient debt. I foresee a time when you will die if you do not have this token, so I give the token to you now." Silissa raises her slim brown hand to her face, and with strong fingers gouges out her left eyeball. She bends over and offers it to Galthia, who takes it without comment. It is warm in his hand, but within seconds hardens to green rock. Silissa watches him, her black eye socket weeping fluid. "Swallow it; it will become as part of you, and will serve you when no power solely of flesh will serve." Galthia does so, and feels a momentary tingling throughout his body.

"And so are debts satisfied."

Velendo wipes the disgusted look off of his face and clears his throat. "My Lady, must we take advantage of your offer to send us further from this place right now? We have things which we need to gather from back inside the vault." Silissa looks at him with her one brilliant eye. "Gems, magical items, and weapons; things which we shall need."

Mara speaks up. "Tao's lizard mount Newt, too. And my warhorse Luminor. We left them in the first vault room. They've been waiting for us." Silissa inclines her head to gaze into the distance amd shrugs her perfect shoulders.

"Not for long." Her tone is matter-of-fact, her face inscrutable.

Mara looks up, horrified. "Not for.. what? What do you mean?" Silissa merely gazes at her.

Sagiro:
We're pretty sure that this:

There is one amongst you who can lock the door with the gemstone key, but you have failed to do so – and there is those amongst your enemies who can call back the farthest of friends from that still-open door.

...is a metaphor for Sir Malachite, Knight of the Emerald Chapel, who could have been making sure the dead stay dead by dealing the killing blow himself. (It's a special Hunter-of-the-Dead power.) And that, as KidCthulhu says, our enemies have some kind of resurrect-the-undead power that they're using on those that Malachite isn't killing.

For the record, it's a non-trivial task to arrange for a particular character to deliver the death blow against a powerful opponent -- especially when it has to be a physical attack. (And I know what you're thinking... but in Piratecat's game, harm (and by extension, heal against undead) allows for a save, one that most of the powerful baddies we fight are likely to make. So the obvious "heal, followed by a Karthos-swing" isn't as foolproof one might hope.)

Still, we'll do what we can.

Piratecat:

especially when it has to be a physical attack

It doesn't; sword *or* spell, but not positive energy burst.

I know that the group has considered a few potential foes - the undead archer from the necropede battle, the psionic shadow from Mridsgate, the half-orcish ghoul that succeeded in paralyzing Galthia, a few others - and are considering what happens if their forces are combined. Whether or not this interpretation is correct is still up in the air, of course.

Incidentally, Boros is the God of Death and the guardian of the door to the afterlife.