[Pine]
Unaware of what is going on upstairs, Pine stepped away from the room with the dead fae, and out of the tower itself, closing the door between himself and the Flumph if it was still following him. Things there were not right, not only because he could not lay the dead to rest, but what he had learned of the tower, it might be something the Three could use, if it connected to other planes, or something they would need to disable.
Unwilling to attempt any more magic in the tower, he would make himself a private space away from it, if possible, and focus his mind on the connection between him and the pull of his cause. It had been his connection to the Three in the past, and he knew he could really use the guidance. The spell he had done before had only given yes or no answers, and that was not ideal, and so instead he would attempt merely to pray for guidance, rather than cast any magic.
If he felt their attention, he would relate what he had found out about the tower and its strange properties in Leilon. "I cannot lay those dead to rest," he would say silently to them, "I can feel their souls, but the ceremony fails. I do not wish to leave them like this and would ask your advice."
He had other things to say, if they granted him their attention, but for now, that was his most pressing thought.
[DM]
You focus your senses and open them as much as possible [Please expend one charge of Sense Dead and one Charge of Eyes of the Grave]. It seems contrary that the closer you have come to their work in the mere the quieter their voices have become and the question of why burns in your soul. But your fervor does bear fruit...or the shadow of them. You can feel the three's presence but it's a whisper compared to your previous interactions. "The fey must return to their realm, they do not experience true death but instead are absorbed by their plane" the whisper of an authoritative voice carries in the wind. "The creature has been stranded here with no way to go back - hah! I say let it rot little Cleric." the usual booming voice seems to lack it's usual impact but you sense the familiar bloodthirst. "There is another way. If this soul could be spoken with you could persuade it to join the river of souls here. I would be willing to accept it in my domain" the usual chilling whisper could barely be heard now that it was a whisper of a whisper.
While your sense of the Three does not yet vanish you are suddenly aware of the presence of a fourth shadow - but no sooner than you perceived it that it ceased to exist, almost as if your knowing had dispelled it.
[Pine]
Pine was both relieved, but also worried at the feeling of transience, of impermanence of the contact he had become more used to feeling. Their words, their guidance, were so weak compared to the times before, and while he had never sought a God to follow, now that he had them, having made his oath to be their agent in the world, the whisper of their presence was worrying rather than relieving.
They would no doubt feel his gratitude for the answer to his question, but he could feel even that connection fading, and poured more of his belief, more of his focus into trying to maintain it. He had never truly had to do something like that before, and was inexperienced, but if nothing else he was dedicated to his path. Should he feel it fading further, enough that he might lose the connection, he would attempt to meld the spell of 'Sending' with his prayer to give the connection stability.
"What are your wishes of me in the Mere? I was attacked by those of yours before and each rest weakens me further."
[DM]
The voices of the three speak as one but out of sync, casting an eerie echo over what is said next "Find...find...find the power that made the...the..the mere...and...and...and make...make...make us who..o...o...le". You sense the connection slipping.
[Pine]
At those words Pine, who had really only just been recovering from the last task the Three had given, and had thought this trip was more of a tour of their accomplishments in the area, felt his heart drop at the words. But perhaps it was not all on his shoulders, perhaps the 'Power that made the Mere' was the cult that was already there, and he was merely to help them? He didn't know, and the scope of his not knowing was profoundly daunting.
"The Dead Hand? Are they an ally? Your father showed an interest. Should I draw his attention? Who can I trust to aid in this?"
The Three would likely easily get the sense that their cleric was overwhelmed by the task, and more acutely all the things he did not know. He was, after all, a hermit from the mountains, no matter his actions those last few months. They knew all the pieces on the board, their moves, their actions, but Pine was barely glimpsing over the top of the board and knew nothing of their game. To restore three Gods to godhood, it wasn't a small ask. If previous actions were to be used as evidence, it seemed likely that whatever was in the Mere would have to be destroyed in order to gain that magic.
[DM]
"NOOOOOOOO" never before had the three seemed more shade like as they almost moaned out that word. With some semblance of their personality you hear them whisper "Our father must not be allowed to wake. He would devour us. He would devour all"
Your strength of will coupled with the magic you channelled seems to have made the three more solid for a moment, disentangling them from each other. Bane's voice, now clearly his, adds "Yes, the hand will help. We cannot see in the Mere, it is our hand and eyes. But be cautious, rushing will only lead to disaster" Bhaal would suggest "But no chosen can't be replaced little cleric, maybe slay them and take their place" followed finally by Myrkul's dread whisper "Our presence here is faded, you must come closer to U..."
A lurch in your soul informs you that the Three are no longer here, or at least enough for your senses to pick up on.
Pine (Darren M) — Today at 00:36
[I'd like to see whether Pine can judge what that fourth presence was. Like was it another God, was it a person Scrying, was it a ghost, was it hostile etc]
That wasn't one of the three or similar to them you realise. Instead it was smaller, a presence almost a foot wide. Considering it manifested immediately as the Three answered it must be something or someone who can sense something like. Considering it disappeared when you were aware of it means it may have been some sort of divination spell that failed.
Someone, with access to high level magic and the ability to sense the Three apparating, was behind that presence. You don't know of anyone that matches the description but it feels like this Dead Hand or whoever it's leader was would be a likely candidate. You don't enough about such spells and how they work to know if it worked at all or just failed.
[Pine]
Pine would have halted his internal catastrophizing when they responded, and responded in such a way. He was reminded, pointedly, that no matter that they had been Gods, they were not so currently, or at least they did not have the power they once held.
It sat oddly with him, considering his own interactions with Jergal. The elder God had seemed content to read, and had shown no signs of hunger or a desire to devour Pine, even when he himself had been a shade after the dragon of Icespire Peak. Yet he did not disbelieve the Three in their fear. They knew more than he did, after all, saw more, understood more as a mere mortal simply could not. Perhaps once they regained themselves once more they would have far less to fear.
But he still remembered the peace of that Library, of the gentle turning of pages in the background as Jergal read, the small smile that had touched those lips a moment before Pine had been sent back, my Jergal's own hand. To think that Jergal was entirely unaware seemed strange to him after that, but he would not go against their stated wishes. He had made his agreement with them, and that meant a lot to him.
It was a relief, though, to know that the Dead Hand was an ally, someone that was not necessarily an enemy once they had safely met, someone that knew more than he did about what was going on with the Three's plans and how to put them in place. Bhaal's words did stay with him, however, not as a lure, but as a potential warning that it was not only Pine that would have been being prodded by such words, and that he may well need to guard himself just as well until an agreement had been made.
As the Three were gone, Pine would be left there pondering those words, and who Myrkul had been in the middle of saying. Was it 'us', or was it a name. Frustrating that he did not know.
And there had been that fourth presence too, one that he knew that six moons ago he would certainly not have noticed. The scrying spell he had familiarised himself with only hours earlier that morning, and perhaps it was that familiarity that had made him recognise it. It was, hopefully, the ally in the Dead Hand. After all, to be the Three's eyes meant they had to be able to see further than the swamp. He could only hope that he was right about that.
With a sigh at the task ahead, he turned back to the tower and the gentle knocking from the inside of the tower door. He really hoped that creepy thing would fixate on Arya or Effie instead, or better yet manage to go home once more.
But he had a job to do, one he had not forgotten despite the momentous words that he had been directed with. There was a dead fae that needed to move on, either by words, or by banishment. He would try words first, for especially after seeing Lumalia in town earlier, he was more acutely aware how the Three could use more souls aligned with their cause.
However just as he was about to go in, his gaze was caught on the shimmer of magic, of the sight of the tower stretching up and up, perfect as it might once have been. He had only been away for a couple of minutes, surely. He had a bad feeling that one of the group had triggered a trap that the construct of Zatharius had warned them about.
With a soft groan, he strode back to the entrance and stepped inside, hissing at the flumph if it was in his way.